How Runners Build Fitness Without More Miles

Running can be the most consistent thing in your life, right up until your body forces a plot twist. Shelly Rose is back, and the “first half marathon” version of her has evolved into a runner with multiple half marathons, Ragnar memories, Run Disney miles, and a very real injury chapter that includes a calf strain and plantar fasciitis. That detour sparks a bigger question we all face: how do you keep building fitness when running cannot be the only tool?

We get practical about cross-training for runners, including what actually counts and why the purpose matters more than the label. We talk aerobic capacity and zone 2 work, the role of mobility and strength training, and the surprisingly specific details that make workouts work or fail, like aqua jogging without losing your mind, stationary bike discomfort, and why hot yoga can be approachable even if you do not “flow.” Shelly also shares how dance fitness like Jazzercise and Zumba delivers sweat, joy, and the lateral movement running misses, plus how “wrong and strong” can be a perfect mindset for learning something new safely.

Then we go deeper into the mental side: comparison, perfectionism, and what it feels like to rebuild after time off while your watch keeps reminding you of past paces. We close with a joyful movement draft for stressful days, low impact days, and “I want to feel strong” days, plus a listener challenge to help us pick the next cross-training adventure.

Subscribe, share this with a runner who needs options, and leave a review if the show helps you keep showing up. What cross-training should we try together next?

Transcript

Welcome Back And Runner Catch-Up

0:02

Welcome back to Extraordinary Strives, where we celebrate everyday runners doing extraordinary things. And today I'm joined by someone many of you should remember. Shelly Rose was on the podcast before as one of our one-on-one athletes while she was training for her very first half marathon. And now she is back. And let me tell you, that feels like many moons ago because she's done so many things since then. But last time we were both talking about her big running goal. This time we're catching up on where running has taken maybe her and me and how our relationship with movement has been shifting beyond the miles. Because Shelly and I have both been exploring cross-training and movement outside of running in our own very different, unique ways. What feels good, what feels really awkward, what surprised us, what's humbled us. But you know what? Let me let me just get right to it. Let me bring her on in. Hey Shelly, welcome on in. Hiya. How have you been since we last chatted? Doing good and had a lot going on since we last chatted. That was a while ago. I think that was um I think I've done four half marathons since then. Totally. Yeah. So it's it's been it's been a while. It's been a minute for sure. Um, and then you've you have even beyond that, I feel like you tackled Ragnar relay. You've had a bit of rehabbing that's been required. And well, I'm not gonna steal the thunder. You tell me kind of where has your running taken you? Where do you think you want it to continue taking you? Um, I mean, I feel like it's taking me so many places uh from Kentucky uh for Ragnar, which probably had to be uh the best, worst, best race that I've done uh for lots of reasons. Um and you know, just I feel like I've done a lot of Run Disney, which is just so much fun every time, even though you have to wake up, you know, at the crack of dawn to stand around and wait, hurry up and wait uh in a corral. But um, yeah, I feel like it's taken me a lot of really great places and you know, my next got a new big audacious goal that I'm working towards. So unfortunately, there's been some um a series of unfortunate events, I feel like, over the last year with some um health stuff and calf strain and plantar fascitis and all the fun. So, you know, just runner stuff, I guess.

What Cross-Training Really Means

2:23

Yeah, it is runner stuff, which kind of actually does lead us back to why we're gonna be talking quite a bit about cross-training, because one of the things that we know is that cross-training can mean so much to so many different people, and there's always a lot of questions as to what cross-training is, but it's also such a great way to keep building that aerobic fitness with minimizing the impact of that could potentially get us hurt as we keep running. Um, so I guess one of the things that comes to mind when I hear athletes talking about it is they're not really sure like what cross-training is. So I think what would be fun to talk about a little bit is maybe what we're both looking at from a cross-training perspective and what actually is cross-training. So I'm gonna let you, if you don't mind, will you will you maybe join me a little bit on this cross-training adventure? I'm gonna throw out some things and I'm curious as to what you think, if they fall into your category of cross-training or not. Would you be willing to play along? All right, let's do this. Okay. What if somebody decides they're gonna go out for a brisk walk while listening to a podcast or an audiobook? Do you think that counts as cross-training? I think so. Okay, okay. How about if it's like an easy, light, slow walk, maybe through Epcot with a cocktail in hand? I want to say yes, but I'm thinking no, not really. Okay. What about like a power or like a heavy, like vinyasa, hardcore uh yoga flow? Absolutely. Now that I've officially done yoga, it's I would say yes. I can't wait to talk a little bit more about that. What about a super gentle yoga? Maybe like a little five-minute yoga sequence right before bed. Super important, not cross-training. Oh, interesting. I'm kind of curious about that a little bit. We'll get to it. Okay, what about I think you're a cyclist, so you'll go out for a bike ride. Do you consider those your cross-training? Um, yes. I don't usually go out for a ride. It's normally in my gym because I'm scared to ride on my bike outside for lots of reasons. Because we live in Florida. But yes, I would count that as cross-training. Okay. Dancing in the kitchen, my friend, which is one of my favorite ways of getting in movement. What about you? Are you thinking? I think it's good fun movement. It depends on how long you're dancing. You're probably not dancing long enough for it to really count as cross-training, but it's exercise confetti. I I have um burned enough things while trying to dance in the kitchen to say that maybe I have danced long enough, but who knows? Okay, the most important of all is carrying all the groceries in one fell swoop because you refuse to make two trips. Is that considered cross-training? Um, probably not. Because it's is only the one trip. And unless you live in like, I don't know, a five-floor walk-up, it's unlikely to be cross-training. You know what that one I think is, though? It's my favorite measure of how fit I actually am, if how like strong I've gotten or how I'm capable of doing these things because of all of the regimen that I may follow. So I think that's more of how I use that one. So I think again, a lot of these can depend, but what cross-training, what we really know what it is, is it basically does allow us to have aerobic movement to build our aerobic capacity without having that strain on our body, which I think is why it's super duper important to definitely build those in without being too particular, I guess, of saying I'm not gonna do it because it doesn't feel like enough movement for me. So I think again, cross-training, it just supports your running. Strength training is also super important. And I think some people tend to confuse that a lot with cross-training. I think that we should look at it as kind of separating that a little bit. Mobility, you're fantastic about your mobility. You're probably one of the best of the folks on my roster about mobility. I don't like how do you sneak it in as much as you do? Um, well, I and I prioritize it especially lately just because I feel like not doing it leaves me feeling super tight. And when I get tight, my calf starts acting up, and when my calf starts acting up, I have all sorts of fun problems going on. So I intentionally put it in, usually toward the end of the day, because my hips and my calves just are super tight all the time. So yeah. Well, I mean, there's that, there's joyful movement. So it really just kind of depends as to all of those different aspects of it. I think it's more so instead of being very focused as to is this crush creating or not, is like what is the purpose of this movement? So sometimes a walk is good for mental health, but maybe not gonna get our heart rate up enough. Um, and there's other times where that heart rate is definitely gonna get into that zone too, just for a really brisk walk. So I think it's fun for us to discuss that for people to realize that there are different values in all of these different aspects of moving their bodies. But that brings us to getting into the here and now of why we are exploring cross-training.

Injury Detours And New Options

7:15

Because I think it's fair to say that we could probably get our own shirts made saying we're in our cross-training era. Um yes. So you even more so than me. What are you doing for cross-training nowadays? Oh my gosh. I feel like I've done and tried just about everything at this point. Um, because with the period of time where I had the caps train, I wasn't really doing, I wasn't able to put any real pressure and no impact. I feel like I tried a lot of different things. So it was just like I felt like it was all cross-training. So I've tried aqua jogging, which wasn't as boring as I thought it was gonna be. I disagree. I think it's a good thing. I mean it's boring because I do it in my own pool and I'm just in circles uh in the deep end singing along to whatever happens to be in my uh my headphones, which my neighbors absolutely love, I'm sure. Um also while trying not to go off the deep end because we're our sideline from running, which can kind of go hand in hand. Okay, so in the deep end, aqua jockey, you thought it wasn't as boring. What were your tips to make it less boring? Um, music and switching directions every five minutes. Because why not? Um have a goal. Like, wait, do we do cardinal? Like, are we doing cardinal directions? What are we doing here? Are we doing a little bit of calling of the corners? Tell me more. I have to go in a circle because I don't have that big of a pool. So I go in a circle this way, and then I go the circle that way. I get it. Okay. Which my of course my wife's out there being like, what are you doing? And I'm like, I can't go in the I can't go in the shallow end. It'll hurt. I'll hurt my feet. Okay, so what we're learning is that Shelly has found ways to keep herself entertained that maybe may not work for the rest of us in aqua jogging, but it worked for her, so no judgment. Okay, what what else did you try? There was a stationary bike. Do not love that. That is probably my least favorite thing that I have tried, mostly because it doesn't matter what kind of padding I have, my bum falls asleep in 10 minutes without like this seat pad that I bought, and 20 minutes with it. So I only gained an extra 10 minutes. Um, I couldn't like stand up and like relieve the pressure because my calf was strained, so like no impact, right? So I can't stand. Um, and yeah, so I do that at the gym, and all of the TVs at the gym are tuned to some like broken thing I don't have any intention of watching. Um, so I listen to music or podcasts or whatever, which is fine, but um, it's very distracting at the gym because there's, you know, there's odd people, and odd people are distracting. Oh, I don't know something about the bike just doesn't that's what works for me actually. I love the distraction of having like interesting people watching to be able to partake in. But again, this goes to show that like not all cross-training will work for everyone in terms of how we uh we measure it out. Um curious from those two that you're talking about, we're gonna go into the rest of them, but these two, if you had to rank them in terms of which one you felt like was the best carryover in terms of aerobic capacity, what would you say? Like which ones do you felt got your heart rate up a little bit more? It made you feel like you were keeping up that running fitness. I feel like the bike really kind of kept um kept my heart rate up more so than aqua jogging, just because when after a while you just kind of slow down and you're like, well, no, and you I have to keep reminding myself like you're run harder, like you're running. With the bike, like just going is, you know, and there's in and you don't I'm I'm the worst. I I'm worse at comparing myself to people. So like there's you know, people on opposite sides of me on the stationary bike at the gym, and they have their their um uh whatever it's called, like cranked up to like 10, and I'm at like four, and I'm like, I can't breathe. These are probably like traathlets who've been like cycling forever and a day. You can't compare. But I get it, I get it. Okay. So yeah, for me, I mean, if I if I didn't pay attention to what other people were doing, it would probably not be as you know much as on the stationary bike, but it is. So that's probably the one that kept my heart rate up the most and felt like I was working the hardest. See, and when I w got really into cross-training with biking, I actually set it up out in my patio area. I bought like a disco ball and like strung up some lights and set this whole like club scene, if you will, like club like cycle soul or something, or soul cycle, whatever they call it. So I found it quite enjoyable. But I Well, that sounds like a lot more enjoyable than in the middle of crunch looking at very odd people and weird TV shows. Yeah, I I bet if you would have been in maybe a cycling class, there would have been the challenge that you couldn't get off the saddle, which may have made you feel a little different. But you may have enjoyed it more if you were being entertained during that 45-minute session. That is very possible. Um, I do like uh the vibe of group fitness stuff. So like that might be true, but I just have that like video in my head of Amy Schumer falling off of her cycle from that movie and like her hair ripping out of her head. Um, although it'd be nice to like wake up from I don't know, a concussion or whatever happened to her, um, thinking I'm absolutely gorgeous and everybody knows it. So that would be nice if that were the outcome. But I'm sure it wouldn't end like that for me. I so love that movie. I I love living within the life of delusion on a daily. So I feel like I understand it without the concussion. But okay, so we know that aqua jogging kind of was a bit more your jam, but didn't really get your heart rate up to where you wanted it to be. Cycling did, but wasn't exactly what you enjoyed. Both for the record, amazing in terms of keeping the same muscles moving as you would and running, keeping like the uh form and cadence. You didn't clip in for your bike though, did you? No, no, absolutely not. Okay. Clipping in can have really great benefits for us runners that don't work without posterior chain. Okay, so we're hearing those two. What else have we tried?

Dance Fitness Versus The Bike

13:23

Um, so I'm a jazzer size girl, and I absolutely loved my jazzer size once upon a time. And uh, but the the studio that I really liked is not very close, and it's get it's so expensive with this free sport of running that we all love so much. You know, I just don't have all extra money to throw like jazzer size classes. Okay, for those that may not know what jazz or size is, can you tell us? Um, it is, I mean, it's dance fitness essentially, but there's like very targeted movements in the dance so that you are continuing to work lots of different muscles and um there's dance, but then they also actually have some classes that are a little bit more structured around strength training with but to music. So it's it still gets to be that fun like dance vibe with with um maybe dumbbells or um or some really heavy core work, like their core class used to like leave me burning for days. So yeah, I it's so it's jazz or size, and it's a lot of times the music, like if you go in person, the music tends to be kind of pop, like stuff that's kind of more current and really fun. Um, if you do the online stuff, it it's not. I think it's probably a licensing issue or something, but okay. In-person classes is where it's at. Okay. Wait, so how does that differ from Zumba? Um I would say there, so how do I say this without getting canceled? Wait. And now I'm now I'm like a little a little panicky here. Like I feel like I need to find the button to be able to like be ready. Like Jazzer size is white girl Zumba. Um maybe for those that maybe rhythmically challenged, is that worked? Absolutely. Yeah. There's less hip. I mean, there's hip movement, but not nearly as much hip movement as there is in Zumba. I think that's fair. Is Zumba maybe a little bit more Latin flavor in the dance style? Absolutely. And there might be more line dancing and jazz or size? Um, no. Yeah, I mean, kind of. It's, I don't know. Line dancing is even f I I love to line dance too, but uh that's you know, kind of even further in the other dire in the you know, less hip movement direction for sure. Um, I'm sure someone will that's a jazzer sizer will be like oh my gosh, that's not true. But that's how I experience it, so it's true for me. Okay. But I can't jazz, I'm not gonna jazzer size because there's it's just expensive. It's worth the money, but I just don't have it, right? Okay, okay. Plus, you already have this crunch fitness membership. You've got you've got to keep this pool clean for your aqua jogging. We've got the free running. Yeah. Okay, gotcha. And I gotta buy all the new Disney shoes. Like it's a thing. Um, they have Zumba at my gym. So I went and tried out a Zumba class and absolutely loved it. Like it was, it was, it was just so much fun. Um, I uh I also felt like, I don't know, a little bit special because a couple of people that were there like, oh, you're new, and I'm like, yeah, I've never really done this before. And after like the second song, they were like, you haven't done this before. I was like, no, I'm a beginner, but you know, I used to jazzer size. I'm that good. I'm just that good. You should have, you should have just you shouldn't have even told them that you had experience with jazz or size. You should have been like, yeah, I'm just that good. But yeah, so I've tried Zoom, but now I really enjoyed that. I'm gonna keep doing that. Um, uh, but it's super intense. And I, while I might have a smile on my face the whole time because I'm just having the most fun. Uh, wrong and strong is kind of my my motto there because I'm probably not doing it correctly at all, but wrong and strong. Um okay, let's let's clarify. Wrong and strong works for Zumba. Please don't do it with your strength training friends. So, like, let's not let's not make that a mantra when we're strength training. Yeah, don't do that. Don't do that. Dancing wrong and strong. I've all day with Zoom. Absolutely, absolutely. I I love it. Okay. Yes. So Zumba's been a lot of fun. I've gone to a couple, a few classes now. Um, so that's that's been kind of my jam, but I can't do that like twice a week because I have you know, strength and cross-training twice a week on my schedule. And I can't do it twice a week because I'll just burn out my legs completely. Right. Um, and that's not the goal of uh cross-training at

Hot Yoga For Runners Who Do Not Flow

17:49

all. So uh so then I tried hot yoga for the first time. First time practicing yoga in front of other people that I'm not married to. Um so it was I was really scared going in, but I did it. And it wasn't as hot as I expected it to be, which was really good news. I think I think um going to Disney in the summer is helps hot yoga. See, so that Epcot walk may work. We just have to rebrand it like as a heat acclimation. Okay, okay, so hot yoga wasn't as bad in terms of the heat. What about the rest of it? Um, it was the one that I went to, so Crunch has a couple of uh yoga classes. One of them is like a foundations for hot yoga, so that was super beginner friendly. Um, I was the only one in the class that hadn't done yoga before like in public before, but I didn't feel lost. The instructor was really great and helpful, and um, it wasn't really a flow per se. It was just kind of moving into some foundational poses, which was really helpful for me because I I'm not smooth enough, I would say, to flow at all. I don't flow right yet, but you're working toward it. I'm working on it. Okay, so yeah. Okay, so now we're gonna rank up completely. So we've got Zumba or yeah, Zumba. I'm gonna include Jasra Size because while it wasn't a Jasre size class, I think you've done a couple of those videos at home. Yeah, a lot of times at home, I'll pick up like I'll grab one of the of the kickboxing videos. Nothing makes you feel stronger than kickboxing. That could be a wrong and strong for sure. Yes, to to that. And then there's oh, I anytime I can find dance videos, um, there's this one guy I meant to to figure out what his name was, but he is just the most flamboyant, most fun, most like intuitive, like creating dances for popular songs and stuff, and with this like team of people, um, and like there's fun effects to it, like whatever. Anyway, so I love his. I'll just do like a line of I'll line up like 10 of those and just do 10 uh 10 of these little dance videos with this uh really awesome this this one guy. So yeah, that's usually what I end up doing. So now I want you to kind of rank them in terms of how much you enjoyed it. Um so ranking like least enjoyable to most enjoyable. Okay, least. Um, I'm gonna go with the stationery bike is definitely on the bottom of the list. Okay. Um then I would say aqua jogging. Okay. Then hot yoga. Then kickboxing videos. I like kickboxing. Um and then Zumba, and then of course jazz or size at the top. So Okay, okay. So now I want you to rank them in terms of efficacy and in terms of getting your heart rate up into that aerobic, like zone two. You're feeling good, you're feeling like you're working up. I mean, working up a sweat's uh a hard one because that you can work up a sweat with strength training and it not necessarily be aerobic, but maybe rank it in terms of how you feel strong, besides the wrong part. I don't know, I'm pretty wrong most of the time. Um, I mean, for like really getting up my heart rate, I would say that the Zumba really gets me up there. Like it is constant movement, no brakes, just keep going. So I think Zumba would be the top for really getting me moving. Okay. Um, and then Jazzer size. Because there's they add a little bit more like like slower brake kind of stuff. Um, and then I would say stationary bike and then kickboxing. Because I tend to not do as much impact when kickboxing like I probably should. I don't jump around. Because you know, I'm at home and no one can make me. Um, except for me, I have to make me and I don't want to. Um I love this conversation because we get to learn all of the little tidbits of it. No one's watching. I don't have to jump. Okay. Okay. Um, and then aqua jogging. Um, and then I think I think uh yoga would probably be on the bottom because while my heart rate does get up a little bit, it's I it I I don't think it really gets into zone two, or at least not for very long. Okay, okay. So I think what you just discussed is pretty much very common for most folks in terms of where they get into that aerobic capacity. Um, yoga is a tricky one. Yoga is one where people really like struggle and where I think that it depends on really the style. Um, I've done like power of flow yogas where there's no doubt that it is much more aerobic than it is like a mobility or restorative. And then I've also done like deliciously melt kind of yin yoga where I think I may fall asleep at some point in the class and I'm here for it. Wherever I can sneak in a nap, I am down. I probably shouldn't be paying for a nap, but alas, that is what it is. Um okay, what else do you think that you would want to explore in this cross-training era that you are undertaking?

What To Try Next And How

23:17

Oh my gosh, like what is left at this point? Oh, girl. Trust me, there is so much to explore still. I can't wait to, I mean, I would I keep saying, like, oh, I why don't I rollerblade anymore? And then my wife will remind me why I don't do that. Um why are you not doing that? Um, because I'm I always talk about like, oh my gosh, I used to rollerblade all the time. It was so great. And she's like, Yes, but where did you rollerblade? I'm like, at the skating rink, of course. She's like, and how do you stop at a skating rink? I'm like, I run into the wall. That's exactly what Kimbo says. There is no wall. Okay. Yeah. He's my uh, you know, keeps me in check. Oh, she's like, Do you work do you know how to stop on rollerblades? I'm like, no. Like, okay, well, she's like, you hurt yourself running, like you've busted your knee, you've scraped up your hands, like you've you've hurt yourself running, maybe not rollerblades. What I think I'm hearing is that Yvonne could have a side hustle if she wanted, where she could help us realistically all kind of find where our boundaries should be. Um so we could give her a call and she could maybe just remind us gently that some ideas may not be the best ideas to explore right now. Yes, yes. She knows how clumsy I am, so she's like, maybe no. But she also tries to push me in ways that I don't want to go, like getting back on a regular bike and biking around after um a traumatic event in college. Um so now whenever every time I start to like I've I've I have a bicycle and I have ridden said bicycle, but if I have to turn, which is all the time, right? Um I get really slow and weird. Um, so I'm not fun to bike with. So what we're learning is that as of right now, triathlons are not in a Shelley's near future because for multiple reasons. Okay. So we're not gonna likely rollerblade. Cycling is gonna continue being more of like a relaxing um mode of transportation versus actually cross-training. But would you take like a kickboxing class? Didn't you do like a Star Wars themed class here recently? Yes, I did. Okay, why are we not talking about that? For May the 4th, I went to a lightsaber training um class for on May the 4th, and it was so much fun. Um, and I don't know that it really got my heart rate up so much as it was fun just learning like sword fighting or lightsaber fighting technique that I don't remember any of. Um, although I will say on May the 4th this year, I did a uh a video that incorporated the lightsaber. Because, you know, you have to because it's May the 4th. Um I'm usually willing to try like whatever um and be silly and ridiculous in the process. Um, costumes encouraged, so whatever that looks like, I'm pretty much up for it. Okay, I mean, well, again, I kind of how I feel about it too, which I feel like that's why I've tackled so many different types of cross-training. I also have a rather short attention span. Running has been the only thing that I've been able to stick with as long as I have. So when it comes to cross-training, I like varying it up quite a little bit. Um, so I'm curious if we end up doing one of these cross-training adventures together because I think there'd be a lot of fun to explore. But in the meantime, how are you thinking that you're gonna continue to incorporate cross-training? Like, how are you fitting it in with the fact that you're also training? You got that big audacious goal that you're working on, we're also working toward another Ragnar. How do you fit it all in? Um, scheduling. I am very type A and I like to schedule everything out. Um, so at the beginning of the week or the end of the previous week, I literally write it down in a calendar when I'm gonna do all the things. I usually do it at the same time that I'm doing like meal planning because it's like, okay, which days do I need dinner? And do I need they just need to be a reheat dinner, or is it like I make from scratch dinner like what's happening? So I do it all in one chunk. So smart. I love that. Okay, I'm now curious about what maybe has felt humbling in this process of exploring cross-training. A lot of things. Um, I was surprised at how short of a time I could spend on that bike comfortably. Okay. Um, which I don't know why that surprised me. I think it's because my sister used to like she she was super Peloton and like bike, whatever, for a really long time. And we're very similar, of course, because we're twins. Um, and she could do it all day long. So I was like, if she can do it, I can totally do it. I've been training much longer than her. Here goes that little bit of comparison and competition aspect. Of course, we can have a twin. It's kind of just like built-in. So you just constantly have someone to compare yourself to. I'm sure I need therapy for that or something. But anyway, so because she was able to do it so easily, I was like, this is gonna be cake, and I was very wrong. Not cake, and I was felt like I was dying. Um, especially the first time I did it. Um Zumba being my legs being so sore after Zumba for the first time was a bit humbling because I was like, using this, like, especially my hips. I was like, oh, I don't normally use those, do I? That's doesn't get a whole lot of things. See, this is another great thing, though. You're talking about the fact that it sounds like what you're utilizing more in Zumba is some of that lateral movement that we don't get in as running, which is another great aspect to cross-training. You get to explore some of those muscles. Awesome. So much lateral movement in Zumba. It's basically just constantly back and forth in a row, back and forth, back and forth. What I'm hearing is that like Zumba may be the perfect cross-training compliment. So we can get all of that forward motion with running. We can complement with a little bit of lateral. Absolutely. Okay, okay. So that was a little bit um, I guess humbling, maybe, or maybe just kind of took you by surprise. Yes, absolutely. What else in this process? I mean it's it's weird whenever you go from being like, like, there's a thing that you're pretty, I mean, I don't know that I'm good at running, but I can I can run and I know how I feel when I run and consistent and like I know what that feels like. And then trying something new you've never done before, um, and not being perfect at it the first time. I'm a perfectionist, is uh I'd kind of not forgotten what that felt like, but like wasn't used to that feeling for a minute. Okay, because it's been a while. So that was feeling that again was uh not my favorite part of trying new things, but it didn't stop me from continuing to try new things. So I kind of remind you though a little bit about how far you've come with your running journey because what I'm hearing you say is that it's a sharp contrast to how you feel currently, as like you no longer feel like a new runner, I assume. Yeah, yeah. Okay, that's cool. I mean, that's a really cool, different kind of like approach to that whole thing. So, what do you think, like if you were to say that like something surprisingly made you feel strong in your capacity with cross-training, what would that have been? Um I would say aqua jogging really surprised me because I was, I don't know, because when I'm running, I have to do intervals. Not have to, I choose to do intervals. Um, and but with aqua jogging, I wasn't doing that. I was just kind of consistently moving without without the intervals. And that surprised me that I could just do that. Um, because I'm so used to having the um to using intervals. Right. I feel like aqua jogging was similar enough to regular running that I was like, oh, this I feel strong doing this. Of course, I'm clearly going slower, um, and it's not the impact, so it's a little less, but it felt good to know that I could maintain my breathing and and comfort with continuous movement um that's similar to running. So that felt made me feel really strong. Super cool. I love that perspective. I also think what I'm hearing you say is that it's giving you a little bit more of an opportunity to have like that pressure off of your running because you are able to like get these movements in. And it's kind of like what came first is it the chicken or the egg? Are you able to feel as strong in these other cross-training movements because of how consistent you were with your training? Or is it just that you're feeling can I can I actually say, do you feel like more athletic now that you've been no longer a beginner runner? Or is it still kind of like one of those things where it comes and goes? Um, I would say before the calf strain, yes, I felt a lot more athletic. Okay. Since the calf strain and come after not being able to run for almost what, like two and a half, three months. I feel a little, I'm getting in waves where I feel more athletic, and then waves where I'm like, I feel like I'm kind of back to like more basics and beginner just because you know I'm comparing myself to, you know, right, to who you were as a runner a year ago. When I was trained up to a half marathon. Okay. Have we talked to have we talked about resetting your Garmin watch to so it's not comparing your previous cases and races and all that jazz?

Resetting Expectations After Time Off

32:45

No, but I I don't know. I I don't know that I want to do that. Okay. I wasn't gone from it that long. Um, so I just I don't wanna I don't want to have to do that. How about that? What is does that make sense? I don't have to do anything in this process. You just told me you don't have to like uh do the moves on your kickboxing because nobody's gonna make you. I feel that I won't. Yeah, exactly. So, friends, if you don't know what I'm talking about and you do want to potentially do this, if you are coming back to a season of running and you're very frustrated with your watch because it's constantly comparing where maybe your race pace was or your easy conversation pace was and you need a little bit of a reset. I do recommend resetting, rebooting your watch so that you kind of have an opportunity to be here and now and set those new PRs. Um, you're, I mean, mentally you're gonna know that clearly you were able to go 20 miles maybe a year ago and no longer able to do that, but it still does give a little bit of a fresh approach. For some folks, it can be very hard on themselves. I do definitely suggest it. Um, I did it after I came back from when I dropped the desk on my foot and was out from running for I think about two to three months. I did it and I felt like it gave me such a fresh approach. It also gave me the permission to feel more like a beginner without the pressure of I have to get back to exactly where I was right before this happened. So I really actually enjoyed that season, to be honest, which talks about like there's different seasons of running. So, what have you encountered in all of your different seasons of running? Like, have you felt there's been changes and shifts between them all? I mean, I mean it definitely how I've felt doing it, you know. Um, I've, you know, going for like a three-mile run feels more like I've run like six or eight right now, which is, you know, humbling at best. Um uh well and it I keep, I'm like, it's the heat. It's definitely just the heat. It's not because I wasn't running for three months, it's totally the heat. It is actually really the heat, to be honest. Every single one of my check-in calls has been a reminder that it is summer, your body needs to acclimate, except that Florida has multiple layers of Hades. So people may not actually acclimate in time. But yeah, I know the heat's a big impact. But yeah, so you're saying that it does feel a little bit like you're kind of resetting some of those milestones from previous. Yeah, I mean, and and not even looking at like pace-wise, just like the feeling in my body when I do the running. Like I feel like finally, after a couple of weeks of actually being able to run again, that I'm uh starting to feel like, oh, this is what running was feeling like before. And I'll get waves of like this feels normal, and then like, what am I doing? And then this feels normal again, and um, so kind of on and on. So I'm working through they up. But, you know, but I mean before before the calf strain, like, I don't know, I felt like, oh, it's fine, I can run a half marathon, no problem. As long as it doesn't matter how fast I'm going, I could totally do that at Disney, or I could do, you know, it's just uh it's a different feeling. Now when I think about like doing a half marathon, I'm like, ooh, here's some work to get there uh right now. I'm not anywhere near something like well, uh, so it's just different feelings right now. Yeah, but you know, that's kind of again those processes of training and knowing that like where you are today doesn't reflect where you're going to be in three months or six months. Both ways, in terms of while it's super positive that it gives us opportunity to kind of know that we can work up toward these big goals. There's also um the other inverse is true that sometimes we just have to be able to give ourselves grace that maybe what we used to be able to do six months ago isn't exactly where we're at today, which is why I love the way that you've approached it. Again, I I actually probably do not tell you enough how much I love the way that you approach fitness and movement in general, but I love that you've approached this season as a way of really like expressing and finding other ways of moving your body that makes you feel happy. That I assume at some point you have some kind of endorphins coming from some of this movement. So tell me about your connection with that. Like, do you feel like you tend to gravitate towards things that have some kind of joy component to it, even if it's like type two fun, or are there other aspects that you just don't love of fitness, but you do it because you know that it's good for you to do? Um, I feel like before when I was doing cross-training for my last, you know, like training stuff, I I was just doing it because I was supposed to. So I'd pick one of the videos, you load it into the thing, like whatever this one, and I'd just do the thing. But I decided like I don't want to do that. I want to actually enjoy it. Um, and not that some of those videos aren't fun. They're just like what I would. It's it's just, you know, I'm like, I'm gonna find something I actually enjoy doing, so I look forward to it rather than just checking it off my list of getting it done. Um, so yeah, I feel like that's one of the reasons I started really looking into what is available to me, what is out there, because this isn't it. Um, you know, so like, and I know I keep talking about it, but like I feel like Zumba is the one that's really brought in some of that, you know, joy and fun. Um, just something about group fitness classes, especially dance ones where literally everybody's awful at it. I think only the instructor's like really good and everybody else is like, whatever, just don't step on my feet. Um or if you step on my feet, it's okay, just don't do it often. Okay. Um, so I think that's really brought the fun because if I can make it through a whole hour of Zumba and then at the end be like, oh my gosh, that was an hour. I did not feel like an hour at all. Um, you know, then I feel like I've really done something that was fun, but I know it was really good uh for uh for me and then and for my running because it's gonna continue to to support that. And honestly, I actually had fun in hot yoga because I tend to I'm not very balanced um at all. Like I have that my balance is horrible. Even in PT, they were like, wow, so your balance is bad. I'm like, yeah, I know. I don't know that they're allowed to say it that way. Did they actually say it that way? No, I I well, I tend to giggle whenever I start to get off balance. And I kept giggling, and the guy kept looking back at me and I'm like, my balance isn't great, is it? And he was like, Well, and I was like, you can say it's fine. I'm not good. Okay. So yeah, I feel like I had a little fun in hot yoga because there's a couple of times when we had to like, you know, balance and I would almost fall over and then I would giggle and I'm like, is this I don't know if this is mostly more of like a reverent kind of space where no giggling is allowed because nobody else was giggling. Um, but I'm gonna tell you, I've done laughter yoga, don't do that. That's awkward. Like it sounds awkward. I don't know. Being forced to laugh is like, yeah, it's like they they just go through tactics and techniques of actually forcing you to laugh. And it just that felt I can't, I can't fake it. I'm either, I either have joy, I either think it's funny, and I may laugh or giggle when I feel awkward. I tend to do that a lot or uncomfortable, but I can't be forced into different types of laughter, which is what laughter yoga uh, the one that I went to that I attended. So I don't highly recommend that, but I think giggling in a regular yoga class is definitely very encouraged for the most part. So I I love that you're finding that what I hear again, what you're saying is that you're coming back into this as to how can I be a more holistically balanced runner and athlete? Like if I can approach all of these with joy with intention, it'll translate into me being more balanced as an athlete, which should also translate into being a stronger runner. Yes. I mean, and and part of that is fueled because everyone keeps telling me that going into marathon training is um that I'm going to hate marathon training, but be so happy when I finish the marathon. So I'm trying to find things that I enjoy. So that there's a lot of things. Why are these people? I need to talk to them and think, what are they doing? Why are they saying that? Because they hate me. I don't know. We're not gonna hate marathon training. Because for the record, your marathon training isn't going to be awful. And by that I mean if you had chosen a fall marathon, there's no way that I could tell you this and not be lying to you because realistically running long in Florida is pretty treacherous. But you're gonna be fine, you're gonna enjoy it, you're gonna have tons of fun, it'll be great weather. That's my hope. So, but people are like, oh yeah, you're gonna get up to that like 18, 19, 20 miles, and you're gonna hate yourself and all your life choices. I'm like, okay, well, maybe I need to find all the fun so that it's I'm not just focused on because I love my long runs. I love them so much. Um, it's probably my favorite run of all the runs. Um, so if I if if those won't be as fun as they are, you know, when I'm only going up to like 10 miles, um, then I need fun. So I'm trying to find the fun now so I have the fun later. I I I would say that I don't agree with those individuals. I will say there is a point in your marathon training where you are tired of lacing up your shoes and you feel like you wish that you had a life outside of running in laundry. Um, there's no doubt that that does happen. But I I've had tons of marathon training seasons where I really, really enjoyed it and found ways to enjoy it. For me, for the record, last marathon training season was one of those, because I was in a brand new environment and a whole like out of my element with working on with hills and elevation that I'm just not used to as being a Florida runner. I just said, okay, it's okay for me to just take off that pressure of whatever happens, happens. I'm just gonna be consistent. And then you know, I like fell madly in love with listening to audiobooks. So, and I think you already do that. Like, you listen to a lot of audiobooks and you find a lot of great podcasts, or you do that for your long runs, or you actually listen to music for your long runs as well. Um, it kind of depends on my mood. Okay, if it's one of the days where I'm not feeling uber motivated, um, I will listen to music to make my feet move. Um, because the playlists that I have curated are at least like around at least 160 beats per minute, so it makes my feet move faster. Um, whereas on the days that I'm super motivated and excited to go for my run, I'll listen to uh like a book or podcast or something. So it really depends on how I'm feeling as to what I'm uh what I'm listening to. Okay, I get it. I'm a bit of a mood listener, I'm also a mood reader. Um, so that's really highly dependent. And again, when you go into those long runs where it is 20 miles, the beauty is that you get to listen to it all because you'll be out there for quite a while. But um, yeah, you'll be fine. You can listen to music, you listen to books, podcasts, whatever

Joyful Movement Draft And Listener Challenge

43:42

works. So bringing it back to the joyful movement, I'm kind of curious if we could do a little bit of a joyful movement draft because we you ran the gamut. You talked about restorative movement, you've talked about joyful movement, you've talked about true like aerobic capacity, matching, um, cross training aspects. I know. That you're fantastic for your strength training, so I'm curious if you can help me a little bit in your own your joyful movement draft pick, because you may want to remember this for when you go into marathon train training as well. What would you say is what you would choose to go to the movement that you prefer when you are totally stressed, like just everything's gone wrong in a day. Um, what are you doing to kind of help yourself relieve some of that stressor? If everything's gone wrong and I need a mood pick me up because I want to be like in a better mood and be joyful, it's gonna probably be Zumba. Um because I have access to it. Um if it's if I've had a horrible day and I just want to stay mad about it, I'm gonna do kickboxing. Okay, okay. So I like how they have to have different results about it. Kickboxing, got it. Um, I'm making notes about this for the record. Okay, what about when you want something low impact? Like you know, like you need to move or you want to move, but you just maybe are feeling a little bit sluggish or sore. What would you go to? Um probably aqua jogging, I feel like is an easy but works well. Um, that I think as long as, you know, if the pool's not icy. Um because I've done that, that's not fun. Um and so probably aqua jogging because it's it's easy accessible for me because it's literally in my backyard. Um, and it doesn't take a lot of preparing to go do that thing. You know, I don't have to go get dressed, go to the gym or whatever. So I'd probably rely on aqua jogging or um yoga. Okay. I like I like the fact that you're talking about aqua jogging because again, I don't think aqua jogging gets enough love. I I'm one of those individuals that don't give it enough love, but I do honestly think that most runners could benefit from it um in so many capacities. For the record, that icy water may feel pretty good, even when it is cold outside, if you're having inflammation. So I'm not a cold plunger, like that's just something that I just I don't want to be uncomfortable. But when you do start to have some inflammation with those mouths get a little bit heavier, that might be something you might find that you enjoy a little bit more. What movement do you go to when you want to feel super strong? I feel like I know the answer on this one already. When I want to feel strong. Strength training is my favorite uh for strength because I just there's nothing better than feeling like, ooh, I lift in the thing. Um, you know, even if it's just one set of like the heaviest weights I have, that's fine. But if I but if we're talking about cross-training, then it would, then it would be kickboxing. I I gotta be honest with you. I on it I didn't even think that you're gonna use strength training into this conversation. I thought it was all the way gonna be kickboxing. I think kickboxing is gonna like like make it in that March madness bracket style. I feel like there's a lot of love for kickboxing for you. Okay, what movement do you go to when you just want to have like pure unadulterated joy and fun, almost like it's play. Okay. I just want to dance. I just want to dance. Um, like one of the some of like those videos I was talking about that are on YouTube with that really funny and like super into it guy. Uh, that's that's it. There's a couple on there, like um the one that I think is probably the most fun, and even I have not seen K-pop Demon Hunters Don't At Me or Hate Me about that, but I have not seen it. But oh, have you not? I feel like that's all we have children and what we have to have children to watch these kind of things. I didn't get the memo for the record. It's on my watch list. I just haven't watched it. But the song, the the main song from that, from that movie, he has the video is insanely fun. Um, and I've done it like three times, three or four times in a row, just so that because my nieces absolutely love K-pop demon hunters, and I was planning on visiting them. And so I was like, I'm gonna learn this dance, and then I'm gonna play it for them, and they're gonna learn this dance, and we're gonna dance together. That did not happen, but I did learn the dance. Oh, well, can you teach us now? Maybe that's something we could do after a fun run. You can teach us, or maybe we could do it as a warm-up. Well, you think it's a good warm-up move? Sure. Okay. I don't feel I don't feel a lot of confidence in that. I gotta be honest, like, so when I'm stressed, I'm gonna go for a walk. Like, I don't know that I could do any of the things you're talking about, Zumba or kickboxing, feel like they would stress me out more because they require coordination. And I'm stressed, I just want to kind of like alleviate all of the thought process and let my mind go blank. Um, low impact, I feel like I'm gonna go for yoga or a walk again. Walking is my jam. I love walking. I think walking doesn't get anywhere near enough love when it comes to cross-training. I think with feeling strong outside of running, that's almost, I mean, it has to be strength training, right? Pick up the heavy things and put them down. You're absolutely right on that. Play, I automatically have to think running. Like if I want to feel like I'm playing and really just joyful in the movement, it's an unstructured front lick with no pressure, just full speed play to kind of do whatever I want. But maybe it's because I'm not as coordinated as you. So I might have to give dance a little bit more of a try. Um, wrong and strong, you don't have to be coordinated, you just have to enjoy it. I want that shirt now, like wrong and strong for whenever I do take a dance class. Um, I have taken quite a few dance classes, and I think I have been horribly bad at all of them. I'm pretty positive. Um, including a pole fitness class where that was horrible. She had one that was called Hello Kitty move, and all I thought was mine would look like spastic monkey. I'm positive. Now I'm trying to picture you doing pole dance. Um hundred percent spastic monkey is what I brought to the table there, and um have not gone back since because it was just mortifying. So if there's a movement though, I pretty much have tried it. I there's a couple more I want to try. Maybe I can convince you to take a trapeze class with me. That sounds dangerous. I want to try, I want to try belly dancing. I've done it. There's two different styles. Yeah, which one would you like to do? Would you like to do the more tribal one or like the pretty cabaret Egyptian one? And I'm sure they have more appropriate terminology now, but my friends, I don't know. I'm just telling you, back when I did it, it was a tribal and it was called uh Egyptian and cabaret. I'm sure again that that's probably not the way they're called now. I want to wear one where I can wear a skirt with the little coins on it, so I feel like Esmeralda. Well, good for you. Both of those styles allow you to do that. So we can so you could do either one. One is just a little bit more chest moves and chest isolations, one's a little bit more hip focused. Ooh. Also, tribal usually like they wear options. They wear like all black, and I'm like, I want pretty colors, so I'm gonna go for the other style. But yeah, that one's a great workout. Poor workout, goodness gracious, girlfriend. I was like, evidently, I don't work my core ever. Um so, friends, what I want you guys now to is because Shelly and I are not too far away from each other, I want you to weigh in over in the Stride Collective and tell us what move you think we should maybe try together so we can come back and report as to how we both felt about it. Um, do you think that's something you would be willing to do? Within reason, within reason. We're both gonna check with Yvonne, make sure that she tells us that we're not gonna get hurt. So there's there's there's some there's some parameters that we're gonna place into this because we both have things that we're working toward that we can't exactly um be out of the running quite literally for six months. So, okay, with that said, I'm so glad that you were able to join me here, Shelly. It was so much fun. I know that I I kind of put you on the spot a couple different times, but I am going to put you on the spot one more time after you've talked about so many different aspects of your running journey and cross-training era. Can you tell me like where you would hope that a listener could maybe take away one little tidbit of word of wisdom that you've learned? Um, I would say approach all of your training, especially the stuff that's not, doesn't have to be strict, stuff that isn't have to like it's very prescribed. Anything that's not super prescribed, approach it with how can I have the most fun possible? Um, without, you know, hurting yourself or getting in the way of your big goals. That's what I that's that's what I say. Just approach it with fun. I want to copy her answer. I mean, that's just that's absolutely not allowed. Peter. That's definitely the answer. But no, I I would agree. It's just um you don't have to only run to be a runner. And if maybe you're listening and you have been sidelined or maybe you feel a little burned out with running and you want to approach it from your movement from other different directions, that all of those aspects of movement will help you in the long run. Haha, pun intended, to be a better athlete, a better runner. So you don't have to earn it only on the pavement through miles. So I want people to take away that maybe exploring in their cross-training is a great opportunity for them to do so. With that said, again, we want to hear from you guys. What would you think that maybe Shelley and I should go tackle together for some cross-training? We could take a fitness, a group fitness class or whatever you think you guys we should do. Yvonne's gonna have to give the stamp of approval. And then um, if you want to send me a message and tell me, like, does your movement count what you're exploring? I'd love to hear that as well. Don't forget, guys, you guys can leave us a text or a message right there in your podcast episode notes. There's a way for you can leave us a voice message now or a text message. We'd love to hear from you. But we want to say, Shelly, thank you for being here for all of you guys. Thank you for moving with us, whatever way your body and life allowed today. Until next time, keep showing up, keep finding your joy, and keep taking those extraordinary strides. Shelly? Yeah. Did you hear her say recording when I hit record in three, two, one? It says the meeting is being recorded. On my thing.