Ep #49: Partners in Running with Andy Aupperle

Welcome to The Not Your Average Runner Podcast. If you’re a woman who is midlife and plus sized and you want to start running but don’t know how, or if it’s even possible, you’re in the right place. Using proven strategies and real-life experience, certified running and life coach Jill Angie shares how you can learn to run in the body you have right now.

Hey rebels, you are listening to episode number 49 of The Not Your Average Runner Podcast. I’m your host, Jill Angie, and today, I have got the one and only Andy by my side sharing the mic. Now, if you follow me on social media, you know that Andy is actually my cutie patootie boyfriend, and he’s pretty much an all-round amazing human.

So for that reason alone, I think he’s a great podcast guest. But he’s also been on a major health and fitness journey this year and he’s achieved some pretty kickass stuff including running his first 5K, which was amazingly fun, and I kind of thought it would be fun to have him talk about what that’s all been like for him. Plus, it’s always fun to get the guy’s perspective, right?

So you’re going to hear him answer a bunch of my questions as well as a whole bunch of listener questions, and I promise you it’s all completely unscripted so you’re going to hear some pretty unexpectedly funny stuff that took me by surprise. So let’s go.

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Jill: Hey everyone, so I’m here today with Andy Aupperle who is a new-ish runner. He started running in January and he’s also – you might know him as my boyfriend from Instagram and Facebook. And he’s been on a running journey of his own for the past several months and I thought it would be kind of fun to get him on the show to talk about just what it’s been like for him. And so Andy, welcome to The Not Your Average Runner Podcast.

Andy: Hello. This is weird, I’ve never been on the radio before. Hey there, listeners at KYAR. How’s your life going? How’s it out there running? So are we live? Are we live on the air now?

Jill: No, we’re just recording.

Andy: Oh, I thought we were on the radio.

Jill: No. I’m sorry, did I not make that clear?

Andy: Here I am trying to promote my new ventriloquist act and I brought my dummy and everything and I don’t think I’m going to get the audience I thought I was going to get.

Jill: I don’t think this is the right audience, but they still want to know everything you have to say.

Andy: But I like, I ripped off all these jokes from Jeff Dunham.

Jill: I don’t even know who that is.

Andy: He’s like, a ventriloquist and I made like, puppets just like his, just kind of shittier and my lips move when I talk. Yeah, I’m not putting a whole lot of effort towards my new act but – yeah so maybe I won’t do that. Maybe we’ll just talk about me running.

Jill: Yeah, let’s do that. I think that’s going to be way more fun.

Andy: Alright, we can do that, I’m okay with that.

Jill: Alright, so I should warn everybody that’s listening to this episode is that we really didn’t plan out what we were going to talk about other than me asking a few questions of people on Facebook and just saying, hey if you guys have questions for Andy…

Andy: Oh, I’ve been working on my ventriloquist act for weeks for this but…

Jill: Yeah I know, this is news to me.

Andy: Yeah, we’ll do the running thing.

Jill: Alright, so why don’t you go ahead and tell us a little bit about yourself and you know, normally I ask what do you do, what are your interests and so forth. You don’t need to talk about the ventriloquism because I think we’ve covered that.

Andy: Okay. I’m like, brand new to that too and just not good at all. But anyway, so me, I am Andy. I live in New Jersey. Let’s see, I started running with you like, back in January. Before that I tried doing the Couch to 5K and I did like, a lot of like, treadmill running and I got like, maybe up to like, two miles, kind of slow pace. And then I just kind of stopped and didn’t start running again until I met you.

Jill: And what was our first run like? I remember it.

Andy: I think it was January. It was so fucking cold out. And you’re like, let’s go running, and I’m like, hello, it’s cold outside, it sounds like a bad idea. And I didn’t have any clothes to wear. I think I was like, can I run in jeans or sweats or…

Jill: You wore shorts and I was like, you’re going to be really cold.

Andy: And I had a winter coat on. Like, a ski jacket. It wasn’t like, running gear at all. But you were like, we’re not going to run run, we’re just going to do intervals, we’re going to walk and run and walk more. And I was like, oh, that sounds easy so I did that. I don’t think I was too happy about it the whole time. I think I complained quite a bit.

Jill: You did. You did a lot. You were like, “Are we done yet? Are we done yet? Are we done yet?”

Andy: Yeah, but it was also – we went out in the woods and – not in the woods.

Jill: Yeah, that’s true. That’s true. And I think like, did you feel really good after?

Andy: No, I was fucking cold.

Jill: No, I mean after we were done, when we got back inside.

Andy: Yeah, I felt good after that.

Jill: Alright, so normally I ask my guest like, why he started running, I think we just covered that, and why, or when you started and why and we just covered that but…

Andy: I knew it was coming.

Jill: I am curious though…

Andy: I knew once I started dating you I was like, I’m probably going to have to start running. If I want to continue seeing her I’m probably going to have to start running.

Jill: I love that, and we started dating like, months before. And you kept that to yourself. Because I think I did tell you when we went on our first date, I was like, you don’t have to be a runner to date me.

Andy: Yeah, but it helps.

Jill: So okay, so you started running in January and that first run was not super fun but you did it, you went back and you did it again.

Andy: Yeah, it was like, maybe we were out there like, 30 minutes, 45 minutes. I could do that again. You know, I want to keep seeing this lady, I can go out in the cold and do that.

Jill: Okay. So like, at some point though you started really liking running because now – just a spoiler alert to everybody like, you just went out, I guess it was two days ago, you’re like – I said, oh, I’m going to go out for a walk and you’re like, alright, well I’m just going to go downstairs and run six miles on the treadmill and I’m like, wait what? So that was seven months ago. Seven months ago, you were not super happy about running and now you’re doing six miles…

Andy: Couldn’t run a mile, couldn’t run longer than like, maybe five minutes. So I really – yeah, I took to it. Well, when I set my mind to something like, I want to excel at what I’m doing or at least be happy with my progress and that stuff. Like, I’m never going to be the fastest, never going to be the best, but I’m not going to be the last person. That’s my goal is not to come in last.

Jill: Not to come in last.

Andy: I think that’s everyone’s goal, right?

Jill: Well, maybe yes or no. A lot of the folks that listen to this podcast like, really don’t care what their pace is.

Andy: That’s true.

Jill: But some people do, and some people are like, hey, I don’t want to come in last and that’s like, their goal. So talk to me about that. When you say my goal is to not come in last, what does that mean to you, coming in last?

Andy: Well, just means that I need to improve a lot. So it’s just a goal I set for myself. So I try to achieve those goals and I’ve been pretty good about achieving the goals that I set. Like, I was like, I want to be able to run half a mile, and then I think I can do a mile without stopping, and then it’s two miles, and then I think I can do a 5K, and then just recently it was like, I think I can do the 10K because I did five miles before that and just keep moving along.

Jill: Yeah, just keep adding to it.

Andy: Yeah.

Jill: So you did – you blew my mind. You ran six miles on Saturday morning, so we’re recording this on a Monday.

Andy: It was also on the treadmill so…

Jill: But still, it was like six miles of continuous running. How did you feel after that?

Andy: I felt good. Because it was on the treadmill so it wasn’t like, there were no bugs, no cars swerving in my direction as I’m watching them drive towards me, which is always a lot of fun. I’m sure a lot of your listeners know about that. Like, they see me and then they just start gearing towards you and you’re like…

Jill: Or they’re texting and you can see them.

Andy: I’m going to have to get in the ditch this time or yeah…

Jill: Have you ever had to do like, a tuck and roll into the ditch?

Andy: No. I have hit people’s cars as they’ve driven by me though because…

Jill: Smack it with your hand?

Andy: Yeah, because they’re getting too close to me.

Jill: Yeah, I’ve been tempted to do that once. One time I was actually out running and I was on the correct side of the street, I was fully into the shoulder and you know, minding my own business, and a car got so close to me that the mirror like, hit my elbow and it really fucking hurt.

Andy: If that was me and I saw that – because you know those mirrors like fold in, I would just slam that thing.

Jill: Yeah, but the car was going pretty – I mean, not like, super-fast but the car was probably going like, 30 miles an hour.

Andy: Yeah because they usually run through residential so it goes – they don’t drive all that fast but…

Jill: For a second it hurt so bad I thought, oh my god, this stupid jerk broke my elbow, but it was okay. It was just bruised. Anyway, but we digress. Okay, so one thing I do want to talk about before – because we’ve got a ton of questions from people in the Facebook group and all that but I do want to touch on this really cool fact about you and that is the fact that you just recently lost over 90 pounds. And so like, I mean, I talk about weight loss on this group in this podcast sometimes, it’s not something I think is a requirement to lose weight but if somebody decides like, hey, this is my goal then I’m fully supportive of that. But you didn’t start out saying I’m going to lose 100 pounds.

Andy: And that’s not why I run either.

Jill: Yeah, so talk to us about all of that, especially from the guy’s perspective.

Andy: Yeah, I was like at 280 when I started and I think that’s – and we went running when I was like, that heavy and it was challenging. It wasn’t easy. Like, ran out of breath and yeah, just felt very sluggish and slow. And so at the beginning of the year, heard a bunch of news reports on like, intermittent fasting. I was like, what is this? Let me look into this because it wasn’t – it’s not a diet. It’s like a lifestyle change. You only eat in – well, they start out in an eight-hour window, like I’d only eat – it was usually like 11 o clock to like seven o clock at night. And I was like, oh, that’s easy, I can get two meals in. Basically, just cutting out one meal. So I started doing that and I started – the weight started coming off because I wasn’t eating as much. I felt like I needed to get control of my eating because I was constantly snacking and that always seemed like a big challenge to me was to stop just mindlessly eating. Doing it at work, doing it when I got home. So I started doing intermittent fasting, started losing the weight, and I noticed that when the weight was coming off, I could run a little easier. And I was like, oh, makes my running a lot easier and I can keep up with you. So I just kept that going. Never really was set out to lose like a ton of weight. Just wanted to feel better. Didn’t want to feel tired and slow and heavy. And so the more weight came off, the better I felt.

Jill: Physically you mean?

Andy: Yeah. And I never like, hated my body. I never hated who I was at that size. I just wanted to feel more alive, wanted to feel more energetic.

Jill: Yeah, I love that. Actually, I think that’s – if you’re going to change how you eat, I mean, we talk a lot about this on this podcast about you can’t really hate yourself thin. So if you have – if your sole reason for wanting to eat differently or lose weight is because you think you’re going to be happier in a smaller body, like, I think that it’s hard to lose weight from that perspective. But losing weight from the perspective of I’m going to eat differently because I want to feel physically better and I want to feel like I’m in control is totally different. And it seemed pretty effortless for you because I’ve watched this process up close for the past several months and you’ve just…

Andy: Yeah, and having a smaller body doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll like yourself. I follow this group on Reddit called Lose It and it’s just people helping eat other lose weight, just give encouragement, and there was this one post about this guy who lost a significant amount of weight, who was also transitioning too. He was going, I think, from female to male. And lost like, I think 200 pounds and still hated themselves. And it wasn’t the weight. It’s all the like, head work that they had to do. And yeah, you just can’t – losing the weight’s not going to make you happy. It’s not a magic pill.

Jill: Yeah, for sure. The only thing it is a magic pill for is like, being a faster runner, which you have definitely reaped the benefits of that.

Andy: And being a faster runner too is not easy. It takes a lot of work. It’s not – just because you weigh less doesn’t mean you’re going to be faster or stronger. You got to work at it just like anything else. One run at a time too. It’s not going to happen overnight. Nothing happens overnight. It’s a gradual change.

Jill: Yeah, that is for sure. Like, the consistency, we talk about it in the Rebel Runner Formula all the time is that consistency is the key to improvement no matter what you’re doing. So I have so many things to unpack from what you said before but we talked a little bit about your reasons for wanting to lose weight but we did have a question from another Andy who’s actually not – it’s Andy from the Facebook group so it’s a girl. Andy’s a girl, but she asks, “Do guys worry what they look like when they run or maybe it’s just for us girls? I’m curious.” And she says, “I mean, I fret about appearance, form, and everything.”

Andy: I can only speak for myself so I’ll tell you what I think about when I run. So first of all, I played football in high school so we worked a lot on form with running then so I work – I try to keep – be mindful of where my arms are when I run because if you run with your arms down by your side you look weird, right? And so like, when I’m out there running I like to feel powerful and ready for anything. Like if something comes at me I can knock it over, but that’s just me playing football so I run tall and pump my arms and I kind of feel badass when I’m running. So yeah, I do kind of…

Jill: So you don’t fret about – you don’t think about how you look from a perspective of – because I think what she’s getting at is like, worrying about what other people are thinking you look like.

Andy: Oh, no. No, I want to look like – when I’m running and I think everyone should want to do this is like, we want people to get the fuck out of your way. Like, they’re going to get knocked the fuck over if they get in your way, and that’s kind of how I run.

Jill: Oh my god, I love this. So I had no idea that that was what’s going through your mind when you’re running.

Andy: I am a badass when I’m out there and you got energy going and I think all runners should be like that because people just don’t pay attention.

Jill: But I think you do – when you decide I’m a badass, I’m ready for anything, like, you run differently. You show up with much more energy and focus.

Andy: Focus on like, the horizon. Got a fixed point. Don’t give a shit what people think about in the cars driving past me. If I’m running slow, if I’m running fast, I don’t care because I know I’m a badass out there.

Jill: I love this.

Andy: We’re all badasses out there running.

Jill: You’re so cute. Sorry, I know badasses don’t think they’re cute but you guys, he’s just adorable. Okay, alright, so that’s cool, but do you think other guys think about that or are they just like…

Andy: Oh, I’m sure. Like, when I go running around the colleges, all those college guys running with their shirts off, I’m sure they’re like, look how sexy I am, look at my body, I’m running with my shirt off. But yeah, I’m not that vain but I’m sure there are people out there who are like that.

Jill: Well, do you think there are guys out there that have a body image – like a negative body image? I guess that’s more it.

Andy: Probably.

Jill: Is it just a girl thing or do guys have the same thing?

Andy: I think so. But the key is you’re out there doing your work. Like, who gives a fuck what anyone else thinks? You’re out there sweating your ass off. You’re moving forward in your life. Those people driving in cars, they’re sitting down. They don’t have any right to judge you on how you look at that moment.

Jill: I love that because right, we’re so worried about what other people are thinking, yet we are the ones that are out there sweating out butts off.

Andy: They’re driving by, they see you for like, what? Five seconds? And then you’re out of their thoughts.

Jill: That’s a good point. That’s a great point. So okay, let’s look at another question that we’ve got. Okay, so Shelly wants to know if you get the runner’s high now and if so how long did it take and she’s got a multi-part question. Do you get the runner’s high? How long did it take? Did you lose weight by adding running or were you already losing? I think we actually already answered that question so let’s just talk about the runner’s high.

Andy: I don’t think I’ve gotten the runner’s high. Is it something I would know if I got?

Jill: Well, that’s funny because a lot of people say that they get a runner’s high after they’re done running, they feel very like, just really good after they’re done running and not just because they aren’t running anymore.

Andy: I thought it was more like a euphoric like, head high kind of thing.

Jill: So some people do get that like, I’ve gotten…

Andy: If that happened to me I’d be very concerned that I was able to faint. Right?

Jill: It’s like, it’s sort of a euphoria, blissful, like, oh my god I could do this forever I feel so good kind of feeling. It’s not like a hallucinogenic sort of high.

Andy: No, I feel good. Any time I set out a goal for myself like, when I first ran a mile without stopping and god, it was a struggle getting to that mile, but once I hit that mile, I had so much energy because I did it and I like, I was so proud of myself.

Jill: I remember that. You were like, posting all over Facebook. You’re like, oh my god, look what I just did.

Andy: Yeah, because I also – because I run usually on an empty stomach, and so if I started getting dizzy in my head I’d be very concerned. That would be concerning to me because I’d be like, oh shit, I’m in the middle of nowhere, I don’t want to faint.

Jill: A runner’s high doesn’t feel like dizziness though. It just feels like you feel really good. You’re like, this is awesome.

Andy: Yeah, because running on fasting – I got to be aware of like, what my body is doing.

Jill: So like, let’s talk a little about that because you do run fasted a lot of the time, so for those of you who don’t know what intermittent – I mean, we’ve talked about intermittent fasting but when I say you run fasted it means it’s been 12 or more hours since you ate.

Andy: Not all the time because usually I’ll eat lunch at work and that’s around one, and then I go home at three because I work at a hospital so I have strange hours. So I get done at three and I go running around three thirty or four, so I’ve already eaten like, a smaller meal. I eat a salad every day at lunch. So I got something in the tank usually for those. But the six miles I ran the other day, that was from fasting. Or if I run in the morning it’ll be from fasting, but it usually doesn’t work in my schedule.

Jill: And I think a lot of people worry that if they run without having eaten breakfast or if they just run and it’s been 16 hours since their last meal that they’re going to get dizzy or light-headed, and you really haven’t had that experience.

Andy: No, I make sure that I’m hydrated. That’s the big key for me is working on my hydration. So I drink a crap ton of water and coffee, black coffee. And I try to drink at least three liters of water a day. By the time I go running like, in the morning I probably have like, a liter.

Jill: Wow. That’s a lot of liquid.

Andy: Well, I mean, I don’t run like right after I drink all that because then it’s sloshing around. And you got to like, find a place to pee in the middle of your run. Yeah, I try not to do that.

Jill: It’s easier for guys to do that by the way.

Andy: Yeah, just find a bush.

Jill: So let’s talk about you being nursing student though and being – you’re a nursing assistant now and you’re in nursing school. Kristy wants to know how you manage to fit running in with all that schedule.

Andy: It’s tough. So I set out like a workout routine for myself. I go on two runs a week and then do yoga twice a week and then I have three workouts I try to get done in a week. If those workouts fall into one day that’s fine. And I can like, double up. I can do running and yoga. I just try to get them all – all those things done in that seven-day period.

Jill: When you say three workouts you mean strength training workouts?

Andy: Yeah, they’re like, really short. They’re like, maybe 15 minutes a piece.

Jill: Yeah, for those of you that are avoiding strength training, you really don’t need hours in the gym.

Andy: No. I use this app.

Jill: What’s the app that you use?

Andy: It’s called Home Workout, it’s on the Google app store. And you don’t even need weights for it. It’s like, a lot of just body weight workouts. So you really just need kind of like a mat to do it on because there’s like pushups and donkey kicks, all those kind of things.

Jill: Donkey kicks are good for runners.

Andy: Yeah, and then yoga too. I use an app for that. That one’s called Down Dog. I love that app. It’s like a different yoga routine every time I do it. They have like, beginners, intermediate, it’s great.

Jill: But you work full-time and then three nights a week you’re in class, and then you get all your workouts in. How do you make that happen? And you have to spend time with me too.

Andy: Yeah, you take up a lot of time.

Jill: I know, I do. I’m very demanding.

Andy: Yeah, so usually what I’ll try to do if I need to get a run in is I – my class is coming up Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and so I’ll try to not do anything on those days and then do everything else on the other days that I’m not in school. But if I need to do something I’ll come home, I get home around three thirty and then I’ll do like, my workout real quick, I’ll go for a run real quick and then eat real fast and then well, I got to shower and then go to school.

Jill: Well, do you find that you’re more alert at school if you’ve gone running before class that day?

Andy: Oh yeah.

Jill: It makes a big difference I think. Okay, so let’s see, let’s look at some more questions. So these are personal. So Sarah wants to know about chaffing in the inner thighs. She says her son is fit, he’s a big guy, 6’8 and 270 pounds. By week two at football camp he’s sore and using tons of antifungal spray. So you were a football player and…

Andy: Jock itch, huh? Well, I think jock itch is basically athlete’s foot in your crotch. So yeah, he needs like, powder helps a lot with that, like Gold Bond powder. Chafing the inner thighs, at work we have this cream – god, I wish I remembered the name of it. But it’s like a barrier cream, oil based, and so it creates a barrier and you just rub it on both sides so like, the skin’s not skin on skin contact anymore so it’s not rubbing against each other. And that helps a lot, I’ve used that. Especially like, when I’m spending like, a week down at the shore and you’re wearing a bathing suit most of the time and you get that chafing, I’ve been using that. But with the jock itch, powder. Make sure you have shower shoes because that’s where you’re picking up a lot of that fungus. Shower shoes in the shower when you’re showering, in the locker room, just keep those feet clean, keep your groin clean. I’m sorry that your son has jock itch. It’s no fun. No fun at all.

Jill: It sounds like it’s a – is it common when boys go to football camp?

Andy: Yeah, it’s a hygiene thing.

Jill: Teenagers.

Andy: Just rampant in that locker room floor.

Jill: Yeah, I guess that’s like…

Andy: Because you get it when you put your underwear on and you step through it and your feet…

Jill: Oh, if your feet touch it. So if you’ve got athlete’s foot on your feet, yeah, so basically don’t let your feet ever touch the floor of a locker room.

Andy: If you can help it.

Jill: Alright, that’s good to know.

Andy: And then the antifungal sprays.

Jill: Okay. So Jodie wants to know why you’re losing weight, did you avoid loose skin and if so, was it due to lifting weights? That’s a great question.

Andy: No, I got loose skin. I think any significant weight loss you’re going to get loose skin. And hopefully – I keep working on it. Keep lifting weights and I’m hoping everything kind of repositions. Otherwise, I don’t know what I’ll do, I’ll just have loose skin for the rest of my life.

Jill: I think it’s a fair trade. I really think it is. People are like, oh my god, I don’t want to lose weight because I’ll have loose skin. Okay, so like, I think it’s worth having the loose skin if you are – if the weight loss improves the rest of your life.

Andy: Yeah, and the surgery – if you’ve got a significant amount you can get it taken off.

Jill: So you’re a nurse for – talk to people about – because you guys, you got to know, Andy’s amazing. He works with a really special population of people.

Andy: Yeah, I work with geriatrics. I work with the elderly.

Jill: So why do you work with the elderly?

Andy: I don’t know, I just started working there – I was at a nursing home as an aid. And I was there for like, nine years and most of the population was elderly and I just liked it. Liked their stories, took care of them, and then got a job at the hospital in the geriatric unit, which I felt like I was very well suited for because I had so much experience and my boss seemed to think that too. So yeah, I’m just sticking with the elderly. I like helping them. I like hearing their stories.

Jill: I think that’s awesome.

Andy: And when I get my nursing degree, my BSN, get certified in geriatrics too so that’s the plan.

Jill: That’s so cool. Yay, I’m so proud of you. Okay, what other questions do we have here? Jodie also wants to know if the extra weight caused arthritis in your knees and how does running feel on them if that’s the case.

Andy: Actually, I did quite the opposite. Like, I used to have a lot of knee pain when I was heavier and with the weight loss it’s gotten a lot better. I get some hip tightness now but that’s just because I’m not stretching properly. I need to remember to stretch before and after. Such a hassle.

Jill: It is. That few minutes. I know, it’s funny, a lot of people think it’s a hassle because they’re like, I just want to start running, or when I’m done…

Andy: I’m ready to run, I want to run. I don’t want to sit here and like, stretch.

Jill: Okay, so this question is for both of us from Heather. She says, “My hubby needs a rebel group too. He used to run with me before we had kids and has also lost a lot of fitness since then. He feels down on himself a lot. What groups are out there to help him?” So what – like Andy, you look a lot on Reddit. You’re on Reddit a lot. Are there some groups on Reddit that might be helpful to Heather’s husband?

Andy: If he wants to get into running, like, there’s the Couch to 5K subreddit, which I know you’re not a big fan of, Couch to 5K, but it’s basically what you teach, it’s interval running. And that’s just like, I see somebody will just post – I follow it because it’s very inspiring. People post like, their week one day one picture and every day will post like, a new picture of them running and you can see them getting happier and getting more fit. That’s very inspiring. Then there’s running where you can go to with questions and you can try to find groups. I don’t know where you live, Heather, but there’s running groups, and the best running group he probably has is you. Like, try to get him to go out again with you.

Jill: Yeah, I love that. There’s another group out there too and it’s not a Facebook group but it’s a podcast that I think might be helpful to him called 300 Pounds and Running with Martinus Evans and then he also does a podcast with Latoya Shauntay Snell which is – they do that together, it’s called The Long Run. But Martinus has an Instagram and some other stuff that it’s like, it’s geared towards everybody but I think he might also have a Facebook group. I don’t know. I would suggest following him on Instagram and listening to his podcast as well. And then we’ll have the links that Andy talked about for Reddit, we’ll have those in the show notes because like, Reddit’s not something that I go on too often but like, you have found a lot of really cool support over there.

Andy: Yeah, I just kind of lurk over there. I don’t really post too much on there but it gives me a lot of ideas and things to try. It helped me a lot with my pacing. That was a big issue for me was always trying to go too fast too soon so I was just working on that pace and that’s what got me that mile is slowing down. I didn’t need to be fast. I wanted to go distance, I didn’t need to be there at a certain time.

Jill: Yeah, because you really can’t work on distance and speed at the same time. You have to pick one or the other to work on. So actually, this is kind of a good – Stephanie has a question. Do you feel like you need to keep up with each other or when you run do you run your own pace? So I think we should each answer that question.

Andy: Let’s see, when we started off you were faster than me. At some point we were equal and now I think I’m faster than you.

Jill: You are way faster than me, yeah.

Andy: But I do like going on runs with you still so we do go running together. I just kind of pace myself at your pace.

Jill: And so I’ll tell you Stephanie, like, for me, it was – like when we first started I was like yay, got somebody that runs at my own pace, and then when he started to get a little bit faster, I did have like, a few moments where I was like, oh crap, I just lost my running buddy. But also like, I’m just excited for him and the progress that he’s making and so I’m like the kind of person – I run by myself most of the time any time and so when we get to run together it’s a little bit of a challenge day for me and then it’s sort of a relaxing day for him. But I think the key is like, for me, I just have to manage my mind and not say shit to myself like, I wish I was as fast as him or whatever because I really don’t need to be fast. I’m not super interested in being faster and so it’s more like a we just get to hang out when we run together, we just do whatever we’re doing. But then like, for example, the day that he did his six miles, he knew he wanted to do six miles that day and I did not want to. So he like, did his workout, I did mine, we started at the same time and then we met up – he was actually on the treadmill, I went outside to do mine, and then I just came back at the end.

Andy: I kind of wish I went outside because I thought it was going to be rainy.

Jill: Yeah, I don’t know why you didn’t go outside.

Andy: I was like, oh, I’ll do treadmill work and I can definitely do six miles on the treadmill.

Jill: Yeah, well I think that was actually good for you to do that because if you’d gone outside, it was really hot, I think it would have been easy for you to be like, fuck it, I just won’t do six miles today.

Andy: There were some moments when I was running the six miles that I was like, I don’t know, I can quit at four, then I was like, I’ll quit at five, and then I was like, I did five, I’ll do six.

Jill: It was pretty awesome. You were so sweaty at the end of that and that was indoors.

Andy: My whole shirt was just soaked.

Jill: Guys sweat a lot. I just – it is a thing. Alright, so I think that was a good answer. Okay, so we have a couple more questions left. This one’s from Natalie. She says, “I would love to hear Andy tell us a bit more about you, maybe his favorite story about you two running together. It’s always fun and sweet to get to know someone through the people who love her most.”

Andy: Favorite story of us running together? It was when we went to Boston, I thought that was a lot of fun. We went running on that river.

Jill: That was awesome. And we both practiced running across the Boston marathon finish line.

Andy: Yeah, we faked that.

Jill: And surprisingly, there were a lot of other people there doing the same thing.

Andy: Just trying not to get hit by cars as they take picture of the finish line.

Jill: That surprised me.

Andy: Any time we go running in the woods, like on a trail, I always like those.

Jill: Me too. We go running – sometimes we go running over in Valley Forge Park, which is really nice, although in a few months I’ll be moving to New Jersey, which means we will not be running in Valley Forge Park anymore, but we’ll be running like…

Andy: We can do the canal.

Jill: We can do the canal and the Mercer County Park. There’s a lot – Jersey actually has way more like, trails for running than Pennsylvania does, so I’m kind of excited about that.

Andy: Something you didn’t think was there.

Jill: I know. I was moving there just because you were there, and it comes with all this bonus stuff. And you guys, don’t tell Starbucks but I’m learning to like Dunkin’ Donuts. And yeah, that’s been the most surprising for me. Okay, so the last question that we have, which makes me laugh, I love this question. Julie says, “On a scale of one to 10, how awesome is your girlfriend?”

Andy: 11.

Jill: Good answer. Okay, so that’s all the questions we have. Is there anything that you want to – if you have advice for somebody who’s just getting started and they’re like, 100 pounds overweight or 90 pounds overweight and they just want to start but they don’t know where to start, what would you suggest?

Andy: I would do the interval running that I started with. It was like, run 30 seconds, walk a minute, like, I did that for months. And then I increased the running interval, kept the walking interval the same and you don’t have to run fast either. Faster than a walk. And that’s how I got started.

Jill: And what apps – what are your favorite apps for running that you’ve…

Andy: I use Runkeeper. It’s a great way to track my runs, it lets me know my pacing and how far I ran and compares it to like, past runs I’ve had. So I use that for running. Actually, that’s probably the only one I use for running. Put music on and run with that.

Jill: What’s your favorite kind of music to listen to when you run?

Andy: I like – I listen to a lot of stuff but like, metal. I have a playlist with like, some heavy metal on it and that just keeps the energy up.

Jill: And it’s like, 80s heavy metal too isn’t it? 70s and 80s?

Andy: No, I mean there’s some but no.

Jill: I like that playlist, you guys, it’s so good. Black Sabbath.

Andy: Anything with like, a good beat to it. I think it’s like 150 beats per minute or something like that, whatever keeps your feet moving at that same pace.

Jill: At that nice comfortable pace. I love that.

Andy: Yeah, can’t do anything slow. Like, I can’t listen to audiobooks or anything when I run.

Jill: That’s so interesting. You don’t listen to my podcast when you’re running?

Andy: No, because then I’m hearing myself breathe and I don’t like the sound of that. So yeah.

Jill: That makes sense. A lot of people feel that way.

Andy: Yeah, for some reason – some people like to listen to the rhythm of their own breath but not me.

Jill: Okay, so this is the question that I’m starting to ask everybody that I interview. You don’t know I’m going to ask you this question, and that is what would you do, what thing would you do if you knew for sure you could not fail?

Andy: Like, running wise?

Jill: Anything. Anything in the world.

Andy: Invest in the stock market, make me lots of money.

Jill: I like it. Okay.

Andy: That way I can pay for nursing school.

Jill: We should start a GoFundMe for you. Pay for Andy’s nursing school.

Andy: The hospital pays for some of it. Don’t tell them that.

Jill: Okay, so this has actually been really fun, so this is my first time interviewing a loved one on the podcast. I was worried it would be weird but I don’t think it was weird.

Andy: No.

Jill: What do you think?

Andy: I tried to keep it light and breezy. I hope I didn’t annoy anybody.

Jill: You never annoy anybody.

Andy: Yeah, sure, you say that.

Jill: Oh, I know what I wanted to ask. I totally forgot. Can you tell people where you’re getting – and this is for I guess any guys that are listening or any women that are like, I’m going to tell my husband, where do you get your running clothes because you’ve got a lot of really awesome running gear? And you wear tights too.

Andy: Yeah, I wear tights. I cruise clearance racks. Target, with their Champion Nine series. I get a lot of clothes from there. I go to the outlet stores, there’s like an Under Armour outlet and a Nike outlet, Asics outlet. I’ll just go there and see what’s on clearance and anything I can get under $10 I’ll pick up like shorts or tops or tights. I do pretty well with that.

Jill: I’m always amazed at like, how little he spends and how cool his running gear looks.

Andy: Today I got a pair of – it’s more than $10, but I got a pair of like, running pants, sweatpants that are like, tapered so they, you know, hug your legs. I got those for like $18 off Saucony.

Jill: Nice.

Andy: Yeah, their website, they’re having like a Labor Day sale.

Jill: So don’t you have like, a place – you told me that you have like a Reddit thread that you go to for deals on stuff.

Andy: But that’s more for like, fashion stuff like when it comes to workout gear, I have to search for it but everyone’s – it’s frugal male fashion.

Jill: Frugal male fashion. I love it.

Andy: Is the subreddit for like, fashion deals. But everyone’s – like, I’ll have posts like if Dick’s is having a big sale I’ll post something on that. Then there’s – I use a Chrome extension called Honey, which, you know how you can like, look up coupon codes online, well Honey just does it automatically for you.

Jill: How did I not know about this?

Andy: I just started using it.

Jill: Okay, I’m learning so much new from this podcast.

Andy: And then I started using Ebates, which gives you rebates when you shop online. It’s like another Google Chrome extension and so you go like, Macys and you have the Chrome extension up and it’ll like, pop up and be like, there’s 4% rebate on this site today. I think it’s tracking what you’re buying but I don’t care if they know I’m buying pants.

Jill: It’s not like you’re buying contraband, right?

Andy: Yeah. And so like – I think every $10 you can get a check sent to you or sent to your PayPal.

Jill: Oh, that’s cool. I love that. I’m going to try that too. Will you help me set that up?

Andy: Yeah.

Jill: Okay, so your favorite place to get running clothes for guys is you said target, Under Armour outlet, and the Nike outlet?

Andy: Yeah, outlet stores.

Jill: And they sell online too, right? The outlets?

Andy: I’m not sure. I find a lot better deals in person on the clearance racks than I do online. But every once in a while you find something great online too.

Jill: Okay, that’s good to know. Because I think if you’re losing weight or even if you’re not losing weight but you’re just running and your body’s changing, I think this is – happens more for guys, they see changes faster than women do. it can get really expensive to continually like, buy clothes to fit your different body.

Andy: And I’m sure like, yeah, all the stuff I use to find my men’s clothes, I’m sure will work for women’s clothes as well.

Jill: That’s good to know. Alright, so Andy’s going to be teaching me how to do this later on because y’all know I like my running gear. Alright, well, anything else you want to add before we close?

Andy: No, we should cue that lady to do the outro now.

Jill: Okay. Hey lady, do the outro. Alright, thanks so much everyone for joining us and I think this was a success. We’ll have to have you back on after you do your first marathon.

Andy: Yeah, we’ll have to see. That’s the plan.

Jill: And so Andy’s actually going to come and help out with the very first Rebel Runner retreat in New Orleans, which I know, you guys, I’ve been talking about that a lot, I’m taking 12 women down to do a half marathon together in New Orleans, training together and everything, and Andy’s going to come down and be part Sherpa, part assistant and so if you are…

Andy: Part photographer.

Jill: Part photographer, exactly. So if you’re a member of the Rebel Runner Unleashed program, you get to meet Andy in person in February. So you can do that at www.talktojillcom. There’s like a little bit about what’s involved and then you can set up a 10-minute call with me and if you join you might get to meet Andy in February.

Andy: And also I have a website, just a little blog about my weight loss. So it’s aupps.com. And it’s just me talking about me losing weight and you know, some running stuff.

Jill: It’s good, you guys should go follow it. It’s good. I like the one that you wrote about like, learning to get used to being in a smaller body.

Andy: Yeah.

Jill: That was good.

Andy: That was a difficult one to write.

Jill: It was. I know, I keep wanting to end the podcast but like, let’s talk about that a little bit. So like, can you explain to people what that means to you? Like, existing in a smaller body because you’ve been a big guy your whole life and now you’re like a medium guy.

Andy: I’ve always been a large guy. So yeah, when I was a kid I was always like the bigger kid in school and I don’t remember exactly how big I was but like, I was big enough where – actually fifth grade, I started getting scouted for football, which is a big deal. I grew up in Texas so like, they’re always looking for the next big kid.

Jill: And can I just point out that if you’re a big girl in the fifth grade, nobody’s scouting you for anything. If you’re a big boy, that’s what they’re doing. This is how the system is set up. Sorry, I’m getting all pissed off. I’m excited that you were scouted but I’m like, really? If you’re a big girl in the fifth grade, nobody’s scouting you for anything. Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt.

Andy: No, it’s okay. So yeah, I was in middle school, started playing football and I was always extra-large, large, double XL when it came to size and so I’ve been that way since maybe I was 13. And now I’m 36 and like, just got down to where I can fit into like a size medium t-shirt and I was kind of freaking out about that because I’ve always viewed myself as a big guy and that’s who I was and it’s still like, trying to figure it out. I don’t take up as much space as I used to.

Jill: Yeah, what does that mean to you? How does it feel to not take up as much space?

Andy: It hurts because like, I don’t have like, the padding on my shoulders. I used to open doors and stuff, bang into stuff and not think about it, now I’m hitting bone and it hurts.

Jill: And what about when you’re running? Because you said before when you’re running like, you feel like a badass, you want people to know that they need to get out of your way. Does it feel different now that you’re physically smaller?

Andy: I still intimidate those old ladies on the bicycles.

Jill: He’s kidding. Oh my god. Oh my god, we’re going to have like some kind of elder care organization coming after us now.

Andy: No, I still feel like a badass when I’m out there running.

Jill: That’s good. I love that. It’s interesting. I mean, it’s been interesting to watch you change as you’ve lost weight. Like, your personality is still the same but I see you checking yourself out in the mirror all the time, which is like…

Andy: Yeah, it’s different. I don’t recognize myself sometimes.

Jill: Yeah, that’s it. Like, there was that one picture after your first 5K that somebody took, it must have been one of the race sites and I remember you thinking like, that doesn’t look like me.

Andy: That guy was wearing my shirt and those shorts I was wearing but…

Jill: Like who is that guy?

Andy: Yeah.

Jill: Here’s what’s so interesting though when I’ve – I’ve gone through a lot of different intentional weight loss periods in my life and every time I’ve gotten down to a certain weight and caught sight of myself like that and not recognized myself, I’ve freaked out, and I’ve ended up gaining all the weight back. You’ve had those freak outs and just kind of kept on doing what you’re doing, so I’m just curious what the difference is.

Andy: I mean, it’s also still new. I haven’t hit my goal weight yet so I’m still trying to get there. We’ll have to see. We’ll have to see what the future holds for me, but yeah, I didn’t freak out. I was like, oh, I look different. Now I look at all these pictures of me on your wall, my face doesn’t look like that anymore.

Jill: I know. It’s amazing. Yeah, so you guys, we’re sitting in my office and I have pictures of Andy on the wall and they’re all – they’ve been there for several months so they’re pictures that we took like, probably end of last year, early this year, and yeah, your face does look a lot different. You’re still cute as hell though.

Andy: I’m glad you think so.

Jill: I thought you were cute as hell then, I think you’re cute as hell now. It’s all good. Alright, so people can follow you on Instagram if they want to like, see your running adventures.

Andy: Yeah, I don’t do a whole lot of stuff on Instagram but…

Jill: You should do more on Instagram.

Andy: It’s @_aupps on Instagram.

Jill: And your website is aupps.com.

Andy: Aupps.com. All a take on my last name.

Jill: I love it. So good. Alright, well, thank you very much for joining me today and for telling your story.

Andy: You’re welcome. Okay lady, give us the outro.

—

Alright real quick before we get to the closing music, I just want to remind you that you can get the links to follow Andy in the show notes at notyouraveragerunner.com/49. And that means that the next episode is number 50. And since that’s a pretty sweet number, it’s my age, I love this number, I’m going to do something really fun next week. I’ll be doing some giveaways, we’re just going to celebrate our asses off. So make sure that you hit subscribe if you haven’t already because you’re going to want to listen to that episode as soon as possible. Until next week.

Thanks for listening to this episode of The Not Your Average Runner Podcast. If you liked what you heard and want more, head over to www.notyouraveragerunner.com to download your free one-week jumpstart plan and get started running today.