MUSIC:
Chelsea Jade’s album Personal Best. Her next album Soft Spot is out April 29!
MOVEMENT:
The only way I can get myself to do strength training is with a Tabata Timer. I use the free SmartWOD timer app, set a Tabata timer for 45 seconds work/15 seconds rest. Then I pick 5 exercises and go through them 1-3x. My strength work can happen in as little as 5 minutes, and never lasts more than 20.
Try these moves yourself:
Single Leg Squat Side 1
Single Leg Squat Side 2
You don’t have to run today. You could run, or not run.
You don’t have to do your PT exercises. You can do them, or not do them.
You don’t have to warm up or cool down. You could, or you could not.
You don’t have to go to bed early.
You don’t have to run in the dark.
You don’t have to take an ice bath.
You don’t have to sign up for an ultra.
If you run today, it’s because you get to run. You’re choosing to run.
You could choose to warm up.
You could choose to cool down.
You could choose to go to bed early.
You could choose to do an ultra.
You could choose not to do an ultra.
You could choose not to race at all.
Racing isn’t what makes you a runner. Running is.
You could choose to take an ice bath … or seriously, you could not. It’s the freaking winter.
It’s all a choice.
You get to run.
You get to choose.
P.S. I wrote this after talking with Ali Feller, the incredible host of the Ali on the Run show, about how much she hates the phrase “I have to.” I’m releasing my interview with her next week. Subscribe to Mind Over Miles to listen!
People always say running is a mental sport, but we so rarely talk about the mental struggles and emotional skills that are so central to running. Mind Over Miles is a podcast where we connect the mental lessons that play out in life and running.
In season one, I’m taking you behind the scenes of the book I’m writing about the mindsets and mental skills used in both motherhood and running. I’ve been interviewing professional, elite, and recreational runners who are also moms, and these are the recordings of those conversations. I ask them questions like: how did becoming a mom change who you are as a runner? How does running make you the mother that you are? What mental strategies do you use in both parenting and running? What’s a challenge you’re in the middle of?
This podcast is for you if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like being an Olympic athlete and a mother, or if you’re struggling to find balance in your identity as a mother and runner, or if you’ve always wondered what it looks like for a book like this to come together.
All the women I’ve talked with have been so generous and thoughtful, so big thanks to all of them! I hope you’ll enjoy these conversations and that you’ll find some new favorite runners to get out there and cheer for.
Each week I recommend an artist to listen to and one idea for movement.
Movement:
Improv Fartlek!
You don’t need every workout to be so structured. Go out on a run of short to medium length for you, and try for 5 or 6 intervals in the middle of the run where you pick up the pace for about a minute. But don’t look at your watch! Just look in front of you and run to a certain house, telephone pole, or corner. Jog for a few minutes in between, but again, no need for a watch! Just be all like, whatever dude.
Music:
Kishi Bashi’s album 151a, start with Bright Whites:
And his album Lighght, start with Hahaha Pt 1 and Hahaha Pt 2:
Last week I wrote about how we can love and value ourselves while also having big goals and high standards.
This week I’m realizing wait a second, self love? Très difficile. Muy dificil. That is very hard.
I mean, there are so many reasons not to love myself. I get frustrated and angry easily, I’m insecure, I hate being wrong, I question how resilient I am. If I have these qualities, if I get snappy, if I’m judgmental and reactionary, how can I really love myself? How can I feel I am worth it?
I go round and round in circles, trying to logic my way into deserving unconditional love. As you might guess, the conclusion is: not lovable.
My life coach Darla will suggest that I could choose to fully love myself, as is, and I imagine her saying this as she waves a glittery wand and magical birds chirp. And I’m like yeah, I’ll do that after about 100 more sessions when you’ve fixed everything that’s wrong with me.
Today I’m wondering what it would look like to separate logic and love. To accept that love isn’t logical, and be okay with things not “making sense.” To let love be a little more magical and a little less reasoned.
I keep thinking about what Olympic 400m runner Quanera Hayes told me, about how her self worth is rooted in her faith in God, and God’s love for her. Her self worth doesn’t come from her medals, her performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, her Diamond League Champion title, or her 4 World Championship medals. It also doesn’t come from the roles she plays - mother, athlete, mentor, sister, daughter, wife. It doesn’t come from any particular qualities she does or does not possess. It comes solely from her faith that God loves her, so why shouldn’t she love herself?
There’s no logical explanation for why even God loves her, but that also doesn’t matter. She believes it, so it’s true.
I don’t have the same religious experience as Quanera, but I don’t need to. I do believe in a higher power, or powers. Deep down I do believe there are things we can’t understand in our world, and that life is a little bit magical.
If I were try on Quanera’s strategy, I wouldn’t need to logic my way into loving myself unconditionally. There would be no need for reasons. I’d say, The universe loves me unconditionally, so why shouldn’t I do the same? It wouldn’t need to make sense, and I could still believe it’s true.
I’m going to try this one on, but I’m still gonna keep Darla around. Because maybe like, she can fix me?
Picture credit: Quanera Hayes
“You were for sure the fastest mom in the race.”
“Well we don’t celebrate that.”
Gwen Jorgensen was quick to dismiss her husband Patrick’s attempt to comfort her after the US Olympic Trials 5k in 2021.
After injury kept Gwen out of the Olympic Trials Marathon, she had a year to become a 5k runner, and by the time she got to the start line, she still wasn’t totally ready. She placed 9th and was content while still feeling the disappointment of her untapped potential.
When I heard her say, “We don’t celebrate that,” I thought Ouch! Why not celebrate that you’re the fastest, and perhaps only, mom out there?! Your body has done something no one else’s has! Was she holding herself to too high of a standard? Being too hard on herself?
I got to interview Gwen last week (amazing! so wise!) and when I asked her about this comment, she totally reframed my thinking on “high standards.”
Gwen tells anyone who will listen: her goal is to win a gold medal in the Olympic marathon. No American woman has ever done that, and when Gwen set that goal many years ago, only two American women had even medaled in the event. Gwen may have an Olympic gold in the triathlon (lol did I not mention that?), but to some runners, her goal can sound lofty.
But someone needs to be the first, so why not her? Gwen said she sees athletes undercut themselves all the time, with big but “realistic” goals, like being the first American finisher, (but not the winner!) of the Boston Marathon. Why not set the biggest goal you can think of? Truly, why not?
Well I’ll tell you why - you’ll set yourself up for failure! For disappointment and misery and shame. High standards are good, but if you set your standards too high, you’ll never reach them, and then you’ll have more reasons to feel bad about yourself. Right?
Wise Gwen says no. It’s not either or. It’s not big glory or big failure with these audacious goals. It’s both AND. You can have the big goal and you can celebrate the smaller wins along the way. You can fail and be proud of yourself and committed to the road ahead.
Gwen didn’t want to celebrate being the fastest mom in the race because that wasn’t a goal of hers. She could celebrate herself for other small wins like her race tactics and her perseverance in hot conditions, but she didn’t need a consolation prize of “fastest mom.” She was proud of her work and she wanted more.
Gwen still wants to win Olympic gold. Last week, she was celebrating the fact that she ran for just 30 minutes straight. She’s recovering from Covid and her training doesn’t look anything like that of an Olympic gold hopeful right now. But she’s not changing her goal or feeling bad about herself.
She’s got big goals AND feeling herself. You really can have it all.
Follow along with Gwen’s journey!
Gwen’s Youtube (she posts great life, training, and race updates here!)
IG: @GwenJorgensen
(Picture credit: Talbot Cox)
Some of my favorite things from January…
Moving:
Jess Richburg Yoga: Simple cues and routines with no added chit chat - on Youtube for free or get more on her app
Quick and easy post-run strength: These take less than 5 minutes and I do them once/week right after a run
Forcing myself to roll out more - I aim for just 1 minute of rolling before and after runs, and if I watch a show at night I try to roll for at least a few minutes during! (Currently watching Ozark Season 4 and just finished rewatching all of Stranger Things)
Eating:
Chicken enchilada soup - served with sour cream and cornbread
Beef bulgogi - serve with roasted veggies and rice
Ribollita Italian soup - add some extra spices like parsley, basil, and oregano, and make it with broth/stock instead of water if you can
Enjoying:
I read State of Wonder by Ann Patchett (I almost didn’t get past the middle and WOW am I so happy I kept going)
I’m half way through Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason and I’m LOVING it
Everything Erin Azar does online - like honest accounts of cooking healthy food and running
Listening to Vampire Weekend’s first album, because throwback!
The Pop Up Pod by Nicole Antoinette: I have long loved Nicole’s interview skills and she’s got a new podcast that will explore one question per season. This season asks, “Should I get married?” which really means she’s talking to guests about the role of all of life’s relationships - with others and with ourselves.
We all can agree that running is a mental sport.
And yet, so often we only focus on the physical side of training.
I do it too, and it’s because the physical stuff is easier. Even the hard parts. Most days, I’d rather go on a hard run than be forced to examine my feelings, biases, beliefs, or God forbid try to change any of them.
I run because I want to be physically strong, but I also know I run because I want to grow mentally and emotionally.
Over time I’ve been shifting my coaching to focus more and more on the mental side of running (and life!).
I wanted to make something for anyone to dip their toe into mental training, so I present to you with great excitement … this free 4-week mental training plan. Over the course of a month, you will focus on a new skill every week
You will learn:
How your mindset matters more than your miles
How you see yourself as a runner, and why that matters
Why running is important to you
How your data could be helping or hurting your running
How to develop your athletic intuition
I made this an email course instead of an instant download PDF, because I want anyone doing it to focus on one thing at a time and be truly present in their weekly practice. Sign up below and get started with the first lesson delivered to your inbox right away!
Race times are everywhere. A 1:30 half marathon, a 6 minute mile, a 5 hour marathon.
But do they tell us anything interesting?
The time alone doesn’t mark a success or disappointment, no matter how “fast” the time may seem.
The interesting part isn’t someone’s race time, it’s the story of how they got there. How did they become a runner? How did they pick that race? What did they hope to get out of it? What was their training like and what did they learn along the way?
I’d rather talk to someone who never thought they’d be a runner and just ran their first marathon in 7 hours, than someone who regularly coasts through 3 hour marathons but doesn’t really think about what value running adds to their life.
I’m the slowest runner I’ve ever been right now. My easy run pace has gone from 8 minute miles to 10 or 11 minute miles. But magically, running still gives me all the enjoyment, mental clarity, challenge, and fulfillment it always has. Even more, actually. I appreciate and prioritize it more than ever, and you’ll never hear me say I had a bad run, because there’s no such thing. My only challenge is finding some new on-pace running friends, but I can wait patiently for Bumble or Strava to release a run-friends-matching app (my million dollar idea!).
The saying goes: “The journey is the destination.” I think we can love both the journey and the destination, but the journey is the interesting part.
PS - My music recommendation this week is San Fermin. If you want a song to start with, try In This House.
A lot has gone on the past 18 months ... I got pregnant, swapped running for power walking (hand weights and all), gave birth to a baby girl named Ada, traveled to 3 countries in 3 weeks with said baby, returned to running, started writing a book, and now I’m back to running coaching and working on some exciting new running programs.
I’ve realized the part I love most about running coaching is the mental side of everything - being with people as they process their stress, doubts, and insecurities and seeing them find their intuition, patience, and confidence. This is the magic of running.
And yet, I see such an emphasis on the physical side of training, even in my work, and that’s something I’m committed to changing.
As long as your training plan has certain basics - a gradual build, regular strength work, warm ups and cool downs - it really doesn’t matter which one you follow. The secret sauce is not in your training plan. It’s in you. In your willingness to open up, look inside, question your thoughts, try new ones, feel silly or afraid, and keep going. In this way, my running coaching looks a lot like life coaching, aka unofficial therapy. And I love that!
I want to help more people grow mentally as runners and people, and with that in mind I want to share
1. Create a group program focused solely on mental training.
2. Continue to offer 1-1 running coaching, with more emphasis on the mental training and less emphasis on a custom training plan.
3. Release a podcast about mindset in running and life. Season 1 will be about motherhood and running, featuring the interviews I’ve been doing for the book I’m working on.
4. Put my work out there and engage with people ... with you! I’ve been almost entirely off social media for 18 months and while it’s mostly been glorious, I want to share my work and connect with others - on Instagram, in writing this newsletter and articles for other publications, as a guest on podcasts etc. I want my work to help people and to matter, and to do that I want to know you - to see your struggles and successes and hear what you’re looking for.
Personally, my intentions for the year are to relish being a human and not a robot, to trust my decisions, and have fun every day. One concrete goal I have is to play around with hosting a book-club-style podcast. I’ve got my first book and reading partners ready. If you want to read along, we’ll be reading Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason.
So what can you expect from this newsletter in 2022? I plan to send out a short weekly email that is mostly on the topic of mindset in running and life, but also with tips on running training, recipes, and whatever is of interest to you! I would truly love to hear from you at any point with questions, training issues, topic suggestions, or just to say hi!
See ya next week,
Caitlin
P.S. A song, and artist, I'm loving lately is Clean by Maude Latour. You'll even (kind of) hear this email's subject line in there
P.P.S. The title picture is from a solo weekend trip I took to Neskowin, OR. I hope to make it an annual tradition and if you’ve ever thought about doing a solo retreat I highly recommend it!
