Running 101: How to Get Started

In this month's episode of the Next Level Running Podcast Coach Sean Henning and I discuss how to get started with running -- call it a Running 101 for beginners! This was a fun episode where we get back to the basics talking about running shoes, gear, running form, overcoming mental obstacles when starting running or a training cycle. 

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Transcript

Jacob Phillips 0:18

This is the Next Level Running Podcast brought to you by the expert coaches that run doy, helping runners of all levels trust their goals on race day by matching with the perfect coach or training plan. Hello and welcome back to the Next Level Running Podcast. I'm your host, Jacob Phillips, and this month I'm joined by new co-host, John Henning. Coach John and I, we go back a long ways, but Coach John, he's a coach here at Run Doying with myself. You know, the past two or so years, I've been kind of running this podcast solo. We've had a great uh array of guests from our Run Doying coaching family, and we plan to continue to do that. But starting this month, Coach Sean is going to be joining me on the podcast, and we're gonna attack uh the podcast this year with a with a new energy. We want to help you become a better runner. What can we do to help you become a better runner? That's the intention with the podcast. We want to help you take your running to the next level. We want you to train harder and run faster, right? We want you to train smarter and run faster. We want to help you become a better runner. And so that's what we're trying to provide on this podcast. And so we're starting off this month, Coach Sean and I, we're jumping into basically running 101. We're gonna get back to the basics. Hey, how do I get started? I'm a beginner. Where do I start? Uh we're gonna dive into that. Coach Sean and I, we we kind of start off the podcast catching up a bit. You know, we're friends, we both coach at the university level, same divisions, our paths cross quite a bit, and so we catch up a bit, we talk about some awesome things that are going on in the tracking field and distance running world. Uh there were a few uh world records set by some American guys, and so we dive into that. Um but before we get into our conversation, I want to point you to the show notes below. As usual, I've got the rundoyen.com website, uh link to the website there. Look, if you're looking for a coach to help you take your running to the next level, look no further than rundoing.com. We've got a unique matching feature that helps pair you with a coach that fits what you're looking for. Look, if you want science, analytics, data-driven coaching, we've got that for you. If you want motivation, inspiration, someone to push you to the finish line, we've got that for you. And if look, if you're looking for someone to just help you get started, help get you there, we've got that for you too. The unique matching feature here at Rundoin.com does a great job at connecting you with a coach that can help you pursue your goal. So check out Rundoin.com. I've also got uh a link to the Doy and Dashers program. Look, if you're not quite ready for a full-time running coach, uh you don't really have the time to fully commit to that, try out the Doy and Dashers. I did it about a year ago. I loved it. It was flexible. I could fit it in and move it around with my schedule. It was great, and it got me into great shape. It actually kickstarted me into a great summer of running. I don't think I would have had the summer of running that I had without the work I did last spring with the Doy and Dashers. So check that out. It's$39 a month. You get a program that's written for you, for your goal, um, and for what you're training for by one of our world-class expert run coaches here at Run Doyan. Look, at$39 a month, it's a great way to see is this something I want to pursue? Do I do I want to coach? Let me check this out first, right? So check that out. I've got that contact, uh, I've got that link down below. I'm also gonna have the contact info for uh Coach Sean and myself here at RunDoyan.com. Look, if you've got uh something you want to hear on the podcast, if you've got questions, comments about the podcast, reach out to us. We'd love the feedback. We're gonna continue uh bringing in our uh our our coaching peers here at Run Doyen to to dive into some of these subjects that we've got planned for us. Um but look, if you've got questions for us, you've got the contact info there below. Um but look, our goal in 2025 is to help you become a better, fitter, faster, stronger running runner to take your running to the next level. And so uh everything that we do in this podcast going forward uh is gonna hopefully have that uh intent, right? We want to make you a better runner. So check out the show notes below, and uh here's a conversation with Coach Sean Henning and myself as we dive into running 101. What's up, man? Hey, how are you?

Sean Henning 4:32

I'm good. How about yourself? How's everything out in Texas?

Jacob Phillips 4:35

Man, it's crazy. It was 85 degrees on Friday and it's 40 degrees today. So it's uh crazy, crazy weather. What about what about California?

Sean Henning 4:44

Yeah, that's quite the change. Uh well, we got a little rain out here, but I mean right now it's it's probably high sixties and sunny and beautiful and kind of a standard Southern California day. So I I I cannot complain.

Jacob Phillips 4:56

Yeah, yeah. My my guys keep saying, you know, we're we're uh we're we're a now we're now a bad weather team because we we've had some we've had some weather, you know. But uh yeah. Did you watch the Super Bowl?

Sean Henning 5:08

I I did. Uh I uh I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Jacob Phillips 5:13

Nice.

Sean Henning 5:14

Um yeah, it was good. We we uh you know we're we're we're hanging out with some friends and enjoyed uh I I wish I could say it was a competitive game, right? Um but I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't happy with the outcome. Uh what about what about you guys?

Jacob Phillips 5:28

We we watched until about halftime. We we go to bed pretty early over here. So um yeah, we get to we get to about you know 7 30, 8 o'clock. It starts getting dark in the house and and we we kind of we kind of you know close in. But um, you know, as a Dallas Cowboys fan, you know, I I can't pull for the Eagles, and I was kind of uh I've got that that Chiefs fatigue, you know. So but uh but you know what I was gonna say, like you know, the the obviously the the the Super Bowl was last night, but kind of for some distance runners, we had some Super Bowls going on this this weekend, right? We had some big events.

Sean Henning 6:02

Oh yeah, no. I mean, you and I we were talking about it the other day. I mean, um, you know, for our for for the listeners, if if if they're not kind of it in the know on this stuff, you know, Amer American uh distance running is is really um crushing it right now. I mean, especially on the track and um both genders, gals and guys. Um, but yeah, in particular, the Millrose games, I mean, there was just some really impressive races. Um, you know, uh seeing a couple of world records go down by actually four American men, right? Um because I think you know, the men's mile, uh uh yard and a goose uh uh obviously set the the world record in the mile, 346. And then uh um what's his name? I'm blanking uh on the on the mile. The youngster that got second. Yeah, Hobbes. Yeah, Hobbes Kessler, you know, just uh just a young kid, uh, you know, Olympic finalist, obviously, this summer, but uh but uh also getting under the world record. Um and then of course uh um the uh the men's 3K, seeing Grant Fisher barely beat out Cole Hawker, Olympic gold medalist in the 3K, both guys getting under the world record, just um just absolutely amazing.

Jacob Phillips 7:16

You know, yeah, it's some it's some fun running, man. I you know I I it's exciting. It's exciting to watch, exciting to to kind of be part of this generation of of running, right? I but I always I mean it's it's getting so fast at the high school level, at the college level, at the pro level, and I I keep walking away saying, like, I gotta up my game. You know, like obviously I'm not coaching Grant Fisher, I'm not coaching, I'm not coaching these guys, but like it's it's just getting so fast. And and uh and it's really cool, like you said, to see the you know, for us Americans, it's really cool to see us step up and and do something special like that. You know, obviously it started in the summer with with Cole in the 1500. Interesting topic, a tidbit on on Hobbes Kessler. So his training partner, Bryce Hoppel, is my neighbor. So um, so yeah, Bryce Bryce lives in my neighborhood, and you know, he he was the uh I think he set the American record in the 800, uh, or at least the trials record in the 800s this past year in the summer. But uh we only see him maybe like once a semester. He spends most of his time, you know, at Flagstaff or Michigan with uh with that crew. But uh, but yeah, he is he's my neighbor, and every so often I see him run into the neighborhood, you know. So that's interesting.

Sean Henning 8:22

He was a he was a Kansas, Kansas State graduate, right?

Jacob Phillips 8:26

Kansas, yeah. He was at Kansas. Kansas. I'm sorry, Kansas. But he's from Texas originally. And uh you know, but uh yeah, I don't know what the connection is to Dallas, but uh, you know, he kind of connected with some of our middle distance runners a few years ago when when he moved into town. And and uh yeah, so uh I've actually I've never met him. I mean I see him running, I I you know, we wave and we say that's happening, you know, and and uh but yeah, he's my neighbor.

Sean Henning 8:50

So that is well, yeah, he's he's not only Americ the American record holder in the in the outdoor 800. I I feel like you know, in all this world record talk, right, you got um you got Grant Fisher and and Nagoose setting these world records. Let's not forget that um yeah, the Hoppel went out and ran a crushed an 800 this weekend, and you know, um yeah, I mean he's uh you know he's a he's he's he's good, you know. I think he wasn't he the indoor world champion, I believe. Yeah, he might have been.

Jacob Phillips 9:17

Yeah, he he he might have been, you know. Like I should know that, you know, I should know that since he's my neighbor, but uh we we brag to all of our non-running neighbors, like we have an Olympian in the in the neighborhood, you know, and so um yeah, it's a it's a yeah, it's pretty, pretty, pretty cool little uh you know, little little little bragging point there.

Sean Henning 9:34

But um what's what's going on with your uh do you guys have a uh a meet this weekend, your uh Dallas Baptist? Are you guys competing?

Jacob Phillips 9:43

So we're traveling this week. We've got a crew going up to Grand Valley State, so they're you know Division II Powerhouse, and so they've got a a really they call it the big meet, and it is a big meet. It's gonna be fast. And then uh and then the rest of our team is going to we're traveling up to um to Washburn. It's in Kansas, it's about an eight-hour drive, eight-hour trip. So um it's gonna be, yeah, it's gonna be last weekend before conference for us, and and uh yeah, trying to get some conference marks and some national qualifiers. And yeah, indoor season is tough, man. I mean, you you know, you I don't think you guys don't do indoors, right?

Sean Henning 10:14

No, yeah, we we don't do indoors, and I know you and I have talked about this before, you know, it's uh those collegiate athletes that that have three seasons, it's really hard. You know, you have a cross-country season in the fall, and you get maybe a week or two, and then you're then you're going into indoor season, and then you get no time after that, and you go right into outdoor season, and it's just a it's just a grind. And um, yeah, I you know, I I while I do I would enjoy having some indoor opportunities. I also am grateful that we have a gap and we can kind of get back to, I mean, this is stuff we talk about with our clients, right? Having these these periods where you can you can just lay some base mileage and you don't have to stress about a race that's in a week or two. You can just put in some good aerobic work. So that's the nice thing about not having indoors is I've got this long chunk of time with with my collegiate athletes where we're not worried about racing. We'll have you know, essentially December and January, and and really about half of half of February. We don't have to think about that, or 10 weeks where we're not thinking about that at all, right? And um, so I think it's a blessing. And um, no doubt. We do have a meet this weekend, but uh, I don't have any distance kids that'll be racing, it'll just be kind of all our speed power athletes. And yeah, um, yeah, we've got we've really got we've got something in two weeks, um, but then we really, really kind of open up in four weeks. So we still have about a month until we really kind of get going.

Jacob Phillips 11:31

So yeah, and that's that's so nice. I mean, we we get back onto campus and it's immediate. Okay, they just jump in. So the winter's got to be really good. And and it's like honestly, like the flu has ravaged the entire country. But I mean, like our team has yeah, so it's just like the indoor season is tough. I mean, it's such a short window, and you know, and kids, if they're lining up to race, they want to race well, right? And so you you kind of gotta be ready, but it's really hard to be to be perfect in January, February, and still try to be good in in April and May, right? So um, yeah, it is tough. It is, it is, I think as a coach, it's it's one of the biggest headaches trying to make that fit, trying to make that work and and trying to see that that progression of like, like we can't be A plus in indoors and expect to be A plus outdoors, right? And so that's kind of uh yeah, that's a that's a tough part. And like the you guys get to just lay that, you know, that, like you said, that that foundation for the whole spring and can really kind of come out firing because you've been together for so long. It's uh yeah, it's definitely, definitely a positive, you know.

Sean Henning 12:26

But uh well, yeah, and you know, and I and I'd say like, you know, um one thing that's you can we can really even apply to you know any anybody that we might be coaching, you know, um um outside of our college teams is like yeah, you have, you know, if you have this indoor season, but you know that the bigger season, the bigger goals are an outdoor, the way you might train an indoor, it might be a little bit more strength-based. You're not gonna be as maybe as particular with um, you know, with the the focus on you know event specific stuff because you're really trying to just develop and build that strength so you're ready for the bigger season. So a lot of the stuff that we sometimes think about with our clients too, right? Is if they have a big, if they have a big goal of, you know, I'm I'm gonna run the Boston Marathon, but it's three months from now and I've got you know two road races I want to do in the meantime, okay. Well, we won't focus on that. We'll we'll we'll be building and working through it, but we'll still try to run well, you know.

Jacob Phillips 13:17

Yep, yep. And that's that's we preach that, preach that, preach that, you know, and we hope it, we hope it uh it sticks, you know. But uh, yeah, very cool. So you know, I I I think like in you know, in the next couple months, I think obviously there's gonna be some big news from this podcast and we're gonna have some some things we're rolling out. But I think the biggest thing is is you know, you and I are gonna be tag tag teaming this thing, right? And so it's uh, you know, I I'm gonna in the intro we'll have all that and stuff. But I think one of the biggest things with this podcast going forward is is we're we got a chance to really do something special with it. You know, you and I we've we've talked running for a long time and and uh we could talk for forever, but I'm super excited about uh teaming up on this and with with the guests we're gonna bring in, the topics we're gonna cover, that sort of stuff. But uh I'm I'm pumped up, man. I'm I'm I'm uh I'm fired up about the next uh yeah, about the next year or so in the podcast and what we've got kind of planned and such. But uh you want to jump in? Like what's what's your yeah, yeah.

Sean Henning 14:12

Yeah, no, I I'm excited. I uh I'm I'm looking forward. I mean, it it's um it's funny. You and I, you know, what we'll be talking about, these are things that we would easily be talking about regardless. You know, we just we have we have great conversations about running and different topics, you know, whether it be training or mindset or or preparation for races. And so I feel like this is this is honestly just almost an extension of what what's we may talk about on a on a regular basis, just as friends, you know. So um yeah, I'm looking forward to it. And um, yeah, just exploring different topics that might be interesting to um some of our listeners. And um, yeah, it's gonna be uh it's gonna be a fun uh next few months.

Jacob Phillips 14:51

Uh yeah, I'm excited, man. And and uh our you know, you're in California, I'm in Texas. The the beautiful thing with the spring semester is you know, we get to do some traveling and and we're our paths are gonna cross, you know, whether that's uh in in California in your home turf in a in a in a month or two and or at Nationals, outdoors nationals. And so um I'm I'm I know you're gonna be there. We're planning on being there.

Sean Henning 15:13

Like uh we'll both be there.

Jacob Phillips 15:15

Yeah, we will be there, right? So um, so I I I'd love like as we were kind of talking through the the next you know, really few months to to year of this podcast, you know, we're like, hey, let's let's let's get started with like a running 101. Like, or you know, back when we were going up those those books, you know, like you would you know say uh computer programming for dummies, uh learning basketball for dummies, you know, that kind of thing, and say, like, if we just started at the basis, right? And and and and because I think at the end of the day, uh, we want to help people be the best runners they can be. But you and I not only have a passion for that, but we also have a passion of improving ourselves as coaches, right? And and and teaching people instead of just saying, do this because we said to do it, right? But we have a passion for for teaching and such. And so tonight we want to jump into this idea of like getting started, right? Like running 101, like what do you need to know? Kind of the kind of the basics, right? And then build from there each each uh kind of each podcast with some special guests, all that kind of good stuff. And so, you know, I as we jump into this kind of like the way to get started. Um yeah, I like I guess your thoughts. Well, like, like you you go first. You're talking to a client that says, Hey, hey, I want to I want to either complete my first marathon or I want to run my first race or hey, I'm new to running. Like, yeah, where are we starting?

Sean Henning 16:30

Yeah, for sure. Well, you know, you and I talked about a few questions we felt were you know very, very important, you know, if if you're if you're starting this process. And you know, sometimes we have clients that have been running for a long time and they just need some new direction. Other times we we legitimately have clients that um that are doing this for the first time ever, right? And so um I think one of the the the starter questions is uh you know, what what type of equipment do I use, right? Like what do I need for this sport? Um you know, and we are very different than uh, you know, baseball or football, or um, but you still need some basic things uh in this sport. And so I think it's good for um people that are new to running, or even if you've been running for a long time and you just you just never tackled the subject, nobody ever talked to you about it, right? Which that definitely happens. There are a lot of people out there that are running, and nobody's ever had a conversation about this. Um I think it's good to address it, you know. Um one of the yeah, one of the big questions is what what type of shoes should I wear? Right. Um and so well and and and you you post-college worked in a shoe store, right? I did many, many moons ago. I worked, I worked in a specialty running for about two and a half years and kind of uh cut my teeth there. And you know, uh when I was a poor post-college guy trying to, you know, pre pre-marriage, just trying to, you know, survive. Uh that was one of three jobs. And yeah, no, it was a lot of fun. I had a great time doing it. It was great to be around runners and um of all of uh all levels, right? Um just a lot of fun. Um yeah. And and you know, just side note, I would say to our listeners, if you if you are you know in the running game, you know, if you're if you're pursuing running, it it's great to be, you know, to go to a running store and just kind of pick those people's brains and just be around the community. And um, I mean, it's there's there's there's so much knowledge out there. Um but uh but yeah, so in particular with shoes, I mean I I did you know I I sold these shoes for two and a half years and um a lot has changed. This was uh you know, this is 15 years ago, so a lot has changed. Yeah. But uh a lot of the stuff is still tried and true, and it's still um it's still applicable to this day. So um I think what's good to know um for um for our listeners is you know when you're when you're looking at uh shoes, um it's really valuable to get the type of shoe that fits your running gate, right? And so um it's a really important thing um to understand what that means. So um typically if uh uh runners will uh will either be uh a neutral runner, which means they they kind of run uh they they kind of roll right down the middle of their forefoot when they push off the ground, okay. Um which is great. That's that's efficient, that's what you want, right? Um but uh so that's that's one way that uh people might um might strike the ground. Uh another way is they might supinate, which means they actually stay on the outside of the foot. Um and uh that's that's okay too. Um and then the other and probably most common uh thing you'll see is runners that will actually over pronate. Um so they'll actually normal pronation means you kind of strike on the outside and you end up rolling down the middle. Over pronation means you keep rolling off into the inside of your foot. And so um they make different running shoes that uh that uh um are uh built for each uh each type of runner. And so um most running uh shoe companies, there's a there's I don't know, there's a dozen great ones, right? Um there's so many these days. Um most of them will make shoes that are either um neutral, stability, or motion control shoes. And so um kind of just the the real basics of it is um if you roll right down the middle of your shoe, um, or or uh or if you are rolling to the outside, which is called supination, um, a neutral shoe is gonna be great for you. That basically means uh it's just a shoe that's got a bunch of cushion, lets your lets your foot do whatever it does, right? Whatever it's naturally doing, which is good. It's rolling down the middle, and um you don't need a lot of correction, right? For sure. Yep. Now you can still wear orthotics and shoes like that. You can take the insole out and put an orthotic in. There's no problems with that. But um, but that's one type of shoe. Um, another type of shoe is a stability shoe. Um, and again, every brand will pretty much make these, and they basically have this kind of a denser material on the inside. Okay, yeah, the the medial side of the shoe. And um that denser material gives you a little more stability, right? Uh kind of in your arch area. So if you are somebody that over pronates, if you're gonna collapse inward, which is about 85% of the population, uh, if you're so it's like I said, it's a most most people, right? Um if you're doing something like that, um, a stability shoe is gonna give you a little extra structure and support on the inside, which is great. And um, and the last type is a motion control shoe, which is basically it's a stability shoe, but it's a lot more. And so that's for somebody that's a pretty severe over pronator. They really collapse in a lot and they need a lot of support. And um, and so all all different types of shoes are great. Um uh I think making sure the shoe has a really good midfoot, um, it's got really um solid cushioning. Uh the the other rule of thumb is the price point. And this is uh, I think this is important for um someone to really think about when they're buying shoes is uh you could go cheap, yeah, but there's probably a reason they're cheap. And um most quality running shoes the this day and age are probably going to be at least$120 or more. Yeah. Um Standard retail price, right? You can get them on sale and you can get them discount and all that. But but if you're getting your 70 or 80 dollar uh pair of shoes, you need to understand that the the the amount of cushioning or the quality of the cushioning technology, it's gonna be less. Um the shoe's gonna have less midfoot support. Um it's just not gonna be as durable as uh a shoe that costs a little bit more. And so um, so that's just something for I think for um for our listeners to be thinking about is um it'd be better to invest a little bit more um than to yeah than to try to save a a few bucks and and you end up having to replace them sooner or you end up you know you end up getting hurt, right? Um so yeah, what do you what are your thoughts on that?

Jacob Phillips 22:37

Yeah, and I think yeah, I think you think about like like it's not golf, you don't have to buy clubs, you don't have to buy, you pay a greens fee, right? Like, like this is the really the only thing that you actually have to have, right? Because like even this these days you can record your your your run on your phone, your cell phone, right? Like, yeah, I love the I love the old school having a watch and you know that, but like you have to have shoes. And so if it's truly the only training expense that you you have to have, then you should probably invest in it pretty heavily, you know. Um yeah, I I'm with you. I I think like that the the shoes go get fitted, uh go get your gate analyzed and get put in a pair of shoes by a professional. Um yeah, I I think that's I think you hit the nail on the head there. Invest the money in it. Um you know, and rotate them out as it's as they as they encourage you to, because the these these shoe salesmen um they're not making commission, right? Like they're not making commission. I I worked on a shoe floor, you've worked on a shoe floor, you're not making commission. Like if they say, hey, every X amount of miles, rotate out your shoes, do that, right? Because uh we don't want to deal with the injuries, you know. Like we like you want to keep running and you want to run pain-free, good shoes. Good shoes. Good shoes. Yeah, I'm with you. That's I I also think too, as we're talking about these things like this these starter things, some people can sit there and say, Oh yeah, I knew that or whatever. Man, there is never a bad time to get a good reminder on the principles, the basics, right? And like having a good pair of shoes, I I would always to find my motivation. Sometimes I would say, you know what, I'm going to the shoe store, I'm gonna talk to my buddies, you know, because they're they're running, you know, the old school runners, you know, and I'm gonna get fitted and I'm gonna get a good pair of shoes before I kickstart this next training cycle or this training phase or whatever, right? So yeah, there's a motivational aspect to it as well as uh at least for me, as as well as kind of being healthy, you know.

Sean Henning 24:26

Oh, without a doubt. And you know, I just had a um uh yeah, recent client that um finally went and bought a bought a pair of running shoes and uh um he hadn't had bought he had kind of minimalist shoes, and and that's a whole nother that might be another podcast in itself. Um but he finally got a pair of shoes with good cushioning and he said it felt amazing. He felt like he was you know floating on clouds and he felt so much better at the end of the run. So um yeah, it's uh it's an important thing, especially before big big training block. The other thing I think um to note uh is is the size you get, right? And yeah, um, you know, I can remember years ago working specialty running and selling these shoes and having so many people come in saying, yeah, I'm a size nine, right? And then we go and we get them fitted, and I'm thinking, you are a size 10 and a half, you know. And so it's it's important to know that when you buy a pair of quality running shoes, you want to have a thumb's width, a thumb's width worth of space from the end of your big toe uh all the way to the end of the toe box. And the reason you want that is because whether you like it or not, your foot's gonna slide forward when you run. It's gonna happen. Period, end of story. So if you have zero space, you're banging against the end of the toe box, black, black toenails, yep, yep. Falling off, disgusting, yuck. So get the space. Don't don't get a shoe that's barely your foot can barely fit into it. You don't want it. Maybe for a different sport, but not in running, you need a little bit of space. And I think that's important for um people to remember when they get fitted.

Jacob Phillips 26:02

Yeah, when we when we actually have a full podcast podcast dedicated to to the the the footwear, um, I've got some great stories for you. So uh I I I'll just tease it. I went from a 10 and a half to a size nine and a half. Uh I I I basically changed my foot structure by forcing it into smaller shoes, not not smart. So, anyways, we'll talk about that later.

Sean Henning 26:22

Um, that's not good.

Jacob Phillips 26:26

Lost a lot of toenails and uh had a lot of blisters. Yeah, anyways. Well, yeah, save that, save that one for another day.

Sean Henning 26:31

But yeah, oh we yes, absolutely. We can tell those horror stories another time, without a doubt. Um well and and the other thing, you know, I think we probably with racing shoes, that might be another, that's probably another podcast. But um, I think the other thing, you know, just kind of going along with shoes is um before we move on to another question is um the the type of apparel and uh you know the stuff you're wearing when you run, right? Yeah, and I think you know, this is kind of an easier topic, I think, but um the big thing that you would you would you you really want to be in is synthetic material, if you can, right? Yeah, um synthetic material is is essentially non-cotton material, right? Yeah, cotton is gonna absorb moisture, um, and that typically will lead to a little more friction and rubbing, um, whether it be uh your socks, uh your shorts, uh shirt, whatever it might be. And so cotton can be fine, but um, but it it can cause a just a lot of moisture absorption, which is gonna stay with you. It's gonna it's gonna cause that friction and and rubbing, and that's just not pleasant if you're out on an hour-long run. So trying to get moisture wicking material, which is just pretty much about any synthetic material um you find at a running store, it might cost a little bit more. Um but again, it's kind of like the shoe thing. Yeah, it's gonna be worth it. Yeah, you will not regret it if you have good quality socks and you have zero blisters at the end of a run.

Jacob Phillips 27:50

Well, and and and and and hey, you know what they say, right? Look good, feel good, run good, right? So um absolutely yeah, I'm I'm all for that. I'm all for that for sure.

Sean Henning 27:59

But uh so I got a question for you. So um, you know, we talk about shoes and apparel and you know, uh obviously uh important things. And um I think you know, one of the things that comes to mind for me is um what about just the the the motivation, right? Like, like uh okay, you you've decided you're gonna start doing this thing. All right. So how do you motivate yourself to get out the door, right? Um how how do you kind of set uh realistic goals for yourself or things that'll kind of motivate you to to get out of bed, or you know, you get home from work and you got to get that run in because that's the only time you have it. Or um, yeah, maybe we can talk about that because I feel like that's that's the other challenge for anybody that's starting this journey, right?

Jacob Phillips 28:42

Yeah, yeah. No, I am I'm with you. And I think like running is a hard sport, man. I mean, like it's it as simple as it is, it's it's it's very hard. And I yeah, I like I know when we talk with our clients when they're like, hey, what made you decide to sign up for a coach? Like, what made you decide to do this? You know, like it's it's going back to that. Like, why did you choose to run, right? Like, why did you choose to to go out, buy a pair of shoes, and say, hey, I want to start, I'm gonna start running. And like continuing to go back to that why, you know, um, you and I, our first podcast together, you know, I think was back in October, and and that's what you talked about as a coach. You said, Hey, look, when I'm getting to know an athlete, I don't know what their why is. We're gonna go back to that when it gets hard, right? And so I think just understanding, well, why did you start? You know, what's the motivation behind that? And and then I think like, you know, um like outside of just remembering why are you doing it, like like making it part of your routine, right? Because discipline is gonna last longer than motivation, right? You hear that all the time, right? So making it part of your disciplined routine and and and that's tough to do when it's new, right? Um or or maybe it's tough to do when it gets past the new phase, right? You're you're out of the honeymoon phase of running and it's like, okay, yeah, this is just I'm running again today, right? But it's the discipline of like, this is when I've got it scheduled, this is when I'm gonna get it done. Um, and and just relying on that discipline versus the motivation, um, but using those two together, right? Why am I doing this? What what was the reason I got started? You know, whether it was uh I I've got a client right now that's that's tackling a hundred miler in December because he just lost a family member. And it's like, look, when this gets hard, don't forget that this is why you said you signed up, right? Um, you know, and like even even for for our own athletes, I mean, we how often do you talk to your to your students about, hey, why'd you choose running? Why'd you choose our school? Why'd you choose this, right? And so that's important. But also, like, as you know as a coach, is like trying to set those good habits, set that discipline to make it part of your routine. Um and and I also think like uh you know, celebrating those small victories, you know, whether it's a running streak or getting your for your your longest run or your fastest pace, like celebrating those small victories, taking those wins when you can get them, um, because it is a hard sport, you know. And uh this morning we had practice, it was it was 40 degrees, it felt like 37, it was misting the whole time. And I thought, you know, all those kids that say they want to go run for the University of Oregon, this is what practice is like every day for them. This is miserable for us, right? And like I told my guys, I said, look, like this is a hard morning to be in love with it, right? Um, but we're gonna choose the discipline today, right? And we're gonna be good. And so yeah, thoughts. Yeah, I mean, like, yeah, I remember your why, lean on discipline. Yeah, well, add on to that. You're you're because this is this is kind of your bread and butter. You're you're you're pretty pretty big on that, right?

Sean Henning 31:22

Well, I you know, one of the questions I always ask any, you know, whenever I have a consultation with a central client is I I I tell, I ask them why are we talking? Yeah, right. Um, there's a reason why we're talking. There's something you're pursuing here. So let's get to the heart of it because if you're gonna pursue, if if if you are going to have a a coach really guiding and directing you, there needs to be more than just uh it'd be cool to run a race. There it needs to be more than that, right? There's a reason why we're doing this. Um, and so I think when you have that reason, you need to find a way to remind yourself regularly. Yeah, because there will be hard days. Yeah, right. There will be hard days, and there's got to be a reason why you're going to do it. Um and uh you have to go back to that that clear purpose that you have. Um you know, you mentioned your your client that had a family member pass away, and I think that's that's great. They've got a a really um important uh motivating factor that they're thinking about, you know. Um so so yeah, so um I I think just constantly reminding you yourself yourself of that stuff. And um I love the idea of um uh just the disciplines. I think the other thing too is you know, you know, I'll I'll add is just um being careful that you don't compare yourself to um somebody else because it could be very defeating, right? If you're constantly thinking, well, geez, here I am trying to break five hours in the marathon or whatever it might be, right? I mean, we have we have clients of all varying levels, and also we have collegiate athletes of all varying levels, and they're different, but you have to find a re uh uh you have to find a reason uh to be getting better. Like the goal should be can I be a little bit better than yesterday? Yeah, whether it be I'm a I'm a I'm a 330 marathoner, and by putting together a solid week's worth of training, I'll be a 325 marathoner at the end of this week. That's your goal. Don't worry about your buddy who ran 230. Who cares? That's not your motivation. It's you versus it's you versus you, right? Yep, and that's what you have to remember. And yeah, it's uh and that's that's uh it's it's so dangerous when we get, you know, comparison is the the thief of joy, right? Um I think comparison is it can be valuable because it can motivate you, but it can also steal your joy if yeah, um, you're always thinking about that.

Jacob Phillips 33:42

So no doubt, no doubt. Yeah, great word, great word. Well, so so so last thing on this mindset motivation, like the like so you and I, we run not as much as we used to run, right? But like what what's your what's your mental trick, uh your go-to mental trick to convince yourself to run? Like what what what is it for you?

Sean Henning 34:01

Uh now or when I was training for now, right now, right now. I know mine. Oh gosh, it's it's different now. Now it's for sure different. Like this is gonna sound really bad, but uh, I think part of my mental my mentality, my my trick for my motivation for getting out of the door is uh I I want to stay somewhat fit as a father of three and a husband. I'm I'm I don't have a race that I'm I'm training for or anything like that. It's just I just need to I need to make sure I don't get out of shape. Like that's kind of my motivation right now.

Jacob Phillips 34:31

Yeah.

Sean Henning 34:32

Um obviously 15 years ago, totally different. Um, but now it's just yeah, just stay in a basic level of fitness, you know. And uh yeah, what about you?

Jacob Phillips 34:44

Yeah, I want to stay young. You know, I'm I'm I'm four I'm 42 and uh I don't I don't look or act 42 and I want to stay young, you know, and I don't run as much as I used to, and it's not as important as it used to be to me. But yeah, just like yeah, I you know, I I I'm a soon-to-be family of three. I've got or or children, three three children. I've got obviously my wife and I'd be a family of five, I guess. But like uh, so yeah, I want my kids to see, you know, dad works hard and stays healthy, and um, and that's important, you know.

Sean Henning 35:11

So for for the for the people that don't know this, this this guy is uh expecting uh a baby girl any day now. So it could happen three. It could happen right now. Right now we could end the podcast and you can be rushing to your wife. Um that'll be that'll be that'll be exciting. That's a big change. Um well we probably only have, I mean, we had a list of questions. I feel like we probably only have time for one more. And um, I think the you know, I think this is maybe um a really important one to um to talk about is just kind of you know basic running form, right? I mean, I feel like that's uh something that is really important to uh a new uh just a a new newbie to to running or to trying to actually train seriously. And so that might be a good thing for you and I to go back and forth on a little bit. But um I think you know, one of the things I'd say is um, you know, a lot of it is just the physics of what you're doing, right? Um and um the goal is to get from point A to point B as efficiently as possible, right? And so um these are the things I tell, you know, when I do talk to clients about this, but I I talk to my collegiate athletes about this um fairly regularly, is we're trying to move in a horizontal direction uh as smoothly as possible. Um we are not trying to move side to side. Uh that's not part of the sport. Yeah, uh, we're not trying to move up and down. Obviously, there's going to be a little bit up and down because you've got to uh you're going you're gonna hit the ground and you've got to kind of uh brace for that impact, but we don't want a lot of up and down. Um you want to be moving uh as smooth in a horizontal, straight direction as possible. Yep. Um, that's the most efficient way to do it. Um I think that includes, you know, obviously the way your legs are moving, but I think when you think about your arm swing, right? Arms going front to back, front to back. You don't want any side to side movement that's just uh contradictory to what you're trying to do. Um, you've got forces acting against each other when you do that, and so really thinking about that stuff. And um, and I think you know, the other thing too is um just staying relaxed when you run too, right? Um relaxed face, relaxed shoulders, relaxed arm swing. Everything needs to be relaxed because the reality is you're carrying, you're gonna be doing this for I mean, it could be anywhere from 15 minutes to four hours, right? What you're doing. So if you're not relaxed, you're gonna get tired real fast. Yeah. Um yeah, what are your thoughts? What else?

Jacob Phillips 37:35

What else can you um no?

Sean Henning 37:37

I think that's important.

Jacob Phillips 37:38

I love it. You said a lot of the stuff that like are my kind of my keywords, efficient. We want to be efficient, relaxed. You know, my dad would when I was growing up, uh starting running in in middle school, high school, my dad would say, you know, you want to carry your hands like you're you're carrying a lace potato chip. You don't want to crush the chip, you know, if you're screw if you're you know, you know, tightening your fist, tighten your hands.

Sean Henning 37:57

Death grip on the chip, yeah.

Jacob Phillips 37:58

Yeah, you know, if you're doing that, then you know you're gonna get tired and stuff. And so I think like, yeah, just being relaxed, being tall, uh, being smooth. You know, obviously, you know, we're gonna at at some point in later podcasts, we'll get into some some really neat training stuff. But but one of the things I think is just like practicing running smooth and fast, even even if you're a beginner, right? Like, like, like practicing feeling good and fast, whether it's running, you know, uh from the light post to the driveway or whatever, but like, and just kind of like feeling what feels good with that, right? Finding your natural rhythm, your natural form, uh, and then and then kind of going from there, right? Um, but yeah, efficient, relaxed, smooth, you know, we kind of use all those words. Um, you know, not not uh not being tense in the face, not being tense in the hands and the arms, shoulders relaxed, you know, that sort of stuff. Um it's it's it's actually crazy because um I probably in the last I don't know two months, um that's something we have been really talking to our college athletes about, just just trying to help them improve their form so much so that we bring our sprints coach to practice and say, teach them proper mechanics, right? And so there's videos you can watch, you know. The if you're a run doing athlete, we have a we have a vault of videos that that work on perform drills and that sort of stuff. I know um, you know, you've got you know your own tips and such, but yeah, we've been that I think it just makes it so much easy easier on you. You want to enjoy running, I mean work on having smooth, efficient, proper form, uh maybe maybe look you know, learn some running drills, that sort of thing, you know.

Sean Henning 39:33

Yeah, and and you know, a couple other points I think are um that I know I'm sure you talk about with your athletes is um where you should strike the ground, and then also um how long you should be on the ground. Right. And so those are those are really important things. Um when you are just running at a normal aerobic pace, easy run, even like a harder workout, um, you you want to be striking midfoot to forefoot. You want to be you if you want to think flat foot or however however you need to think that I'm landing right underneath myself, my midfoot is hitting the ground first, and then I'm gonna roll off, I'm gonna roll off the balls of my feet. Okay, I'm gonna roll off the forefoot. Um, you do not want to be striking heel. And unless you're sprinting, you don't want to be running on the balls of your feet the whole time. Yeah. Um, midfoot to forefoot, super important. And the other thing is how long should you be on the ground? So my short and sweet answer is as little time as possible.

Jacob Phillips 40:36

The ground is the enemy.

Sean Henning 40:37

Yeah, the floor is lava, right? Get off the ground. Um, you don't want to be lingering on the ground. Sometimes you think, oh, if I'm on the ground longer, I can push off more, but it's actually costing you more from an energy perspective. It's exhausting to do that. We'll talk about cadence another time, but really not spending a lot of time on the ground, getting off the ground, midfoot to forefoot, super important. Um, and I think when you do that, you'll absolutely notice a difference.

Jacob Phillips 41:05

No doubt. No doubt. Efficient, smooth, fast, right? So we we got we got uh what a couple minutes here. Yeah, this is great, man.

Sean Henning 41:12

Yeah, we've got a yeah, got three minutes. I was gonna say, you know, I I know we talked about maybe highlighting something that you know from the last week or so from maybe our clients, you know. And yeah, you know, uh, I think that'd be that'd be a great thing uh just to talk about. And you know, I've got uh you know I've got some I've got several clients that are just crushing it and doing some amazing things, but um, you know, I've got uh I've got one client in particular, um uh and his name's Brian, and he's uh Brian's uh got a busy schedule and he's got family stuff and he's traveling and doing all this stuff, but but I've been really impressed that he he is I mean, the guy is consistent. He's like he's like Cal Ripkin, man. He's that's my that's my baseball analogy. The guy doesn't miss a day. Yeah, if he's if he's gotta wake up early, he's getting it in and he's always asking questions, and he's he's just so consistent and he's doing his family stuff, which is great, and that's obviously super important, you know, and something we'll talk about another time, but yeah, but he's getting he's getting the days in. So I'm um, you know, shout out to him. It's been cool to see him just plugging away. And uh what about you? What what what have you seen with some of your clients?

Jacob Phillips 42:18

Yeah, you know, uh you know, I'm I'm a thankful coach, but I've got a client, Marlon, who I've been coaching for two years, and and he's fixing to have his first uh baby girl as well. And so I think it's his first baby girl, I think it's her third child as well. And so um he's actually gonna take a take a high hiatus from training for a couple of months just as that kind of transitions, but he he's been fun to coach. I mean, like we have uh we've tackled Boston together. I mean, he's just been you talk about that consistency, doesn't miss runs and just yeah, it just is has been super fun to coach. And so uh I'm gonna miss him in the in the in the there's a there's a good reason that he's gonna take a break from structure training, but but uh I'm gonna miss miss Marlin and uh his daily check-ins and that sort of stuff. And so I mean he gets at it. He's yeah, he he's he's a he's a competitive guy. So it's it's uh it's always fun when you've got someone who's who's looking to get as fast as they can go, you know, for for their lessons.

Sean Henning 43:10

Yeah, those are some great clients to coach, absolutely. They're they're they're they're motivated with what they're doing, without a doubt.

Jacob Phillips 43:16

No doubt, no doubt. Well, man, this was fun. I can't wait for the next one. Um, obviously we're gonna we're gonna keep chatting each day and stuff, but uh yeah, I'm I'm loving the new format and uh yeah, I think this is gonna take off. And yeah, I'm excited, man. But uh thanks for the time and uh yeah, enjoy your week. I'll be traveling and maybe have a man.

Sean Henning 43:33

So yeah, safe travels out to to Michigan and uh next podcast, you'll you'll be a father of three.

Jacob Phillips 43:39

I'll be a father of three, man. All right, peace. All right, that's it. Yeah. And that does it for our podcast this month. I want to thank Coach Sean for his time. I'm really excited to be doing this podcast with him this year. Uh like I said, uh you if you can't tell, we're great friends. We go back a long way. But uh yeah, I hope that you gained. Something from this conversation. I know some of you might be sitting there and saying, hey, I'm not a beginner, and so what can I get from this? The truth is sometimes we just need to go back to the basics to remind ourselves where we started, what we need to have at the baseline uh level to do this really, really well. And so hope you enjoyed the conversation with Coach Sean and I tonight. Look, check out those show notes below. If you've got feedback, questions, you want to contact us about the podcast, our info is there. But hey, until next time, 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 racing 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.