Ep #372: Rebooting after the holidays

 Welcome to the Not Your Average Runner Podcast. If you’ve never felt athletic, but you still dream about becoming a runner, you are in the right place. I’m Jill Angie, and I help fat women over 40 to start running, feel confident, and change their lives. I have worked with thousands of women to help them achieve their running goals, And now I want to help you.

Hey there runner. And welcome to another episode of the not your average runner podcast. The show that is here to get you running safely and confidently, no matter your size. I hope that you had an amazing holiday season filled with joy and laughter and hopefully a few too many cookies because there is no judgment here, I promise.

And as always, I’m here as your coach and running BFF, and today is all about hitting that reset button either after the holidays or just in general. So, if If you took a break for a few days, uh, for the holidays, or you took the whole month of December off, or maybe you’ve been taking the past year off, today’s episode is all about how to reboot your running routine and start 2025 strong.

So we are going to keep it simple, actionable, and totally doable because let’s be real, January can be overwhelming enough. Now, first things first, if you have fallen out of your routine over the holidays, you are not alone. Life gets busy, sometimes running takes a back seat, and that is okay. It is normal, and frankly, when there is a million things to juggle, sometimes you gotta prioritize accordingly.

But the important thing is you’re here now, and you’re ready to get back into it. So I like to use the word reboot instead of saying that I’m starting over because you are never really starting over even if it has been years since you last ran because your body and especially your mind, remember the feeling of running.

You’ve got experiences under your belt. You know what the, you know what you’re signing up for, right? So even if your fitness level right this moment, isn’t the same as it was before, you are not Starting from zero. Okay. So a reboot is like a version 2. 0. It’s like, okay, I’ve done this once and I’m gonna build on what I did before and make it even more awesome because Right?

But like, let’s be honest saying that you’re starting over kind of feels like a drag, right? But a reboot feels exciting and fun and new and yes It might look different than the original and that’s okay And of course the beauty of running is that it is always there for you always No matter how long it’s been, you can always reboot and guess what?

You don’t have to make up for lost time or go all out on day one, right? A reboot is about slow and steady. So, how do you reboot without completely overwhelming yourself? Well, here is my three step plan. Number one, start small. Your first run and your first several runs back, as a matter of fact, do not need to be fast.

They don’t need to be long. They don’t need to be hard. If, you know, if you took the entire month of December off or more, I recommend with starting like, I don’t know, 10 to 15 minutes to ease back into it, 10 to 15 minutes of intervals. So you’re going to do a nice. It’s five minute walking warmup, do some dynamic stretches and then do like 10 to 15 minutes of easy intervals, easy pace, relaxed pace, and that’s going to help you kind of ease your way back into it because the goal here is to remind your body what it feels like to move.

All right. We do not want to overdo it. There is no rush. Take your time with it. Now, step number two is set. Like mini goals. Okay. Instead of like, Oh, I need to be back where I was last month, or I need to be back where I was over the summer, which kind of gets you that, like, Like angsty, anxious, nervous sort of energy of like, okay, well, if I run four times this week and I ramp up at this pace, then I’ll be back where I was, right?

Like we start doing all this crazy mental math and it gets us stressed out and overwhelmed and we’re struggling to, to stick with it. Right? So set mini goals. Focus on short term wins that will move you forward instead of thinking like I got to be back where I used to be. So, an example is to commit to three times this week.

No matter the distance, you’re just going to commit to going out and doing a warm up and ten minutes of intervals three times this week. Okay? Those are mini victories. And they build momentum, they build trust with yourself, and they also, like, serve to gently remind your body, like, hey, we can do this. We can totally do this, all right?

So the third step is to put your focus on how you feel. And, and I’m going to explain what that means. Cause it’s more than just whether you’re tired or not, right. Pay attention to how it makes you feel. Don’t look at the stats on your watch, because if you took time off, um, you know, the fact is you’re probably going to be a little slower than the last time you ran, um, you might not be able to go as far.

It might feel a little bit harder. That’s okay. That’s normal. Fitness is not all or nothing. All right. Within a few week at workouts, you’re going to start seeing improvements. You’re going to start seeing movement in that area. So don’t stress about it. Right? Don’t. In fact, if you can go out and do a couple runs without your watch, without any of it, do it, right?

So don’t stress about your stats. I want you to focus on things like How does your mind feel? Does running help you clear your head? Does it help you boost your mood? Does it help you reconnect with your goals, right? How does your body feel after you’re done running? Do you get that beautiful endorphin rush that That you feel after you’ve run and you’ve kind of like just gotten your, gotten your body moving.

And we, we just all love that feeling of after we’re done running when the endorphins flood your body and you just feel so, so good. So focus on that. Because you know what? You’re going to be tired, it’s going to be harder to breathe, and you know, you may have some aches and pains. You may feel a little bit sore afterwards.

That’s okay, that’s normal. Focus on the other stuff. Right? Because those are positive feelings about, you know, how running makes you feel mentally and how your body feels after you’re done. That is what’s going to help you keep coming back to it. All right. And I just, I want to remind you, I know I probably don’t say this enough.

Maybe I say it too much. I don’t know. But it is normal to take time off from running, okay? Sometimes you might take a week off because life just got crazy. Uh, maybe you took a month off or six weeks off because you got injured, right? Or maybe you just stopped running six months ago for no obvious reason whatsoever, and you’ve been beating yourself up about it.

Which, of course, makes it harder to go for a run because when you are thinking, Oh, I’m so lazy. Oh, I never follow through on anything. You feel guilty. And when we feel guilty, the last thing we want to do is go running. Okay? So, literally, every single runner goes through something like this at one time or another.

You are not alone. You are not special. Like you are, yes, you are special, but you are not special because you quit on running. Okay. We’ve all done it. Running is always there and is always ready to go when you are. So let go of the past and focus on where you are today. All right. And focus on it from a, All right, I’m rebooting.

Let’s fucking go. All right, now, one last thing that I do want to talk about is that, you know, sometimes when we are quote unquote starting over, right, it feels like a drag. It kind of feels like a chore, like a burden. But rebooting doesn’t feel that way. So we’re going to try to find ways to make it fun.

And that might be exploring a new running route, you. Maybe it is, I am going to get in the car and drive to a park. I’ve always wanted to run at, and I’m just, I’m going to do it, right? I’m going to go and actually make this an event where I, You know, I go out for a run for the first time in a while and I do it in a place that I’m really excited about or maybe you get a new audio book to listen to that, you know, you’re going to get lost in and maybe you’ll only listen to that book when you’re running, uh, or change up your playlist, find a new podcast.

You could also, and I think this is, always fun. I love doing this on a run is challenge yourself to spot something new, right? Like a cool bird or quirky mailbox. Like try the scavenger hunt process that I talked about in episode three 69. Okay. Give that a try. Cause it will make your run more fun. Maybe your reboot is about finding a new running friend or finding a running group near you, right?

Like I guarantee so this episode is dropping on December 26th So January 1st is coming up pretty quickly and I promise you there’s gonna be a lot of new Runners and new people looking for someone to go running with. So see if you can find somebody in your neighborhood that wants to run at your pace, because I promise they’re out there and that could be your reboot, right?

Like, Oh, I’m going to learn how to run with other people this year. Um, maybe it’s about changing up your old routine in another way, but whatever you decide, Focus on keeping running lighthearted and enjoyable. Make it something that you look forward to, not just another thing on the old to do list. Okay?

Because that’s going to make it a lot easier to get back into your routine. And Hey, if you are feeling stuck, you’re feeling unsure where to start, you don’t have to figure it out all alone. I’m actually enrolling new private coaching clients for 2025 right now. So you will get personalized training plans, monthly one to one coaching, unlimited email support from me.

for a full year. I will help you reboot your running way routine in a way that fits your life with no pressure, no judgment, just a plan that works for you. So if that does sound like something you need, I would absolutely love to work with you. The link is in the show notes to grab, uh, to grab a spot. Um, or you can email me at support at not your average runner.

com and, and we can talk about it. Okay. All right, my friends. And that is it for today’s episode. And again, remember, rebooting after the holidays is not about being perfect. It is about showing up and reconnecting with running one step at a time. So, if this episode helped you to get in the right mindset for today’s run, please don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review.

Now it’s time to hit start in your Garmin and I will talk to you next week. Real quick, before you go, if you enjoyed listening to this episode, you have to check out my seven day jumpstart plan. It is a free downloadable guide that will teach you exactly how to start running safely and confidently in the body you have right now, head on over to not your average runner.

com slash jumpstart to grab it. That’s notyouraveragerunner. com slash jumpstart. I’d love to be a part of your journey.