October IG Live Replay: Optimizing the Little Things w/ Coach Carrie Ellwood

Coach Will Benitez is back with his monthly Instagram Live interview and this month it is with Coach Carrie (Verdon) Ellwood. Coach Will and Carry discuss optimizing the little things to elevate your training. If you are looking to take your running to the next level this is a great listen! 

Connect with Coach Carrie (Verdon) Ellwood:
https://www.rundoyen.com/running-coaches/carrie-verdon/

Connect with Coach Will Benitez:
https://www.rundoyen.com/coaching-services/nutrition-coaching/

Check out RunDoyen if you are looking for a World Class Expert Run Coach to help you crush your running goals: https://www.rundoyen.com/

If you aren't quite ready for a Run Coach, check out the Doyen Dashers Program:
https://www.rundoyen.com/dashers/

Follow @RunDoyen for IG Live sessions:
https://www.instagram.com/rundoyen/

Join the Next Level Running Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nextlevelrunning

Questions for me: 
https://www.rundoyen.com/running-coaches/jacob-phillips/

Transcript

Jacob Phillips 0:18

This is the Next Level Running Podcast brought to you by the expert coaches at Run Goy, helping runners of all levels catch their gold on race day by matching it with the perfect coach for training plan. Hello and welcome back to the Next Level Running Podcast. I'm your host, Coach Jacob Phillips, and thankfully you don't have to listen to me tonight. I've got a little bout of allergies, so I feel like I'm kind of drowning here, but I've got the Instagram live replay for you with Coach Will Benitez and Run Doy and Coach Carrie Elwood, formerly Carrie Verden. She got married this summer. And so they're getting together, they're talking about optimizing the little things to elevate your training. We get a life update from Coach Carrie. She got married this summer. She's up at Mammoth Lakes, uh, California. High altitude training standard, she's getting ready for the New York City Marathon in about a month. And they're talking about doing all those little things, optimizing all those little things to elevate your training. But before I jump into uh their replay of their conversation, I want to point you to the show notes below. Um I'm gonna have the link to connect with Coach U Carrie uh as well as Coach Will. Coach Will is our on-site nutritionist for Rundoyan.com. So if you're looking to crush your nutrition goals, let Coach Will help you there. If you want to take your running to the next level, you can connect with Coach Carrie. Uh she's one of our world-class uh expert run coaches here at Run Doyen. I'm also gonna point you to uh the Run Doyen website if you're looking for a coach. Um if you're not looking for a coach, um we've got the Doyen Dashers program. That's $39 a month. It's a flexible plan created by one of our world-class expert run coaches at Run Doyen uh to help you take your running to the next level. Um but it's kind of if you're not ready for that you know full-term commitment of or that full-time commitment for a coach. I used it this past spring. I loved it. I loved the the lack of accountability was really good for me. It would give me a schedule, I can move it around, I could do it at my own pace, and I didn't feel like I didn't feel bad if I missed a run. I just moved things around. And so um, if you're not quite ready for that full-time coach, check out the Doyen Dashers program. Uh it's fun, it's fit to it's fit to your your goal, what you're pursuing. I'm also gonna have a link there uh in the show notes um to the at rundoyen uh Instagram. Click that follow button, you'll be alerted for when these uh these live events go live, right? You're listening to the replay, you can catch it live by hitting that uh follow button there at Instagram. And then uh the next level running Facebook group. I've got that link there. That's basically the Instagram or the Facebook version of the Instagram. Um it's a little bit more interactive, but it has all the same um info and uh advice and encouragement, all that sort of good stuff. But this is gonna be uh the IG Live replay for sep or for October, not September, October. The time is just clicking by. It's gonna be Coach Carrie, uh formerly Verdon, now Coach Carrie Elwood. She's she's talking with Coach Will Benitez, and they're talking about optimizing those little things that can elevate your training. So here we go.

SPEAKER_04 3:26

Hey everyone. Welcome to another Rondoyan Live. My name is Will. I'm here to um chat with one of our coaches, Carrie. And I was gonna say Verden, but I'm pretty sure Carrie. Uh, we've got a different last name.

SPEAKER_03 3:46

And actually, yeah, here is Carrie.

SPEAKER_04 3:59

Wait for Carrie to come in. I think I clicked the right button here. Let's see. There you are.

SPEAKER_01 4:05

Can you see me?

SPEAKER_04 4:07

I can see you.

SPEAKER_01 4:08

Okay, cool. Hi there.

SPEAKER_04 4:11

Good. How are you doing?

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Doing well.

SPEAKER_04 4:13

It's been a little while. You've changed your name since we've last spoke.

SPEAKER_01 4:17

Yes, yeah. And a lot of athletes I coach were confused. A lot of people in the running world are confused. Yeah, I got married, so my last name changed.

SPEAKER_04 4:26

Congratulations. When did you get married?

SPEAKER_01 4:28

Um, this summer in July.

SPEAKER_04 4:30

Okay. Awesome. I also have an anniversary date in July. Oh fun is that. Yeah. It's a good month to get married.

SPEAKER_01 4:37

It is. It's a good one.

SPEAKER_04 4:40

That's exciting. That's that's great. Um, how's life been since?

SPEAKER_01 4:44

Yeah, life has been great. We um actually are in California right now. I'm doing an a super altitude training stint. I'm from altitude, but yeah, a little bit higher up in Mammoth Lakes here. Um, and I'm training for the New York City Marathon. So yeah, things are fun.

SPEAKER_04 5:01

Exciting, awesome. Well, I am grateful that you, on top of all that, uh kind of you know made some time for us to meet here and um do another one of these lives. I don't remember our last one. I want to say it was probably sometime in 2023. I don't think we did one this year.

SPEAKER_01 5:19

I think it's been almost a year, probably.

SPEAKER_04 5:21

Yeah, it's kind of crazy how fast time flies.

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:26

Um, but when I reached out, you seemed um excited to kind of jump back in here. And I love this topic too. So for folks who don't um see it, it's scrolling at least at the top of my screen, optimizing uh the little things uh in regards to um to training to kind of elevate your training, right? So um before we actually dive into that, I always forget to do this, but let's do a quick intro and then we can actually dive in. So I'll just start briefly. Hi everyone, my name is Will. I am the um in-house nutritionist here with Ron Doyen and the host of these monthly Instagram lives, and I'm joined by Carrie. Carrie, you want to do a little quick intro?

SPEAKER_01 6:08

Yeah, uh, my name is Carrie Elwood, um, and I am a coach at Ron Doyen, and I coach a number of athletes who might be tuning in. Um, shout out to my athletes. And um, yeah, I'm a professional runner myself, and yeah, I'm excited to be here. This is a fun topic to kind of chat about.

SPEAKER_04 6:26

Awesome. Yeah, so great, let's just segue right into it. So, why did you, you know, I kind of open the door when I when I reach out to coaches. I'm like, what interests you? Give me like a few topics and we'll see, you know, where we land. Um, and this was the first one and we landed here right away. So I'm curious, like, what is it about like optimizing all the things around training, all those little things like you said, um that just stood out to you at least this time around? Or maybe it's like you've just been reflecting on some things. I don't know. Uh why did this come up for you?

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Yeah, so I think it's like pretty obvious that people like know that they need to train to be like a better runner. And sorry if you can hear that noise in the background. There's people working outside of our house. Um, yeah, so I think that's like a pretty obvious thing. It's like, yeah, you need to train to, you know, complete your goals or to run a fast marathon or whatever it is. And I think where people kind of get lost, and maybe where people have more questions, is like all of the other little things that come along with um training and being a runner. And so, yeah, that's you know, over all of my years of being a coach and being an athlete, um, yeah, these are kind of the little things I've learned that really, really help kind of step up your running game and kind of help you train along the way.

SPEAKER_04 7:47

Yeah, totally awesome. Appreciate that. So, in your um in your personal experience, whether that is like this marathon cycle or just in recent years, um, what have been some small things, some some of those areas that you um let's start with, like that you've been paying a lot of attention to and really trying to kind of enhance or optimize or fix or whatever, whatever it is.

SPEAKER_01 8:13

Yeah, so I think my first two are fueling, uh, which is like your you know genre of expertise, um, and then sleeping. Um, those are like the two number one things that I think make a huge difference, like day to day in my training, um, but also like over the course of a marathon build or you know, a year of training. Um, yeah, fueling and sleeping are like my number two biggest things.

SPEAKER_04 8:42

Would you say that those were um like weaknesses of yours for a while or just areas of growth?

SPEAKER_01 8:48

Yes, absolutely with the fueling component, like fueling in workouts, um, fueling around workouts, like that has been something that I've really learned, especially this marathon bill that I'm going through right now. Um, and then definitely sleeping. I think, you know, not having like a bedtime routine or like a schedule to follow can kind of yeah, open the doors for lack of sleep and then not adapting or not recovering well from the training. Um so yeah, it definitely in my own personal life. Um I've seen that those have had a big impact for my own running, but then also with like the athletes that I coach, um, those are areas that people are like, oh, like I I didn't really pay attention to like my sleep schedule, or I haven't really like worked with fueling while I'm running. And so those are two areas that um can really impact others too.

SPEAKER_04 9:38

Cool. Okay, let's dig a little deeper in both of those areas for you. So um let's start with the fueling. Like what is kind of sticking out, or what have you like really been focusing on in terms of like optimizing? Is it like certain products or certain types of fuel that that are like really working? Is it is it really just kind of sticking to like a consistent like routine, like X number of minutes before my workout start, or like every 30 minutes on like my long progression run? Like, what is it like a routine thing? Like, what is it about fueling um that you've been kind of like working on, like learning maybe this most recent cycle, like that's really helping you?

SPEAKER_01 10:22

Yeah, I think the routine component of it is like really what I'm kind of leaning into. And that routine for me looks like you know, finding something that really works for me before I run. Um, so that's every single day before I run, before workouts, before long runs, before easy runs, like having the same fuel that I know works with me and that I know fuels me for the work that I'm doing. So definitely being on top of the pre-run nutrition. And then honestly, it's been within my run nutrition that has been like the biggest thing for me. I'm like I started um figuring out what worked for my stomach, and I'm like fueling every single workout that I'm doing in between reps. I'm fueling my long runs like every 15, 18 minutes, like on the dot. Um, and then like right when my long runs are done, workouts are done, I'm taking in that recovery drink to kind of jumpstart that recovery process. And I think all of those combined just like fuel me so that I'm able to, you know, recover from the work I'm doing quicker. And then yeah, that over the long term just makes a really big difference.

SPEAKER_04 11:30

It really does. I tell athletes all the time, I'm like, yeah, even those shorter workouts or track workouts, like you don't think you maybe need the fuel as long as you kind of ate before, you probably don't absolutely need that fuel during, like you will probably get through okay. Everyone's a little bit different to how long the workout is, right? Um but if if if at the like at the very least, you're gonna be supporting your recovery, right? Because you're actually just not getting into as deep a hole. And if you if your stomach is unsettled after a workout and you can't eat as much or you can't eat anything after for a little while, at least you got some fuel enduring, which can only support you know your recovery on the other side. So even just a little bit like getting into that consistent routine like you're doing, it's definitely maybe helping your workouts, right? But also certainly supporting your recovery. So that's great. I'm glad there's consistency there. How about on the on the sleep front? What are some things that have kind of like really um stood out for you? I imagine to some degree routine as well. But is is there anything like specific that you want to maybe mention that um you like that really works for me or that's really been helping me?

SPEAKER_01 12:38

So I'm in a little bit of a unique position where this year I'm not teaching and so I am just focusing on running. So I'm able to take naps in the middle of the day now, which is like not um not a lot of people have that luxury. So that for me personally is something that I'm really working on is taking a nap every single day. Um, which yeah, very grateful for that. Um, but I think more so than that, just trying to have like a typical bedtime where I'm shooting to like be asleep by or like to kind of like start winding down has been really helpful for me. And then looking at what I'm doing prior to that time. So let's say that bedtime for me is nine o'clock or nine thirty at night. I'm looking in like the 30-minute to an hour window right before, and I'm doing things that like calm my nervous system down, like reading a book or having a you know cup of herbal tea, or you know, just doing things that are like calming and relaxing. I'm not having like a dance party at nine o'clock at night, or you know, staring at my phone and having that light kind of impact my melatonin secretion, things like that. Um, and so just really being intentional about, you know, okay, this is the time where I'm really just starting to wind down. And I've noticed that that has me falling asleep faster, my quality of sleep is a lot more um, and yeah, if you have a pretty good sleep routine, then you're able to recover. And again, your training um can definitely be impacted by that in a positive way.

SPEAKER_04 14:07

Definitely, especially, and it's it's true regardless of this, but especially I think if you are morning, like you you run in the morning. Like if you are a morning workout person and you're suffering from poor sleep on top of that, yeah. It's gonna be it's gonna be extra problematic, right? Because it then, you know, the workouts or whatever those runs are, you're gonna just kind of struggle through those even more, you know, and just kind of get into that cycle just feeling low energy and lethargic kind of throughout the day. So um, but again, I think it's true no matter what. I think a consistent, healthy sleep hygiene is actually gonna be, you know, really um helpful and optimal, right? For for whatever time you work out, whatever goals you may have. Um, I think of rest though, and you you kind of touched on this a little bit, and I'm just curious, outside of like sleep, especially like outside of nighttime routine, um, how can one maybe how do you like like kind of even just get more rest, right? Like we know like even just resting can kind of help support recovery, even if you can't get like 10 hours of sleep a night. So how do you or how have you kind of worked rest um or being in that more rested state into your recovery routine?

SPEAKER_01 15:18

Yeah, I think you know, this is kind of where the majority of people kind of fall into this uh category is you know, they can't take a nap in the middle of the day or they have kids and they're up really early or working really late, right? But I think you have to kind of analyze your day and say, okay, like I have an hour-long, you know, lunch break. Like, how can I be in a calming environment? How can I like remove myself from a stressful work environment, whatever it may be, and just sit, like sit out in nature, sit on your couch, like whatever it may be, whatever it may look like for you, and just like be able to be in a place where you're like a little bit more relaxed and sitting down, like not on your feet, and that does go a long way. Like, you know, when I was teaching full-time, that was I was in that category. I would go into the teacher workroom and just like turn off all the lights and just be for like 20 minutes, and that makes a huge difference. Like coming out of that, I would feel rested, I would feel more prepared for the rest of my day. Um, and it makes a big difference. So I think it's just being really intentional with finding those moments in your day where you're able to kind of remove yourself from stress or yeah, just sit.

unknown 16:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 16:31

Awesome, I appreciate that. And then I'm thinking of like when like if training, like in training, especially if you're like really trying to be consistent with your training, or you're just really worried that like if you if you mess up the schedule or if you skip any days, um, that you know, you're you're gonna, you know, just kind of sabotage your progress or your your end goal. Um, how do you factor what are your thoughts on like skipping a day if you have to? Or just kind of changing up that day's plan, if that's what your body is kind of telling you to, or or your your your mind. I need a mental break, you know. Like what are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_01 17:07

Yeah, that was actually one of my points that I kind of wanted to bring up in this conversation. So I'm happy you brought it up. I think being flexible is so important. And I think if you want to get the most out of training, you have to like be realistic and honest with yourself about what you need in the moment. And so if that means taking a couple days off to kind of reset and kind of get back to baseline so that you're able to continue training, then perfect, that's exactly what you need to do. Um, so yeah, I think listening to your body is really important, and everyone has different signs, but you know, if you're feeling really stressed out and you're feeling like, oh my gosh, I'm just feeling so tired today, then that's your truth. That's you are feeling really tired today, and pushing through that isn't gonna help you progress in your your training, but taking a step back will, and that's something that a lot of people struggle with, myself included. And as a coach, I'm constantly telling my athletes, like, you know, we're told that pushing through, like being tough is the way to get things done, and it's honestly not always the case.

SPEAKER_04 18:13

Yeah, yeah, totally. You know, it really is like there is something to be said about like, you know, building up tolerance and like just that mentality, like athletics at the at the elite and pro level is you know, it's hard. So there is something to be said about building up that resilience, but not at the not necessarily at the um uh the the risk of like ignoring your body or or or causing burnout or injury or whatever the case is, right? Like there is that that I always say fine line, but there is that balance that you have to strike. And everyone's gonna be a little bit different, yeah. And and you know, I'm sure most of the people that you coach aren't running pro. So they maybe need to respect that they are living a very different life than their coach, right? And it's a little bit different. Like you can kind of be a little bit more resilient to things, but they're parents and they work nine to five, and you know, they've got sick parents, like like there's there are other things going on in their lives that they need to kind of consider and respect and um be flexible for, right? Um I wanted to, I had a I had a thought, I wanted to get into like goal setting, but I had another question. Um maybe I'll come back to it. It's I I lost it for a moment there, but I'll try to I'll try to get back to it. But um let's let's pivot a little bit to goal setting. Um that's I feel like one of these other oh, I had it, I had it. It's kind of related actually. I'm sure you know, like there are these like even branded journals out there, like you know, that that that um for athletes, runners especially. Um, is that something that you have dabbled in and maybe found beneficial? Whether that's like a training log or something even like a little bit broader than just like run today went well, you know, five mile easy, like but but you did kind of go broader and more of like a journaling practice. And and if so, or if you've seen it happen, like like um you know, teammates or whatnot go through it. What are your thoughts? How has it helped?

SPEAKER_01 20:18

Yeah, I think a lot, I know a lot of athletes that use and non-athletes who use journaling to help them in so many different ways, you know, not just athletically related, but like life in general. And personally myself, I have a training journal that I, you know, handwrite in and I love it. Um, but I have also done like um what are they called? Like happiness journals or something where you're kind of where I would write, you know, 10 positive things that happen during the day, like something that excited me, something that you know I'm looking forward to, things like that. And yeah, I think those are super, super beneficial and they definitely kind of parallel like setting goals with like athletics that um yeah, they can be really helpful in managing stress, they can be really helpful in a lot of different areas.

SPEAKER_04 21:08

Okay, cool, awesome. Now for you, because I don't even know if there's like a right or wrong way to go about this, right? But for you, have you found or do you find that you go back and like reread entries or like look at like the last marathon cycle? Or is it just, and again, maybe there's no right or wrong, but or is it just like it's just the in the moment practice that is beneficial for you? And maybe it's a little bit of both.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

Yeah, I think it's a little bit of both for me. I think for me, it's really helpful for me to like reflect and process um after I do a workout. Like today today, this morning, I just did a workout, and so I'll after this probably go write in my training journal, and it's a way for me to kind of digest what like the workout that I just did and kind of learn from it and maybe set more goals for next time I do it, things like that. Um, but I also absolutely use it as more of a reflective process where you know I'm training. For New York City Marathon. So I will have written down every single run that I do in my training journal. And you know, a week leading into the race, I'll probably go through that journal and highlight all of my really good races. And so when I'm flipping through, I'm like, oh, that's highlighted, that's highlighted, that's highlighted. You know, like there are all of these great um experiences that I can kind of draw on, and it kind of helps build confidence, to be honest. Um, so yeah, I kind of use them in both ways, and I think I think people can use them however it works best for them.

SPEAKER_04 22:29

Right, totally. Yeah, and that's I guess where I was getting at. Like there's doesn't seem to be a a right or wrong way, however, it helps you, if it helps you, and maybe it's not for everyone, but you know, I think if you are gonna do it, whatever that work looks like for you. Like if you don't have time to look at last year's journal for you know the marathon, yeah, then okay, great. But maybe in the moment it it is helpful. And even at the very least, it is probably like a like a restful activity that you can do, like slows you down and it forces you to reflect, and you just get like 10 minutes of quiet time to just kind of jot some thoughts down.

SPEAKER_01 23:03

Um and some people like doing that like with you know pen and paper, like myself, but then like I'm thinking of all of the athletes that I coach, like you have, you know, digital versions of all of your workouts that you've done on Final Surge, which is like the platform that we use, right? And so you're still able, you're still kind of doing that in a way, like writing in those post, you know, workout notes. And yeah, then as a coach, I can go through your training log and be like, look at all these great workouts, but you can also do that too. And so, yeah, some people like digital better, some people like pen and ink better. Um, yeah, it's kind of whatever works for you.

SPEAKER_04 23:36

Totally, yeah. I can just envision, like I'm thinking like pen and ink, like old school, like yeah, you know, you have like your wall of like medals or bibs, and like you have the shelf of just like your running journals over the years. And I feel like that can be like a really cool, um, I don't know, like like decor, but like even just like that practice, like of just like um not even necessarily like completing like you have to do it, but yeah, I just think that that could be really cool. You mentioned final surgery, like ah, there's something cool about like pen and paper, I think.

SPEAKER_01 24:04

I agree. But some people are very digital age like people, and so if everything it's like more streamlined, I think.

SPEAKER_04 24:12

Yeah, yeah, that's fair, that's fair. Um, so okay, let's pivot to to goal setting. I mean, I think this is kind of related topic anyway, but um, like for you, how important is setting goals and like clear intentions um of obviously like as it relates to like one-running or training? Um, what what how does that fit into the whole process of like setting up a training plan or like committing to a race or whatever the case is?

SPEAKER_01 24:37

Yeah, I think it's really important for me. I have you know big lofty goals um for like, you know, major races that I'm doing like maybe two times a year, or you know, if we're thinking of the Olympics, like you know, we have a huge goal that will govern four years of work. Um, so those are very important for me. But I think also looking at it on a smaller scale and just having like knowing that every single run you do has a purpose. And so for me, it's been really helpful to understand the purpose of every single run that I'm doing because even easy runs like serve a training purpose because if they didn't, we wouldn't do them right, and so that's been really helpful for me, just like understanding what my coach is wanting me to get out of every single workout really helps me show up and be the best person I can on that day because it's really clear like, okay, this is this is the goal of the workout, so this is what I'm gonna accomplish. And then when you accomplish it, you're like, oh, this is fun, like I did a really good job. And if you can kind of have goals like that every single day, there it's not as daunting to have just like one big goal at the end of the season. And so I think that for me has been something that I'm currently working on and something that I try to instill in the athletes that I coach is have those big lofty goals, those are great, but also have process goals along the way, have like smaller goals because then if you're clicking off those little goals, it makes it more motivating.

SPEAKER_04 26:08

Yeah, totally. And it makes it easier to like think of the positive or or or like realize that there are positives, even out of those workouts that don't maybe go your way, right? Like on paper, you didn't hit that pace that you're supposed to hit every mile or whatever the case is. But if you have like another kind of related process goal that was like complete the workout or like nail the fueling, right? Like, great, you accomplished those things. Yeah, you didn't get the pace, but like in the end, that's probably not gonna break your marathon goal, right? Like then and you accomplish these other things. So I think you're totally right. That can be super beneficial.

SPEAKER_01 26:48

Yeah, those um those process goals are like key for me, like the things that you can 100% control, because sometimes you can't control your pace, sometimes, like you know, it's really windy or it's really cold or your legs are just really tired and the paces just like aren't gonna happen that day, and that's okay, like as long as you have goals that are also like you know, have a positive attitude throughout the whole entire workout, right? Those that's something you can 100% control. And then you're finishing the workout, like, okay, I accomplished like 80% of my goals. Like, that's pretty good.

SPEAKER_04 27:20

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's awesome. When, like, how long have you been kind of doing this? Like, kind of like adopting, like really adopting this like goal setting, even like these process goals. Like, has this been for years? Is this something you kind of learned more recently or maybe like in college?

SPEAKER_01 27:37

I think it's probably over the last two years, definitely the last year, but um, I'd say over the last two years is really when I've kind of started to get into it. I worked with a sports psychologist for a little bit, and she really helped me kind of shift my viewpoint on all of that stuff. Um, and yeah, it's definitely a work in progress. It's not something that you're just like, oh yeah, I'm just gonna write this goal and then it'll be it'll be good. Like it's it's always a work in progress.

SPEAKER_04 28:01

Yeah, totally. And it's and it's time consuming, you know, it's an extra thing that you have to do. But like if you can, I think get into a good, just like keeping a training journal or training blog, like um it is something that if you get into that good routine, it's just something you do, like after a while. It's just like part of it. Like, okay, I get back and I write in my notebook or whatever. And it's just the the extra 30 seconds that you just add to your run. Like it's it doesn't become this huge thing if you get really consistent with it, which it sounds like you've done over the last year or so. Um and then sometimes it gets hard, right? Speaking of goals and intentions, there are things that happen, there are challenges, right? Um, what strategies like do you adopt or do you recommend for kind of staying focused and motivated when it gets challenging for athletes?

SPEAKER_01 28:51

Yeah, for yourself. Yeah, I think for me, sometimes when things get challenging, I look towards the bigger goals and I'm like, okay, this, you know, small race along the way, you know, doesn't really mean that much. I'm looking still ahead towards the bigger goal, and that kind of helps me get over a little dull moment, you know. Um and sometimes it's sometimes it's different. Like I'm like, okay, well, I'm still having fun doing this, and that's like one of my reasons why I'm in running. Um, and yeah, so I feel like it kind of always changes that I just try to stay positive.

SPEAKER_04 29:30

Yeah, that's great. I can tell. You gave that off for sure. Um well, great. I mean, listen, I don't have any more like like hard questions that I that I you know made sure I wrote down to to not, you know, skip over here or forget. But um anything else that comes to mind, you mentioned earlier, like I hit on one of those topics that you really wanted to kind of you know touch on, uh, which I'm glad we got to. Um, is there anything else as it as it relates to just like again the little things, the little things that maybe have worked for you or the little things that you find like are kind of commonly coming up with you and your athletes?

SPEAKER_01 30:08

Um yeah, I don't know. I think I think just we kind of just talked about this, but like having a why as to why you run, and you know, everyone has a different reason why. Some people, you know, are in it. There's so many reasons why people run. That's why I love running because so many different people come to the sport. Um, but I think as long as you know, you remember why you're doing it, um yeah, that can get you through a lot of challenging times. It can get you through a lot of really great workouts too. Um but yeah, I think I think we kind of covered everything, yeah, fueling, sleeping. I think we touched on managing stress at one point, um, setting goals, having clear intentions for like every run, um, and then being flexible, like you said, is um pretty important.

SPEAKER_04 30:52

Yeah. And then um I imagine this isn't uh like I mean it's an obvious plug, but I it's I'll just frame it this way. Like, I do imagine that having a coach can be super helpful in all of this. Because I I mean, I I've only had a coach. I mean, I I don't have lofty goals. I have a two and a half year old now. My running looks very different than it did, you know, three years ago. Um, but when I did have a coach, it's actually one of our Ron Doyen coaches, um, it was super helpful. Like it was so nice and so incredibly like eye-opening to have that like one ability to talk with someone about things, um, instead of just me like guessing or like googling things. Um but and then also like to like have like even just go through the process of like setting up a training plan.

SPEAKER_01 31:40

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 31:41

Like that was just really cool. And then like not even it wasn't even long enough to like really get into the weeds of like all these other things that we just talked about, which I think you really could do with it with a coach. Is that like one of the things that you've learned, either that you kind of do with your athletes or and or that you've learned like is really helpful for you with your like coaches or teammates or whoever is like that influential support system in your life?

SPEAKER_01 32:05

Yes, I think having a coach, especially like I just know I personally know all of the coaches on Rendolian. So, like a huge plug for them because they're amazing athletes themselves. They have coached amazing athletes, um, like just such a wealth of knowledge. And I think when I'm talking to people who are thinking about, you know, having a coach, that's like the biggest um impact that working with a coach has is that yes, we can give you a training plan. You can also find a training plan online, but like we give you a training plan, but then you know, we answer your questions that come with it because there are always questions like if you had a bad workout or if you had a great workout, it's like let's let's dive into that a little more. Let's see why you had such a great workout, or maybe let's look at why you had a bad workout, and then we're pulling on all of these little things that we know that we've kind of experienced through our careers or that we've kind of gained through working with athletes, and we're kind of giving you more knowledge. And when it comes down to it, it's like the more knowledge you have, the better you'll be. And so I think yeah, working with a coach is awesome because we can kind of talk about all these little things that go into training that aren't just like your training plan.

SPEAKER_04 33:19

Yep, totally, and and you know, I think like for some reason I immediately thought of like injury prevention. I had this client right now who's making me think about this. And for me, I'm just like, yeah, if you're some someone who is, and we're getting a little bit off of our main topic, but that's okay because we're wrapping up anyway. If you're like someone who is like, I don't know if running's for me because I'm constantly like getting injured, and okay, this is valid, that's a valid thought. Like it looks like it might not be for you, but if you don't have a coach and you have like that that professional set of eyes like on your training plan, or like that can kind of talk you through maybe what you clearly need to be doing better and what maybe could explain why you're being injured. Like, I think that's that's something to consider, you know. Like, um, for me, like again, even like talking about all these benefits of having a coach, like I think injury prevention or to just help you get consistent about things, I think can be really like a like a huge um benefit as well. Yeah, just having that close relationship.

SPEAKER_01 34:20

And you know, you know, every person is different. I mean, people know this, people talk about this all the time, but different things work for different people. And having a coach who has worked with like a number of different people and knows a lot of different strategies or ways around, or you know, incorporating cross-training to like not be as injured or things like that, like people really truly need uh like personalized training for them and with their life too. Like it's so hard to just like have a generic plan and be like, okay, fit this into your life because it's way harder uh to do that.

SPEAKER_04 34:55

Yeah, I I mean I think everyone can benefit from a coach, right? Like it's the coaches, coaches need coaches, like it's just there's nothing wrong with it. It's it is, I think, I think it is a fact. Like, I think not even like you can't do this unless you have a coach, but I think there's always room to grow, there's always room to improve, there's always extra accountability, and I think like in almost any area aspect of life, right? So if you have that, we'll just call it a support system to help you through that, to help you identify that and to kind of keep you accountable and kind of guide you along the way, I think everyone can benefit from that. So, you know, if you if if it happens to be about running and you do have like lofty goals, like like you do, Carrie, then yeah, I think you know, and you don't have a coach or you haven't had one in a long time. Um, I should look into it. Again, like kind of like what you said, whether it's like getting a plan from elsewhere or a coach from elsewhere, or you just want to look into our coaches, I just think it could really be beneficial for anyone who's struggling or unsure or new or just like looking to see what's next for them. I think um that could be part of your next move.

SPEAKER_01 36:07

So I agree.

SPEAKER_04 36:09

On that note, how can people reach out to you if they're now um freshly inspired to look into getting a coach?

SPEAKER_01 36:17

Uh yeah, you can uh click on the Rendoyan Instagram account, and I'm sure that there's a link to the Rendoyan website where you can kind of look me up there, or you can shoot me a message on my Instagram, and I would be more than happy to chat with you.

SPEAKER_04 36:32

Awesome, perfect. Yeah, and there should be a link there. Um, and it'll bring you to our site, and you can go to Browse Coaches and find Carrie, and uh they can message you that way too. I think they can probably even set up like a preliminary call if that's their jam. Um so you can just kind of uh chat with Carrie and see if you know if it feels like a really good fit. And I'm assuming I'm saying that, but I'm assuming you're you're accepting clients. I don't I am like now I'm booked out for a year. Oh, sorry about that. Okay, awesome. And I think you'd be great. I mean, clearly you have this like um this aura, this like personality that really I think um most people would would welcome in their life. And then hopefully uh when it comes to you know any other matters, that yeah, everyone just has to look and find that right fit. So hopefully that that works out. So reach out to Carrie if you're interested, um, or browse our other wonderful coaches, like you said, Carrie. They are truly amazing and experienced and just really good people. I I think at this point I've d met via this whole process, like most of them. There's like one or two that I just haven't gotten on here. Um, and they everyone just really is is awesome.

SPEAKER_02 37:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:43

Um, so Carrie, listen, thank you so much for taking the time again. I hope it's not another year.

SPEAKER_02 37:49

I know. We'll have to do this more frequently.

SPEAKER_04 37:51

I think so too. Maybe we'll get you after New York and and sometime after after after you process it and you know however that goes. Uh, and then we can kind of come back on and chat about your learnings and anything else you want to share. Um, and again, congratulations on getting married. Good luck in New York. Um, and I'll connect with you again.

SPEAKER_01 38:12

Yeah, thanks for having me on. Thanks, Gary. Bye.

SPEAKER_04 38:15

Have a good one.

Jacob Phillips 38:16

And that does it for this month's Instagram live replay edition of the Next Level Running podcast. As always, I want to thank Coach Will Benitez for all the work he does in setting up these conversations, planning for them, and getting the guest on. Uh, I also want to thank Coach Carrie Elwood. She did a great job talking about optimizing those little things to elevate your training tonight. I want to wish her luck. Uh, good luck if she heads into New York City in about a month uh for the marathon there. And hey, if you uh if you didn't, check out those show notes below. Uh there's lots of great links to great information. Look, if you want to take your running or your nutrition to the next level, uh check out Coach Carrie, check out Coach Will. Uh also click that follow button on at Run Doyen uh Instagram. That way you can be alerted when uh Run Doyen goes live for these conversations and you can be part of those. Makes it a little bit more interactive. But hey, just appreciate you coming along for the ride. We're gonna be back uh at the end of the month on the 26th for our full form version of the podcast, and so I'm excited for that one. Uh but until then, have a great run. Thank you for joining us here on the Next Level Running Podcast. Your source for training advice from the expert coaches at Rundoyan. If you're ready to take your training and race day to the next level, head over to RunDoyan.com and get matched to your ideal coach who will provide you with the highly customized online training you need for crushing your goals on race day.