Ep. #415: F*ck Running!

Welcome to the Not Your Average Runner podcast. I’m Jill Angie, a certified running coach, and your running BFF here to help you start running. Feel confident and love the journey no matter your size. Now, if you’ve ever felt like you just weren’t meant to be a runner, think again. I believe that running is for all bodies, even yours.

This podcast is your warmup buddy, giving you tips, motivation, and the support you need to lace up and get moving. I’ve helped thousands of women become runners, and now I wanna help you. Let’s go.

Hi friends and welcome back to the show. Now, today’s episode title might have you raising an eyebrow a little bit because it’s called Fuck Running Now, before you Clutch Your Pearls. Let me explain. Obviously I love running. I’ve built an entire career around helping women run. But here’s the truth.

Running is not the only path to fitness or strength or confidence. And for some of you listening, running might not even be the right place for you to start right now. So today’s episode is about giving you permission to say, you know what? Fuck running. I can build a strong, confident body without it. And also I’m working on a new thing that I’m gonna be telling you about today.

I think you’re going to absolutely love it. But first we’re gonna dive into why you might wanna say fuck running. It’s kind of fun to say it, so let’s be real here. Running has been put on a pedestal, right? For decades. The fitness industry has treated it like the gold standard. If you run, you’re fit, and if you don’t, you are lazy.

And of course, that’s complete bs. Running is amazing, but it is just one flavor of movement. It works for some people. It doesn’t work for everyone and it doesn’t work in every season of life. I have coached women who started running when they were younger, fell in love, and had to stop for one reason or another.

Um, I’ve coached women who were never active and then started running in their sixties and fell in love and it was amazing. Um, I’ve coached women who forced themselves to run because they thought they should. And they ended up injured and frustrated and burned out. Okay. I’ve coached women all over the map.

The thing is, fitness isn’t about doing what you should do. It is about finding a way to move your body that makes you feel good, capable, and strong. Sometimes that is running, sometimes it’s other things. And it might change and shift and flex depending on your season of life. So if running, isn’t it right now for you or if it’s never it for you, that’s okay.

You’re not failing at fitness. So the problem with running. One of the problems, uh, is that it carries baggage, right? There is pace comparison. There’s race culture. There’s that constant pressure to do more and go faster and sign up for the next big event. And oh, if you take walk breaks, you’re not a real runner.

Um, if you’re slower than a 10 minute mile, you’re not a real runner. There’s. So much bullshit. And if you are plus size, the pressure is doubled, right? Because you’re not only dealing with your own thoughts about your pace, you are also bracing yourself for side eye and comments and straight up harassment sometimes from other people.

I have had clients say, I feel like if I’m not running. Like if I am taking walk breaks or whatever, then I’m not doing it right. And honestly, I have felt that too, right? It’s like the world sees running as the ultimate badge of fitness, but it has to look a certain way. It has to be fast and ugh, it’s endless.

Right? And fuck that because your worth as a human or an athlete has nothing to do with whether you can run a mile or a 5K or a marathon. So I wanna get a little personal here. Um, there have been seasons for me when running felt incredible. It gave me community and structure and therapy on the move after my mom passed away.

Uh, from a LS That was one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through. Running got me through, okay. But there have also been seasons where running felt like an absolute chore, where every step felt heavy. Where my body was screaming for a break, and my brain is like, no, you have to run. You’re the running coach.

This is who you are, right? And guess what? Forcing myself to run in those moments did not build confidence. It made me feel resentful and angry, and it made me not want to run. But what did build confidence in those moments was going for a walk, riding my peloton, lifting weights, moving in ways that reminded me I was still strong and capable and allowed to enjoy myself.

Okay. You get to pick the movement that makes you feel good. So that’s why I say fuck running, because sometimes you need to let go of what you think you should be doing and just find what works for you in this season. Now, I wanna talk to those of you who love running, but right now it’s not working for you and you’re feeling some kind of way about it.

Maybe you are dealing with an injury that just won’t heal. Maybe your knees or your hips are telling you it’s time for a break, or your schedule is telling you it’s time for a break. Your body might be in a new, a new phase, right? Menopause, weight changes. Aging and running is suddenly feeling harder than it used to, and if running is part of your identity.

Stepping back can feel like a death. And I don’t say that lightly. I have been there myself. It is real grief. But here’s what I want you to hear. You are not just a runner. Running may be part of your story, but it’s not your entire identity. You’re still an athlete. You’re still strong. You’re still capable of moving your body in ways that build confidence and joy and community.

So saying fuck running in the season doesn’t erase who you were as a runner. It just makes space for who you are becoming now, and sometimes letting go, whether it’s temporarily or permanently, isn’t giving up. It is an act of respect for your body, and it’s an opening to discover what else is possible.

So let’s talk about what that might look like, because movement beyond running is endless. It’s endless. There’s strength training and yoga, and hiking and swimming and rowing and dance, and pickleball, and cycling and walking the dog and playing tag with your kids. All of it counts. And here is the mindset shift.

You don’t have to earn your fitness badge through running because the real badge of honor is showing up consistently in a way that supports your body and your life. So ask yourself, what type of movement actually feels good to me right now? What makes me feel proud afterwards and what feels sustainable in my current era of life?

Okay, because here’s the kicker, the best workout isn’t the hardest one. It’s the one you’re actually gonna do. So before I get into this new thing that I’m working on, I wanna give you a challenge. This week, let’s just play a little game with our brains this week. I want you to imagine that running doesn’t exist.

It’s not a thing, it’s off the table. If running was not an option, what kind of movement would you choose? Would you try that dance class? Would you get back into cycling? Would you, would you roller blade? What would you do? Sometimes removing, running from the equation opens up space for creativity and helps you find another kind of movement that lights you up.

Alright. So if you are nodding along right now and you’re thinking, all right, Jill, yeah, fuck running. But what do I do instead? I have got something new coming your way. It is so freaking cool. It’s called the 3 2 1 workout. It is simple fitness for midlife, and here’s how it works. Six minute blocks, three minutes of cardio, two minutes of strength, one minute of mobility.

It. That’s a six minute block. You can stop there. You can stack as many blocks as you want to create a longer workout. But what this plan does is it gives you a menu of different moves, different levels, different types of equipment, if you like, equipment so that you can mix and match to build your own workout, whether you’ve got six minutes or 30 minutes.

No complicated routines. No, all or nothing rules. Just simple building blocks that fit into your real life. Okay? This can be a minimum baseline kind of situation, or it can be a full on, full length workout. You get to choose and create. So I’m gonna be sharing more details about this very soon, but. For now, just know if running feels like too much, this is your permission slip to try something different, my friend, and along the way, still get strong and confident and consistent.

Okay, so this week play with that question. If running wasn’t the default, what kind of movement would you choose? What feels fun? What feels doable? What makes you wanna come back again tomorrow? And the answer is where your fitness confidence begins. Once you figure that out, you get to. You’re like, okay, this is it.

This is, this is where I feel amazing. And it doesn’t have to be somebody else’s definition of real exercise. ’cause running is awesome. Also. It’s not the only way to move your body, and it’s sure as hell, not the only way to be fit. So if you’ve been trying to force yourself into running and it’s not clicking, I want you to release the guilt.

Say it with me. Fuck. Running Fitness is about finding what works for you. I’ll be dropping more details on the 3, 2, 1 workout soon and until next time, stay strong, stay bold, and I will see you next week.

MWAH.

Real quick before you go, I’ve got a fun challenge for you. Take my exerciser personality quiz to find out exactly what kind of exerciser you are and how to make running feel easier and more enjoyable.

Just head over to not your average runner.com/quiz to take it and get your results. That’s not your average runner.com/quiz.