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Why We Run

Author: Beth Baker

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In the before times, I had this podcast where I interviewed runners, while we were running. It literally took me years to figure out how to record people running: I made a ton of mistakes, fails and heaps of frustrations. (kinda like learning to run...eh?)BUT I nailed it down, and it was great! 13 glorious episodes of heavy breathing, feet pounding and truth telling...all while running and laughing. THEN COVID. BOO.But we are back and I am interviewing people who happen to run, but via Zoom this time...Season 2, if you will. So far I have interviewed writers, musicians, a singer and a BISHOP! Each episode is full of laughter, fun and we get deep into why people run. And if you would do me a solid, please subscribe and share...because sharing is caring. THANK YOU! Want to start running?? Our super popular Couch to 5k Club opens 6.14 Details Here: https://runningevolution.com/couchto5k
21 Episodes
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A 50k is scary, and so is doing a podcast without a guest. Different scary, different hard. But here we are! Here's quick episode on the lessons of my first 50k train run, why I did it and my analogy of the phases of building to a goal, doing said goal and recovering from the event. It's a lot like surfing; sitting on the beach, looking for your angle and reading the waves, working to get out, resting from the work and then the waiting, surfing and wiping out or coming safely to shore. Please enjoy the ride. 
The film, Mardi and the Whites, is a layered look at relationships; The tie between The White Mountains in New Hampshire and Mardi Fuller. The bond Mardi has with the outdoors. And the beautiful connection Mardi finds with herself, as an outdoors woman, and her desire to share it with others, especially people of color. Granted, I am not a film critic, but I cannot say enough about Paula Champagne's movie Mardi and the Whites. It's beautiful and powerful. I get (GET!!!) to interview Mardi about the movie, her many passions, how white capitalism has seeped into the outdoors...and oh, we DO talk about running. Please enjoy and please watch the movie, Mardi and the Whites,  which can be found below. (free to watch)Paula Champagne's Mardi and the Whites https://www.paulachampagne.com/mardiandthewhitesBONUS! Mardi's "Run" Playlist
A lot has happened since Kelly and I first met a million years ago in my Couch to 5k Club. She did the 5k and trained for her first marathon, when this happened. She went on the complete a marathon and then another one. She got married, moved to New Jersey, got on the cover of Runner's World magazine, had a movie made about her and was all set to run the Boston Marathon with her husband and her mom when covid hit. And as many of us did,  she stopped running. But she's back and we talk about what's new, what's different as she is molting her old identity as Kelly Herron and into Kelly Lieberman. She's taking on the new challenge of training for a half marathon with no time goal to shoot for. We also talk about her role of being a bonus mom, and the parallels of running and staying sober. Kelly is really one of my most favorite humans and I always enjoy chatting with her, and giggling. 
I re-interview Beth after she was on the first season of the podcast. We became running buddies through the pandemic and really grew a amazing friendship. Beth hated running when she started when she was in her late 40's.  When she questioned the internal barriers in her mind and asked herself, "What if I could run a marathon" her running life took off and took her around the world. Luckily for her, she's a world tour guide and owner of Wandertours. We share a similar passion about empowering woman through breaking down beliefs of what can be done. We also chat about friendships, how she started and what makes her level up to do incredible feats. She also shares when it's like to run in different parts of the world. 
I am over the moon about talking to Jennifer Louden! I first saw her at a woman event where she gave a barn burning talk about burning barns down. Then when I saw she was the co-host and writing coach at Lauren Fleshman's Wilder retreat,  I knew I had to go, especially since I was green  (and still greener) at this whole writing game.  She was warn, accessible and full of amazing tools. Fast forward to the pandemic, when she launched her first self-published book, Why Bother?, where she unfolds desire,  and how find it and follow it to take you where you need to go. It is the book that you need to read right now! Since she is the professional writer, I am going to let her share her bio...take it away, Jenn! I helped launch the concept of self-care with my first bestseller, The Woman’s Comfort Book, published in 1992. I've spent the next 20 years writing more books including The Woman’s Retreat Book, The Life Organizer and Why Bother? with close to a million copies sold. I spoke around the US and Europe about women's empowerment and self-care, wrote a national magazine column for a Martha Stewart magazine, and spoke on behalf of major brands.I was been profiled or quoted in dozens of major magazines including Self, People, and Yoga Journal, and two of Brené Brown’s books, Daring Greatly and Dare to Lead; and I appeared on hundreds of TV, radio shows, and podcasts—even on Oprah.In the last 15 years, I've focused on helping female creators get off the fence and make the work they love, whether that's a book, a podcast, a course, a membership community, or articles. I do that through courses, masterminds, one-on-coaching, and virtual and in-person retreats.I host the popular podcast Create out Loud to help creatives stay inspired and keep learning how to make work they love and make money doing it.Socials:Website Address: https://jenniferlouden.com/ Instagram Handle: https://www.instagram.com/jen.louden/Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jenlouden.writerTwitter https://twitter.com/jenloudenLinkedin https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenlouden/ 
When Jennifer isn't running, teaching, biking or being a mom, she is traveling around for her work as the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Indianapolis. She is the first black woman to be elected a diocesan bishop, and she is also a runner. She has been running since college, when she was on the crew team and had to run to the boat house.  I met Jennifer in 2017 on a shuttle bus for a Oiselle running camp in Pennsylvania and we connected over 80's music, motherhood and running, and we've been friends ever since. She has beautiful insights on religion and what it means to be an athlete as a way to take care of her body mind and spirit. Bonus! Here's her running playlist.
People: If you don't know who Mirna Valerio is, please do yourself a solid and look her up. Better yet, just read her book, A Beautiful Work in ProgressOr, you can follow her breath taking adventures over at @Minravator on Instagram. Oh, and of course, she's also a speaker, and just did a keynote over at LuluLemon. She is the real deal; beautiful, smart and strong AF. Her goal is to put good things out in this world, which is what we need. In her former life, she was a teacher and coach and she brings that love of learning to everything she does. We talk about how she started running and what the big turning points were that kept her going. Then the health scare that had her start again, and what that struggle was like for her body, mind and spirit. I ask about what drives her and  what she thinks about when she's out on runs, and what she listens to (spoiler alert...it's mostly  nature and stuff.).We also sing together...I apologize for my part...I ruin it. WARNING: The contents of this podcast contain the following:   Explosive laughter (and occasional snort-laugh)   How to trick your friends into doing a half marathon   Ooodles of inspirationThis is not for you if you don't want to hear two friends having fun talking about running and adventuring. Sorry. (Not really sorry.)About Why We Run: Why we run is hosted by Beth Baker, a runner, coach and mom who lives in Seattle. She owns Running Evolution a coaching company that specializes in getting people to start running. In her former life, she was a sound engineer and worked in radio.Social Handles:Running Evolution: Instagram and Twitter: runningevolve**Want to start or restart your running? Our new Couch to 5k Club opens on 6/14. -> You can get on the list, so you'll be the first to know when it opens here: https://runningevolution.com/couchto5k  
What a treat to interview one of my best friends! Michael Calore (@snackfight) is a newish runner, but not new to being the senior editor and writer @Wired, playing music or being a co-host @GadgetLab. He got into running after a health scare and stayed with it after learning 4 lessons: Shoes (ON running shoes)Nutrition (Not Beer)Special (Spoken) Mantra Sound Coaching Advice (From Me!)He also talks about what he listens to while he's running on the streets of San Francisco. We also converse about the magical powers of death metal. Here's his special death metal playlist: Run Or Die. Enjoy!Want to start or restart your running? Our new Couch to 5k Club opens on 6/14. -> You can get on the list, so you'll be the first to know when it opens here: https://runningevolution.com/couchto5k
On a cold early Seattle morning, I interview Megan Hanna. Megan has this great podcast called My 10 Songs. She interviews everyday people to astronauts about the 10 songs that changed their life. She does such a great job holding the space for the music and for the guests to share their beloved treasures. I got to be on there last year and had a great time.Since this was our music month, I wanted to take her out for a spin and talk about the power of music and how it is the glue to people that we need right now. https://www.mixcloud.com/mytensongs/
One of my favorite things is listening to music when I am running. There is something so primal about beating my feat on the pavement in time with rhythm of a song.  I also just love talking about music, so I wanted to talk to someone who speaks that language fluently, so I talked to Lucinda. She is a music educator, conductor, musician, singer and a runner. She speaks so deeply and beautifully about music that I could just listen and run with her all day. It's truly her first language.  Please rate, review and share these episode. 
This is part 2 of our October breast cancer month series. Today I talk to Kelli who is a mom of 2, wife, professor, lawyer, fellow southern Californian and a new breast cancer survivor.   We have known each other since we both had babies in strollers (about 10 years) and she has always been such a supporter of my business and so generous with her brain and heart.  We set off on a trail today where Kelli had run before that is close to her house. There, she shares:All of the hard decisions that had to made while having cancerHow she didn't like running, and thought running marathon would solve that. That there should be an honest passage in the owner manuals for having kids. The hardest part of having cancer.This is a great episode, and I so appreciate Kelli's continues generosity of herself so that it will hopefully help others. This episode is sponsored by Coach Running Evolution. If you are interested in coaching new runners and changing lives, check out CRE online course and make new runners. 
UPDATE! We are changing things up this round and are releasing one interview at a time, as opposed to multiple interviews in one episode. This month we have 2 interviews. This episode is part 1, and next week is part 2. (duh)October is breast cancer awareness month, and I wanted to share a couple of stories from some of the women in my group who got the diagnosis and how they managed it.   I first talk to Karen who just completed her second marathon a few months ago. She's also an amazing mom, great friend, wife, sister, pastor, and a breast cancer survivor. She shares her story about growing up as a world-class couch potato and when middle-age knocked on her door, she found running. She got diagnosed with breast cancer after a year-long back and forth diagnosis. She described going through hell as she went through chemo on top of being a mom, wife, pastor, and trying to find peace through running. This is a beautiful story from an amazing soul. Here are some topics that really made my heart swell:  *How cancer affected her running. *The first half marathon post-cancer. *ALL of the hard decisions that she and her family had to make. *Her new body. *How boobs sell everything. *How she is being brave for her daughter and letting her know that her value is not determinate on what you look like or how many boobs you have.This episode is sponsored by Coach Running Evolution. If you are looking to start coaching new runners, you can get certified to be a coach. All online and right at your house. 
 Let's face it, running isn't always the best. Sometimes you get injured, and you can't run, and when you look at everyone else running with all your friends, you are like, "Hey! I thought we were together!" This episode is about that spot. Injuries, being in your head and trying to find the loving mojo.  The first interview is Brenda who is definitely on the struggle bus. She is started off loving running and then they had a falling out, and now they are trying to get it back on.   Second, up is our Running Evolution coach Pamela who has a marathon in a few weeks in Berlin, and she hasn't been training for yet. She is very open about why she started running and what she likes about coaching. Spoiler alert, it's the people.    Last up is Greg who coaches for Rain Bear running up in Port Angeles with his lovely wife Carman (who was one of my first runners when I started coaching). He spins about how he started running and how he and his wife made some huge life changes and running was one of them.   **This episode is sponsored by Coach Running Evolution. If you are a runner and want to start coaching people to start running, check out Coach Running Evolution. Online classes start at the end of the week. 
I am so excited to share these 3 stories of the woman who started a little later their life and are doing amazing things. I call them the Late Bloomer Running Club. First up is Deb, who started to run at the age of 59, after she lost 90 pounds. She got hooked and has done 204 races from everywhere between a 1k to a 100 miler. She talks about the things she has learned along the way, and she isn't even close to slowing down. She race card is booked into 2020. Next up is Tonia, who JUST started running in February at the age of 53 because of a new years resolution where she wanted to say yes to anything that would lower her stress level. It turns out, Tonia is a total speed demon and did an 8-minute mile on her 5k!The last interview is Beth Whitman who started questioning the stories she was telling herself in her 50's and led her to question if she could really run a marathon, and then another, and then an ultra and so on. She is on fire with her goal motivation and has paired her new running passion with her travel background/career. This year she is doing 5 ultras on 5 different Hawaiin islands, and next year, she is running races in the big 4 deserts around the world. Whoa. She also has a great podcast called She's Bold! 
We all need people who support us. But when we are running, we REALLY need them when we are shooting for big goals. I talk to 2 people who show up in a big way for others.  First up, Larissa! She herself is an amazing athlete who is testing her running muscle in a big way this year. But she also is the biggest fan to all others who are putting themselves out there. She cheers on the sidelines, paces and yells the hardest, in her sweet voice, when another runner takes on a new challenge.  Next up is Bob Lesko, who is part of the Oiselle team. He is always in the stands, bandana on the head, hooting and hollering for the athlete in the arena. He's also grew up in the sport and very much appreciates the time and effort the sport demands. 
Happy Mothers Day! I talked to 2 moms, Paige and Sara!Paige is a mom of 2 girls, a cancer survivor, and a runner. She shares her story about adoption and battling cancer at the same time. She's a total badass. Sara Dean has been my buddy for a while now. She's a total hoot, a wonderful friend and a mom of one little Vinnie. She tells it like it is, and we run-walk and look for a bathroom. Cause, motherhood. She is also the host of an amazing podcast called The Shameless Mom Acadamy. Run, don't walk to check it out!
Kelly Herron was attacked 2 years ago in a bathroom when she was training for her first marathon. She fought him off from a class she learned from a self-defense class she had taken 3 weeks before. That event transformed her life and is now helping people start running as a Running Evolution coach and is hosting clinics with her self defense instructor from Fighting Chance. Details here. Jonathon Lieberman has done 5 Ironmans and is just about to run the Boston marathon. His story on how he got to this moment is amazing. He also gave me an insight into why guys are so into their cars.    
Episode 3: The Runners

Episode 3: The Runners

2019-03-1641:36

I interviewed 3 people who have totally emersed themselves into running. Ty is the manager of the best running shoe store in the planet (in my opinion) Super Jock and Jill and is working on a running streak. Elizabeth is a coach, runner and a writer who pens about running. And Jess is an ultramarathoner, coach and a dietitian for runners. They all have wonderful insights, stories and love of running. 
In honor of International Women's Day, I wanted to tap into my tribe of badass women to see what inspires them to run and be in our community. "It's hard to cry and run at the same time.""The most loving thing you can do for yourself is run""Knowing there is a community that's available for "those moments" that I can show up, and don't have to tell the whole story, I can just show up and run.""Its seems like it's always about boys!!""It's really amazing the power of a group of women doing this together."
Episode 2: Creatives

Episode 2: Creatives

2019-02-0931:181

I talk to 3 creative types. A graphic designer, a musician and a animator about being creative, the role running plays into it, and smoking. 
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