May 18, 2025 • 44 mins
I explore what truly makes someone a "real runner" by challenging toxic running culture and redefining what it means to belong in the running community. The running world needs to be more inclusive and welcoming to all who enjoy putting on their shoes and heading out the door.
• Arbitrary standards like pace, knowledge, race participation, or years of experience don't determine if you're a "real runner"
• If you have a relationship with running and make time for it despite life's demands, you're already a runner
• Parents and full-time workers who find time to run deserve immense respect for their dedication
• Finding joy in running is more important than achieving specific times or meeting others' expectations
• Looking at your progress in context rather than comparing to others leads to greater satisfaction
• YouTube channels like Jason's Running, Ben is Running, Kofuzi, and Cole Running offer authentic running content worth checking out
• The Nike Streakfly 2 (£164) makes an excellent shoe for fast 5K runs and interval training sessions
• Suunto Race S offers a compelling alternative to Garmin watches at a lower price point (£299)
Next episode will discuss Thomas from Believe in the Run – be sure to tune in on Wednesday!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Coming up.
In the second episode of theBigger Than Running podcast,
number one, we're going toanswer the question what makes
somebody a real runner?
The second section.
I want to recommend four videosthat you should watch on
YouTube.
Number one Ben and Meg go outto Tokyo.
Kofusi gets a toy cat for hisdaughter.
Number three Cole runningsmashes London Marathon.
(00:21):
Number four Jason's running achannel I want you to check out.
We're also going to highlightthe Suunto Race S, and I want to
talk to you about Nike'sStreakfly 2.
Let's get to it.
I have just pressed record onthe second episode of the Bigger
Than Running podcast.
I'm loving it.
I'm loving it.
Now, out of transparency, let mejust keep it real with you and
(00:45):
let me tell you what happened.
I was already set for episodetwo.
I had already filmed it.
I had already edited it.
It's already uploaded.
It was ready to go, scheduledfor release on Sunday 18th of
May.
Until I saw the response thatthe first episode got, I went no
, no, no, no, no.
(01:05):
We're going to have to redothis, because I wanted to start
with how I've been blown away bythe response that I've got
Through your shares of the linkon Instagram, your comments on
the YouTube video, your directmessages to me saying you're
going to lock in, you'vesubscribed to the podcast.
(01:25):
It genuinely means a lot and itis way, way past what I was
expecting.
Now, let me keep it real too,don't get me wrong.
I was expecting some kind oftraction simply because I have
amassed an audience already.
There are people that watch theYouTube channel.
If I upload the podcast on theYouTube, some people are going
(01:47):
to watch it.
Right?
I promoted it on my Instagram.
I expected a few people to thenget on board and start
listening to it.
What has actually transpiredand happened has exceeded my
expectations completely.
And one thing I want to do forthis podcast, two things it's
going to be a place whererunning meets positivity and
(02:12):
give you a glimpse of happinessoutside of what's happening in
your world, but, moreimportantly, authenticity, and
this is an example of thatexample of that.
I was mind blown by themessages I've received and I
want to say thank you.
The other thing I promised onthe first episode was how we're
(02:35):
going to evolve this podcast.
We're going to be doing certainthings to enhance, improve and
evolve the podcast.
So I've come up with a fewthings.
Three things Now.
This first thing, I think, is agenius idea until somebody
comments oh that podcast already.
(02:58):
Does that, mate, get back inyour box, shut up.
Well, let me tell you about it.
So I've decided I'm going tostructure the episode similar to
a workout when you're runningthe first part of the podcast.
This is genius, right?
Is your warm-up, right?
Those of you that warm up, Iain't even going to lie to you,
some workouts I just get into it.
(03:20):
But if you're following atraining plan, it tells you that
there's a warmup, right, sothat's your running workout.
But in terms of the podcast,that's going to be the intro.
That's going to be introducingmyself, because a whole lot of
people on this planet don't knowwho the heck I am.
So I'm going to introducemyself and not take it for
(03:40):
granted that I am known, becausein the grand scheme of things,
in the podcast world I'mdefinitely not Okay.
Let's just be honest about that.
Anyway, then we're going totease and sort of give you an
outline of what's coming up onthe podcast, on the episode.
That's the warm-up introsection.
Then we're going to get intothe actual workout, the run
(04:03):
itself, which is the subjectmatter for that episode, which
is that guest who's going tocome on, whatever it is we're
going to talk about.
Then we're going to get to thecool down, which is my product
corner.
That is where I'm going to behighlighting products that I've
received for review.
I'm going to be highlightingaccessories I have come across,
or something, a service that Iwould like my audience to know
(04:26):
about.
Okay, so that's the first thing.
The second thing, mind you, forthis episode, we're still in
that warmup section, right?
The second thing we're going tointroduce is this sponsor mimic
.
Now, my podcast is not sponsored, I don't have a sponsor yet is
(04:48):
not sponsored.
I don't have a sponsor yet.
Let's be clear yet There'llcome a day where man might be
sponsored, I don't know.
But you know that expression,that expression fake it till you
make it.
Yeah, I'm going to behighlighting a brand.
Now, there are some brands thatdon't need my help at all.
They don't need my help.
They don't know I exist.
They're doing just fine.
(05:08):
You know, when it comes to therunning shoes, brands like Nike,
adidas, mizuno, puma, hoka On,those guys are doing just fine.
But for my sponsor mimic sectionof the podcast, I'm going to be
highlighting some underdogs.
Okay, the sponsor I want tohighlight.
I'm going to be highlightingsome underdogs.
Okay, the sponsor I want tohighlight.
I'm calling it sponsor.
(05:29):
You know we're practicing forwhen we make it, don't worry
about it.
Don't worry about it, I'll tellyou in a second right.
I'm going to be highlightingSuunto.
Now, I couldn't believe I wasspeaking to a runner the other
day and they didn't know whoSuunto is.
Okay, anyway, I'll get to itwhen I get to it.
But that explains the one thingI'm going to be changing.
Lastly, I'm also going to behighlighting a section which I
(05:53):
think is just fun YouTube videos.
I've watched that I enjoyed orI learned a lot from A YouTube
video that gave me value, andthat value is in three things it
either educated me, it eitherentertained me or it inspired me
.
So I've got those lined up,coming up on this episode too.
(06:15):
But that kind of tells you allthe things we're going to be
talking about.
Let's get to the main workout ofthis section, and it will start
with an introduction.
My name is Aubrey, I am anaverage runner and I'm simply
trying to be less average by theday, and I'm good with being me
(06:37):
.
Genuinely, I am good with beingme, that part of me being good
with that part of me being good,with being who I am, is the
reason we're doing this episode.
We're going to be talking aboutyour worth as a runner.
How do you know you are a realrunner?
(06:57):
How do you know you need tostop questioning whether you're
a real runner or not?
How do you determine yourself-worth as a runner?
It is important that I talkabout that because some of my
audience they feel they're notthat serious of runners, they're
not that real kind of runner,okay, and that's owing to two
(07:22):
things their own self-doubt ortheir own measure of self-worth
in the running space, or howother people have made them feel
and I'm one of those.
So I'm just not going to shyaway from it.
We're going to talk about it.
So I'm going to start thissection with a simple question
what makes someone a real runner?
(07:44):
Question what makes someone areal runner?
Okay, what makes that person areal runner, whereas this one is
not so much?
Okay Now, I told you already Icould spin this to be quite
toxic in terms of theexperiences I have had, but I'm
done with that, okay.
So I'm going to try and spinthis to be flippant, to make it
a joy for you to listen to andthen reflect on it on your own
(08:07):
and go actually, you know whatthis will all be.
Guys making a point I need tostart seeing myself as a real
runner now, okay.
So let's start here.
Could it be the length of timeyou've been running?
Okay, because surely you justcan't go down to your sports
shop, pick up a pair of runningshoes, go out for a five minute
(08:29):
jog, come back and start callingyourself a runner?
Surely you need to have a trackrecord.
Surely you need to have beenrunning for a while.
Most runners I know beenrunning since lockdown.
This guy over here has justpicked up a pair of running
shoes, picked up a garment andthinks he's a runner.
At what point, in terms of theduration you're experiencing
(08:51):
running, do you become a runner,a real runner?
Okay, maybe it's your pace.
You can't call yourself arunner if you go to the marathon
and part of that you're walking.
That's not running, you're awalker, bro.
Yeah, you can't call yourself arunner if you're running 5K and
(09:15):
it takes you 50 minutes to anhour.
Are you serious Right Now?
I'm being provocative for areason because, trust me, these
are things I have had said to mein the comments of my videos.
I'm being serious, right, maybe.
How many race events have youdone?
(09:36):
Because surely, if you're goingto be a marathoner, you can't
just be telling us you did it inlockdown.
You must have done a race event, a proper full-on race event.
You can't just tell us you're arunner and you don't even have
a single medal.
Look at this If you're watchingon YouTube, you see a man's got
(09:57):
medals in the back over herefor several races that I've done
.
Does that now make me a runner?
Do I need to run officialrunning events to make myself a
runner?
Lastly and this, believe it ornot, this also has come into
question what do you know aboutrunning?
You know the knowledge.
(10:18):
You don't know.
If you don't know what heartrate zones are, you don't know
what lactate threshold one is,come on, bro.
You don't know whatmitochondria ligaments I'm
trying to just get all deep, butyou get where I'm going with
this right.
(10:39):
There are some people that havedevoted themselves to the sport
of running that have thenstarted to dictate what a
definition of a real runner is.
Again, I am being flippant, Iam being exaggerated, I am being
provocative for a reason.
But, believe it or not, I'vehad these comments.
(11:02):
I'm going to tell you twocomments that I got on my
YouTube channel that kind ofmade sure I addressed this as a
point At the time when I got it.
It did get to be a little bit,but now it's just all comedy.
Aubrey, bro, they are realrunners that don't have the
Adidas Pro 4.
How the heck do you have it?
This Evo SL is not madeavailable to real, actual
(11:27):
runners.
Why do you have it?
I got this question next.
Now I'll be fair.
I'll be fair.
I get where this person iscoming from with this question,
but it's sheer comedy, right,aubrey?
Are you actually ever going torun a marathon properly?
I'm like hold on, hold on, holdon, bro, hold on, hold on.
(11:54):
So what he meant?
Okay, for those of you that maynot have the background or the
context, I run and I film myruns and I share them as race
vlogs on YouTube.
Ok, so part of that is runningwhile holding a camera.
Right now, if you're running atfull speed and you're focused
(12:17):
on the time that you're going toget at the finish line, faffing
around with a camera turning itround, recording speaking to it
distracts you from doing that,ok.
Secondly, normally I try to getin with the crowd.
Ok, the crowd feeds me energy.
(12:39):
I even shout, let's go, I shout, let's go, I shout, let's go
like a million times.
Okay, especially when you'rerunning in a country no, no, no,
a continent that you don't livein, you don't have a name on
your bib, and then someone saysAubrey, oh my days, honestly,
(12:59):
there are parts in a Londonmarathon, boston marathon, osaka
marathon.
I stopped, I turned back and Iwent to thank that person and
said you know what man, just foracknowledging me, for seeing me
, right?
Obviously, that then cost melike 30 seconds to a minute of
my marathon time.
So when this person then goes,aubrey, are you actually ever
(13:21):
going to take this seriously andrun properly?
Right, I understand thequestion Genuinely, I do.
But the answer is that is myproperty, because I'll be honest
with you.
If I didn't do, I'm just goingto be blunt I might lose a
(13:43):
little bit of credibility here.
Five, I'll take it.
You might call me less of areal runner when you hear what I
have to say here.
I'll take it.
But let me be blunt.
If I wasn't filming, if Iwasn't doing the race vlogs.
If I wasn't doing this YouTubething, I guarantee you I
wouldn't enjoy this runningthing as much as I do.
(14:04):
If I didn't go to runningevents and I'm interacting with
perfect strangers a Japaneseperson in Osaka, or I'm talking
to a Filipino guy in Osaka.
I'm Malawian based in the UK,and we're talking about running
(14:26):
If I didn't have that yeah,facts, I'm not doing this thing
for too long.
Because marathons hurt, bro.
Why am I putting myself throughall of that?
Marathons are painful.
Any joy you can find during themarathon doing a 5K run, hey,
take it.
And if this is what keeps megoing, if this is what makes me
(14:46):
happy, hey man, I'm going to doit my way.
So please do accept that thatis my version of doing it
properly.
You know there have been timeswhere I have given it everything
I've got.
The first time I tasted pain iswhen I was trying to run my
(15:07):
first ever sub 50 minute 10K atWorthing 10K.
By the way, we're also going totouch on upcoming races at the
end of this video.
Stick around, this is going tobe exciting the upcoming race
events that I'm doing Right.
Anyway, that was painful.
I thought that was painfuluntil soon after I trained with
a guy that became a friend, hisname is Martin.
(15:29):
He became my coach.
And then Ben Felton.
Ben is running, call runningfate.
They paced me to my first eversub 50 10K.
That was painful, it was pain.
And then we go to Germany,adidas, Road to Records.
I say, hey, megan, I think I'vegot a 5K PB in me.
(15:51):
Ok, I've got a 5K PB in me.
What do you say?
You pace me to it.
She's like, ok, yeah, let's doit Right.
And if you go watch the Road torecords 5k pb attempt and you
look at my face, you look at mybody, that is painful.
(16:13):
So what do you mean?
I have to put myself throughthat all the time when I run
through marathons.
What I have found my way ofdoing this and I enjoy it.
So I'm going to answer you andsay, if you're talking about
your version of, properly, oncein a while I run that way.
But that's not how I run,that's what I enjoy doing.
(16:35):
It's not what I'm known for.
Just enjoy, it is my wholepoint.
Running hurts Any excuse andreason to enjoy it.
I'm taking it Okay Back to, ifthose are the questions in terms
of criteria, what is my opinionon what makes a runner a real
runner.
(16:55):
Let me start here.
The majority of the people thatwatch what I do wake up in the
morning and they sort out theirhousehold.
Some of them live alone.
I get it, but it's a thing ofgetting ready in the morning,
getting children ready, food,walking children to school, then
going to work.
(17:15):
The majority of the people Iknow don't have the luxury of
saying today we've got a workoutthat's going to be at the track
from nine o'clock and thenmaybe by 11 we'll be done, go
home for lunch, recover, then arecovery session or a gym
session in the afternoon andthen we're going to do an easy
run in the evening.
That's not the audience I haveover here.
(17:38):
So these are people that aregoing to work full time.
When they come back, they haveto then make dinner, they then
have to do bath time, they thenhave to put kids to bed, or they
come back home with work thatthey didn't finish in the day.
At the end of the day they arefatigued from just doing that.
(18:00):
But they are heroes that beforethe day starts they love
running so much they find timeto just put on their running
shoes and go.
Some utilize their lunch hour.
They just go Through thededication of doing that.
(18:20):
I don't care.
If you do that once a week,you're a runner, you are a
runner.
Now I don't want to go as far assaying you are more than a
runner, than the elites.
That wouldn't be true, becausethose guys have placed their
living on it.
They've got the dedication,they've got the time, they've
(18:40):
got the time, they've got theability to make a living out of
doing that.
Fair enough.
But I have a lot more respectMe me.
Not everyone should Me.
I have a level of respect forsingle mothers, single fathers,
(19:02):
parents, full-time workers that,despite the limitations of the
availability of time, they stillfind time to put on their
running shoes and they go.
Despite the limitation oflimited funds, they find time to
get running shoes, a runningwatch and go.
(19:24):
Me personally, I have a lotmore respect for that person
than somebody who might do thisfull time.
So in my opinion, this might beoverly simplistic, but it's
true.
Do you have a relationship withrunning?
Do you find peace your form ofexercise?
(19:49):
Do you just enjoy puttingrunning shoes on and going?
You're a runner If you havemade running a permanent fixture
that when you do have time toyourself, you're a runner.
If you have made running apermanent fixture, that when you
do have time to yourself you'rea runner, that you've made it
known to your family members, toyour friends, that this is what
(20:10):
you enjoy doing, you're arunner.
You don't need to run a certaintime, you don't need to have
been running 15 million yearstime.
You don't need to have beenrunning 15 million years.
You don't need to have medals.
You don't need to have all thegear in the world.
In fact, you don't need to betold you're a runner.
(20:35):
I want to know how you feelabout you running because, I'll
be honest with you, there ismore satisfaction in some of the
running I do than what somepeople who do this
professionally or at a veryserious level have.
(20:55):
Let me explain.
Recently we had London Marathon.
Now, london Marathon, bro, washot.
It was one of the hottestLondon Marathons we've had.
Right, I knew I was on trackfor a personal best at the
marathon at London Marathon,despite having run Boston the
Monday before.
I knew I was and from my pacingI was aiming for 31 minutes and
(21:20):
just below for each 5K.
I was on track for it All mydays the weather had different
plans.
It knocked me for six.
I was done.
Right, I finished in four hours34.
My personal best is four hours25, right, I went.
Hey, hold on, hold on, bro.
Hold on, bro, hold on amilligram.
Wait, you've just run amarathon on Monday 429.
(21:46):
And you got this one 434, onone of the hottest marathons.
Come on, let's go, aubrey,let's go right.
I know at least five runners atleast five, okay that were so
disappointed with their times atLondon Marathon Day.
Now, I get it.
(22:07):
They probably take this runningthing way serious than I do,
okay, because I could beperceived, and if you told me I
wasn't serious about running, Icould somewhat believe you.
So I understand that they hadgoals.
I understand they've beenworking so hard and they were
disappointed in order to attainor achieve those goals.
Right, it makes sense.
But you know what, man, forpurposes of your well-being and
(22:33):
your mental health, betweenthese two runners I'm not going
to lie to you, man I prefer justlooking at the good side of it.
I ran a marathon Are youkidding me Three years ago.
That version of me is going.
Hey, let's go Aubrey.
He watched me run LondonMarathon after running Boston
(22:56):
Marathon.
Are you kidding me Right?
That's my perspective and Iwould encourage a lot of runners
to have that.
Look at the context, the biggerpicture.
There was a conversation I washaving with somebody on
Instagram that said Aubrey mate,thank you for this video.
I did a video on my YouTubechannel on how toxic running can
(23:16):
be and he said do you know what?
I was so disappointed when Iran a half marathon time until I
realized that my slowest halfmarathon recently is 20 minutes
faster than my fastest halfmarathon a year ago or whatever
(23:37):
period.
He said that is maturity For me.
That is the context.
So for me, back to that questionhow do you define yourself as a
real runner?
Look at the bigger picture.
When I started, I used to runhere and there and did the couch
to 5k.
Now I run 5k just as a standardthing.
(23:58):
It could be that actually, whenyou've got free time, you're
thinking of a run.
You know.
Just look at your life, whereyou're coming from, and just
take it from me.
You don't need super speedyrunner over there to tell you
whether you're a runner or not.
Simple as that.
You like running?
(24:19):
Yeah, do you run?
Yeah, even if you like running?
Yeah, do you run?
Yeah, even if you run walk,yeah, even if you haven't run an
event.
Yeah, even if you don't havemedals, yeah, even if you have
all the gear in the world, yeah,hey, you're a runner, bro.
You're a runner, sis.
Do your thing, do your thingAll.
I think I've landed my point.
Okay, the whole point here iswhen you're done listening to
(24:40):
this podcast, I want youconvinced that you're a runner.
Let's get to the not sponsoredsection.
Okay, this is me faking it tillI make it.
Okay, I'm going to behighlighting underdog brands,
(25:04):
underdog products that runnersdon't always get shown.
I was pretty surprised.
The other day I was talking toa runner friend and they asked
me wait, mate, why are youwearing two watches?
Right?
So I go?
Okay, well, this one's myGarmin, this is what I normally
have, and this is a Suunto thatI'm reviewing, like Suunto,
what's that?
So this section is going to befor answering questions like
that.
So at the end of the video,when I get to the product
section, I will speak to youabout the specifics of the watch
(25:27):
itself, what I have found, whyI'm using it, but this section
of the podcast is just going tobe highlighting underdog brands,
services or products.
Ok, so let's start here.
When you hear about runningwatches or sports watches, it's
obvious You're going to startwith the Apple watch, you're
going to hear about the Garminwatch, you're going to hear
(25:49):
about Coros, you're going tohear about Polo, you're going to
hear about all sorts of smartwatches.
Suunto is another one of those,and the guys at Suunto gifted
me this watch for purposes ofreview.
So I'm going to speak about thedetails of the watch at the end
(26:09):
of this podcast episode.
As to what I found, but I waspretty surprised, and so it
inspired me to start talkingabout brands that are lesser
known.
So for this one, it's going tobe the Suunto Race S, and I'm
going to highlight the Suuntobrand.
Okay, that will be at the end,all right.
So the next section is theYouTube section.
See this as a book club.
(26:32):
Recent books I've read andtherefore I recommend them to
you guys, except about YouTube,simply because my most common
entertainment is YouTube.
I don't watch Netflix that much.
Amazon Prime or Disney Plus Forme.
I'm talking, even in the showeror stuff.
I'll put something on.
I either just listen to it inthe background.
(26:52):
Youtube is my thing.
So YouTube video number oneJason's running.
Now, jason's Running.
You might not have heard ofthis guy, right, but he is the
loveliest guy and I simply lovewatching channels that are not
super big channels because theyhave a grit to them, they have
(27:16):
an authenticity to them that Ireally enjoy.
This guy has 266 subscribers.
I want to say, anyway, he did avideo where he recently ran
Berlin Half Marathon and he wasaiming for a PB, right, and I
want to say he was aiming for155.
(27:37):
Yeah, yeah, 155, one hour5, onehour 55 minutes, and it got to
the end and it's trying to getthere and I won't spoil it.
Actually, you know what?
Let me know what to say,because I want you to go watch
it.
Not only do I want you to gowatch it.
Please subscribe to the guy'schannel.
Come on Jason's running.
He's got 266 subscribers.
(27:59):
In fact, I'm going to keepbanging on about this Jason guy
until we get him to about 500subscribers.
Expect to hear about Jason'srunning on every episode until
we get this guy to 500subscribers.
Jason, I got your back bro.
Next we need to run together.
So this is why the end sectionof the podcast is going to be
important.
I'm going to highlight therunning events I'm going to be
(28:21):
doing and invite people, fellowYouTubers, to come and run with
me.
Anyway, let's move on.
Next video Ben is running out inTokyo.
Now I'm going to be blunt, ben.
I hope you're not offended byme saying this.
I don't watch your channelbecause of how fast you run.
I respect how fast you run, butthat's not what makes me a
subscriber and a fanboy of Benis Running.
(28:42):
I love how authentic this guyis, despite the number of
subscribers he has.
The guy is down to earth, butI've just grown to love him more
because recently he starteddoing his stuff with his missus
Right, the London Marathonseries a breath of fresh air.
So he got taken onto a brandtrip by Asics out to Tokyo
(29:09):
because Asics are releasingthree running shoes.
Hopefully I get to review them.
It'd be great, but, to behonest, don't really care too
much about that.
In that vlog it was refreshingto see Ben and Meg together in
Japan.
Ben get some A6 gear, meg gotsome too.
Meg out here filming,interviewing Meg, doing some
(29:33):
fashion things, and then theyextended their trip, went to
Fuji.
Come on, man, this is the kindof stuff that makes running fun
for me.
Now don't get me wrong.
I love race vlogs.
I like videos about heart ratezones, lactate threshold I feel
like I'm always making fun oflactate threshold one.
(29:53):
I love all of that, I do, butto me, there is more to running
than just running.
Anyway, you got to check thisvideo out the reason as well.
I was super happy and Imessaged him right away on his
WhatsApp.
I went hey, bro, I am so happyfor you and I am proud.
(30:15):
Can you imagine dedicating yourcraft to a point where a brand
takes you somewhere and sayswe're releasing these shoes.
We want you to be here.
He's worked so hard and gettingto see him achieve what he has
done, getting to see him achieve, I guess, his dreams and doing
(30:37):
that with the lady in his life,I'm so happy for him.
There will be toxic people thatwill be in the comments going,
oh, here it goes.
Then he's going to give us avideo and be all happy, chappy,
saying, oh yeah, you need to buythis just because you've got a
free press trip Shut up right.
Third video the same trip, butthe goat Kofusizy, bro Kofuzy
(31:05):
man, he was also on that trip.
Now, that trip if a bombexploded at that venue, all of
YouTube would have been wipedout.
When it comes to the runningspace, I'm telling you now there
was the running channel.
I want to say there was AlexFelitti, Meta End, meta,
endurance, the run testers, comeon.
I wasn't there.
I wasn't there.
(31:25):
I wasn't there, I wasn't there.
That a6, hey, no hard feelings,bro.
A6 bro, no hard feelings.
I wasn't there.
Um, yeah, but get me there nexttime.
It's cool, it's cool, but Iwasn't there.
But what kofuzy does perfectly,that no one else does, the way
kofuzy does is gave you theweekend video.
(31:49):
He does when there's majorevents.
He does a runner's weekend.
Anyway, he goes to this templeand this temple has cats in it.
I was thinking, oh, those guysare just selling these little
cat toy things, right, but thesecat toy things have got a lot
of meaning behind them that youeither pledge you take away this
(32:11):
toy cat when you've achievedthe goal that you pledged, or
that milestone that you'vereached.
You bring the toy cat back as aform of gratitude, right?
So, anyway, kofuji then takesone of these cats, but he's
bringing it back for hisdaughter that one day, when she
(32:34):
travels to Japan, she will bringthis cat back to that temple.
Oh man, he got me.
Hey, mike, bro, you got me onthat one.
Bro.
I was like, oh man, and no onedoes vlogs like that, no one
does gets you in your feels.
I'm like all about a toy cat,bro.
I'm about to start tearing upbecause I can imagine it.
(32:54):
I can imagine little girlKofusi over here when she's old
enough to get on her travels andI can almost imagine.
I could dream that maybe she'sgoing to be a YouTuber.
I don't know, mike, I don'tknow bro.
I'm just romanticizing the ideathat she will bring it and she
will vlog it.
(33:14):
She will cut back to when herdad got this toy cat.
I'm thinking, oh man, he got me, he got me All right.
Anyway, first video, jason'srunning.
Second, ben is running.
The other one's Kofusi.
Now, I saved the best for last.
I just love it when good thingshappen to good people.
This guy is a good guy.
(33:39):
Cole, running my days, I toldyou about London Marathon, how
it was hot, yeah, how I wasgoing in there aiming for like
two hours, 10 minutes.
I ended up getting four hours,34, right, coal running, running
two hours and 16 minutes, bythe way, if you're good at math.
(34:03):
Two hours and 16 minutes ishalf my time.
Now, now, now, now, now, now.
Listen to me, listen to me.
This boy has been working hardNow, both as a runner and a
(34:25):
YouTuber, seeing him run LondonMarathon in two hours, 16.
Now I'm going to be outrighthonest with you.
I don't care what times peoplerun at these marathons.
I'm here for the experience.
Okay, I went to Osaka Marathon.
Actually, the t-shirt I'mwearing right now is an Osaka
Marathon t-shirt that I got atthe expo.
(34:46):
One day I'll forget what time.
I did it at Osaka.
Okay, I'll forget all aboutthat, but I won't forget the
fact that I experienced aculture that I've never
experienced before.
Was the first time going to acontinent I had never visited
before.
Was the first time meeting aculture, a people that I was
first of all insecure about interms of I'm gonna stick out
(35:07):
like a sore thumb.
I'm a black guy in Japan.
How's that gonna go down right?
Honestly, the most loving andrespectful people I've ever met
in my life.
That's what I'm going toremember.
Right To me, call running.
Running two hours 16 is notabout call running two hours 16.
It is the man finally achievingsomething that he wanted.
(35:31):
Now I'm going to look up thevideo now because I don't want
to call it get it wrong in whathe called it.
Okay, I feel like he titled hisLondon race vlog perfectly.
He said the title of the videois London Marathon 2025, the
(35:52):
Race that Made my Name.
Now, look, he has goals, he'sachieved something in that and
he believes that that is therace that gets him where he
wants to be.
I fully respect that, but thegrind this guy has done on his
YouTube channel, the views onthat video my days 88,000 views
(36:15):
in eight days, bro, you have towatch this race vlog.
More importantly, please goover to the man's channel Only
after you've gone to Jason'srunning channel, though.
All right, let's move on.
Man, I've talked enough.
Talked enough.
All right, we're getting to theend of the vlog very soon, very
soon, not yet very soon.
(36:36):
So, upcoming races as you'relistening to this, I'm at
Hackney Hackney Half Marathon2025.
I'm running that with Hoka.
Now it's going to be runningthe race event itself, because I
love running.
I'm going to be out there justhaving a good time.
I'm also going to be reviewingthe Hoka Cielo X1 2.0, but it's
(36:58):
always amazing just working withthese brands in a collaborative
way Genuinely a pleasure.
So obviously we're going to doa debrief on this podcast.
I'm going to show you the racerace vlog, but also I'm going to
do a review of hoka cielo x12.0.
Okay, so that's one second.
(37:19):
June 8th, if you're in england,worthing 10k is the only running
event I would have done inthree years in a row.
The first time was me trying tobreak my sub 50 10k.
I got 50 minutes and fourseconds on my Garmin.
50 minutes, one second on mychip time.
(37:40):
The second time I got it undersub 50.
And so this time we're going tobe doing it at party pace.
I'm inviting people to come runwith me.
We're going to aim for justunder an hour.
There is a guy on YouTube.
His name is Sam Light it Up.
Is his YouTube channel Going toget him down there?
(38:00):
Going to get some more runners?
Going to get as many people tocome run with us?
Now, mind you, there will bepacers there that do an
incredible job, but if you justwant to run with us, have a good
time at this running event.
Maybe chill out afterwards Idon't know.
The fun thing about that is myson, josiah is running the mile
in the morning before that, okay, so I promised you that the
(38:23):
first guest on my channel Ipromise you now will be my son,
josiah, when we're previewingthat run and talking about
Josiah, because Josiah is Josiah, right.
So that's going to be fun.
We talked of the two productcorners.
Let's talk about these veryquickly.
I recently published a reviewon my YouTube channel of Nike's
(38:46):
Streak Fly 2.
What is it?
What does it do?
What do people need to knowabout it?
Excellent, let's talk about it.
It is amazing.
I wear a nine and a half UK anda grown man shoe weighing in at
141, 142 grams.
(39:08):
It is officially the lightestshoe I own.
It is officially the lightestshoe I own.
What is this shoe for Actually?
No, let's talk about the price.
It's 164 pounds, 165 poundshere in the UK.
I'm going to link it in thedescription if you want to get
into it, but also I'm going tolink at the end my review of the
video, because here I just wantto.
I just want to spotlight it.
(39:30):
This is a speed shoe.
It's a fast shoe, like theunderside.
On the outside it says go fast.
It's part of the Nike RoadRacing series.
It's a streak fly, anything upto 5k.
For me, this is the shoe.
You can stretch it to a 10K forthe lighter build runners, but
(39:54):
I'm a bigger guy.
I'm only taking this to a 5K ifI'm racing all out.
Also, if I'm doing somewherebetween 5, 6, 7k interval
sessions, it is best for that.
Now this is a full PBAT ZoomXfoam and between that it then
sandwiches this carbon plate.
(40:17):
There is the Nike fly plate inthere.
It is amazing in terms ofpropulsion, but when you mix it
in with that lightweight.
I wanted to say this.
I don't just want to talkreally nicely about these shoes.
Adidas have an equivalent.
I want to say it's the TakumiSen series.
The Takumi Sen 10 didn't workfor me.
(40:39):
It didn't work for me.
I highlighted it in one of thevideos of five shoes that didn't
work, or something like that.
Okay, instead I run in the Pro4.
Okay, but for a shorterdistance.
I find this is my number onemost recommendable shoe.
If you are looking to justchallenge yourself for pace, for
(41:02):
speed, for intervals, as wellas the shorter distances, check
it out.
It's the Nike Streakfly 2.
At the end, as well as in theshow notes, I will link my
review of that, as well as alink to see if you want to buy
it, get it done right.
Okay, and I also talked aboutthe Suunto.
Now the Suunto Race S, what isit?
(41:24):
It is Suunto's, I guess, entrylevel, even though it packs a
big kick sports watch.
Why this one?
What makes this one special?
The first thing is the price.
I told you, I run in the GarminForerunner 265.
This is currently retailing at£329, whereas the Suunto is at
(41:48):
£299.
Whilst the Garmin chargesquicker, it's not that much
quicker.
Okay, I want to say from zero.
When I charged my Garmin forrunner 265, when it was getting
to a hundred percent, I want tosay this was at 95.
So it's not that much.
In terms of the draining, Imust say again, garmin is Garmin
(42:10):
bro.
Garmin does their thing, butthe battery life, it's not that
far off.
And so expect a detailed reviewof the Suunto Race S, where I'm
actually demonstrating thesethings I'm talking to you about.
But I just thought I wouldhighlight it because I would
like for you guys to be at leastaware of some of these brands.
(42:31):
Expect a detailed review.
The other thing that I wanted tohighlight that I've loved in
the Suunto Race S.
That is not even in the garment.
When you go to start a workout,you can choose what it is
you're doing.
Now this thing has a profile.
So many profiles for whatexercise you want to track
(42:54):
Walking, running, weighttraining, yoga, pilates, cycling
, hiking, trail running basic ortrail running in the mountain,
pole, swimming, mountain biking,treadmill.
Let me just read the quirkierones.
It's got a triathlon modetrekking and then it's got the
more section.
(43:14):
It's just crazy.
There's so many profiles and itwas really really good to see
Now some of those profiles.
Granted, I'm never going to use, but I just wanted to highlight
that.
Check it out, actually check itout.
Do some research yourself thatwhen you're looking for your
next sports watch, don't belimited to your Garmin, your
Apple or your Coros.
There are so many more.
(43:36):
Okay, that is the second episode, much longer than I thought it
would be, but hey, why not?
Thank you very much for yoursupport.
It truly means a lot, and thenext episode is going to be out
on Wednesday where I talk aboutthe no-doubting Thomas Thomas
from Believe in the Run.
It's quite an emotional episode, but it's important.
(43:59):
You give people their flowerswhilst they're still here to
smell them.
Thank you for checking this oneout.
Coming up.
In the second episode of theBigger Than Running podcast,
number one, we're going toanswer the question what makes
somebody a real runner?
The second section.
I want to recommend four videosthat you should watch on
YouTube.
Number one Ben and Meg go outto Tokyo.
Kofusi gets a toy cat for hisdaughter.
Number three Cole runningsmashes London Marathon.
(00:21):
Number four Jason's running achannel I want you to check out.
We're also going to highlightthe Suunto Race S, and I want to
talk to you about Nike'sStreakfly 2.
Let's get to it.
I have just pressed record onthe second episode of the Bigger
Than Running podcast.
I'm loving it.
I'm loving it.
Now, out of transparency, let mejust keep it real with you and
(00:45):
let me tell you what happened.
I was already set for episodetwo.
I had already filmed it.
I had already edited it.
It's already uploaded.
It was ready to go, scheduledfor release on Sunday 18th of
May.
Until I saw the response thatthe first episode got, I went no
, no, no, no, no.
(01:05):
We're going to have to redothis, because I wanted to start
with how I've been blown away bythe response that I've got
Through your shares of the linkon Instagram, your comments on
the YouTube video, your directmessages to me saying you're
going to lock in, you'vesubscribed to the podcast.
(01:25):
It genuinely means a lot and itis way, way past what I was
expecting.
Now, let me keep it real too,don't get me wrong.
I was expecting some kind oftraction simply because I have
amassed an audience already.
There are people that watch theYouTube channel.
If I upload the podcast on theYouTube, some people are going
(01:47):
to watch it.
Right?
I promoted it on my Instagram.
I expected a few people to thenget on board and start
listening to it.
What has actually transpiredand happened has exceeded my
expectations completely.
And one thing I want to do forthis podcast, two things it's
going to be a place whererunning meets positivity and
(02:12):
give you a glimpse of happinessoutside of what's happening in
your world, but, moreimportantly, authenticity, and
this is an example of thatexample of that.
I was mind blown by themessages I've received and I
want to say thank you.
The other thing I promised onthe first episode was how we're
(02:35):
going to evolve this podcast.
We're going to be doing certainthings to enhance, improve and
evolve the podcast.
So I've come up with a fewthings.
Three things Now.
This first thing, I think, is agenius idea until somebody
comments oh that podcast already.
(02:58):
Does that, mate, get back inyour box, shut up.
Well, let me tell you about it.
So I've decided I'm going tostructure the episode similar to
a workout when you're runningthe first part of the podcast.
This is genius, right?
Is your warm-up, right?
Those of you that warm up, Iain't even going to lie to you,
some workouts I just get into it.
(03:20):
But if you're following atraining plan, it tells you that
there's a warmup, right, sothat's your running workout.
But in terms of the podcast,that's going to be the intro.
That's going to be introducingmyself, because a whole lot of
people on this planet don't knowwho the heck I am.
So I'm going to introducemyself and not take it for
(03:40):
granted that I am known, becausein the grand scheme of things,
in the podcast world I'mdefinitely not Okay.
Let's just be honest about that.
Anyway, then we're going totease and sort of give you an
outline of what's coming up onthe podcast, on the episode.
That's the warm-up introsection.
Then we're going to get intothe actual workout, the run
(04:03):
itself, which is the subjectmatter for that episode, which
is that guest who's going tocome on, whatever it is we're
going to talk about.
Then we're going to get to thecool down, which is my product
corner.
That is where I'm going to behighlighting products that I've
received for review.
I'm going to be highlightingaccessories I have come across,
or something, a service that Iwould like my audience to know
(04:26):
about.
Okay, so that's the first thing.
The second thing, mind you, forthis episode, we're still in
that warmup section, right?
The second thing we're going tointroduce is this sponsor mimic
.
Now, my podcast is not sponsored, I don't have a sponsor yet is
(04:48):
not sponsored.
I don't have a sponsor yet.
Let's be clear yet There'llcome a day where man might be
sponsored, I don't know.
But you know that expression,that expression fake it till you
make it.
Yeah, I'm going to behighlighting a brand.
Now, there are some brands thatdon't need my help at all.
They don't need my help.
They don't know I exist.
They're doing just fine.
(05:08):
You know, when it comes to therunning shoes, brands like Nike,
adidas, mizuno, puma, hoka On,those guys are doing just fine.
But for my sponsor mimic sectionof the podcast, I'm going to be
highlighting some underdogs.
Okay, the sponsor I want tohighlight.
I'm going to be highlightingsome underdogs.
Okay, the sponsor I want tohighlight.
I'm calling it sponsor.
(05:29):
You know we're practicing forwhen we make it, don't worry
about it.
Don't worry about it, I'll tellyou in a second right.
I'm going to be highlightingSuunto.
Now, I couldn't believe I wasspeaking to a runner the other
day and they didn't know whoSuunto is.
Okay, anyway, I'll get to itwhen I get to it.
But that explains the one thingI'm going to be changing.
Lastly, I'm also going to behighlighting a section which I
(05:53):
think is just fun YouTube videos.
I've watched that I enjoyed orI learned a lot from A YouTube
video that gave me value, andthat value is in three things it
either educated me, it eitherentertained me or it inspired me
.
So I've got those lined up,coming up on this episode too.
(06:15):
But that kind of tells you allthe things we're going to be
talking about.
Let's get to the main workout ofthis section, and it will start
with an introduction.
My name is Aubrey, I am anaverage runner and I'm simply
trying to be less average by theday, and I'm good with being me
(06:37):
.
Genuinely, I am good with beingme, that part of me being good
with that part of me being good,with being who I am, is the
reason we're doing this episode.
We're going to be talking aboutyour worth as a runner.
How do you know you are a realrunner?
(06:57):
How do you know you need tostop questioning whether you're
a real runner or not?
How do you determine yourself-worth as a runner?
It is important that I talkabout that because some of my
audience they feel they're notthat serious of runners, they're
not that real kind of runner,okay, and that's owing to two
(07:22):
things their own self-doubt ortheir own measure of self-worth
in the running space, or howother people have made them feel
and I'm one of those.
So I'm just not going to shyaway from it.
We're going to talk about it.
So I'm going to start thissection with a simple question
what makes someone a real runner?
(07:44):
Question what makes someone areal runner?
Okay, what makes that person areal runner, whereas this one is
not so much?
Okay Now, I told you already Icould spin this to be quite
toxic in terms of theexperiences I have had, but I'm
done with that, okay.
So I'm going to try and spinthis to be flippant, to make it
a joy for you to listen to andthen reflect on it on your own
(08:07):
and go actually, you know whatthis will all be.
Guys making a point I need tostart seeing myself as a real
runner now, okay.
So let's start here.
Could it be the length of timeyou've been running?
Okay, because surely you justcan't go down to your sports
shop, pick up a pair of runningshoes, go out for a five minute
(08:29):
jog, come back and start callingyourself a runner?
Surely you need to have a trackrecord.
Surely you need to have beenrunning for a while.
Most runners I know beenrunning since lockdown.
This guy over here has justpicked up a pair of running
shoes, picked up a garment andthinks he's a runner.
At what point, in terms of theduration you're experiencing
(08:51):
running, do you become a runner,a real runner?
Okay, maybe it's your pace.
You can't call yourself arunner if you go to the marathon
and part of that you're walking.
That's not running, you're awalker, bro.
Yeah, you can't call yourself arunner if you're running 5K and
(09:15):
it takes you 50 minutes to anhour.
Are you serious Right Now?
I'm being provocative for areason because, trust me, these
are things I have had said to mein the comments of my videos.
I'm being serious, right, maybe.
How many race events have youdone?
(09:36):
Because surely, if you're goingto be a marathoner, you can't
just be telling us you did it inlockdown.
You must have done a race event, a proper full-on race event.
You can't just tell us you're arunner and you don't even have
a single medal.
Look at this If you're watchingon YouTube, you see a man's got
(09:57):
medals in the back over herefor several races that I've done
.
Does that now make me a runner?
Do I need to run officialrunning events to make myself a
runner?
Lastly and this, believe it ornot, this also has come into
question what do you know aboutrunning?
You know the knowledge.
(10:18):
You don't know.
If you don't know what heartrate zones are, you don't know
what lactate threshold one is,come on, bro.
You don't know whatmitochondria ligaments I'm
trying to just get all deep, butyou get where I'm going with
this right.
(10:39):
There are some people that havedevoted themselves to the sport
of running that have thenstarted to dictate what a
definition of a real runner is.
Again, I am being flippant, Iam being exaggerated, I am being
provocative for a reason.
But, believe it or not, I'vehad these comments.
(11:02):
I'm going to tell you twocomments that I got on my
YouTube channel that kind ofmade sure I addressed this as a
point At the time when I got it.
It did get to be a little bit,but now it's just all comedy.
Aubrey, bro, they are realrunners that don't have the
Adidas Pro 4.
How the heck do you have it?
This Evo SL is not madeavailable to real, actual
(11:27):
runners.
Why do you have it?
I got this question next.
Now I'll be fair.
I'll be fair.
I get where this person iscoming from with this question,
but it's sheer comedy, right,aubrey?
Are you actually ever going torun a marathon properly?
I'm like hold on, hold on, holdon, bro, hold on, hold on.
(11:54):
So what he meant?
Okay, for those of you that maynot have the background or the
context, I run and I film myruns and I share them as race
vlogs on YouTube.
Ok, so part of that is runningwhile holding a camera.
Right now, if you're running atfull speed and you're focused
(12:17):
on the time that you're going toget at the finish line, faffing
around with a camera turning itround, recording speaking to it
distracts you from doing that,ok.
Secondly, normally I try to getin with the crowd.
Ok, the crowd feeds me energy.
(12:39):
I even shout, let's go, I shout, let's go, I shout, let's go
like a million times.
Okay, especially when you'rerunning in a country no, no, no,
a continent that you don't livein, you don't have a name on
your bib, and then someone saysAubrey, oh my days, honestly,
(12:59):
there are parts in a Londonmarathon, boston marathon, osaka
marathon.
I stopped, I turned back and Iwent to thank that person and
said you know what man, just foracknowledging me, for seeing me
, right?
Obviously, that then cost melike 30 seconds to a minute of
my marathon time.
So when this person then goes,aubrey, are you actually ever
(13:21):
going to take this seriously andrun properly?
Right, I understand thequestion Genuinely, I do.
But the answer is that is myproperty, because I'll be honest
with you.
If I didn't do, I'm just goingto be blunt I might lose a
(13:43):
little bit of credibility here.
Five, I'll take it.
You might call me less of areal runner when you hear what I
have to say here.
I'll take it.
But let me be blunt.
If I wasn't filming, if Iwasn't doing the race vlogs.
If I wasn't doing this YouTubething, I guarantee you I
wouldn't enjoy this runningthing as much as I do.
(14:04):
If I didn't go to runningevents and I'm interacting with
perfect strangers a Japaneseperson in Osaka, or I'm talking
to a Filipino guy in Osaka.
I'm Malawian based in the UK,and we're talking about running
(14:26):
If I didn't have that yeah,facts, I'm not doing this thing
for too long.
Because marathons hurt, bro.
Why am I putting myself throughall of that?
Marathons are painful.
Any joy you can find during themarathon doing a 5K run, hey,
take it.
And if this is what keeps megoing, if this is what makes me
(14:46):
happy, hey man, I'm going to doit my way.
So please do accept that thatis my version of doing it
properly.
You know there have been timeswhere I have given it everything
I've got.
The first time I tasted pain iswhen I was trying to run my
(15:07):
first ever sub 50 minute 10K atWorthing 10K.
By the way, we're also going totouch on upcoming races at the
end of this video.
Stick around, this is going tobe exciting the upcoming race
events that I'm doing Right.
Anyway, that was painful.
I thought that was painfuluntil soon after I trained with
a guy that became a friend, hisname is Martin.
(15:29):
He became my coach.
And then Ben Felton.
Ben is running, call runningfate.
They paced me to my first eversub 50 10K.
That was painful, it was pain.
And then we go to Germany,adidas, Road to Records.
I say, hey, megan, I think I'vegot a 5K PB in me.
(15:51):
Ok, I've got a 5K PB in me.
What do you say?
You pace me to it.
She's like, ok, yeah, let's doit Right.
And if you go watch the Road torecords 5k pb attempt and you
look at my face, you look at mybody, that is painful.
(16:13):
So what do you mean?
I have to put myself throughthat all the time when I run
through marathons.
What I have found my way ofdoing this and I enjoy it.
So I'm going to answer you andsay, if you're talking about
your version of, properly, oncein a while I run that way.
But that's not how I run,that's what I enjoy doing.
(16:35):
It's not what I'm known for.
Just enjoy, it is my wholepoint.
Running hurts Any excuse andreason to enjoy it.
I'm taking it Okay Back to, ifthose are the questions in terms
of criteria, what is my opinionon what makes a runner a real
runner.
(16:55):
Let me start here.
The majority of the people thatwatch what I do wake up in the
morning and they sort out theirhousehold.
Some of them live alone.
I get it, but it's a thing ofgetting ready in the morning,
getting children ready, food,walking children to school, then
going to work.
(17:15):
The majority of the people Iknow don't have the luxury of
saying today we've got a workoutthat's going to be at the track
from nine o'clock and thenmaybe by 11 we'll be done, go
home for lunch, recover, then arecovery session or a gym
session in the afternoon andthen we're going to do an easy
run in the evening.
That's not the audience I haveover here.
(17:38):
So these are people that aregoing to work full time.
When they come back, they haveto then make dinner, they then
have to do bath time, they thenhave to put kids to bed, or they
come back home with work thatthey didn't finish in the day.
At the end of the day they arefatigued from just doing that.
(18:00):
But they are heroes that beforethe day starts they love
running so much they find timeto just put on their running
shoes and go.
Some utilize their lunch hour.
They just go Through thededication of doing that.
(18:20):
I don't care.
If you do that once a week,you're a runner, you are a
runner.
Now I don't want to go as far assaying you are more than a
runner, than the elites.
That wouldn't be true, becausethose guys have placed their
living on it.
They've got the dedication,they've got the time, they've
(18:40):
got the time, they've got theability to make a living out of
doing that.
Fair enough.
But I have a lot more respectMe me.
Not everyone should Me.
I have a level of respect forsingle mothers, single fathers,
(19:02):
parents, full-time workers that,despite the limitations of the
availability of time, they stillfind time to put on their
running shoes and they go.
Despite the limitation oflimited funds, they find time to
get running shoes, a runningwatch and go.
(19:24):
Me personally, I have a lotmore respect for that person
than somebody who might do thisfull time.
So in my opinion, this might beoverly simplistic, but it's
true.
Do you have a relationship withrunning?
Do you find peace your form ofexercise?
(19:49):
Do you just enjoy puttingrunning shoes on and going?
You're a runner If you havemade running a permanent fixture
that when you do have time toyourself, you're a runner.
If you have made running apermanent fixture, that when you
do have time to yourself you'rea runner, that you've made it
known to your family members, toyour friends, that this is what
(20:10):
you enjoy doing, you're arunner.
You don't need to run a certaintime, you don't need to have
been running 15 million yearstime.
You don't need to have beenrunning 15 million years.
You don't need to have medals.
You don't need to have all thegear in the world.
In fact, you don't need to betold you're a runner.
(20:35):
I want to know how you feelabout you running because, I'll
be honest with you, there ismore satisfaction in some of the
running I do than what somepeople who do this
professionally or at a veryserious level have.
(20:55):
Let me explain.
Recently we had London Marathon.
Now, london Marathon, bro, washot.
It was one of the hottestLondon Marathons we've had.
Right, I knew I was on trackfor a personal best at the
marathon at London Marathon,despite having run Boston the
Monday before.
I knew I was and from my pacingI was aiming for 31 minutes and
(21:20):
just below for each 5K.
I was on track for it All mydays the weather had different
plans.
It knocked me for six.
I was done.
Right, I finished in four hours34.
My personal best is four hours25, right, I went.
Hey, hold on, hold on, bro.
Hold on, bro, hold on amilligram.
Wait, you've just run amarathon on Monday 429.
(21:46):
And you got this one 434, onone of the hottest marathons.
Come on, let's go, aubrey,let's go right.
I know at least five runners atleast five, okay that were so
disappointed with their times atLondon Marathon Day.
Now, I get it.
(22:07):
They probably take this runningthing way serious than I do,
okay, because I could beperceived, and if you told me I
wasn't serious about running, Icould somewhat believe you.
So I understand that they hadgoals.
I understand they've beenworking so hard and they were
disappointed in order to attainor achieve those goals.
Right, it makes sense.
But you know what, man, forpurposes of your well-being and
(22:33):
your mental health, betweenthese two runners I'm not going
to lie to you, man I prefer justlooking at the good side of it.
I ran a marathon Are youkidding me Three years ago.
That version of me is going.
Hey, let's go Aubrey.
He watched me run LondonMarathon after running Boston
(22:56):
Marathon.
Are you kidding me Right?
That's my perspective and Iwould encourage a lot of runners
to have that.
Look at the context, the biggerpicture.
There was a conversation I washaving with somebody on
Instagram that said Aubrey mate,thank you for this video.
I did a video on my YouTubechannel on how toxic running can
(23:16):
be and he said do you know what?
I was so disappointed when Iran a half marathon time until I
realized that my slowest halfmarathon recently is 20 minutes
faster than my fastest halfmarathon a year ago or whatever
(23:37):
period.
He said that is maturity For me.
That is the context.
So for me, back to that questionhow do you define yourself as a
real runner?
Look at the bigger picture.
When I started, I used to runhere and there and did the couch
to 5k.
Now I run 5k just as a standardthing.
(23:58):
It could be that actually, whenyou've got free time, you're
thinking of a run.
You know.
Just look at your life, whereyou're coming from, and just
take it from me.
You don't need super speedyrunner over there to tell you
whether you're a runner or not.
Simple as that.
You like running?
(24:19):
Yeah, do you run?
Yeah, even if you like running?
Yeah, do you run?
Yeah, even if you run walk,yeah, even if you haven't run an
event.
Yeah, even if you don't havemedals, yeah, even if you have
all the gear in the world, yeah,hey, you're a runner, bro.
You're a runner, sis.
Do your thing, do your thingAll.
I think I've landed my point.
Okay, the whole point here iswhen you're done listening to
(24:40):
this podcast, I want youconvinced that you're a runner.
Let's get to the not sponsoredsection.
Okay, this is me faking it tillI make it.
Okay, I'm going to behighlighting underdog brands,
(25:04):
underdog products that runnersdon't always get shown.
I was pretty surprised.
The other day I was talking toa runner friend and they asked
me wait, mate, why are youwearing two watches?
Right?
So I go?
Okay, well, this one's myGarmin, this is what I normally
have, and this is a Suunto thatI'm reviewing, like Suunto,
what's that?
So this section is going to befor answering questions like
that.
So at the end of the video,when I get to the product
section, I will speak to youabout the specifics of the watch
(25:27):
itself, what I have found, whyI'm using it, but this section
of the podcast is just going tobe highlighting underdog brands,
services or products.
Ok, so let's start here.
When you hear about runningwatches or sports watches, it's
obvious You're going to startwith the Apple watch, you're
going to hear about the Garminwatch, you're going to hear
(25:49):
about Coros, you're going tohear about Polo, you're going to
hear about all sorts of smartwatches.
Suunto is another one of those,and the guys at Suunto gifted
me this watch for purposes ofreview.
So I'm going to speak about thedetails of the watch at the end
(26:09):
of this podcast episode.
As to what I found, but I waspretty surprised, and so it
inspired me to start talkingabout brands that are lesser
known.
So for this one, it's going tobe the Suunto Race S, and I'm
going to highlight the Suuntobrand.
Okay, that will be at the end,all right.
So the next section is theYouTube section.
See this as a book club.
(26:32):
Recent books I've read andtherefore I recommend them to
you guys, except about YouTube,simply because my most common
entertainment is YouTube.
I don't watch Netflix that much.
Amazon Prime or Disney Plus Forme.
I'm talking, even in the showeror stuff.
I'll put something on.
I either just listen to it inthe background.
(26:52):
Youtube is my thing.
So YouTube video number oneJason's running.
Now, jason's Running.
You might not have heard ofthis guy, right, but he is the
loveliest guy and I simply lovewatching channels that are not
super big channels because theyhave a grit to them, they have
(27:16):
an authenticity to them that Ireally enjoy.
This guy has 266 subscribers.
I want to say, anyway, he did avideo where he recently ran
Berlin Half Marathon and he wasaiming for a PB, right, and I
want to say he was aiming for155.
(27:37):
Yeah, yeah, 155, one hour5, onehour 55 minutes, and it got to
the end and it's trying to getthere and I won't spoil it.
Actually, you know what?
Let me know what to say,because I want you to go watch
it.
Not only do I want you to gowatch it.
Please subscribe to the guy'schannel.
Come on Jason's running.
He's got 266 subscribers.
(27:59):
In fact, I'm going to keepbanging on about this Jason guy
until we get him to about 500subscribers.
Expect to hear about Jason'srunning on every episode until
we get this guy to 500subscribers.
Jason, I got your back bro.
Next we need to run together.
So this is why the end sectionof the podcast is going to be
important.
I'm going to highlight therunning events I'm going to be
(28:21):
doing and invite people, fellowYouTubers, to come and run with
me.
Anyway, let's move on.
Next video Ben is running out inTokyo.
Now I'm going to be blunt, ben.
I hope you're not offended byme saying this.
I don't watch your channelbecause of how fast you run.
I respect how fast you run, butthat's not what makes me a
subscriber and a fanboy of Benis Running.
(28:42):
I love how authentic this guyis, despite the number of
subscribers he has.
The guy is down to earth, butI've just grown to love him more
because recently he starteddoing his stuff with his missus
Right, the London Marathonseries a breath of fresh air.
So he got taken onto a brandtrip by Asics out to Tokyo
(29:09):
because Asics are releasingthree running shoes.
Hopefully I get to review them.
It'd be great, but, to behonest, don't really care too
much about that.
In that vlog it was refreshingto see Ben and Meg together in
Japan.
Ben get some A6 gear, meg gotsome too.
Meg out here filming,interviewing Meg, doing some
(29:33):
fashion things, and then theyextended their trip, went to
Fuji.
Come on, man, this is the kindof stuff that makes running fun
for me.
Now don't get me wrong.
I love race vlogs.
I like videos about heart ratezones, lactate threshold I feel
like I'm always making fun oflactate threshold one.
(29:53):
I love all of that, I do, butto me, there is more to running
than just running.
Anyway, you got to check thisvideo out the reason as well.
I was super happy and Imessaged him right away on his
WhatsApp.
I went hey, bro, I am so happyfor you and I am proud.
(30:15):
Can you imagine dedicating yourcraft to a point where a brand
takes you somewhere and sayswe're releasing these shoes.
We want you to be here.
He's worked so hard and gettingto see him achieve what he has
done, getting to see him achieve, I guess, his dreams and doing
(30:37):
that with the lady in his life,I'm so happy for him.
There will be toxic people thatwill be in the comments going,
oh, here it goes.
Then he's going to give us avideo and be all happy, chappy,
saying, oh yeah, you need to buythis just because you've got a
free press trip Shut up right.
Third video the same trip, butthe goat Kofusizy, bro Kofuzy
(31:05):
man, he was also on that trip.
Now, that trip if a bombexploded at that venue, all of
YouTube would have been wipedout.
When it comes to the runningspace, I'm telling you now there
was the running channel.
I want to say there was AlexFelitti, Meta End, meta,
endurance, the run testers, comeon.
I wasn't there.
I wasn't there.
(31:25):
I wasn't there, I wasn't there.
That a6, hey, no hard feelings,bro.
A6 bro, no hard feelings.
I wasn't there.
Um, yeah, but get me there nexttime.
It's cool, it's cool, but Iwasn't there.
But what kofuzy does perfectly,that no one else does, the way
kofuzy does is gave you theweekend video.
(31:49):
He does when there's majorevents.
He does a runner's weekend.
Anyway, he goes to this templeand this temple has cats in it.
I was thinking, oh, those guysare just selling these little
cat toy things, right, but thesecat toy things have got a lot
of meaning behind them that youeither pledge you take away this
(32:11):
toy cat when you've achievedthe goal that you pledged, or
that milestone that you'vereached.
You bring the toy cat back as aform of gratitude, right?
So, anyway, kofuji then takesone of these cats, but he's
bringing it back for hisdaughter that one day, when she
(32:34):
travels to Japan, she will bringthis cat back to that temple.
Oh man, he got me.
Hey, mike, bro, you got me onthat one.
Bro.
I was like, oh man, and no onedoes vlogs like that, no one
does gets you in your feels.
I'm like all about a toy cat,bro.
I'm about to start tearing upbecause I can imagine it.
(32:54):
I can imagine little girlKofusi over here when she's old
enough to get on her travels andI can almost imagine.
I could dream that maybe she'sgoing to be a YouTuber.
I don't know, mike, I don'tknow bro.
I'm just romanticizing the ideathat she will bring it and she
will vlog it.
(33:14):
She will cut back to when herdad got this toy cat.
I'm thinking, oh man, he got me, he got me All right.
Anyway, first video, jason'srunning.
Second, ben is running.
The other one's Kofusi.
Now, I saved the best for last.
I just love it when good thingshappen to good people.
This guy is a good guy.
(33:39):
Cole, running my days, I toldyou about London Marathon, how
it was hot, yeah, how I wasgoing in there aiming for like
two hours, 10 minutes.
I ended up getting four hours,34, right, coal running, running
two hours and 16 minutes, bythe way, if you're good at math.
(34:03):
Two hours and 16 minutes ishalf my time.
Now, now, now, now, now, now.
Listen to me, listen to me.
This boy has been working hardNow, both as a runner and a
(34:25):
YouTuber, seeing him run LondonMarathon in two hours, 16.
Now I'm going to be outrighthonest with you.
I don't care what times peoplerun at these marathons.
I'm here for the experience.
Okay, I went to Osaka Marathon.
Actually, the t-shirt I'mwearing right now is an Osaka
Marathon t-shirt that I got atthe expo.
(34:46):
One day I'll forget what time.
I did it at Osaka.
Okay, I'll forget all aboutthat, but I won't forget the
fact that I experienced aculture that I've never
experienced before.
Was the first time going to acontinent I had never visited
before.
Was the first time meeting aculture, a people that I was
first of all insecure about interms of I'm gonna stick out
(35:07):
like a sore thumb.
I'm a black guy in Japan.
How's that gonna go down right?
Honestly, the most loving andrespectful people I've ever met
in my life.
That's what I'm going toremember.
Right To me, call running.
Running two hours 16 is notabout call running two hours 16.
It is the man finally achievingsomething that he wanted.
(35:31):
Now I'm going to look up thevideo now because I don't want
to call it get it wrong in whathe called it.
Okay, I feel like he titled hisLondon race vlog perfectly.
He said the title of the videois London Marathon 2025, the
(35:52):
Race that Made my Name.
Now, look, he has goals, he'sachieved something in that and
he believes that that is therace that gets him where he
wants to be.
I fully respect that, but thegrind this guy has done on his
YouTube channel, the views onthat video my days 88,000 views
(36:15):
in eight days, bro, you have towatch this race vlog.
More importantly, please goover to the man's channel Only
after you've gone to Jason'srunning channel, though.
All right, let's move on.
Man, I've talked enough.
Talked enough.
All right, we're getting to theend of the vlog very soon, very
soon, not yet very soon.
(36:36):
So, upcoming races as you'relistening to this, I'm at
Hackney Hackney Half Marathon2025.
I'm running that with Hoka.
Now it's going to be runningthe race event itself, because I
love running.
I'm going to be out there justhaving a good time.
I'm also going to be reviewingthe Hoka Cielo X1 2.0, but it's
(36:58):
always amazing just working withthese brands in a collaborative
way Genuinely a pleasure.
So obviously we're going to doa debrief on this podcast.
I'm going to show you the racerace vlog, but also I'm going to
do a review of hoka cielo x12.0.
Okay, so that's one second.
(37:19):
June 8th, if you're in england,worthing 10k is the only running
event I would have done inthree years in a row.
The first time was me trying tobreak my sub 50 10k.
I got 50 minutes and fourseconds on my Garmin.
50 minutes, one second on mychip time.
(37:40):
The second time I got it undersub 50.
And so this time we're going tobe doing it at party pace.
I'm inviting people to come runwith me.
We're going to aim for justunder an hour.
There is a guy on YouTube.
His name is Sam Light it Up.
Is his YouTube channel Going toget him down there?
(38:00):
Going to get some more runners?
Going to get as many people tocome run with us?
Now, mind you, there will bepacers there that do an
incredible job, but if you justwant to run with us, have a good
time at this running event.
Maybe chill out afterwards Idon't know.
The fun thing about that is myson, josiah is running the mile
in the morning before that, okay, so I promised you that the
(38:23):
first guest on my channel Ipromise you now will be my son,
josiah, when we're previewingthat run and talking about
Josiah, because Josiah is Josiah, right.
So that's going to be fun.
We talked of the two productcorners.
Let's talk about these veryquickly.
I recently published a reviewon my YouTube channel of Nike's
(38:46):
Streak Fly 2.
What is it?
What does it do?
What do people need to knowabout it?
Excellent, let's talk about it.
It is amazing.
I wear a nine and a half UK anda grown man shoe weighing in at
141, 142 grams.
(39:08):
It is officially the lightestshoe I own.
It is officially the lightestshoe I own.
What is this shoe for Actually?
No, let's talk about the price.
It's 164 pounds, 165 poundshere in the UK.
I'm going to link it in thedescription if you want to get
into it, but also I'm going tolink at the end my review of the
video, because here I just wantto.
I just want to spotlight it.
(39:30):
This is a speed shoe.
It's a fast shoe, like theunderside.
On the outside it says go fast.
It's part of the Nike RoadRacing series.
It's a streak fly, anything upto 5k.
For me, this is the shoe.
You can stretch it to a 10K forthe lighter build runners, but
(39:54):
I'm a bigger guy.
I'm only taking this to a 5K ifI'm racing all out.
Also, if I'm doing somewherebetween 5, 6, 7k interval
sessions, it is best for that.
Now this is a full PBAT ZoomXfoam and between that it then
sandwiches this carbon plate.
(40:17):
There is the Nike fly plate inthere.
It is amazing in terms ofpropulsion, but when you mix it
in with that lightweight.
I wanted to say this.
I don't just want to talkreally nicely about these shoes.
Adidas have an equivalent.
I want to say it's the TakumiSen series.
The Takumi Sen 10 didn't workfor me.
(40:39):
It didn't work for me.
I highlighted it in one of thevideos of five shoes that didn't
work, or something like that.
Okay, instead I run in the Pro4.
Okay, but for a shorterdistance.
I find this is my number onemost recommendable shoe.
If you are looking to justchallenge yourself for pace, for
(41:02):
speed, for intervals, as wellas the shorter distances, check
it out.
It's the Nike Streakfly 2.
At the end, as well as in theshow notes, I will link my
review of that, as well as alink to see if you want to buy
it, get it done right.
Okay, and I also talked aboutthe Suunto.
Now the Suunto Race S, what isit?
(41:24):
It is Suunto's, I guess, entrylevel, even though it packs a
big kick sports watch.
Why this one?
What makes this one special?
The first thing is the price.
I told you, I run in the GarminForerunner 265.
This is currently retailing at£329, whereas the Suunto is at
(41:48):
£299.
Whilst the Garmin chargesquicker, it's not that much
quicker.
Okay, I want to say from zero.
When I charged my Garmin forrunner 265, when it was getting
to a hundred percent, I want tosay this was at 95.
So it's not that much.
In terms of the draining, Imust say again, garmin is Garmin
(42:10):
bro.
Garmin does their thing, butthe battery life, it's not that
far off.
And so expect a detailed reviewof the Suunto Race S, where I'm
actually demonstrating thesethings I'm talking to you about.
But I just thought I wouldhighlight it because I would
like for you guys to be at leastaware of some of these brands.
(42:31):
Expect a detailed review.
The other thing that I wanted tohighlight that I've loved in
the Suunto Race S.
That is not even in the garment.
When you go to start a workout,you can choose what it is
you're doing.
Now this thing has a profile.
So many profiles for whatexercise you want to track
(42:54):
Walking, running, weighttraining, yoga, pilates, cycling
, hiking, trail running basic ortrail running in the mountain,
pole, swimming, mountain biking,treadmill.
Let me just read the quirkierones.
It's got a triathlon modetrekking and then it's got the
more section.
(43:14):
It's just crazy.
There's so many profiles and itwas really really good to see
Now some of those profiles.
Granted, I'm never going to use, but I just wanted to highlight
that.
Check it out, actually check itout.
Do some research yourself thatwhen you're looking for your
next sports watch, don't belimited to your Garmin, your
Apple or your Coros.
There are so many more.
(43:36):
Okay, that is the second episode, much longer than I thought it
would be, but hey, why not?
Thank you very much for yoursupport.
It truly means a lot, and thenext episode is going to be out
on Wednesday where I talk aboutthe no-doubting Thomas Thomas
from Believe in the Run.
It's quite an emotional episode, but it's important.
(43:59):
You give people their flowerswhilst they're still here to
smell them.
Thank you for checking this oneout.
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