For Real, Though

Fans of track and field know Dawn Harper-Nelson as the gold medalist in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2008 Olympic Beijing Games and as the silver medalist in London four years later and at the 2017 World Championships. In 2018 she announced that she was retiring to start a family, but was back on the track a month after giving birth to her daughter, Harper.

Dawn is an inspiration not only to mother runners, but to all women who want to pursue their dreams. Her bid to make the Olympic team one more time is chronicled in the new documentary, Hi I'm Dawn Harper-Nelson.

"When I was pregnant with my daughter, I just had this moment when I thought, when she sees these interviews, I do not want her to say, 'oh, so wait, all of mom's dreams had to stop because she was gonna have me.'"

It wasn't long after Dawn announced her retirement that she realized that "I still have a desire and I'm fine physically; I'm capable; I'm actually gonna go back." It wasn't just about her aspiration to keep competing, she remembered conversations that she and her friends had about how their own mothers had stopped pursuing their goals after their children were born. She didn't want her daughter to feel that she bore that responsibility.

"I'm going to chase this dream, you know, and we'll see where it goes."

Dawn resumed her training after Harper's birth in pursuit of a spot on the 2020 Olympic team. She says, "I'm happy that now we will forever have Hi I'm Dawn Harper-Nelson, where she can look at that and see herself and see me and know I included you in every part of it; even when I was at track practice, mama was thinking of you… so she knows,' oh, I was loved,' even when she's not in my presence."

"I just feel like now it's an outpouring of support because women are like, 'I don't know if you have someone to support you, and I don't know you, but I'll support you.'"

Something that helped Dawn as she returned to competition was the support she got from other women. She's always made a point of being supportive herself, reaching out to help other women, and sharing with them what she's learned.

That mentality has allowed her to establish "amazing relationships," even with the women she defeated on the track. After a race, her competitors would come to her, wanting to talk about what had happened. "It was weird," she acknowledges, "but I was like, I'm doing something right where I'm leaving the door open. I'm not cocky about the win."

"I love track and field… I just love to see the guts and glory that's been poured out, you know? So yeah, I'm going to be involved in track and field."

Whenever Dawn really does retire from running, she knows that track will still be part of her life. After years of being interviewed, she may take her place on the other side of the microphone: "I've had some discussions with people about being in front of a camera and so I'm excited, because that means I'll interact more with my community." She recognizes that "I've been blessed with other gifts that I did not nourish;I did not feed. And so now it's exciting to feed those things and really step out on a limb."

"Whatever your dreams are, whatever your goals are, they're valuable; they're worth it. Most importantly, you're worth it."

Resources:

Running Realized episode with Dawn

Hi I'm Dawn Harper Nelson

Dawn's Instagram

Dawn's Twitter

Thank you to Athletic Greens, UCAN, and Tracksmith for sponsoring this episode.

AG1 is a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients to help strengthen your immune system. It's simple to make and it tastes good!

Go here to get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D and five FREE travel packs with your subscription.

Thank you, UCAN. I have been talking about them for years and they are my ONLY source for fueling while I am training and racing. And without fail, I have a product of UCAN every day, whether it is a Peanut Butter Chocolate Bar or their delicious Cookies and Cream Protein Powder. I am also excited to share with you a NEW product, a gel! It's fueled with Superstarch and ready to go wherever you are headed.

Go here and use the code TINAUCAN for 20% off your order!

Tracksmith is a Boston based company that truly cares about the quality of their running clothes. Running can be demanding on our clothes; they definitely go through wear and tear to where we may be purchasing new clothes constantly. Tracksmith designers work with the finest materials and keep you in mind as a runner, with spots for your keys, phone, and fuel. You can go here to check out my favorites!

Go here and use the code TINA15, and Tracksmith will donate 5% of your purchase to Runners for Public Lands, and you'll get free shipping!

Thanks for listening!

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
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• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

"Thank you" to Dawn. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

Tina is back to running from her home in St Louis, reflecting on her trip home to England, why we need to make diffituclt choices that not everyone can understnad, and how she continues to follow her heart.

Join us for a check in with nature, body scan, senses check in, check in mentally and emotionally and onto a conversation.

Part meditation, part reflection, part check-in, join Tina for #togetherrun38

Tina mentioned

Vote for Running For Real as Best Fitness Podcast for Sports Podcast Award

No sponsors today, trying to keep this authentic and like really running with a friend. If you want to support Tina and the Running For Real team:

Through a monthly donation on Patreon. To sign up, click here.

You can share on social media and let others know about what you are loving in these together runs.

You can leave a review on iTunes.

Thanks for listening!

We know there are so many podcasts you could be listening to, but we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that topic will relate to them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you for joining, we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

This is the time when a lot of us are thinking about our running goals for the new year. Maybe you have a big race in mind, or you want to be more consistent in your training. Maybe you're struggling because you feel as though you "should" have a goal, but don't.

Steve Picucci has coached hundreds of runners, many of whom have won championship titles and achieved their personal bests under his guidance - including Tina, who also happens to be his wife. In this episode they share their thoughts on setting goals, the way they shift over time, and how they might not always be what you imagine.

Tina: "...those of you who say, 'I have this really big goal that I want to accomplish,' or 'I really want to make this year count,' or 'this has to be the year I do X, Y, Z,' whatever that may be, when we think of our running in those terms, we're kind of setting ourselves up for failure."

For one thing, she says, "the fun is sucked right out of it." Unless you're a professional runner, by putting those pressures on yourself, you're taking something that should be an escape and a joy and making it one more stressor in your life.

When you place a time limit on achieving something, or take the Eminem-like approach that a particular race is your "one shot," you're putting yourself in a position where it's unlikely that you'll reach your goal, and even if you do, you'll have missed out on so much along the way.

As Tina says, "We already walk the line between commitment and obsession as runners, and I really think that having that need to commit pushes us over into the part of obsession."

Steve: "I always tell the athletes I work with that a lot of the stuff we do outside of the running is just as important or more important than the actual running you do."

The obsession with achieving a goal leads many runners to get so wrapped up in specific aspects of training that they neglect other parts. They get injured or don't recover sufficiently to reap the benefit of their workouts because they're overtraining, and as Steve observes, "people just kind of miss the fact that one of the most important things is you've got to be consistent and you're never going to be consistent if you're overtraining."

Steve: "It's okay to have that big, top-step goal, but you've got to focus on the little goals, the intermediate steps, to get to that big goal."

Runners often focus so narrowly on one big goal that they don't appreciate the smaller steps along the way and give themselves credit for accomplishing them. Those steps don't have to be time goals; they could be remaining consistent with your strength training or foam rolling. A goal doesn't always have to be a number.

Steve: "You've got to figure out where your passions are and what you want to do and then also evaluate where your commitment is."

One key element to achieving a big goal is being realistic about it. You have to be honest with yourself not only in terms of if you have the physical ability, but if you have the resources. Do you have the time to devote to it?

Steve: "I think modifying [a goal] is a little bit of a hard thing because you want to keep that big dream goal, but I think it's okay to have a different route you can take, as well."

Maybe your goal is to qualify for Boston, but you can't quite meet the standard. Might you be able to do it in a couple of years when you're in a new age group, or in a better position to do the necessary training?

Maybe you're a masters runner and your fastest times are behind you. You have to "not forget the past, but not compare to it, just like you don't want to compare yourself to every elite athlete or every high-level Olympian."

Steve also points out that "a goal doesn't have to be tied to a time or even a race." It doesn't have to be something that's obvious to other people; it just has to mean something to you.

Goals aren't the only things that might need to be modified. When you know what you should be doing to achieve your goals but you're not doing it, Steve recommends asking yourself, "What's the one thing I can do today to help me down the path to get back to that?".

Most importantly, "If you don't get everything right, don't beat yourself up about it."

Tina: "I just want to remind you that even if things seem to be falling apart right now, even if you're not managing to do what you want to do and it's looking like once again you're letting yourself and everyone else down, you are not. You're out there doing it, even if it's not as much as you'd like. You are doing something that most of the population is not, and accomplishments and successes don't make you who you are."

Resources:

Tina's interview with Mary Cain

Mile 20 Mental Training Course

#Together22Goals

Thank you to Athletic Greens and Zencastr for sponsoring this episode.

AG1 is a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients to help strengthen your immune system. It's simple to make and it tastes good!

Go here to get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D and five FREE travel packs with your subscription.

Zencastr is an all in one podcast production suite that gives you studio quality audio and video without needing all the technical know-how. I've tried all different platforms, I've tried all different types of things and I am obsessed with Zencastr. I love it. I encourage everyone I know to use it because it is just so easy.

Go here to get 30% off your first three months.

Thanks for listening!

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
  • If you are struggling through something a guest mentions, chances are others are too, and you will help them feel less alone.
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

"Thank you" to Steve. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

Another special episode this week. Join podcast host (and podcast guest) and all round runner inspiration, Marcus Brownwith Tina for this week's together run. Tina and Marcus went for a sunrise New Years Day run along one of Tina's favorite loops in St Albans. Hear the two friends go through a check in with nature, body scan, senses check in, check in mentally and emotionally and go onto a conversation. Tina and Marcus discuss the "new year, new you" hype that appears this time of year. Instead, Marcus asks the listeners to consider loving, forgiving, embracing, you, in this moment.

Part meditation, part reflection, part check-in, join Marcus and Tina for #togetherrun37

Tina mentioned

Running Realized

As always, no sponsors today, trying to keep this authentic and like really running with a friend. If you want to support Tina and the Running For Real team:

Through a monthly donation on Patreon. To sign up, click here.

You can share on social media and let others know about what you are loving in these together runs.

You can leave a review on iTunes.

Thanks for listening!

We know there are so many podcasts you could be listening to, but we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that topic will relate to them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you for joining, we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

We have our second guest hosted #togetherrun this week. Join Superstar and community member Camilla for a run around Venice in the early morning. Camilla takes us through a check in with nature, body scan, senses check in, check in mentally and emotionally and onto a conversation where we can get to know her, and talk through some of the things on her mind.

Camilla starts the run at San Bortolo near Rialto, then takes us through Venice passing all of these famous sites:

• San Marco
• Santo Stefano
• Academia bridge
• Punta salute
• Along zattere
• Santa margherita
• San toma

The photo of Camilla is from San Marco

Part meditation, part reflection, part check-in, join Camilla for #togetherrun36

Tina mentioned

No sponsors today, trying to keep this authentic and like really running with a friend. If you want to support Tina and the Running For Real team:

Through a monthly donation on Patreon. To sign up, click here.

You can share on social media and let others know about what you are loving in these together runs.

You can leave a review on iTunes.

Thanks for listening!

We know there are so many podcasts you could be listening to, but we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that topic will relate to them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you for joining, we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

We have our second guest hosted #togetherrun this week. Join Superstar and community member Camilla for a run around Venice in the early morning. Camilla takes us through a check in with nature, body scan, senses check in, check in mentally and emotionally and onto a conversation where we can get to know her, and talk through some of the things on her mind.

Camilla starts the run at San Bortolo near Rialto, then takes us through Venice passing all of these famous sites:

• San Marco
• Santo Stefano
• Academia bridge
• Punta salute
• Along zattere
• Santa margherita
• San toma

The photo of Camilla is from San Marco

Part meditation, part reflection, part check-in, join Camilla for #togetherrun36

Tina mentioned

No sponsors today, trying to keep this authentic and like really running with a friend. If you want to support Tina and the Running For Real team:

Through a monthly donation on Patreon. To sign up, click here.

You can share on social media and let others know about what you are loving in these together runs.

You can leave a review on iTunes.

Thanks for listening!

We know there are so many podcasts you could be listening to, but we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that topic will relate to them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you for joining, we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

2021 has been an exciting year for Running for Real. We've changed direction a little bit, but one thing that remains constant is our sense of community and our desire to make everyone feel included and welcome. Our theme for the new year is #Together22, and we're looking forward to getting to know you all better.

Another change is that the Running for Real team has grown. To help you get to know us better, the team members have chosen podcast episodes from the past year that especially resonated with them. We hope that you enjoyed - or will enjoy - them as much as we did!

These are the episodes that we selected. To read each team member's comments, please visit the show notes page on the Running for Real website

From Kat Mackay, Community Manager:

Special Edition NYC Together Run 29

Jon Green: Green is the New Bronze - R4R 264

From Maria Vargas, Strategy and Philosophy:

Running Realized Episode Three: The Inner Disconnect (Shaun Martin segment)

From Kelsey Wang, Head of Design and Sandy Guiterrez, Creative Content:

Mishka Shubaly: We're Here Because We're Not All There - R4R 267

From Stacey Saunders, Events Manager:

Kayleigh Williamson: Don't Let Somebody Else Tell You What You Can and Cannot Do - R4R 270

From Jeremy Noessel, Podcast Editor and Audio Consultant:

Malcolm Gladwell: A Little Focus Goes a Long Way - R4R 258

From Erica De Los Santos, Inclusion Manager:

Jordan Marie Brings Three White Horses Daniel: Running for Cause - R4R 225

From Sally Pontarelli, Content and Operations Manager:

Tommie Runz: You Can Only Control You at this Moment - R4R 262

A big "thank you" to all of Running for Real's podcast guests, listeners, and partners this year!

Resources:

Sign up for the Running for Real Newsletter

Running Realized podcast

Tina's Together Run in St. Albans

Maria's blog, It's Your World

Kat's Instagram

Thank you to Athletic Greens, Zencastr and goodr for sponsoring this episode.

AG1 is a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients to help strengthen your immune system. It's simple to make and it tastes good!

Go here to get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D and five FREE travel packs with your subscription.

Zencastr is an all in one podcast production suite that gives you studio quality audio and video without needing all the technical know-how. I've tried all different platforms, I've tried all different types of things and I am obsessed with Zencastr. I love it. I encourage everyone I know to use it because it is just so easy.

Go here to get 30% off your first three months.

I have been a fan of goodr for YEARS and I literally have their sunglasses all over my house. The design behind these sunglasses really takes into consideration look and comfort. They are 100% carbon neutral and a part of 1% for the Planet. Go here and use the code TINA for 15% off your order.

Thanks for listening!

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
  • If you are struggling through something a guest mentions, chances are others are too, and you will help them feel less alone.
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

What a special treat! Today you can join Tina for a run through the English countryside. Run amongst sheep (literally!), squelch in mud, go through kissing gates, and even check out a red phone booth. This run is through the Shropshire hills and will be as close as you can get to running through West of England

Join us for a check in with nature, body scan, senses check in, check in mentally and emotionally and onto a conversation.

Part meditation, part reflection, part check-in, join Tina for #togetherrun35

Tina mentioned

No sponsors today, trying to keep this authentic and like really running with a friend. If you want to support Tina and the Running For Real team:

Through a monthly donation on Patreon. To sign up, click here.

You can share on social media and let others know about what you are loving in these together runs.

You can leave a review on iTunes.

Thanks for listening!

We know there are so many podcasts you could be listening to, but we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that topic will relate to them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you for joining, we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Josh Lifrak was the director of the Chicago Cubs' Mental Skills Program when they won the 2016 World Series, ending a 108-year championship drought. He was the Mental Performance Coach for the New York Mets, and now he helps even more people optimize their performance through his work with Limitless Minds.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made the past couple of years hard for a lot of us. Today Josh shares his advice on how to work through these difficult times.

"I was realizing that I could have a bigger reach, a bigger scope of contribution in the world, if I were to move away from sports."

The work that Josh did with sports teams had a huge impact on them, but he felt that his direct sphere of influence was tiny. He'd also been working with different companies, and says that he "was seeing how what we teach in sports has this incredible reach into the corporate world."

He realized that one of his biggest values was in terms of workers' contribution. Even though his position in major league baseball seemed to be a dream job, he left it in order to reach more people and to "have them have these moments of 'aha!' and these moments where their lives were getting impacted."

"[Team manager] Joe Maddon…always used to say, 'be present, not perfect.'"

Changing his career was stressful, but when he's faced with a situation that could seem overwhelming, Josh reminds himself that "the attempt to be perfect…it's not realistic. And I think once you accept that, then you can kind of move past it in a lot of ways."

"A lot of times we hear, 'Gotta be positive. Be positive, be positive.' Well, the reality is there's things to not be positive about."

Instead of trying to find the positive in everything, he accepts the negative aspects of a situation and then figures out how to move forward. As he explains, "You can't change what's already happened, but your actions can change what happens in the future. The past is not predictive of the future, but what you're doing in the present is."

"The biggest thing is making a conscious decision for our own direction in our own minds and deciding how we want to be on a daily basis."

Being intentional in his actions is a big part of Josh's philosophy. That means doing things "with purpose, on purpose." You have to establish your own values, rather than simply accepting someone else's agenda. " When you decide who you're going to be, then your actions kind of align with that," he explains.

"When you're in something that you don't really like, what that really is doing is giving you an opportunity to see what you do want."

The past couple of years have been hard for a lot of people, but Josh sees the other side. He offers some advice for 2022: "If there were things you didn't like or if it was a tough year for you in 2021, take stock of that and go, 'Okay. Well, what would the flip of that be? This is what I don't want; I'm pretty clear about that. What could I do to flip that on its head? And what does that look like if it was 180° the other way?'"

Resources:

Josh's previous interview on Running for Real

Josh's Twitter

Josh's LinkedIn

Limitless Minds' website

Thank you to InsideTracker, Athletic Greens, and Zencastr for sponsoring this episode.

AG1 is a simple and easy way to get 75 vitamins, minerals, and whole food source ingredients to help strengthen your immune system. It's simple to make and it tastes good!

Go here to get a FREE year's supply of Vitamin D and five FREE travel packs with your subscription.

Zencastr is an all in one podcast production suite that gives you studio quality audio and video without needing all the technical know-how. I've tried all different platforms, I've tried all different types of things and I am obsessed with Zencastr. I love it. I encourage everyone I know to use it because it is just so easy.

Go here to get 30% off your first three months.

Have you not been feeling yourself lately? Gone down a lot of avenues but haven't really found clear solutions? That is where InsideTracker can come in for you. I have trusted this company for years to show me where I may be lacking and if I need a few tweaks here and there. I count on InsideTracker to help me decipher the science behind it all.

Go here to get 25% off site wide.

Thanks for listening!

We know there are so many podcasts you could listen to, and we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that the topic will resonate with them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
  • If you are struggling through something a guest mentions, chances are others are too, and you will help them feel less alone.
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player.
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people.

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe? You can find out here.

"Thank you" to Josh. We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the show.

Tina is back home in St Albans, England, and takes us through a together run along one of her favorite loops. Sharing memories, experiences, and moments that made her the person she is today.

Join us for a check in with nature, body scan, senses check in, check in mentally and emotionally and onto a conversation.

Part meditation, part reflection, part check-in, join Tina for #togetherrun34

Tina mentioned

No sponsors today, trying to keep this authentic and like really running with a friend. If you want to support Tina and the Running For Real team:

Through a monthly donation on Patreon. To sign up, click here.

You can share on social media and let others know about what you are loving in these together runs.

You can leave a review on iTunes.

Thanks for listening!

We know there are so many podcasts you could be listening to, but we are honored you have chosen Running For Real. If you appreciate the work that we do, here are a few things you can do to support us:

• Take a screenshot of the episode, and share it with your friends, family, and community on social media, especially if you feel that topic will relate to them. Be sure to tag us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
• Leave an honest review on iTunes or your favorite podcast player
  • Your ratings and reviews will really help us grow and reach new people

Not sure how to leave a review or subscribe, you can find out here.

Thank you for joining, we look forward to hearing your thoughts.