Ep #176: 3 Steps to Level Up Your Running in 2021

And then you think the problem is you, that you have no discipline, that you’re lazy, that you’re doomed to be stuck where you are forever, but this is just not true. Seriously, it’s not true. You’re fine. You’re just trying to change everything all at once, at for most people, that doesn’t work. So, I want you to try leveling up instead.

Welcome to The Not Your Average Runner Podcast. If you’re a woman who has never felt athletic but you still dream about becoming a runner, you are in the right place. I’m Jill Angie, a certified running and life coach and I teach women how to start running, feel confident, and change their lives, and now I want to help you.

Hey, Rebels. Can you believe we’re only got two more episodes left in 2020? Two. This one and next week. I am so stoked for next year. I’ve got some very epic shit planned. I mean, I guess very epic is kind of redundant. I’ve just got some epic shit planned for my clients, for myself, for the Not Your Average Runner universe. I’m bringing the epic everywhere.

And I know that 2021 hasn’t officially started yet, but in my mind, it actually started several weeks ago because I couldn’t wait to get busy making it all happen.

So, one of the things that is happening early on in 2021 is a class that I’ve created to help you become a consistent exerciser. And I’m calling this a masterclass because it’s not just a webinar. It’s a class where you’re going to mater the skill of letting go of any excuses that are getting in the way of you exercising the way you want to. So, I’m going to help you become a master. Are you ready?

Think about what your life would be like if you knew that excuses were no longer going to get in your way. How freaking awesome would that be? So, class is on January 3^rd. All you have to do is go to notyouraveragerunner.com/masterclass or just click the link in the show notes for this episode. I really hope I’m going to see you there.

And seriously, if you are that person who starts off strong every January with a new fitness routine and then by February you’ve given up on yourself, I want you to come to this class. I really, really want you to be there.

Let’s not repeat that same old cycle, not this time. 2020 was a hard year. I get it. Let’s get you set up to just sail through 2021. You deserve this. You deserve this. So, come to the consistency masterclass. I’ll get you set up for success. Actually, just go sign up right now. Hit pause. I’ll wait. I’m patient. Go do it. Come right back and then we’re going to talk about another way you can level-up your 2021. So, go now. Hit pause.

Alright, so now that you’re all signed up and you know that you’re going to get your excuses sorted out for 2021, you are going to be able to blow your own mind this year. And that is what we’re going to talk about in this episode. But first, I do have to tell you about this incredibly fun thing I did on Instagram.

I decided to, 2021, I’m going to level-up my Instagram skills. And so, I created Not Your Average Runner stickers that you can use on your Instagram stories. I mean, I had no idea that this is a thing I could do.

I was chatting with Kiah Twisselman last week and she taught me how to do it, because she’s an Instagram Rockstar and seriously you should just go follow her. She’s @kiah_twisselman. I hope I’m saying your last name right, Kiah. Anyway, we will have a link in the show notes to her Instagram. But you should go follow her. She’s simply fabulous.

So, seriously I made these stickers. I made these stickers. They’re so fun. And if you want to use them on your posts, you can actually do this. So, when you are in the gif/sticker section of stories, you can type in NYAR, or you can type in Not Your Average Runner, type that in, in the search bar, and the Not Your Average Runner stickers come up. It is so amazing.

And if you have fun ideas for designs that you would like to see me create, let me know. I’ll get to work on it. Because apparently, I’m an Instagram Rockstar too.

Now, speaking of Instagram, I’m also obsessed with watching Reels right now. And originally, I downloaded the TikTok app, I don’t know, several months ago because my friend Amy is obsessed with TikTok and she kept sending me all these little TikTok videos and I was like, alright, I’m going to check this out. I got myself on TikTok and like an hour went by in the blink of an eye. And I’m like, I can’t be on TikTok. It’s like crack to me.

So, I immediately deleted the app because I knew that I was going to lose so much time. But then Instagram came out with their version of TikTok which is called Reels, and I’ve kind of gotten sucked back in a little bit. Not quite as bad. But there really is a lot of fun stuff on there, especially for pets. You know how I love my cat videos.

But one of the songs that I hear a lot on Reels, and I think it’s also on TikTok a lot, is Level Up, by Ciara. And that is kind of what inspired me to do today’s episode. Because I really love the concept of leveling up. It’s like, we always say that that’s next level, next version, next evolution. And you know I’m all about the evolution.

And I kind of think about who I am now versus who I was last year, five years ago, 10 years ago, in my 20s. And I’m always evolving. And specifically, when I think about my confidence level right now, it’s pretty high, you guys. It’s probably way higher than it has any right to be. But I’m all about the confidence.

But 20 years ago, it was pretty low. And it’s not like I just woke up one morning and I was like, “Oh yeah., look at all this confidence. I’m just going to be so confident.” No, no, no. It happened little by little. I leveled up and then I did it again and again until I got to where I am today. And, of course, I’m going to keep leveling up. There’s no endgame.

Unlike a videogame, there is no end level. I kind of feel like you just keep evolving up and up indefinitely. But it’s the same with running. I didn’t start out doing half-marathons and triathlons one day. I started out running around my block. I got really good at that, and then I moved on from there until I was doing these really long-distance events.

So, to me, leveling up means finding the next version of me to become. It’s incremental. And I think that’s the important concept here is that it’s incremental. It’s step by step. It’s taking what I have done so far and then just getting better at it, and then getting better at that.

And think about it in the context of New Year’s resolutions. This is the time of year when everybody is like, “New Year, new me.” All the resolutions, I’m going to do all these amazing things, especially around weight loss. Don’t even get me started. It’s New Year’s Eve and we’re like, “Okay, tomorrow I’m going to stop eating carbs forever. I’m going to start running and I’m going to train for a marathon and make a green smoothie every day. I’m going to meditate for 10 minutes every morning and stretch for 10 minutes every night and I’m going to lose 100 pounds and…”

It’s a lot. And when you’re excited about something, it seems like, “Oh yeah. That’s a thing I could do.” And let’s be clear. You totally could do it. But knowing how human brains work, it’s unlikely that you’re just going to wake up tomorrow and implement all that stuff all at once and not hit any road bumps.

So, we just decide, “Starting tomorrow, I’m going to be a completely different person. Despite the fact that I’ve done the complete opposite of all those things pretty much every day for the past 10 years, tomorrow is the day I’m going to be different.” And again, I’m not saying all that stuff is impossible.

But knowing how human brains work, it’s pretty likely that you’re going to last about a week with your perfect new routine before you completely lose your shit and go right back to having Cheetos and wine for dinner in bed every night. Which, by the way, there is no judgment there. I am no stranger to Cheetos and wine for dinner. And also, by the way, my clients suggested at our last retreat that they should start a drinking game based around the number of times I mention Cheetos either in the podcast or on a coaching call. So, here you go, ladies. The count is one for this.

Okay, I’m getting a little bit off track and kind of cracking myself up. Anyway, New Year’s resolutions don’t usually last because we get panicky and we think we need to do all the things and it only counts if it starts on January 1^st or, let’s be honest, January 2^nd. And we’re like, “2021 is going to be my year but I have to start on the right day to make it perfect.”

Like, there’s something magical about that day. And, if I start it on that day and on January 10^th, I fuck it up, I’ve got to wait until 2022 to start over again. Like, we’re super-excited and motivated in the beginning and we do great for a few days, maybe even a few weeks. But as soon as we make a mistake, we’re like, “Oh well, maybe 2022 is going to be my year.” Does this sound familiar?

There’s actually a few times a year when this is super-common. May, right as we’re heading into summer and people are like, “Oh I’ve got to get my summer body.” I’m like, “You’ve got a body and it’s summer. Therefore, you have a summer body. But whatever.”

And it happens around times when routines change or times when the calendar changes. So, in May, a lot of people are going from the routine of the school year to summer break. September it happens again. People are going from summer back into the school year. So, it’s a shift in routine and it seems like an opportunity to make a big change. And then, of course, January because we’re flipping the calendar over.

January is by far the biggest one. But they all have that sort of feeling to them, like new beginning, it’s a chance to be a different person. And the thing is, any time of the year is a chance to become a different person. The only reason that you might struggle is because it’s your brain not being onboard with the evolution that needs to happen because your brain is like, “I’ve got to do all the things,” and you just don’t have that mental capacity.

And then you think the problem is you, that you have no discipline, that you’re lazy, that you’re doomed to be stuck where you are forever. But this is just not true. Seriously, it’s not true. You’re fine. You’re just trying to change everything all at once. And for most people, that doesn’t work.

So, I want you to try leveling up instead. And what the hell is leveling up anyway? Well, I’m going to tell you. I have a three-step process. And step one is to define the gap. So, when you want a result that you don’t currently have, there’s a gap; a gap between where you are and where you want to be.

So, the first step is to get really clear on that gap. And I want you to use numbers and data and facts only. No judgments. No adverbs. No adjectives. No descriptions. No opinions. Numbers, data, facts. Be as specific as possible.

For example, if your goal is to run a half-marathon next year or whatever, you’re like, “Okay, someday I want to run a half-marathon.” Let’s be specific on what the goal is. Maybe it’s, “I want to run a half-marathon in three hours.” Maybe it’s, “I want to finish a half-marathon.” Let’s be specific on it.

And so, that’s the goal. That’s the end point. And now, you can do one mile in 15 minutes. So, that’s the gap. I can run one mile in 15 minutes. And I want to be able to do 13 miles in three hours. So, that’s our gap.

There’s no, “Oh my god, this is going to be so impossible. Can I even do it? This is crazy. I’ll never stick with it.” Just write down the facts. Write down the math of it all. What is the gap between today and your end point? That is it. That’s step one, define the gap.

Step two is to define the levels. This is where it gets kind of fun and interesting. Now, you might say to yourself, “Okay, well I need to get faster and I need to go farther and I need to do all the strength training and lose 20 pounds and become an expert at tracking everything with my Garmin and I need to learn how to not be so out of breath and…” all the things.

But actually, you just need to figure out the next level for you. And it’s not going to be all the things. What is the first thing you need to do? What is the first level? Not even the first action you need to take. What is the level you need to achieve?

And if you just started, maybe if right now your level is, “I can run one mile once a week and it takes me 15 minutes,” your first level might be getting used to running three times a week consistently. That’s your level-up for now.

Now, if you’re already running three times a week consistently, your first level-up will probably to feel comfortable doing a 5K. That’s it. Leveling up is about going up one level, not 10 levels. Focus on the first one.

And again, this isn’t necessarily a to-do list. Not even an accomplishment list. This is a skill list. It’s like skills that you have mastered and then you go onto the next skill and the next skill. That’s how I want you to think about leveling up.

So, look at the gap between now and when you’ve hit your goal and look at the levels you need to achieve. And so, again, if you are currently able to do one mile and it takes you 15 minutes to do that mile, and your goal is to be able to 13 miles at an average pace of 13 minutes per mile, your levels might be developing the skill of running three times a week consistently.

Then, the next level might be developing the skill of running 5K at least once a week consistently. And then the next skill level might be strength training once a week consistently, and then twice a week, and then maybe the skill level after that is getting your mile time below 13 minutes per mile. And then the next level after that might be following a half-marathon training plan and getting really good at following that plan.

So, defining the levels that you need to achieve before you move onto the next level will help you see where you’re going. And it’s going to help you look at it step-wise. And when you are thinking about getting to the top of a staircase – I live on the third floor. There’s 39 steps from the ground to my front door. I do not jump 39 steps.

I get to the bottom of the staircase. I can’t do step two until I’ve done step one. So, when you want to get to the top of a staircase, you do it one step at a time. You can do the same with your goals. You can’t climb the second step until you’ve climbed the first step. And I recommend you take this approach to your leveling up.

I also recommend you do it in writing. Maybe even draw a staircase, write each level on a step, then cut out a photograph of you that you can move up the staircase every time you level up. How fun would that be?

You know what? I’m totally doing that for my goals this year. I’m going to hang it on a wall. I’m going to post a picture on Instagram. You’ll see it.

Now, step three is to get busy on your first level. So, step one was to find the gap. Step two was to find the levels. Step three is to do level one. And this is where you start planning and figuring out the actions that you need to take.

So, step one was defining the gap. Step two was understanding the levels, the skill levels that you need to get to. And step three is what are the actions you need to take to get to level one?

Now, again, if your first level is to become a consistent three times a week exerciser, your actions that you take that you plan might be scheduling your exercise time, making sure you have enough clean workout gear for a week at a time, check the weather, sign up for my masterclass on how to become a consistent exerciser.

Take those actions and start working on them. And know that you’re going to make mistakes, and that’s okay. Listen to last week’s episode on making mistakes. Prepare your mind for the actions you’ll be taking. Plan out not just how, when, and what you’ll be doing. But what you’ll be thinking that is going to get in your way and how you’re going to respond.

And then finally, measure your progress. That is so important because, that way, you’re going to know when you’ve leveled up. It will be clear and obvious. You won’t have to guess. You won’t be like, “I wonder if I’ve been running three times a week for the past three months or not.” You’ll be able to look at our calendar and say, “Nope, I’ve done it.” Okay.

Then, when it’s time for the next level-up, do the exact same thing. Plan the actions you need to be taking. Work on your thinking. Start doing. And then measure.

So, again, leveling up isn’t something that happens in a big, sweeping gesture. That’s not what it is. It’s the accumulation of small actions repeated over and over again until they’re habitual. That is the secret.

Alright, my rebellious friends. That’s it for this week. Make sure you sign up for the masterclass in becoming a consistent exerciser. Again, it’s on January 3^rd. All the information is at notyouraveragerunner.com/masterclass. I hope to see you there.

Meanwhile, I love you. Stay safe and get your ass out there and run. I will see you next week.

Oh, and one last thing. If you enjoyed listening to this episode, you have to check out the Rebel Runner Roadmap. It’s a 30-day online program that will teach you exactly how to start running, stick with it, and become the runner you’ve always wanted to be. Head on over to rebelrunnerroadmap.com to join. I’d love to be a part of your journey.