August 21, 2025 • 25 mins
Coach Christine shares how she tackled Sydney Marathon training during a chaotic summer filled with caregiving responsibilities, relocation, and constant travel, discovering that romance novels became her unexpected training partner and source of resilience.
• Trading structured training schedules for flexibility and adaptability
• Finding companionship in audiobooks during solo runs in unfamiliar places
• How to pair different types of runs with the right audiobook experiences
• Reviews of Abby Jimenez's books including The Friend Zone, Happy Ever After Playlist, Life's Too Short, Part of Your World, and Say You'll Remember Me
• Learning that training success doesn't require perfect circumstances
• Using library apps, Spotify Premium, Chirp, and other platforms to access audiobooks
• Finding community and support when training feels overwhelming
Would you be interested in a book club that combines running and reading? Imagine listening to the same audiobook during training and connecting with fellow runners afterward to discuss. If that sounds like your vibe, let me know - drop me a message or join the Stride Collective and say you'd love to participate!
Have questions or want to chat? Send me a text!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, rockstar, welcome back to Extraordinary
Strides.
I'm Coach Christine and I liketo think of myself as your guide
to the miles, the mindset andsometimes the messy middle of
life, because, let's be honest,there's been a little bit of
messiness in life going on right.
This past summer, as I embarkedon the Sydney Marathon training
season, I thought this isabsolutely nutso.
(00:22):
My training season was likenothing I had ever experienced
before, because usually I lovemyself some neatly color-coded
calendars.
Literally, I have a color forpractically everything,
including my runs.
I thrive on structure and Ithink that's something that a
lot of us runners andmarathoners particularly love.
You know, we love our tempoThursdays, our track Tuesdays,
(00:46):
our long run Saturdays, strengthin between.
It's like a rhythm we can counton.
But this past summer, after Ihad already signed up and
committed to the Sydney marathon, I was not sure that I should
even toe up to that start line,much less even consider training
, because life was just not thetype of season that would lend
(01:09):
itself to structure.
There was no rhythm, life wastotally off script.
I have caregivingresponsibilities for those of
you that know me rather well andthat means that I need to
frequently kind of just head onout and be there to help my dad
with navigating different thingsthroughout the day or
day-to-day householdresponsibilities.
(01:30):
But there was also a relocationfor work.
There was lots and lots oftravel and I had to deal with
training in unfamiliar placeswith terrain that I've never
experienced before and Icouldn't always plan for.
Sometimes, to be honest withyou, I didn't even know where I
was going to be training or I'dbe packing my bags and not sure
(01:52):
exactly what that training weekor weekend would hold in store
for it.
So, with that said, it wasdefinitely a lot of uncertainty.
I questioned my sanity everysingle step of the way.
I wasn't really joyful aboutthe aspect of training during a
time where there was just somuch unknown.
There was a lot of anxiety asto what would happen and how I'd
(02:14):
navigate this different statescaregiving for my dad and how I
would still run a business andbe there for my clients and my
athletes, and I love you guys somuch.
Thank you, hopefully you guysdidn't notice anything.
That was super, super weird.
I, if you're working with meone-on-one, I want to know if
you think that you could.
You could tell that somethingwas a little off.
(02:36):
Um, and obviously you guys know, if you listen to extra
extraordinary strides.
I didn't even have a weeklypodcast, which since the very
beginning of the podcast thathas never happened.
But there was just some timeswhere I just couldn't get to the
production.
I didn't even have my setup.
There was no way I could travelwith it.
It was just a really crazysummer.
(02:56):
But I know I'm not alone.
So many of us have those kindof seasons where we question is
this the right time?
And I can tell you that that'sone thing of talking it over
with your coach or your runningbuddies it's to.
Basically, you're the one who'sin control.
You've got to make thatdecision, nobody can make it for
you, and you ultimately know ifit's the right season for you
to do that kind of training.
(03:16):
I will tell you that I look backat this particular training
season as such a wonderful giftbecause it gave me the
opportunity to realize I didn'tneed to have the usual structure
that I love, that I could stillmake my speed work happen even
on incline, or that I had toembrace a few actual real trail
(03:38):
running kind of experiences.
I had to learn a new runningcommunity or running communities
, I should say but I also didn'thave my usual running group to
run with.
So this summer I had anopportunity to really delve
super deeply into a beautifullittle world that I was able to
transport myself to, and I'mgoing to say that it was the
(04:02):
book and worlds of Abby Jimenez.
Because, my friends, last year,when I was training for MCM,
marine Corps 50K, I was on mythriller era, but this
particular year things felt alittle bit more intense.
I didn't need intensity, Ineeded something that kind of
allowed me to really just feelall of the feels.
(04:25):
So today's episode is going tobe a little bit different.
Now for you guys that know mewell, you know I love me some
reading and running.
I think they go together, likePBJ personally.
But I will say that I want togive you some of my reviews,
because I am not a book talker,I barely know how to keep track
of all the social media aspectsof things, but I did have an
(04:45):
opportunity this summer to delveinto a beautiful world that I
think you would enjoy as well.
So, again, this episode isgoing to be a little different.
I want to give a huge shout outright out of the gate to
Caitlin, because she recommendedAbby's books in the first place
to me.
She actually recommended them ayear ago and I just got around
to it.
So, caitlin, thank you so much.
You really did help change allof my long runs, my recovery
(05:08):
jogs and basically every towelday treadmill grind.
That had to happen.
So, friends, let's lace up,let's settle in and let's talk
about how a summer of chaosturned into a summer of miles
and novels and a whole lot oflove.
That taught me just as muchabout resilience as marathon
training ever could.
So now, here's the first thing.
(05:28):
I believe that listening to anaudiobook counts as reading the
book, and if you have adifferent opinion, keep it to
yourself.
You don't need to come herewith that kind of negativity.
But truly, I really do believethat, as a busy person in this
day and age, audiobooks give mea way to connect to something
that I 100% fell in love with asan early, early, early child.
(05:51):
I credit reading for so much,including the fact that even
learning English in my household, spanish was the primary
language, so I really feel likeI was able to expand my
vocabulary and learn so muchbecause of my library, local
library.
So this is an opportunity.
Also a big shout out to all ofour incredible librarians that
helped to create these beautifulworlds for kids and adults like
(06:13):
.
But again, with this particularsummer I didn't have my usual
training buddies, so my trainingpartner became my headphones,
my shocks and my subscriptionsto every audiobook possibility.
So I'm going to let you know,before we get into some of
Abby's books, how you cannavigate the world of audiobooks
on your runs, because when Ifirst tried this eons ago I
(06:35):
didn't love it and I will sayaudiobooks don't work for every
style of run.
You have to be kind of reallystrategic as to which style of
runs should really have a bitmore of that audiobook type of
aspect.
So I would say, your long runs,your easy runs, your recovery
runs or your warm-up miles oryour cool-down miles for those
(06:59):
quality sessions like your tempo, your speed, your hills.
I still personally am a reallybig believer in either not
listening to anything at all andkind of doing a little bit of
mental resiliency during thosetype of workouts of tempo, speed
, track, hills, or listening toreally hard driving high BPM to
help with cadence and footturnover.
(07:19):
But again, if you're listeningand reading and you really want
to dive into that world andmaybe help the miles go by as
quickly as possible, as you havean opportunity to kind of relax
into it.
You're going to want to do iton your easier paced runs.
It'll also help you, in myopinion, to really stick into
those zone twos and to justenjoy the journey.
(07:41):
So if you're new to it, I wouldsay again, shouting out to our
local libraries Libby, thelibrary app.
It's like a gold mine.
The only caveat to the libraryapp of Libby once you have your
library card, you enter thatinformation is that so many of
these books, especially onBookTok or that are popularly
reviewed, have very long holds.
(08:03):
So you're going to want to putin your holds.
Max it out at 10.
If you're training for amarathon, you're going to have
to put in your holds.
Max it out at 10.
If you're training for amarathon, you're going to have
lots of miles out there andyou're going to go through these
books rather quickly.
So again, that's my biggest tipfor Libby and navigating Libby
if you tend to have already anaudible premium, this is a great
opportunity to also watch theirsales, because some of these
(08:24):
books that are more popular dogo on sales more frequently.
I fell in love with Chirp.
It's another style like Audible, except that they tend to run
more frequent sales, and a lotof the Abby Jimenez books were
actually found there.
You may not know this If you'relistening to this podcast on
Spotify Premium.
My friend, you have 15listening hours per month on
(08:47):
Spotify Premium.
Now, this is the caveat.
Don't start a really big book,like I did with the Nightingale,
and become obsessed with itlike I did with the Nightingale
Not Abby Jimenez, but KristenHanna, but we'll talk about that
at a later time and then runout of your minutes because
you're gonna have to buy a topoff.
If you do, the Spotify PremiumStill worth every single penny,
(09:07):
I must say, and such a greatperk if you already have your
Spotify premium.
When I first learned about it, Ireally didn't understand it.
So it's not.
It's a style where you don'tbuy the book, you don't own it
in your digital library.
You're almost kind of casuallyborrowing the book, if you will,
from that incredible contentlibrary that Spotify does have.
(09:29):
However, you don't have toreturn it by a specific time.
You just are capped out on yourlistening hours, unless if you
buy what they call a top off,they also give you the
opportunity if you're consumingtons of books through them,
where you can get more time,more listening time, for a
higher premium on a monthlysubscription basis.
I kind of ran the numbers andpersonally didn't think that it
(09:50):
would work for me.
Also, everand it's three booksper month and that's pretty
great in terms of your audiobook consumption Also has eBooks
.
For this conversation, for therecord, I am focusing only on
audio books because I really dofeel like it is the beautiful
companion to running, especiallyour long runs when we're in
(10:10):
training for anything endurancewise.
So I will say, pairing yourworkouts with the right style of
training, run with the style ofbook is going to be really
instrumental for you.
So let's talk a little bit aboutAbby Jimenez's books, because I
straight up fangirled thissummer.
(10:31):
I did not read them in order.
I know lots of people who haveread them in order.
I know lots of individuals whowant to read them in order.
I'm going to share them inorder just because I think that
that is something that we loveis structure, again as runners.
So I want to let you know aboutin order, but I'll also kind of
give you a little bit of aheads up as to where I read it
along in my journey.
(10:51):
I didn't know what I wasembarking upon when I first
started with my very first book,which for me, was right out of
the gate so pivotal because itjust it was Say You'll Remember
Me, which is actually her latestbook, and I just so happened
across it, remembering thatCaitlin had told me about this
author.
(11:12):
But the books all start with theFriend Zone Came out in 2019.
The main characters is Kristenand Josh, and they meet in what
I can describe as like amasterclass of banter chemistry.
I'm not going to give you anyspoilers in this, but this
particular book, I think, is thefunniest of all of Abby's books
(11:35):
and they are all super funny.
It's more of a rom-com genre,but she layers in a lot of
emotional depth into hercharacter bases, really does an
incredible homework of hittingwith some really pivotal
poignant points on hercharacters as well.
However, with the Friend Zone,just be prepared.
(11:56):
Be prepared that you're goingto want to read the second book
in that series right shortlyafter to right the wrongs of the
Friend Zone.
I will say again this is thetype of book where you will
laugh out loud during your runs,and I truly do mean laugh out
loud.
I can't tell you how often Idid.
Thank you, okay.
(13:35):
I mentioned it already, I'mgonna say it again.
If you're reading the friendzone, be prepared.
Please have the happy everafter playlist immediately
queued up.
You're going to need it and inthis character she starts to.
This is where you start toreally see how beautiful the
author like weaves in all of herconnections, of the world that
she builds.
So you're going to meet Sloaneand Jason.
(13:57):
Now you've met Sloane in thefriend zone, but we get to hear
more from Sloane's perspective.
I love how Sloane and Kristenare best friends, kristen being
the main character from thefriend zone, but they're very
different.
I think, if I was to say whosepersonality style I'm more like,
I'm more like Sloane, but Igravitate toward people more
(14:18):
like Kristen, which is kind ofapropos Again, with this
particular book.
I'm just going to straight up,let you know there's a lot that
talks on and touches on theprocess of grief and healing and
the role that musicspecifically music, hence the
name of the entire book butmusic and creativity, and maybe
(14:41):
sometimes our fur babies, willreally play a really big role in
helping us through thosetougher times.
I think with this particularbook again, this is more of this
is my long run companion.
I would also say you couldlisten to it with progression
runs as well, because there'ssome great opportunities for you
to spice it up a little bit ifyou need to on your runs.
(15:01):
My training takeaway from thehappy ever playlist was that
sometimes joy sneaks in whenyou're not looking just like
those negative splits.
I am tearing up just talkingabout this because, again, these
books were so beautifullynuanced and they had so much to
them and I just I want to sharethem with you guys.
(15:23):
I really would love for you toread them all and if you have
read them and you feel the sameway, reach out to me If you
think absolutely you hate thesebooks and you don't know why you
turned into this conversation.
I promise I'll be back nextweek with a completely running
related conversation, but still,today we're going to talk about
Life's Too Short this one.
(15:44):
Caitlin even sent me adisclaimer because she knows
that I lost my mother to ALS, sothere is a bit of a spoiler
alert there.
I was supposed to say spoileralert first.
I can tell you that this bookreally does touch on quite a few
things that I think a lot of usas runners will relate to,
(16:06):
because the vibe is influence orenergy of like let's just make
life happen, truly like there'snothing that we should wait on.
If it's something that wedesire to do, use the good China
, wear the new shoes, sign upfor the big bucket list races.
Those are the big trainingtakeaways, definitely, but
(16:27):
there's also this really greatparallel between two main
characters of kind of opposites.
Attract energy, which Iparticularly love.
I would say that Life's TooShort is a fantastic one.
Again for recovery runs.
My training takeaway really isto do the things Really.
Own in on that.
Our bucket list is meant to beactually lived and checked off.
(16:50):
It's not meant to be placed ona list that we never get to or
that we wish upon a shootingstar, really going after our
desires and goals, because lifecan be a little too short.
I think you're going to laughon this one Again.
Abby weaves in some adorableanimals into all of her books,
(17:10):
so I think that you know, ifnothing else, you'll have a
little bit of extra for babylove to get you through it.
Next on this list part of yourworld.
It's actually one of the lastbooks that I read.
But part of your world came in.
Oh for the record, I should say, before we go into part of your
world friend zone, happy everafter playlist and life's Too
Short are all kind of a trilogyinto that section of where the
(17:33):
no-transcript.
(20:45):
And last but not least, whichwas the one that I first read,
say You'll Remember Me.
I am going to tell you about myexperience with Say You'll
Remember Me and how I knew thiswas a special author and long
story short.
This was at the very beginningof the summer, really still at
this point in my training,thinking I don't know that this
is the right idea for me whereI'm at right now.
(21:05):
I know that I, financially,have committed.
I know this is something that Iwant to do, as somebody who has
their six majors and then hasthe seventh one that just came
out really wants to pursue it,but I don't know if this is just
the right time for me.
However, sayla remembered mefollowing Samantha and Xavier
and there's a little bit ofmiscommunication trope as well A
(21:25):
whole lot of that actually butI recall distinctly the run that
I was on and in this run it wasabout.
It was an easy run, maybe 75minutes long, where I was
transported completely into thisworld, felt so connected to
Samantha and herresponsibilities as a caregiver,
so conflicted for these twomain characters as to what they
(21:48):
were trying to achieve with thelong distance relationship.
Remember, I'm traveling all thetime here now too.
During all of this, and in thatrun, I rolled my eyes.
I was so angry that Samanthawas depicted as kind of being
needy or asking for somethingspecifically that she wanted
help with, thinking girl, get ittogether, you can do this, you
(22:10):
are a woman here, you roar, kindof thing.
And then, within that same run,just a gut punch of a plot line
that kind of got dropped into it, where I got to see, truly,
that my biggest trainingtakeaway was you can't do it all
and that sometimes you do haveto ask for help and that it is
important to lean into yourcommunity, whether it's online,
(22:32):
virtual, if it's again in personor you're creating your own
world.
But truly, how?
It's not something that you cando everything flawlessly, and
that's okay as long as you leaninto doing your best and having
those people in your life thatyou can lean on when things do
get tough, so you don't needperfect circumstances.
(22:53):
Hello, that's exactly what Ifelt Like.
I was so connected to that youseem to keep showing up for
those moments that matter.
I mean, again, this is such abig, strong, powerful book for
me Okay, my friends.
With that said, she has alsoread in a few short stories the
Situationship Worst Wingman Everand the Fall Risk.
They're adorable.
(23:14):
Also really great opportunitiesfor you to maybe have a quick
glimpse into her world, ifthat's something that calls to
you.
But with that said, I do want tosay thank you to Abby.
If you ever hear this, I soappreciate it.
Her characters kept me companywhen structure fell apart and
life demanded flexibility, sothey reminded me that community.
So thank you for your patienceand dealing with me and my
(23:37):
scatteredness this past summer,and joy and presence and
resilience matter just as muchas splits and mileage.
So if you're training or yourlife feels a little
unpredictable, a little messy,I'm going to suggest you queue
up Abby's World on Libby ChirpSpotify Premium, audible
wherever you want.
Let these stories keep yourheart steady, mile after mile,
and, of course, lean into theExtraordinary Strides podcast
(23:59):
community, the Stride Collective, because we're here for you
every single part of yourtraining.
Once again I want to thank you,caitlin, for the perfect
recommendations.
I really so much appreciatedthese Friends.
That's a wrap on today'sepisode.
Again, I know it was a littledifferent part writing
reflection, part book review butthat's what Extraordinary
Strides is all about.
(24:20):
Training just isn't aboutsplits and workouts.
It's about life, mindset andthe things that keep us steady
when everything else feels alittle unpredictable.
So now, some of you may not knowthis, but I used to run a book
club called Get Literati.
It was all about glowing upwith personal development books.
I loved it.
But here's a question for youWould you be interested in a new
kind of book club?
Maybe we resurface Get Literatibut have a little bit more fun
(24:42):
with it, one that combinesrunning and reading, just for
fun.
Imagine listening to the sameaudiobook during trainings and
hopping on to chat with yourfellow runners afterwards.
So a little lighter, a littlebit more playful, but still full
of community.
And of course, as runners we'regoing to connect those running
takeaways, no matter what thebook may be about.
Now, if that sounds like yourvibe, let me know, drop me a
(25:04):
message, respond to me on theepisode note link or just drop
into the Stride Collective andsay, yeah, I'd love to do this.
Until next time, though, I wantto thank you so much for being
part of my world.
Letting me be a part of yourworld.
Keep running strong, keepfighting joy in the chaos, and
maybe again, if things are alittle heavy, queue up one of
(25:27):
Abby's books or another rom-comthat makes you smile.
I'll see ya in the next stride.
Bye.
Hey, rockstar, welcome back to Extraordinary
Strides.
I'm Coach Christine and I liketo think of myself as your guide
to the miles, the mindset andsometimes the messy middle of
life, because, let's be honest,there's been a little bit of
messiness in life going on right.
This past summer, as I embarkedon the Sydney Marathon training
season, I thought this isabsolutely nutso.
(00:22):
My training season was likenothing I had ever experienced
before, because usually I lovemyself some neatly color-coded
calendars.
Literally, I have a color forpractically everything,
including my runs.
I thrive on structure and Ithink that's something that a
lot of us runners andmarathoners particularly love.
You know, we love our tempoThursdays, our track Tuesdays,
(00:46):
our long run Saturdays, strengthin between.
It's like a rhythm we can counton.
But this past summer, after Ihad already signed up and
committed to the Sydney marathon, I was not sure that I should
even toe up to that start line,much less even consider training
, because life was just not thetype of season that would lend
(01:09):
itself to structure.
There was no rhythm, life wastotally off script.
I have caregivingresponsibilities for those of
you that know me rather well andthat means that I need to
frequently kind of just head onout and be there to help my dad
with navigating different thingsthroughout the day or
day-to-day householdresponsibilities.
(01:30):
But there was also a relocationfor work.
There was lots and lots oftravel and I had to deal with
training in unfamiliar placeswith terrain that I've never
experienced before and Icouldn't always plan for.
Sometimes, to be honest withyou, I didn't even know where I
was going to be training or I'dbe packing my bags and not sure
(01:52):
exactly what that training weekor weekend would hold in store
for it.
So, with that said, it wasdefinitely a lot of uncertainty.
I questioned my sanity everysingle step of the way.
I wasn't really joyful aboutthe aspect of training during a
time where there was just somuch unknown.
There was a lot of anxiety asto what would happen and how I'd
(02:14):
navigate this different statescaregiving for my dad and how I
would still run a business andbe there for my clients and my
athletes, and I love you guys somuch.
Thank you, hopefully you guysdidn't notice anything.
That was super, super weird.
I, if you're working with meone-on-one, I want to know if
you think that you could.
You could tell that somethingwas a little off.
(02:36):
Um, and obviously you guys know, if you listen to extra
extraordinary strides.
I didn't even have a weeklypodcast, which since the very
beginning of the podcast thathas never happened.
But there was just some timeswhere I just couldn't get to the
production.
I didn't even have my setup.
There was no way I could travelwith it.
It was just a really crazysummer.
(02:56):
But I know I'm not alone.
So many of us have those kindof seasons where we question is
this the right time?
And I can tell you that that'sone thing of talking it over
with your coach or your runningbuddies it's to.
Basically, you're the one who'sin control.
You've got to make thatdecision, nobody can make it for
you, and you ultimately know ifit's the right season for you
to do that kind of training.
(03:16):
I will tell you that I look backat this particular training
season as such a wonderful giftbecause it gave me the
opportunity to realize I didn'tneed to have the usual structure
that I love, that I could stillmake my speed work happen even
on incline, or that I had toembrace a few actual real trail
(03:38):
running kind of experiences.
I had to learn a new runningcommunity or running communities
, I should say but I also didn'thave my usual running group to
run with.
So this summer I had anopportunity to really delve
super deeply into a beautifullittle world that I was able to
transport myself to, and I'mgoing to say that it was the
(04:02):
book and worlds of Abby Jimenez.
Because, my friends, last year,when I was training for MCM,
marine Corps 50K, I was on mythriller era, but this
particular year things felt alittle bit more intense.
I didn't need intensity, Ineeded something that kind of
allowed me to really just feelall of the feels.
(04:25):
So today's episode is going tobe a little bit different.
Now for you guys that know mewell, you know I love me some
reading and running.
I think they go together, likePBJ personally.
But I will say that I want togive you some of my reviews,
because I am not a book talker,I barely know how to keep track
of all the social media aspectsof things, but I did have an
(04:45):
opportunity this summer to delveinto a beautiful world that I
think you would enjoy as well.
So, again, this episode isgoing to be a little different.
I want to give a huge shout outright out of the gate to
Caitlin, because she recommendedAbby's books in the first place
to me.
She actually recommended them ayear ago and I just got around
to it.
So, caitlin, thank you so much.
You really did help change allof my long runs, my recovery
(05:08):
jogs and basically every towelday treadmill grind.
That had to happen.
So, friends, let's lace up,let's settle in and let's talk
about how a summer of chaosturned into a summer of miles
and novels and a whole lot oflove.
That taught me just as muchabout resilience as marathon
training ever could.
So now, here's the first thing.
(05:28):
I believe that listening to anaudiobook counts as reading the
book, and if you have adifferent opinion, keep it to
yourself.
You don't need to come herewith that kind of negativity.
But truly, I really do believethat, as a busy person in this
day and age, audiobooks give mea way to connect to something
that I 100% fell in love with asan early, early, early child.
(05:51):
I credit reading for so much,including the fact that even
learning English in my household, spanish was the primary
language, so I really feel likeI was able to expand my
vocabulary and learn so muchbecause of my library, local
library.
So this is an opportunity.
Also a big shout out to all ofour incredible librarians that
helped to create these beautifulworlds for kids and adults like
(06:13):
.
But again, with this particularsummer I didn't have my usual
training buddies, so my trainingpartner became my headphones,
my shocks and my subscriptionsto every audiobook possibility.
So I'm going to let you know,before we get into some of
Abby's books, how you cannavigate the world of audiobooks
on your runs, because when Ifirst tried this eons ago I
(06:35):
didn't love it and I will sayaudiobooks don't work for every
style of run.
You have to be kind of reallystrategic as to which style of
runs should really have a bitmore of that audiobook type of
aspect.
So I would say, your long runs,your easy runs, your recovery
runs or your warm-up miles oryour cool-down miles for those
(06:59):
quality sessions like your tempo, your speed, your hills.
I still personally am a reallybig believer in either not
listening to anything at all andkind of doing a little bit of
mental resiliency during thosetype of workouts of tempo, speed
, track, hills, or listening toreally hard driving high BPM to
help with cadence and footturnover.
(07:19):
But again, if you're listeningand reading and you really want
to dive into that world andmaybe help the miles go by as
quickly as possible, as you havean opportunity to kind of relax
into it.
You're going to want to do iton your easier paced runs.
It'll also help you, in myopinion, to really stick into
those zone twos and to justenjoy the journey.
(07:41):
So if you're new to it, I wouldsay again, shouting out to our
local libraries Libby, thelibrary app.
It's like a gold mine.
The only caveat to the libraryapp of Libby once you have your
library card, you enter thatinformation is that so many of
these books, especially onBookTok or that are popularly
reviewed, have very long holds.
(08:03):
So you're going to want to putin your holds.
Max it out at 10.
If you're training for amarathon, you're going to have
to put in your holds.
Max it out at 10.
If you're training for amarathon, you're going to have
lots of miles out there andyou're going to go through these
books rather quickly.
So again, that's my biggest tipfor Libby and navigating Libby
if you tend to have already anaudible premium, this is a great
opportunity to also watch theirsales, because some of these
(08:24):
books that are more popular dogo on sales more frequently.
I fell in love with Chirp.
It's another style like Audible, except that they tend to run
more frequent sales, and a lotof the Abby Jimenez books were
actually found there.
You may not know this If you'relistening to this podcast on
Spotify Premium.
My friend, you have 15listening hours per month on
(08:47):
Spotify Premium.
Now, this is the caveat.
Don't start a really big book,like I did with the Nightingale,
and become obsessed with itlike I did with the Nightingale
Not Abby Jimenez, but KristenHanna, but we'll talk about that
at a later time and then runout of your minutes because
you're gonna have to buy a topoff.
If you do, the Spotify PremiumStill worth every single penny,
(09:07):
I must say, and such a greatperk if you already have your
Spotify premium.
When I first learned about it, Ireally didn't understand it.
So it's not.
It's a style where you don'tbuy the book, you don't own it
in your digital library.
You're almost kind of casuallyborrowing the book, if you will,
from that incredible contentlibrary that Spotify does have.
(09:29):
However, you don't have toreturn it by a specific time.
You just are capped out on yourlistening hours, unless if you
buy what they call a top off,they also give you the
opportunity if you're consumingtons of books through them,
where you can get more time,more listening time, for a
higher premium on a monthlysubscription basis.
I kind of ran the numbers andpersonally didn't think that it
(09:50):
would work for me.
Also, everand it's three booksper month and that's pretty
great in terms of your audiobook consumption Also has eBooks
.
For this conversation, for therecord, I am focusing only on
audio books because I really dofeel like it is the beautiful
companion to running, especiallyour long runs when we're in
(10:10):
training for anything endurancewise.
So I will say, pairing yourworkouts with the right style of
training, run with the style ofbook is going to be really
instrumental for you.
So let's talk a little bit aboutAbby Jimenez's books, because I
straight up fangirled thissummer.
(10:31):
I did not read them in order.
I know lots of people who haveread them in order.
I know lots of individuals whowant to read them in order.
I'm going to share them inorder just because I think that
that is something that we loveis structure, again as runners.
So I want to let you know aboutin order, but I'll also kind of
give you a little bit of aheads up as to where I read it
along in my journey.
(10:51):
I didn't know what I wasembarking upon when I first
started with my very first book,which for me, was right out of
the gate so pivotal because itjust it was Say You'll Remember
Me, which is actually her latestbook, and I just so happened
across it, remembering thatCaitlin had told me about this
author.
(11:12):
But the books all start with theFriend Zone Came out in 2019.
The main characters is Kristenand Josh, and they meet in what
I can describe as like amasterclass of banter chemistry.
I'm not going to give you anyspoilers in this, but this
particular book, I think, is thefunniest of all of Abby's books
(11:35):
and they are all super funny.
It's more of a rom-com genre,but she layers in a lot of
emotional depth into hercharacter bases, really does an
incredible homework of hittingwith some really pivotal
poignant points on hercharacters as well.
However, with the Friend Zone,just be prepared.
(11:56):
Be prepared that you're goingto want to read the second book
in that series right shortlyafter to right the wrongs of the
Friend Zone.
I will say again this is thetype of book where you will
laugh out loud during your runs,and I truly do mean laugh out
loud.
I can't tell you how often Idid.
Thank you, okay.
(13:35):
I mentioned it already, I'mgonna say it again.
If you're reading the friendzone, be prepared.
Please have the happy everafter playlist immediately
queued up.
You're going to need it and inthis character she starts to.
This is where you start toreally see how beautiful the
author like weaves in all of herconnections, of the world that
she builds.
So you're going to meet Sloaneand Jason.
(13:57):
Now you've met Sloane in thefriend zone, but we get to hear
more from Sloane's perspective.
I love how Sloane and Kristenare best friends, kristen being
the main character from thefriend zone, but they're very
different.
I think, if I was to say whosepersonality style I'm more like,
I'm more like Sloane, but Igravitate toward people more
(14:18):
like Kristen, which is kind ofapropos Again, with this
particular book.
I'm just going to straight up,let you know there's a lot that
talks on and touches on theprocess of grief and healing and
the role that musicspecifically music, hence the
name of the entire book butmusic and creativity, and maybe
(14:41):
sometimes our fur babies, willreally play a really big role in
helping us through thosetougher times.
I think with this particularbook again, this is more of this
is my long run companion.
I would also say you couldlisten to it with progression
runs as well, because there'ssome great opportunities for you
to spice it up a little bit ifyou need to on your runs.
(15:01):
My training takeaway from thehappy ever playlist was that
sometimes joy sneaks in whenyou're not looking just like
those negative splits.
I am tearing up just talkingabout this because, again, these
books were so beautifullynuanced and they had so much to
them and I just I want to sharethem with you guys.
(15:23):
I really would love for you toread them all and if you have
read them and you feel the sameway, reach out to me If you
think absolutely you hate thesebooks and you don't know why you
turned into this conversation.
I promise I'll be back nextweek with a completely running
related conversation, but still,today we're going to talk about
Life's Too Short this one.
(15:44):
Caitlin even sent me adisclaimer because she knows
that I lost my mother to ALS, sothere is a bit of a spoiler
alert there.
I was supposed to say spoileralert first.
I can tell you that this bookreally does touch on quite a few
things that I think a lot of usas runners will relate to,
(16:06):
because the vibe is influence orenergy of like let's just make
life happen, truly like there'snothing that we should wait on.
If it's something that wedesire to do, use the good China
, wear the new shoes, sign upfor the big bucket list races.
Those are the big trainingtakeaways, definitely, but
(16:27):
there's also this really greatparallel between two main
characters of kind of opposites.
Attract energy, which Iparticularly love.
I would say that Life's TooShort is a fantastic one.
Again for recovery runs.
My training takeaway really isto do the things Really.
Own in on that.
Our bucket list is meant to beactually lived and checked off.
(16:50):
It's not meant to be placed ona list that we never get to or
that we wish upon a shootingstar, really going after our
desires and goals, because lifecan be a little too short.
I think you're going to laughon this one Again.
Abby weaves in some adorableanimals into all of her books,
(17:10):
so I think that you know, ifnothing else, you'll have a
little bit of extra for babylove to get you through it.
Next on this list part of yourworld.
It's actually one of the lastbooks that I read.
But part of your world came in.
Oh for the record, I should say, before we go into part of your
world friend zone, happy everafter playlist and life's Too
Short are all kind of a trilogyinto that section of where the
(17:33):
no-transcript.
(20:45):
And last but not least, whichwas the one that I first read,
say You'll Remember Me.
I am going to tell you about myexperience with Say You'll
Remember Me and how I knew thiswas a special author and long
story short.
This was at the very beginningof the summer, really still at
this point in my training,thinking I don't know that this
is the right idea for me whereI'm at right now.
(21:05):
I know that I, financially,have committed.
I know this is something that Iwant to do, as somebody who has
their six majors and then hasthe seventh one that just came
out really wants to pursue it,but I don't know if this is just
the right time for me.
However, sayla remembered mefollowing Samantha and Xavier
and there's a little bit ofmiscommunication trope as well A
(21:25):
whole lot of that actually butI recall distinctly the run that
I was on and in this run it wasabout.
It was an easy run, maybe 75minutes long, where I was
transported completely into thisworld, felt so connected to
Samantha and herresponsibilities as a caregiver,
so conflicted for these twomain characters as to what they
(21:48):
were trying to achieve with thelong distance relationship.
Remember, I'm traveling all thetime here now too.
During all of this, and in thatrun, I rolled my eyes.
I was so angry that Samanthawas depicted as kind of being
needy or asking for somethingspecifically that she wanted
help with, thinking girl, get ittogether, you can do this, you
(22:10):
are a woman here, you roar, kindof thing.
And then, within that same run,just a gut punch of a plot line
that kind of got dropped into it, where I got to see, truly,
that my biggest trainingtakeaway was you can't do it all
and that sometimes you do haveto ask for help and that it is
important to lean into yourcommunity, whether it's online,
(22:32):
virtual, if it's again in personor you're creating your own
world.
But truly, how?
It's not something that you cando everything flawlessly, and
that's okay as long as you leaninto doing your best and having
those people in your life thatyou can lean on when things do
get tough, so you don't needperfect circumstances.
(22:53):
Hello, that's exactly what Ifelt Like.
I was so connected to that youseem to keep showing up for
those moments that matter.
I mean, again, this is such abig, strong, powerful book for
me Okay, my friends.
With that said, she has alsoread in a few short stories the
Situationship Worst Wingman Everand the Fall Risk.
They're adorable.
(23:14):
Also really great opportunitiesfor you to maybe have a quick
glimpse into her world, ifthat's something that calls to
you.
But with that said, I do want tosay thank you to Abby.
If you ever hear this, I soappreciate it.
Her characters kept me companywhen structure fell apart and
life demanded flexibility, sothey reminded me that community.
So thank you for your patienceand dealing with me and my
(23:37):
scatteredness this past summer,and joy and presence and
resilience matter just as muchas splits and mileage.
So if you're training or yourlife feels a little
unpredictable, a little messy,I'm going to suggest you queue
up Abby's World on Libby ChirpSpotify Premium, audible
wherever you want.
Let these stories keep yourheart steady, mile after mile,
and, of course, lean into theExtraordinary Strides podcast
(23:59):
community, the Stride Collective, because we're here for you
every single part of yourtraining.
Once again I want to thank you,caitlin, for the perfect
recommendations.
I really so much appreciatedthese Friends.
That's a wrap on today'sepisode.
Again, I know it was a littledifferent part writing
reflection, part book review butthat's what Extraordinary
Strides is all about.
(24:20):
Training just isn't aboutsplits and workouts.
It's about life, mindset andthe things that keep us steady
when everything else feels alittle unpredictable.
So now, some of you may not knowthis, but I used to run a book
club called Get Literati.
It was all about glowing upwith personal development books.
I loved it.
But here's a question for youWould you be interested in a new
kind of book club?
Maybe we resurface Get Literatibut have a little bit more fun
(24:42):
with it, one that combinesrunning and reading, just for
fun.
Imagine listening to the sameaudiobook during trainings and
hopping on to chat with yourfellow runners afterwards.
So a little lighter, a littlebit more playful, but still full
of community.
And of course, as runners we'regoing to connect those running
takeaways, no matter what thebook may be about.
Now, if that sounds like yourvibe, let me know, drop me a
(25:04):
message, respond to me on theepisode note link or just drop
into the Stride Collective andsay, yeah, I'd love to do this.
Until next time, though, I wantto thank you so much for being
part of my world.
Letting me be a part of yourworld.
Keep running strong, keepfighting joy in the chaos, and
maybe again, if things are alittle heavy, queue up one of
(25:27):
Abby's books or another rom-comthat makes you smile.
I'll see ya in the next stride.
Bye.
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