Ep #48: Rebel Runner Formula – Community

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 48 of The Not Your Average Runner Podcast. I’m your host, Jill Angie, and today we are talking about the importance of running buddies and your running community and how you can leverage them for peak running performance.

And I also need to say I cannot believe we are at episode 40-fucking-8 already. This has been a wild ride the past several months doing this podcast, I just want to say thanks to everybody that has listened and shared and just supported this podcast because it is really making a difference. We hit 100,000 downloads last week, and by the time you hear that it’ll probably be three weeks later and so damn, we are making a difference. A million women up and running, that is the goal, and I feel like we are making a pretty big dent in that.

So today’s episode is sponsored by Run Your Best Life. Run Your Best Life is a one of a kind running program where you don’t just get better at running. You run your way to confidence, self-love, and a kickass life. I coach live in that group at least once a week and my members are getting some pretty awesome results. So if you’ve been enjoying the podcast and the tools that I’ve been teaching you here, you are going to love Run Your Best Life because we take all of this stuff and apply it to your life. So it’s kind of like you have a running coach and a life coach on call, which is rare in this world. So you can join at runyourbestlife.com today and see how $98 can change your life.

Alright, my friends, it is time for the warmup. Today’s quote is another one from Pinterest, and I’ve been on Pinterest a lot lately looking at running quotes. And it basically sums up what today’s episode is all about. “Life is all about finding people who are your kind of crazy.” Now, I think it’s pretty obvious why I chose this quote, but let’s talk about it a bit.

Now, have you ever tried to talk about running with somebody who’s just not interested in a thing that you’re saying? Or someone who pretends to be interested but they’re really just listening politely and they cannot wait to get away? Or – and this is my favorite – that certain someone who needs to tell you that running is going to ruin your knees or that it’s boring or stupid or that CrossFit is a much better exercise and you should join their CrossFit box immediately and stop doing half marathons because running is so 2003.

Yeah, it is not super fun to have those conversations, right? It’s way more fun to share the things you love with people who actually understand them. And it makes the experience that much more enjoyable when you can talk to somebody else, to another runner about your last race or your training run or your dream of doing a 50K one day makes it so much more enjoyable when they get what you’re saying.

And I mean, there are so many people out there who just look at me like I’m crazy when I say I’m a runner. They think running is hard, they don’t understand why someone would deliberately make themselves sweaty and uncomfortable for an hour or more, especially if they’re running around a track in circles or on a treadmill going nowhere when it’s so much more pleasurable to lay on the couch and watch Netflix. And I will agree. Laying on the couch and watching Netflix feels awesome for about an hour, maybe an hour and a half, and then it doesn’t feel so great because you’re tired of laying around.

But anyway, they don’t understand why running is better than that. And I’ve tried to explain to these people why running is so awesome. They are understandably skeptical and the conversation is always just awkward, right? But when I find another runner, when I find that person, the conversation just flows effortlessly because we have the same kind of crazy.

And this applies to everything, right? Not just running. It applies to everything in life. For example, bowling. I just do not get bowling. I’ve done it a few times and aside from that one time I went to the Brooklyn Bowl a few years ago and they had live music, I really cannot find anything fun and exciting about bowling except maybe that most bowling alleys have beer but I can get beer anywhere. And yet, there are millions of people who love bowling. They work on getting better, the participate in tournaments, they talk about it, they watch it on TV, they dedicate their lives to it, right?

It’s their passion, it’s part of their social identity. And years ago, I actually went on a blind date with a guy that loved bowling. He spent the first hour of our date going on and on about it and he was so fucking excited about it. I wanted to be excited too. His bowling accomplishments made him so proud, his face just lit up when he talked about different aspects of the game, and I do love seeing that kind of passion in another human. Even if it’s something that I’m not in love with because it’s the same kind of look I see in my fellow runners when they’re talking about their latest race.

And I mean, I don’t get bowling, I don’t get fishing or stamp collecting or any of a million different hobbies, but I can appreciate when someone else dedicates their life to improving and learning about something that they love. So when two people who are dedicating their life to improving and learning the same thing, that same topic, then when you find that person that’s got your special kind of crazy, it’s magic.

We all have our own individual passions, we all have that thing that totally lights us up, and it’s just so damn fun to share it with somebody who gets it. There are plenty of people out there who share your passion for running, and today I really want to dive into that. Like, how do we find that person that shares our special kind of crazy.

Now before we get into the meat of our workout today, I do have a quick favor to ask you. While you’re listening to this episode, if you’re enjoying it and if you’re on a walk break, I would love for you to pause the podcast, take a screenshot, share it on Instagram and let everybody know what you love about this episode. And please tag me too because I like to give shoutouts to my listeners on Instagram, and my handle is @notyouraveragerunner, of course.

So alright, the special kind of crazy. It’s – I like to call it community. It’s the third part of the Rebel Runner Formula and combined with consistency and confidence, which we covered in episodes 26 and 29. It sort of completes the formula for turning you into a badass who loves her body unconditionally and believes she can do some epic shit.

So what exactly is a community? I mean, sure a community is a group of people, often with common interests, and very much like the running community, a community can be in person or it can be virtual or a combination. But there are also a lot of different roles in a community that are necessary for it to function in a healthy way.

And so I’d like to use the example of a town because I think that’s sort of the easiest way to image in a community. So in a town, you have adult residents who are living their lives, going to work, doing their thing, having social activities, taking care of their houses, just living their lives basically. And then you have town leaders and the people who do the work in the town, like teachers, firemen, firewomen, fire people, librarians, garbage collectors, the town administrators. Like, everybody that has a job in the town that keeps things running smoothly.

And then you have influencers and volunteers who do things like coaching Little League or raising money for charity or campaigning to get new programs brought in to benefit everybody. Like Girls on the Run is a great example. And then of course you have the kids in the community and they are learning how to become adult members of the town. They’re learning from all the adults how to behave, how to act, how to a functioning member of society.

So I actually think the running community is very similar to that and it’s just that we don’t all live in the same physical town but we still have those components to our community. So for example, we have the residents. In this case, the residents are just all of the runners in the community. All the runners just out there doing their thing, living their running lives, training for their 5Ks, their marathons, or maybe they’re not training for anything, they’re just out there running, whatever it is. We have – the residents are all of runners in the community.

Now, some of the residents are actually the people getting paid to do the work in the town, right? The teachers, the fire people and so forth. And these are the public figures that you see in running such as your coaches, running magazines, the people writing for running magazines and putting them out. The brands that make running gear, people that are writing books, the people that are public speaking about running and so forth. These are the people who are keeping the town running, they’re similar to the teachers.

And then there are the influencers, the volunteers who volunteer their time and resources to help other people start running. This is like the Girls on the Run coaches or podcasters, or any advocate who is working to make it easier for others to join the community or for others to get the most out of the community or for the community to grow and improve. These are the people that are – they’re basically advocates, right? And maybe they’re posting on Instagram or Facebook or they’re setting up group runs or stuff like that, but they’re the ones that are volunteering their time and resources to keep the community growing and improving.

And then again, you have the kids, right? In other words, these are the new runners that are just getting started. They’re baby runners, they’re like, I want to join the community and I don’t really know what to do, and they’re relying on all of the other community members, the residents, the people that are getting paid to work in the town and then the influencers to show them how it’s done. And we also need the kids in the community so they can bring fresh voices and experiences to the community so that it can grow and evolve so that they can grow into taking on some of those adult roles.

Now, every single one of these people is necessary for a healthy running community. Everyone plays a part. Whether you are a resident just doing your running thing, or you’re a town leader, influencer, a newbie, a kiddo, you are a necessary part and I think there are three skills that everybody needs no matter what role you play in the community to really be that rebel runner.

And they are the following: first is to become a crime fighter. The second is to join the Justice League, and the third is to run your victory lap. And if you remember our superhero theme from the confidence and consistency circles of the formula, it’s continuing right into this one.

Now, let’s start with becoming a crime fighter. Becoming a crime fighter simply means to be an example to others and by sharing your experience with somebody else, you can change a life. We don’t always realize how our actions influence others so dramatically, but think about when you started running. You probably say maybe another plus size woman out there running or you read my book or you listened to this podcast, you saw a Facebook group, whatever it is, you realized, hey, if she can do it, I can do it, and you saw that, it made a difference for you, and look at you now.

Often, we can’t really imagine doing something scary like starting to run or training for a half marathon until we actually see somebody else doing it. So becoming a crime fighter is really all about doing that exact same thing for somebody else. You saw someone who looked like you out there running, you thought, damn, if she can do it, so can I, and now you’re a runner. Being a crime fighter is all about paying that forward. Helping a newbie when she’s nervous, talking to somebody in a race corral who’s about to do her first race and she’s scared as fuck and then letting her know, hey, it’s all going to be okay.

Oh, and owning that you are a runner instead of always qualifying it with, oh, I run but I’m slow, or I don’t run, I jog, or I run-walk, or whatever term you want to use for it. Or maybe you’re finding a new product that’s life changing, a new way of doing something that solves a problem you’re having and you want to tell everybody about it. That is becoming a crime fighter.

This is why I tell you guys all the time about my latest obsessions and it’s why I’m always talking about Enell bras. They changed everything for me and I want to make sure that information gets out there. It’s why I’m always talking about run-walk intervals because again, that made all the difference for me and there are people out there who don’t realize you can run that way. I want someone else to benefit from that.

Now, showing other people that running is attainable for them and that they can be proud of it too, I think that that’s our responsibility as runners, as members of the community. Don’t keep this to yourself. If running has changed your life, you owe it to the other members of the community to show them how it can help them too.

Now, the next is joining the Justice League. And what this means is finding your people, finding the special kind of crazy. Now, running doesn’t have to be a solo sport. I mean, technically it is because nobody else can run the steps for you, but knowing other runners and regularly connecting with them even if it’s online and not in person is super powerful.

Like, if you’re in The Not Your Average Runner Podcast community, or you’re in my Run Your Best Life coaching group, you know what that’s all about. It can make the difference sometimes between running and not running. It is finding people with your special kind of crazy. That means feeling understood, feeling like you’re part of something, especially if you run alone, if you traditionally run by yourself, knowing that there are other people out there that get you, even if they’re not right next to you is powerful.

And if you’re listening to this podcast, you know that I speak the truth. Even within the running community, it is very important to find your people. Like, your people because yes, runners understand other runners, but there are lots of different varieties among us. For example, there’s marathon runners, there’s runners that love obstacle courses, there’s trail runners, track and field runners. Find the people that not only love running but love the specific things about it that you also love.

I mean, that is really part of the reason that I created the Rebel Runner Unleashed program. It’s the one where everybody is doing the New Orleans half marathon together because they all have that same big goal and it is a very specific kind of crazy. And I know that all of these women together are going to achieve so much more than if they were training individually.

And finally, I want to talk about running your victory lap. Now, this is where you celebrate your own achievements as well as everyone else’s. this is where you proudly state the accomplishments that you’ve done and say, hey, look what I did, and celebrate those who helped you get there and those who might be on their way or working towards it as well. It’s also where you help others who might not find it easy to speak up about how awesome they are and remind them, reaching out to other runners and saying, “Hey, I saw what you did there, great job, I want you to make sure that you recognize that about yourself.”

Celebration is important. Stopping and taking a moment to recognize your hard work is so critical to keeping running fun and new and exciting. I mean, that’s why I bring my clients on this podcast because I want the world to know how awesome my clients are. I want them to see the achievements that these women are creating for themselves. And when you celebrate your own achievements, when you celebrate other people’s achievements, it just comes back to helping others see what’s possible for them, being that example, being a leader in your community.

Yes, running is an individual sport. Nobody else can take the individual steps for you, nobody else can run those miles for you, but I know you’ve heard the term it takes a village, and that applies to running too. You wouldn’t be running without the millions of other runners that came before you. Think carefully about that. Think about Kathrine Switzer, who had the guts to run the Boston Marathon when women were not allowed.

And about those who made it possible for women to compete in the Olympic marathon, which by the way, was only 30 years ago. It hasn’t been that long. Think about Mirna Valerio. She’s a plus size runner, she’s been on the cover of Runner’s World. These people made it possible for you to be able to walk into a store, buy running gear that fits you, go out and run and feel pretty fucking awesome about it. Like, this is what a community does and everybody plays a part.

So even if you think, “Oh, I’m not really a member of the running community, I’m just some random person who goes to the track and run-walks for 30 minutes a couple times a week,” you are part of the community. There might be somebody sitting in the bleachers right now watching you who decides to start running because she saw you, because she saw what is possible for you and decided maybe it was possible for her. And that is the difference that you make just by showing up for yourself, you are showing up for everybody. It’s pretty fucking powerful. So I really want you to think about that this week.

Okay rebels, we are heading into our cool down, which means it is time for my latest obsession. And this week I am obsessed with air fryers. Now, an air fryer is a sweet little appliance that cooks your food super-fast without deep frying it. I know the term air fryer implies that it’s fried but it’s really not

It’s basically a mini convection oven, it’s super powerful so you can cook anything in it that you can make in a regular oven, and also anything that you could make in a deep fryer, anything that you can make in a sauté pan almost without having to heat up your whole kitchen and without getting grease splatters everywhere.

There’s no oil involved and last weekend Andy and I actually made so many things in our air fryer. We made sweet potato fries, which by the way, took eight minutes from getting them out of the freezer to being crispy and done in the air fryer. Eight minutes. Did not have to preheat anything. Made rib eye steak, marinated it and then threw it in the air fryer. It took less than 10 minutes, it was absolutely perfectly cooked. It was sort of juicy and pink on the inside and then like a little bit of a sear on the outside.

I’m using air quotes here, we made fried chicken. We took chicken thighs, coated them in some homemade chicken bake and tossed them in the air fryer and again, they came out super crispy on the inside, super moist on the inside. So I love, love, love my air fryer and it’s fast, it’s easy to clean.

So the reason I started using this is the Jan Lamplough, who is the chef supporting the entire Rebel Runner Unleashed half marathon program, she’s the one teaching everybody in that group about how to make their own running fuel and how to do food prep and so forth, she’s the one who turned me on to these things.

And I bought one thinking, “Yeah right, this is probably going to be just one more appliance sitting in my kitchen that I never use, another wasted money.” But after just one weekend, it has already edged out my instant pot as my favorite thing in the kitchen. This thing is a fucking workhorse. So what I really love about it is the versatility. It’s more than just air frying frozen French fries. Like I said, it’s basically just a super powerful mini convection oven that you can cook almost anything in.

Honestly, there’s a recipe in the little cookbook thing that came with it for muffins and I’m like, what? Muffins? But I promise I will try them one day. So if you’ve heard about these things, first of all, and you’ve been skeptical like I was, I swear to god, this is not one of those as seen on TV scams. I’m here to tell you that it’s a legit kitchen appliance. They’ve actually been around for a while, they’re just now getting wildly and widely popular.

But if you’ve also been thinking like, if you’ve never heard of it before, just do a little bit of research. They’re just amazing. So I’m actually going to include a link to the one that I got personally in the show notes but there are tons of different manufacturers and sizes. I have like a medium size one that fits about like, three pork chops, maybe three big chicken thighs, it fit an entire rib eye steak. I’m trying to think what else we made in it. Andy made fried pickles so he like, took some panko crumbs and rolled these think slices of pickle, he rolled them in panko crumbs and threw them in the air fryer and they came out really good and we made sweet potato fries and almost half a bag of the fries we were able to get into one batch.

The one I have is called an XL but it’s really sort of a medium size. So you can get them a lot bigger, you can get them big enough to put like a whole roast chicken in or you can get little small ones. Anyway, I’m going to include a link to the one that I got in the show notes but it is totally worth shopping around on Amazon for a while to find one that meets your needs because there’s a bunch of different options.

Okay rebels, that is it for this week. Now, everything I mentioned in this episode can be found in the show notes at notyouraveragerunner.com/48 and I will talk to you soon. Bye.

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.