January 9, 2025 • 14 mins
Battling pneumonia has been a challenge, but it’s brought a fresh perspective to my running journey and this season of the Wrinkled Runner podcast. This episode kicks off season nine by taking a look back at the top five episodes from the past year. We'll explore topics ranging from setting realistic running goals to the benefits of track workouts for beginners. I also highlight the importance of base building and introduce the Conqueror Challenges—a fantastic motivational tool for those who want to track their mileage and earn beautiful medals without the need to race. These challenges keep you motivated, especially during those cold, winter months when hitting the pavement might feel like the last thing you want to do.
Resources from the Episode:
The Wrinkled Runner Website:
Running ABC'S- How to Structure Your Running Goals
5 Nutrients We Need as We Age
The Wrinkled Runner YouTube Channel:
The Pro's and Con's of S.M.A.R.T Goals
The Wrinkled Runner Podcast:
Art of Setting Goals
Stay in Your Lane: Using a Track for Beginners
Building a Solid Foundation: Base Building for Runners
Sustaining Your Stride: Nutrients the Older Runner Needs
Step by Step: Overcoming Running Hurdles
Conqueror Challenges- I highly recommend this cool motivator, even if you don't race! Check out the website, take a challenge and get a medal!
If you are looking for a coach to help you reach your running goals, even if it's just to start to run, take a look at my Coaching Services page on the website. I do virtual, in-person (Buffalo, NY area) and also offer single zoom sessions for those would just like to chat with a coach one time.
Find my additional outlets over at the YouTube channel and at wrinkledrunner.com. Sign up over on the blog for the once-a-month newsletter! If you would like information on utilizing a running coach, check out what I can do for you here.
If you have any running-related questions, please send an email to sherry@wrinkledrunner.com…I answer every one.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome back to the Wrinkled Runner
podcast.
We are going to be startingseason nine today, and if you're
a regular listener, you canprobably hear in my voice that I
am getting over a respiratoryillness.
I actually had pneumonia, so myrunning has been really bad
lately.
But because in the podcastingworld or YouTube world or
(00:22):
whatever, the easiest thing forthose of us who create content
to do is to have a, you know,top five, top ten of whatever
content from the past year inJanuary, and that's something
that I do as well, and it's away to kind of be a little lazy
(00:43):
when you're first starting backup after the holidays.
And so today is an easy one forme, just getting back, and
we're going to be getting intosome other things throughout
this season, but today is goingto be the top five episodes of
the podcast from the past year.
(01:03):
Today is like probably thefirst day I can talk, even
somewhat normally, so I have notbeen running at all the past
few weeks and I'm supposed to bestarting marathon training, so
that just adds an extra layer ofloveliness to being so sick
that I could barely get up thestairs.
(01:24):
But we're getting back, we'regetting better, we've had all
the antibiotics and steroids andinhalers and other things that
I am just not used to.
But we are on the road torecovery and I should be getting
back to running soon.
The one thing I wanted to saybefore I started that is one
(01:45):
thing that I like to do before Istart marathon training, which
I wasn't able to do.
But I want to give a shout outto Conqueror Challenges.
I think I did a podcast episodeon this a couple of seasons ago
and if I did, I'll put that inthe show notes as well.
But Conqueror Challenges is foranybody who, even if you don't
(02:08):
want to race, if you have a waythat you track your miles and
you can even do this manually.
But if you're biking orswimming or running, you can do
one of these ConquerorChallenges.
I like to be at about 30 milesa week before I start my
marathon training, which istanked right now.
(02:31):
So that's great.
You can sign up for a challengeand you can base it on mileage.
So what I did was for kind ofmy before marathon training
buildup, I picked a challengethat was about 124 miles, which
was going to get me about 30miles a week for four weeks
(02:56):
before I started training andwhat they do is all these places
around the world you can pick,kind of like you're running it.
So for this I did the ring ofKerry, which is in Ireland, and
at the end, after you completethe challenge and they have all
your stats, they send you amedal and this is completely
(03:18):
legit.
The medals are absolutelygorgeous and it's just something
that you can do.
Even if you don't race you canget a medal for, and it's kind
of motivating, especially forthose of us who are in the dead
of winter right now, to get usout the door sometimes and you
can set a date for when you wantthat challenge to be done.
(03:38):
It's not set in stone.
My challenge was supposed to bedone on January 6th not even
close to it, so that doesn'treally matter, but you can put
in a date that you'd like to befinished and these medals come
really, really fast.
I was quite impressed with lessthan a week.
(03:59):
In less than a week, once I hitthat challenge level, I get my
medal and it's only I want tosay $35 to do the medal.
You can also do one where youget a t-shirt as well.
That's more, and I don't knowhow much.
I don't remember how that muchthat is because I don't do that
one.
If you need some motivationright now, go to the conqueror
(04:21):
challenges.
It'll explain everythingprobably a lot better than my
fuzzy brain is explaining it butit's something that you can do.
Get a medal at the end of itand log your miles as well.
So I highly recommend it.
I'm not sponsored by them.
They don't know I exist, but itis just a cool thing that I
wish a lot of runners knew moreabout.
(04:43):
So I will link to the websitein the show notes for that.
But let's get into our top fivepodcast episodes from 2024.
So at number five, we have theart of setting achievable
running goals.
(05:03):
So this episode is all aboutcreating realistic goals to keep
you motivated and progressing,kind of like I was just talking
about, and I shared how to breakyour goals into smaller,
manageable pieces and alsoemphasized the importance of
flexibility, which I am havingto teach myself right now, so
(05:24):
that you're not derailed bysetbacks.
So if you're someone who's everset a goal that felt too big or
struggled to stick with one,then this episode maybe can help
you build a framework forsuccess.
So at number four we have stayin your lane using a track for
beginners.
So I know the track can feelintimidating, especially if
(05:45):
you're new to running, but thisepisode is a guide to make it
work for you.
So I talk about track etiquette, which is a big thing,
especially if there are otherrunners using the track, so you
want to be aware of what theseare before you get there.
Just so that you don't, youknow, annoy anybody.
Just so that you don't, youknow, annoy anybody.
(06:06):
It's a great tool, though, forimproving speed, building
confidence.
I give you a beginner-friendlyworkout to try, and if you've
ever been hesitant or have noteven thought about using a track
in your training, this episodewill hopefully encourage you to
(06:30):
make it a part of your routine.
So even if you're not chasingfast times, the track can help
you improve your running andbreak up the monotony of road or
treadmill running.
So number three on our list isbuilding a solid foundation,
base building for runners, whichagain I talked about the
Conqueror Challenges in thebeginning of this.
(06:53):
I sort of use that as a basebuilding motivator for myself.
Instead of putting togetherlike, okay, let's run 30 miles
each week building up to whenwe're going to do marathon
training.
I do it this way, where I picka mileage that I want to be at
(07:13):
and I get a medal at the end ofthis base building phase.
So the episode itself focuseson the importance of base
training, which is thefoundation of any successful
running plan.
Hence why I'm so frustratedthat I was not able to run over
the past few weeks, because nowI'm going to have to jump into
(07:36):
marathon training but build upslower still, kind of have a
base phase.
Anyway, I won't get into mywhole frustration about about
all that, but it is a foundation.
Base training is a foundationof a successful running plan,
and I broke down how to increaseyour mileage safely, why
consistency matters more thanspeed during this phase, and how
(07:59):
to listen to your body to avoidovertraining.
So base building itself doesn'tsound very glamorous, but it is
crucial.
It prepares your body for theharder workouts and, if you race
, for the races that are to come.
So if you're in the off seasonor you're just getting back into
running or you're just startingrunning, this episode will help
(08:21):
you build a strong andsustainable foundation for your
running future.
So coming in at number two isan episode that really struck a
chord with many of you, whichwas sustaining your stride.
Nutrients for the oldergeneration runner.
As we age, our nutritionalneeds change and this episode
dives into how we can adapt, aswe get older, to those changes
(08:45):
and kind of change our mindset alittle bit about what we might
need, what we might want to backoff on those kinds of things.
We covered everything fromprotein for muscle recovery to
the importance of calcium andvitamin D for bone health.
Now, a lot of times when wethink about working out or
running or any of those things,we are more focused on muscles
(09:05):
and we don't think about ourbones very much.
But our bones carry our wholebody and the amount of force
that we are putting on ourskeletal system when we're
running is phenomenal, and so wehave to keep those bones
healthy.
I also talked about hydrationand how to fuel for longer runs
(09:26):
so that you can keep goingstrong no matter what your age
is.
So I loved sharing practicalmeal and snack ideas in this
episode and I know many of youappreciated the tips for keeping
energy levels up.
Nutrition is such a gamechanger for any kind of runner
Once you dial in nutrition andyou understand the things that
(09:47):
are going into your body andwhat happens when they get in
there.
You really can't ignore howimportant nutrition is.
And finally, your favoriteepisode of 2024 was step-by-step
overcoming running hurdles, andthis is always a big one.
(10:08):
It's always the number onequestion I get from clients and
other runners how to overcomethe hurdles that happen in real
life.
Because, because, let's face it, we are not elite.
I don't pretend to think anyelite runners are listening to
my podcast.
We are recreational runners, soour life tends to get in the
(10:30):
way.
You know we don't.
We're not living on some campuswhere we're running twice a day
and we have, you know, at ourdisposal all the coaches and all
the nutritionists and all thetrainers and the strength and
conditioning coaches and all thepeople that are helping us to,
you know, get to the Olympics orwin prize money.
(10:54):
We're trying to get throughlife and incorporate running
into that.
So for us, a lot of times, thereare hurdles that we have to get
over and we have to face thesechallenges and think about them
as well and think about howwe're going to overcome them or
get over them and work out inour lives what they are, think
(11:18):
about what they are and then howwe're going to work through
those challenges, because if wedon't sit down and and think
about it, then you knowsometimes days or weeks will go
by and we haven't gotten a runin and it's because life has
overtaken us and we're notreally thinking about are there
(11:39):
ways that we can get over someof these hurdles?
So there can be mental barriers, injuries, time constraints.
So I shared strategies for someof these and how to keep on
running.
So running is full of ups anddowns, but the key is to keep
moving forward, one step at atime and have a plan for doing
(12:00):
that.
So I think this episoderesonated with so many of you
because we all face setbacks.
It's part of the journey and so, as part of the journey, having
a plan to keep going forward isgoing to do wonders for our
running.
So there you have it top fiveepisodes of the Wrinkled Runner
(12:21):
podcast.
If you're new here, I encourageyou to check out those episodes
and if you've been with me fora while, I hope this list
reminds you of why you startedrunning in the first place.
So I'd love to hear yourthoughts.
What's your favorite episode?
Why Is there a topic you'd likeme to cover in the future.
You can email me.
(12:42):
You can leave a comment on mywebsite, you can.
There's a section on thewebsite page for the podcast,
for they call it fan mail, and Ithink if you just go to the
website page you should be ableto find a link to that.
I'd love to have your ideas onwhat to cover in the future.
(13:05):
That is the best way that Ihave for putting out content.
A lot of what I put out therestems from questions that either
my running clients have orpeople that email me.
People email me with questionsall the time.
That is the best way that Ihave to put content out there,
(13:29):
and the added benefit of that isthat you get to have a personal
email from me where I do answeryour question in a specific way
for you.
Hello and welcome back to the Wrinkled Runner
podcast.
We are going to be startingseason nine today, and if you're
a regular listener, you canprobably hear in my voice that I
am getting over a respiratoryillness.
I actually had pneumonia, so myrunning has been really bad
lately.
But because in the podcastingworld or YouTube world or
(00:22):
whatever, the easiest thing forthose of us who create content
to do is to have a, you know,top five, top ten of whatever
content from the past year inJanuary, and that's something
that I do as well, and it's away to kind of be a little lazy
(00:43):
when you're first starting backup after the holidays.
And so today is an easy one forme, just getting back, and
we're going to be getting intosome other things throughout
this season, but today is goingto be the top five episodes of
the podcast from the past year.
(01:03):
Today is like probably thefirst day I can talk, even
somewhat normally, so I have notbeen running at all the past
few weeks and I'm supposed to bestarting marathon training, so
that just adds an extra layer ofloveliness to being so sick
that I could barely get up thestairs.
(01:24):
But we're getting back, we'regetting better, we've had all
the antibiotics and steroids andinhalers and other things that
I am just not used to.
But we are on the road torecovery and I should be getting
back to running soon.
The one thing I wanted to saybefore I started that is one
(01:45):
thing that I like to do before Istart marathon training, which
I wasn't able to do.
But I want to give a shout outto Conqueror Challenges.
I think I did a podcast episodeon this a couple of seasons ago
and if I did, I'll put that inthe show notes as well.
But Conqueror Challenges is foranybody who, even if you don't
(02:08):
want to race, if you have a waythat you track your miles and
you can even do this manually.
But if you're biking orswimming or running, you can do
one of these ConquerorChallenges.
I like to be at about 30 milesa week before I start my
marathon training, which istanked right now.
(02:31):
So that's great.
You can sign up for a challengeand you can base it on mileage.
So what I did was for kind ofmy before marathon training
buildup, I picked a challengethat was about 124 miles, which
was going to get me about 30miles a week for four weeks
(02:56):
before I started training andwhat they do is all these places
around the world you can pick,kind of like you're running it.
So for this I did the ring ofKerry, which is in Ireland, and
at the end, after you completethe challenge and they have all
your stats, they send you amedal and this is completely
(03:18):
legit.
The medals are absolutelygorgeous and it's just something
that you can do.
Even if you don't race you canget a medal for, and it's kind
of motivating, especially forthose of us who are in the dead
of winter right now, to get usout the door sometimes and you
can set a date for when you wantthat challenge to be done.
(03:38):
It's not set in stone.
My challenge was supposed to bedone on January 6th not even
close to it, so that doesn'treally matter, but you can put
in a date that you'd like to befinished and these medals come
really, really fast.
I was quite impressed with lessthan a week.
(03:59):
In less than a week, once I hitthat challenge level, I get my
medal and it's only I want tosay $35 to do the medal.
You can also do one where youget a t-shirt as well.
That's more, and I don't knowhow much.
I don't remember how that muchthat is because I don't do that
one.
If you need some motivationright now, go to the conqueror
(04:21):
challenges.
It'll explain everythingprobably a lot better than my
fuzzy brain is explaining it butit's something that you can do.
Get a medal at the end of itand log your miles as well.
So I highly recommend it.
I'm not sponsored by them.
They don't know I exist, but itis just a cool thing that I
wish a lot of runners knew moreabout.
(04:43):
So I will link to the websitein the show notes for that.
But let's get into our top fivepodcast episodes from 2024.
So at number five, we have theart of setting achievable
running goals.
(05:03):
So this episode is all aboutcreating realistic goals to keep
you motivated and progressing,kind of like I was just talking
about, and I shared how to breakyour goals into smaller,
manageable pieces and alsoemphasized the importance of
flexibility, which I am havingto teach myself right now, so
(05:24):
that you're not derailed bysetbacks.
So if you're someone who's everset a goal that felt too big or
struggled to stick with one,then this episode maybe can help
you build a framework forsuccess.
So at number four we have stayin your lane using a track for
beginners.
So I know the track can feelintimidating, especially if
(05:45):
you're new to running, but thisepisode is a guide to make it
work for you.
So I talk about track etiquette, which is a big thing,
especially if there are otherrunners using the track, so you
want to be aware of what theseare before you get there.
Just so that you don't, youknow, annoy anybody.
Just so that you don't, youknow, annoy anybody.
(06:06):
It's a great tool, though, forimproving speed, building
confidence.
I give you a beginner-friendlyworkout to try, and if you've
ever been hesitant or have noteven thought about using a track
in your training, this episodewill hopefully encourage you to
(06:30):
make it a part of your routine.
So even if you're not chasingfast times, the track can help
you improve your running andbreak up the monotony of road or
treadmill running.
So number three on our list isbuilding a solid foundation,
base building for runners, whichagain I talked about the
Conqueror Challenges in thebeginning of this.
(06:53):
I sort of use that as a basebuilding motivator for myself.
Instead of putting togetherlike, okay, let's run 30 miles
each week building up to whenwe're going to do marathon
training.
I do it this way, where I picka mileage that I want to be at
(07:13):
and I get a medal at the end ofthis base building phase.
So the episode itself focuseson the importance of base
training, which is thefoundation of any successful
running plan.
Hence why I'm so frustratedthat I was not able to run over
the past few weeks, because nowI'm going to have to jump into
(07:36):
marathon training but build upslower still, kind of have a
base phase.
Anyway, I won't get into mywhole frustration about about
all that, but it is a foundation.
Base training is a foundationof a successful running plan,
and I broke down how to increaseyour mileage safely, why
consistency matters more thanspeed during this phase, and how
(07:59):
to listen to your body to avoidovertraining.
So base building itself doesn'tsound very glamorous, but it is
crucial.
It prepares your body for theharder workouts and, if you race
, for the races that are to come.
So if you're in the off seasonor you're just getting back into
running or you're just startingrunning, this episode will help
(08:21):
you build a strong andsustainable foundation for your
running future.
So coming in at number two isan episode that really struck a
chord with many of you, whichwas sustaining your stride.
Nutrients for the oldergeneration runner.
As we age, our nutritionalneeds change and this episode
dives into how we can adapt, aswe get older, to those changes
(08:45):
and kind of change our mindset alittle bit about what we might
need, what we might want to backoff on those kinds of things.
We covered everything fromprotein for muscle recovery to
the importance of calcium andvitamin D for bone health.
Now, a lot of times when wethink about working out or
running or any of those things,we are more focused on muscles
(09:05):
and we don't think about ourbones very much.
But our bones carry our wholebody and the amount of force
that we are putting on ourskeletal system when we're
running is phenomenal, and so wehave to keep those bones
healthy.
I also talked about hydrationand how to fuel for longer runs
(09:26):
so that you can keep goingstrong no matter what your age
is.
So I loved sharing practicalmeal and snack ideas in this
episode and I know many of youappreciated the tips for keeping
energy levels up.
Nutrition is such a gamechanger for any kind of runner
Once you dial in nutrition andyou understand the things that
(09:47):
are going into your body andwhat happens when they get in
there.
You really can't ignore howimportant nutrition is.
And finally, your favoriteepisode of 2024 was step-by-step
overcoming running hurdles, andthis is always a big one.
(10:08):
It's always the number onequestion I get from clients and
other runners how to overcomethe hurdles that happen in real
life.
Because, because, let's face it, we are not elite.
I don't pretend to think anyelite runners are listening to
my podcast.
We are recreational runners, soour life tends to get in the
(10:30):
way.
You know we don't.
We're not living on some campuswhere we're running twice a day
and we have, you know, at ourdisposal all the coaches and all
the nutritionists and all thetrainers and the strength and
conditioning coaches and all thepeople that are helping us to,
you know, get to the Olympics orwin prize money.
(10:54):
We're trying to get throughlife and incorporate running
into that.
So for us, a lot of times, thereare hurdles that we have to get
over and we have to face thesechallenges and think about them
as well and think about howwe're going to overcome them or
get over them and work out inour lives what they are, think
(11:18):
about what they are and then howwe're going to work through
those challenges, because if wedon't sit down and and think
about it, then you knowsometimes days or weeks will go
by and we haven't gotten a runin and it's because life has
overtaken us and we're notreally thinking about are there
(11:39):
ways that we can get over someof these hurdles?
So there can be mental barriers, injuries, time constraints.
So I shared strategies for someof these and how to keep on
running.
So running is full of ups anddowns, but the key is to keep
moving forward, one step at atime and have a plan for doing
(12:00):
that.
So I think this episoderesonated with so many of you
because we all face setbacks.
It's part of the journey and so, as part of the journey, having
a plan to keep going forward isgoing to do wonders for our
running.
So there you have it top fiveepisodes of the Wrinkled Runner
(12:21):
podcast.
If you're new here, I encourageyou to check out those episodes
and if you've been with me fora while, I hope this list
reminds you of why you startedrunning in the first place.
So I'd love to hear yourthoughts.
What's your favorite episode?
Why Is there a topic you'd likeme to cover in the future.
You can email me.
(12:42):
You can leave a comment on mywebsite, you can.
There's a section on thewebsite page for the podcast,
for they call it fan mail, and Ithink if you just go to the
website page you should be ableto find a link to that.
I'd love to have your ideas onwhat to cover in the future.
(13:05):
That is the best way that Ihave for putting out content.
A lot of what I put out therestems from questions that either
my running clients have orpeople that email me.
People email me with questionsall the time.
That is the best way that Ihave to put content out there,
(13:29):
and the added benefit of that isthat you get to have a personal
email from me where I do answeryour question in a specific way
for you.
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