Alisa Harvey's accolades in the running world are as unique as they are impressive. She was the 24th American woman to break 4:30 in the mile, she holds multiple WORLD in various masters age divisions for the 800m and the mile, she's been inducted into the National Black Distance Running Hall of Fame, and this may be her coolest accomplishment - she is the only runner to run in the US Olympic Trials in both the 800m and the Marathon. So yeah, she's a boss. She is 56 now and we talk here about her running career, experience as a mother, and how she views her races like one big science experiment.
This interview was done as research for the book I’m writing about the mental lessons learned and practiced in running and motherhood. I’m sharing these recordings so you can come along in this book writing process with me! Learn more about the book, my running and mindset coaching, and The Runner's Mastermind at mindovermilespod.com.
Photo by PhotoRun for USATF.
Original music by Joseba Brit.
March Favorites
This March I’ve been....
Enjoying:
Music:
Wifey by Qveen Herby (pictured)
And a few playlists: This Cool Mom’s Playlist, Michelle Obama’s Workout Playlist, and Tend Athletics Workout Songs
Novels: I’m in the middle of Where The Crawdads Sing, and I recently finished The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. and The Echo Wife
Laughing at (with): Matt Taylor aka Matt The Person - proof of laughs here, here, and here.
Podcasts: Twin Flames (about an online dating guru group - that still exists! - that is essentially a cult...) and Classified and The Edge of Sleep (both fiction podcasts)
Macrame: This is a quarantine hobby I started and have kept going. I just finished this piece and I’m working on a table centerpiece next. My favorite place for supplies, kits, guides and more is Modern Macrame.
Eating:
Moving:
My long runs have been a looottt more enjoyable recently and I credit that to:
Planning new routes through parks and neighborhoods I don’t normally go to, or have never been to. The Strava Heatmap feature is great for seeing where people run and planning out your route. Some new places I’ve run in Portland are Scouters Mountain, Mt. Talbert, and Happy Valley Nature Park.
I’ve been calling friends while I run! It keeps me running at an easy pace and I get to have a playdate while I run :)
I take walk breaks whenever I need to - to refuel, check directions, just for a quick break.. It’s no big deal!
Struggle to actually do your PT exercises? Me too! Until I started doing them as the warm up before my run. I consider myself a genius for this revelation that PT exercises are perfect warm up moves, and this is the most consistent I’ve ever been! I worked with a pelvic floor PT during pregnancy and in the first few months postpartum, and now I’m following a generic plan by Recore Fitness to maintain my core and pelvic floor strength.
What’s New at Tend Athletics:
The Runner’s Mastermind! I’m really excited about this group mental training program that will be starting in June. The mental side of running is where all the interesting stuff happens!
Mental Training Plans for sale on Final Surge
Mind Over Miles Podcast:
What My Favorite TikTok Star Taught Me About Running
“The theme of today’s run is survival. Survival ... of the not so fittest.”
Erin Azar is running down a hot, busy street, filming herself on her long run, and to say the least, she is not feeling great.
This is not an uncommon theme in Erin’s videos: Running. Not Feeling Great. And somehow, she’s the most inspiring runner on TikTok. And for sure, the funniest.
Erin started running a few years ago when she realized she was losing her mind raising three children and working from home. She had tried and hated running in the past, but she was so freaking desperate to do something for herself. She filmed this first run, and she’s been filming every step, cry, dance move, and goofball hilarity since.
Here’s one of the best things Erin has taught me about running: When she has a bad run, she puts it in her “bad run bag.” When the run is over, she can’t think about it. It’s in the bad run bag. There is no wallowing, no self doubt, no anxious anticipation of the next run. The only time she is allowed to open up the bad run bag is on her next bad run, to put that new bad run in, and to remind herself, “Hey you idiot! Remember you did it last time, so no matter how bad it is this time, you can do it.”
The more I run, the more I realize how frequently I feel just terrible out there. Especially now that I actually enjoy walking as its own activity, I spend vast periods of my time running just wishing I was walking. But that would mean getting home in 3 hours instead of 1, so I keep running (with walk breaks sprinkled in). I’ve decided this is totally fine, and probably 50% of my time running will feel really hard. This isn’t because there’s something wrong with me, it’s because running is hard.
Running will always be hard, and that’s what bad run bags are for.
P.S. Listen to my interview with Erin on the Mind Over Miles podcast here!
Pic by Erin Azar
Erin Azar: TikTok Comedian or The Running Buddha?
Erin Azar, aka Mrs. Space Cadet, is either the funniest or the wisest runner on Tiktok... or maybe both. She describes herself as an Expert Struggle Runner and Struggle Lifer. She makes the struggle parts of running hilarious and in talking with her I realized she also is like a running Buddha because her humor encompasses the lessons I need to hear every day. We talk about committing to your own progress, the mental load of being a new runner, and what's in her "bad running bag."
This interview was done as research for the book I’m writing about the mental lessons learned and practiced in running and motherhood. I’m sharing these recordings so you can come along in this book writing process with me! Learn more at mindovermilespod.com.
Original music by Joseba Brit.
Music + Movement of the Week
MUSIC:
T SWIFT PARTY - All Taylor Swift’s best upbeat, party vibe, high energy tunes
MOVEMENT:
You know the hills you usually avoid around your house? Seize the day on those hills! Find some stairs or a hill and run or walk up it as fast you can. Walk down and then repeat that a few more times - maybe 2 times, maybe 6, you decide.
Neely Gracey: Less Time = Less Doubt, Running by Effort, and Phases of Life
Neely Spence Gracey is a professional marathoner for Adidas, a business owner and coach (Get Running Coaching), the author of the new book Breakthrough Women’s Running, and a mom of two. We talk about how having less time has been surprisingly helpful for her running, how training by effort has relieved her race anxiety, how she appreciates each phase of life as it comes, and how you don't need the ideal conditions for success.
This interview was done as research for the book I’m writing about the mental lessons learned and practiced in running and motherhood. I’m sharing these recordings so you can come along in this book writing process with me!
Original music by Joseba Brit.
Gwen Jorgensen: Being the Best and the Worst, Bold Desires, and Loving Feedback
Gwen Jorgensen is an Olympic Gold Medalist (!!). She won gold in the triathlon at the 2016 Rio Olympics, and in the year after that she had her son Stanley and switched from professional triathlete to professional runner. Since then she's been working towards her goal of winning an Olympic gold medal in the marathon.
Gwen is so wise and has been working on her mindset and mental skills as an athlete since high school. We talk about how she's able to not care what other people think, why she sets super big goals, how she's able to be happy for her competitors, her life as a pro runner and mother, and more.
Gwen has a really fun and interesting youtube channel where you can get the best behind the scenes look into a professional runner's life, so after you hear this conversation, go check her out!
This interview was done as research for the book I’m writing about the mental lessons learned and practiced in running and motherhood. I’m sharing these recordings so you can come along in this book writing process with me! Learn more at mindovermilespod.com.
Original music by Joseba Brit.
Photo by @talbotcox
February Favorites
Here are some of my favorite things from this past month:
Moving:
I'm putting my Music + Movement recommendations in one place - you can try out my super quick strength routine or improv fartlek here.
I typically run 4 days/week, and on the mornings I don't run, I've been trying to get outside for a short walk with Ada in the stroller, sometimes just 5 minutes. It's not about exercise, but about starting the day outside.
Eating:
Things with cream! Somehow I've typically only made pastas with pesto or red sauce, how have I been missing this whole other world!? These two recipes are fairly similar but each uniquely delicious - One Pot Chicken with Creamed Kale and Basil Parmesan Pasta with Crispy Chicken.
I find most recipes don't seem to be a full meal on their own, but if I add either an extra carb (toasted sourdough, rice, pasta, potatoes), some roasted veggies (usually broccoli or cauliflower), protein (simply cooked meat, chickpeas, or pinto beans) or a salad, that's all it takes!
I got two new cookbooks this month - Cravings: Hungry for More (I was skeptical of a celebrity cookbook, but the best cook I know recommended it!) and Baked to Perfection for gluten free baked goods and breads.
Enjoying:
The book Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong
Fiction podcasts! I can't listen to audiobooks, they go in one ear out the other, but I love being immersed in a story. I've been loving these for my long runs. My top 3 recs: Homecoming, The Left Right Game, and The Beautiful Liar
Non-fiction podcast: The Trojan Horse Affair
For a good laugh: Jeffrey Binney and Kendahl Landreth
Portland jewelry maker Natalie Joy, and she has an Earring of the Month feature with one beautiful pair on sale each month
Learning how to podcast! It's a steep learning curve but it feels good to be learning something new. The Tend Athletics podcast, Mind Over Miles, is about the mental lessons learned in life and running. The first two episodes are out now and I'll be sharing new episodes every Wednesday.
Ali Feller: Business, Choices, and The Love Camel
Ali Feller is the host of the Ali on the Run podcast. She is also a freelance writer, a race announcer, mother to 4 year old Annie, a former dancer, and a huge fan of Peanut M&Ms. We talk about how she runs her business, making decisions as a parent, seeing the choice in everything, and how hard it is to be helped.
This interview was done as research for the book I’m writing about the mental lessons learned and practiced in running and motherhood. I’m sharing these recordings so you can come along in this book writing process with me! Learn more at mindovermilespod.com.
Original music by Joseba Brit.
Quanera Hayes: Mind Over Miles Episode 1
Quanera Hayes:
Forgiveness, Faith, and Motherhood
Quanera Hayes is an Olympic 400m runner, World Champion medal holder, and mother to 3 year old Demetrius. She talks about making her first Olympic team, mistakes and forgiveness at the Olympics, her faith, her mental training, and how she raises her son in community.
This interview was done as research for the book I’m writing about the mental lessons learned and practiced in running and motherhood. I’m sharing these recordings so you can come along in this book writing process with me!
Original music by Joseba Brit.