1 00:00:00,960 --> 00:00:04,320 You're listening to episode 250 of the Marathon Running Podcast. 2 00:00:04,560 --> 00:00:07,760 In this episode, we're going to talk about runners and impostor 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:17,200 syndrome. This is the Marathon running 4 00:00:17,200 --> 00:00:19,760 podcast by Letty and Ryan from Week at the Runs. 5 00:00:20,080 --> 00:00:23,080 Join us in our running community for weekly content that is 6 00:00:23,080 --> 00:00:26,880 motivational, educational and inspirational and that the 7 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,720 Marathon Running Podcast take you from the starting line to 8 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:38,520 the finish line and beyond. Hey runners, and welcome to 9 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:40,880 episode 250. My name is Letty. 10 00:00:41,440 --> 00:00:44,440 My name is Ryan. And we welcome you back to our 11 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:46,320 weekly show on all things running. 12 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:49,760 Take 2. Take two because I misspoke the 13 00:00:49,760 --> 00:00:52,880 first try, and today we're going to talk about a topic we have 14 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:57,400 not tackled in the previous 250 episodes, which is imposter 15 00:00:57,400 --> 00:00:59,280 syndrome when it comes to runners. 16 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,720 What is imposter syndrome, lady? So imposter syndrome is by 17 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,640 definition feeling like something isn't true even though 18 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:14,320 it is true, like a feeling that is maybe brought up by your own 19 00:01:14,320 --> 00:01:17,920 self consciousness or your own self doubt. 20 00:01:18,240 --> 00:01:22,240 When you doubt your achievement and you still have clear 21 00:01:22,240 --> 00:01:25,000 evidence of progress, but you just kind of don't believe it, 22 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:27,960 Wouldn't you say that's a little bit of a correct definition for 23 00:01:27,960 --> 00:01:30,000 this? Yeah, I guess just thinking 24 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:34,080 you're inadequate or you're not up to your own abilities even. 25 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:37,320 Yeah. And I think it is hard for 26 00:01:37,320 --> 00:01:41,560 anyone at the outset of running to call themselves a runner, 27 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,280 especially if they did not run in high school, especially if 28 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,600 they were never on a running team in college, especially if 29 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:52,520 they're starting later and later on in life. 20s, thirties, 40s, 30 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:55,080 even 50s. It's hard to label yourself 31 00:01:55,080 --> 00:01:59,120 something that nobody has ever labeled you before, especially 32 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:03,360 given that when you hear the terminology runner, maybe you 33 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,960 yourself think of runners that you see on television. 34 00:02:07,160 --> 00:02:10,840 And then here we are. We don't run as fast as anything 35 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:13,520 that will be televised. So to call yourself something 36 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:16,400 and throw yourself in the same bucket as them can really be 37 00:02:16,400 --> 00:02:20,440 hard sometimes. I guess imposter syndrome with 38 00:02:20,920 --> 00:02:24,400 related to running in my mind is, you know, someone that just 39 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:27,640 doesn't feel adequate in, in one aspect or another, whether it be 40 00:02:27,640 --> 00:02:31,960 times or physical appearance or anything of that nature. 41 00:02:32,640 --> 00:02:37,960 I think it it could be a psychological barrier for any 42 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:40,240 number of reasons. I mean, that's probably 43 00:02:40,240 --> 00:02:46,080 something that's can be individualized and can be way 44 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:49,520 more in depth than what we could analyze on a podcast. 45 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:54,400 I think that that like with, you know, you say imposter syndrome, 46 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:57,840 but you know, it could be with anything. 47 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:03,640 It could be sports, it could be related to intellectual things, 48 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:05,960 it could be related to social things. 49 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:07,880 Imposter syndrome could be anything. 50 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:11,680 And, and the, the difference between someone that, that feels 51 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,920 inadequate or someone that's overly confident can have so 52 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:18,240 many different roots. I'm not a psychologist in any 53 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:21,680 way, but can have so many different roots, you know, with 54 00:03:21,880 --> 00:03:27,040 regards to upbringing or culture or current environment or 55 00:03:27,640 --> 00:03:29,680 anything. It's, it's just so such a 56 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:33,320 complicated topic. I think it's a difficult thing I 57 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:38,080 said before. I think fortunately, as opposed 58 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:45,320 to say other athletic events, just to stay on topic, running 59 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:50,080 is generally really inclusive. And so someone that might have 60 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:54,000 the feelings of imposter syndrome, at least if they get 61 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:58,640 involved in the running community, generally they'll see 62 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:02,880 a positive, you know, environment and like a positive 63 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,120 reinforcements and, and that can really help somebody overcome 64 00:04:06,120 --> 00:04:10,000 things like that. As opposed to maybe other sports 65 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,960 that, or other sports or athletic events that, that are 66 00:04:12,960 --> 00:04:16,920 more focused on either competitiveness, like team 67 00:04:17,399 --> 00:04:23,520 fighting back and forth, who wins records like that, or ones 68 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:28,880 that have more social, I guess, status. 69 00:04:28,880 --> 00:04:33,200 And you know, like for instance, surfing, you know, where you're 70 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:36,160 not cool if you don't do this or that, you know, and those, those 71 00:04:36,160 --> 00:04:39,360 can be difficult even though there's no, it's even a, it's a, 72 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,480 it's, it's hard to find a judge for who's better than someone 73 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:48,240 else in say, like I said in surfing, but there's all this 74 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:52,120 hierarchy and other stuff of who's the better surfer and not 75 00:04:52,120 --> 00:04:54,040 as good surfer that could be more difficult. 76 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:56,840 Running, fortunately, is generally more inclusive, I 77 00:04:56,840 --> 00:05:00,000 think. I agree with you and I agree 78 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:02,920 with you on running embracing everyone, especially now. 79 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:08,400 It wasn't always like that, and now especially 2025 running, 80 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:11,920 embracing everyone no matter what your speed is marathon cut 81 00:05:11,920 --> 00:05:17,840 off times getting longer for a bigger pool of participants. 82 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:21,160 It's actually quite beautiful. Also, nowadays it's really easy 83 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:23,400 to find running communities unless you live somewhere 84 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:26,560 completely out there. Normally major cities or even 85 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:30,760 smaller cities have local run clubs where you can join. 86 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:36,920 But yeah, so the bottom line is if you run, you're a runner. 87 00:05:36,920 --> 00:05:40,760 There's no definition of a runner and everyone starts 88 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:43,560 somewhere. Even elite runners start with 89 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:45,720 the first few steps out the door. 90 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,000 It's personal. It's about your own journey and 91 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:51,360 not everyone else's. Yet we do struggle with that. 92 00:05:51,360 --> 00:05:54,880 And then for that reason, we brought on a coach today to 93 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:59,080 discuss the imposter syndrome because he and his practice sees 94 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:01,760 a lot of runners that struggle with imposter syndrome and he 95 00:06:01,760 --> 00:06:04,280 beautifully helps them overcome it. 96 00:06:05,320 --> 00:06:06,840 So you want to get into it? Sure. 97 00:06:06,840 --> 00:06:09,080 So without any further ado, I'm now going to be playing my 98 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:14,400 conversation. All right, so I'm on here with 99 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:17,160 Carlos Ponce. Carlos, thank you so much for 100 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:19,560 joining me today. Thank you. 101 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:22,640 Thanks for having me. Lady, of course, and before we 102 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,080 hop into this beautiful or not so beautiful topic of impostor 103 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:30,040 syndrome, maybe we can talk about you and maybe you can let 104 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:31,800 us know who you are and what you do of. 105 00:06:33,400 --> 00:06:38,000 Course. So Carlos, as you said, I 106 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,480 started running. This is going to set, well, I'm 107 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:43,400 going to age myself on this, but I started running almost 3 108 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:48,280 decades ago, but my focus was actually originally on track and 109 00:06:48,280 --> 00:06:52,240 field events. I competitively ran 400 meters 110 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,520 and high jump all through school, through college. 111 00:06:56,520 --> 00:07:01,120 And when I finally made the switch to long distance running 112 00:07:01,120 --> 00:07:04,480 was in 2011, I thought that it was going to be one of those 113 00:07:04,480 --> 00:07:08,400 things that would be considerably easy because of the 114 00:07:08,400 --> 00:07:12,000 background that I had. And I was wrong. 115 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,040 I mean, it was very naive of me to go in with that approach. 116 00:07:15,720 --> 00:07:18,480 I guess I was just very used to what I had been doing for 117 00:07:18,480 --> 00:07:20,200 multiple years. And when I came back to it 118 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:24,400 wasn't the case. So it took me several years of 119 00:07:24,560 --> 00:07:27,920 of experiencing really what true long distance was doing self 120 00:07:27,920 --> 00:07:33,280 coaching, doing coaching with with my own coaches to finally 121 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,560 understand where I wanted to be, what I wanted to be able to do 122 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:38,840 within running and what I was willing to sacrifice or not the 123 00:07:38,880 --> 00:07:42,280 the give and take of it to get to where I was finally 124 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:48,000 comfortable with my results. And that took me to being able 125 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:52,920 to truly enjoy the sport again. And that is really how I got 126 00:07:52,920 --> 00:08:00,280 into coaching because I had going back to what I mentioned 127 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:01,960 that getting into long distance was not fun for me. 128 00:08:03,360 --> 00:08:07,160 I spent eight years trying to just simply figure out how to 129 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:10,160 run my marathon. And it was constant, at least in 130 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:13,960 my opinion, failure after failure after failure to the 131 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:15,720 point that I, I stopped running in 2019. 132 00:08:15,760 --> 00:08:17,920 I said, I'm done. There's no joy in this. 133 00:08:18,760 --> 00:08:22,440 And then my son during COVID, he was six years old at the time, 134 00:08:22,880 --> 00:08:26,000 he started joining me for just wanting to go outside for a 135 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:28,040 little bit and get some walks in, do whatever. 136 00:08:28,400 --> 00:08:29,880 Then he was saying, OK, let's go for runs. 137 00:08:30,360 --> 00:08:35,360 And we would run. And after 1/4 mile, this poor 138 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:38,400 child was just exhausted, even if it was just a trot. 139 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,480 But he kept on coming back saying let's do it again, let's 140 00:08:41,480 --> 00:08:45,160 do it again, let's do it again. And I started seeing him grow, 141 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:48,600 not only from from physically being able to go longer 142 00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:50,520 distances, but also his approach. 143 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:53,720 It was always amazing to me that he was just being so positive 144 00:08:53,720 --> 00:09:00,080 about it. And as soon as lockdown ended, I 145 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:03,320 tried running again and it was my breakthrough. 146 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:06,600 I I just literally went into it in a stop worrying about what 147 00:09:06,600 --> 00:09:09,440 you've been doing, stop looking at what everyone else is doing, 148 00:09:10,240 --> 00:09:14,640 have fun with it and look at the small wins that you're having a 149 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:17,240 long your journey. And that was my breakthrough 150 00:09:17,240 --> 00:09:22,560 with the marathon and that led me into the coaching side. 151 00:09:22,560 --> 00:09:25,840 I had so much fun with my son that they said at his school 152 00:09:25,840 --> 00:09:28,320 that they want volunteers and I thought that it would be wrong 153 00:09:28,320 --> 00:09:30,320 of me to just go in and volunteer without having the 154 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:32,320 proper background. Didn't matter what my experience 155 00:09:32,320 --> 00:09:36,160 was as a runner, it was more about being able to convey the 156 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:41,480 right information for these potential future runners. 157 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:45,320 So I went back, got certified and started volunteering out of 158 00:09:45,320 --> 00:09:47,800 school and started with kids really. 159 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:56,160 And now here we are in 2025. I have runners of all ages and I 160 00:09:56,160 --> 00:09:58,360 enjoy the running side. I'm the first one to turn to 161 00:09:58,360 --> 00:10:01,920 them and say, hey, forget about everyone else, let's focus on 162 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,160 you. And it's been a a very 163 00:10:04,160 --> 00:10:08,040 entertaining journey of that. I love this and I love how your 164 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:11,800 kids served also to bring you this inspiration because you 165 00:10:11,800 --> 00:10:15,200 know, there's nothing more honest and blunt than a child 166 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:17,320 and the child's opinion of things. 167 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:19,680 So that's really cute. Amazing. 168 00:10:20,520 --> 00:10:23,120 So let's hop into the topic of your choice. 169 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:26,000 So normally when I talk to new coaches on the podcast, I always 170 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:29,200 ask them, is there something that either you can speak to 171 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:32,280 very well or if you have a topic of choice or if you have 172 00:10:32,680 --> 00:10:35,440 customers, clients, runners that ask you about this topic. 173 00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:38,040 And you mentioned to me imposter syndrome. 174 00:10:38,280 --> 00:10:41,920 So let's talk about imposter syndrome and maybe we can just 175 00:10:42,120 --> 00:10:46,440 introduce it and you can explain what it is and how it might show 176 00:10:46,440 --> 00:10:49,400 up and running, especially for recreational runners. 177 00:10:50,280 --> 00:10:56,160 Of course, what imposter syndrome is it's or how it's 178 00:10:56,200 --> 00:10:59,080 commonly manifested in individuals is almost a self 179 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:04,080 doubt of their accomplishments or of their skill level based on 180 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:08,560 either the comparison with others no matter what your 181 00:11:08,560 --> 00:11:12,000 results may show, or also even comparison with your previous 182 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:13,760 self of what you have been able to do. 183 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:21,120 I think that in today's world, while there's so many advantages 184 00:11:21,120 --> 00:11:24,120 with where technology and the Internet has been able to take 185 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:29,120 us, I think one of the major disadvantages of this is that 186 00:11:29,240 --> 00:11:33,200 people just see online. It's on TikTok, Instagram, 187 00:11:33,200 --> 00:11:36,480 YouTube. We're just seeing the results of 188 00:11:36,480 --> 00:11:38,440 people and seeing how well they do. 189 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:43,040 And these are results. They're taken out of context. 190 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,640 There's no understanding as to how these individuals may have 191 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:51,080 gone to that level, how much work may have gone into that to 192 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:55,240 get to that point. Or even if it's sadly, if it's 193 00:11:55,280 --> 00:12:00,440 really a true number or result there, there's so much online of 194 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:07,680 editing or fudging the, the, the result that, that it's, it's an 195 00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:12,080 unfair and an improper way to start off your, your journey 196 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:15,160 into running. And people get lost in that. 197 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:20,520 I even mentioned without going that far, that with my 198 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:23,480 experience, I got burned out on it because I just kept on not 199 00:12:23,480 --> 00:12:26,360 seeing the results for myself, the long distance that I had 200 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:31,120 seen in track and field. And what we need to, to, to get 201 00:12:31,120 --> 00:12:36,200 people to really get comfortable with is that forget about 202 00:12:36,200 --> 00:12:39,520 everyone who's around you. It should focus on you. 203 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:43,000 Let's see what you can do today. Let's understand where you're at 204 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:45,400 and let's start looking at those small wins and what are you? 205 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:48,880 What is it that you want to accomplish without doing that? 206 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:53,280 It's very easy to just get lost in all the noise that's out 207 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:57,160 there. Yeah, absolutely. 208 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,840 It's a it's an interesting concept, the whole impostor 209 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:03,120 syndrome, and it's amazing how it does show up and running. 210 00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:06,160 So if somebody doesn't know that they have impostor syndrome, 211 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:11,120 what are some signs? Sure, it's it can be everything 212 00:13:11,120 --> 00:13:20,120 from self doubt or or lowering what your belief is in yourself 213 00:13:20,600 --> 00:13:23,120 overall with with saying that your results are not what you 214 00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:25,800 would expect or you really thought you should be doing 215 00:13:25,800 --> 00:13:29,080 better or even anxiety. It's been shown to to Pierce 216 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:35,040 anxiety in individuals thinking that the result of one single 217 00:13:35,040 --> 00:13:39,600 race or event is what's going to define you rather than the 218 00:13:39,600 --> 00:13:42,880 result of all the work that you've put in. 219 00:13:47,280 --> 00:13:50,240 We had the opportunity through the Brooks Ryan Collective to 220 00:13:50,240 --> 00:13:53,120 meet Shari Hawkins. I don't know if you're familiar 221 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:57,760 with Shari. She is a tremendous athlete for 222 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:01,600 the US. She was in the Olympics, in the 223 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:08,640 decathlon, and she was qualifying as someone who was 224 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:11,120 completely older than her competition. 225 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:14,880 She'd come after years of trying to qualify and not getting in 226 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:18,560 and having superb performance this year or last year. 227 00:14:18,560 --> 00:14:20,080 I'm sorry. And when she got to the 228 00:14:20,080 --> 00:14:30,080 Olympics, she went into the high jump and had no score on a on a 229 00:14:30,080 --> 00:14:33,240 height that she had never missed in her life. 230 00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:38,160 And when we were talking to her this past summer, she told us 231 00:14:38,400 --> 00:14:43,000 that a, it got into her head that I can't do this right now. 232 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:48,080 And and then she talked to us about what she had to do to get 233 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:53,280 back to being able to do it. And it was interesting to see 234 00:14:53,280 --> 00:14:57,720 really from a pros perspective that this can happen as well. 235 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:04,320 She went through weeks and months of just having to talk 236 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:07,880 herself through how she was going to be able to get back 237 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:12,000 into the sport that she loved when she didn't want to do it 238 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:14,240 after that one incident. And it didn't matter that she 239 00:15:14,240 --> 00:15:17,480 had just come off of her greatest year ever, that her 240 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:21,200 numbers were superb across the board and that she had gone to 241 00:15:21,200 --> 00:15:25,040 the ultimate showcase of the sport. 242 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:31,080 And it's, I use her example because this is someone who does 243 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,120 it perfectly every day or not perfectly, but who, who goes 244 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:35,600 through the repetition just to try to get as close to 245 00:15:35,600 --> 00:15:39,960 perfection daily. And there is that, that still, 246 00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:42,280 well, I can't do this or I couldn't do this. 247 00:15:42,360 --> 00:15:46,800 And how is this going to identify me in the public eye? 248 00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:55,000 And that's what I'm trying to to convey to my athletes is you 249 00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:59,560 cannot worry about what everyone else is thinking or even what 250 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:01,920 you're thinking. What do you want out of this? 251 00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:05,080 And Shari turned back to said, it was until I listened to my 252 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:08,280 family, I listened to myself and I realized, hey, look at 253 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:11,920 everything that I've done. This is not going to define me. 254 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:20,080 This is not going to be what what really worked as the gauge 255 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:25,040 for my performance. And it's more about am I doing 256 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:28,400 the best that I can? Am I putting in the effort that, 257 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:34,440 that I, that I deserve and think that that I can give myself Also 258 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:37,080 understanding what your expectations are with that. 259 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:39,280 I think that a lot of people automatically say if I'm 260 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:45,200 training 50 miles a week or I'm training 8 hours a week, this is 261 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:47,440 the number that I should be getting as a result. 262 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:50,360 Well, no, you, you have to take into consideration that it's not 263 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:52,600 just that it's how are you eating? 264 00:16:53,200 --> 00:16:56,000 How are you sleeping? Do you actually have a life 265 00:16:56,000 --> 00:16:58,360 outside of running? I mean, most of us have 266 00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:03,320 families, have work, have things pop up. 267 00:17:04,160 --> 00:17:07,640 It's a total balance. And people are so focused on, 268 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,720 oh, well, it's running. I want to do better that that 269 00:17:10,720 --> 00:17:13,000 they just forget about all the other things that that influence 270 00:17:13,000 --> 00:17:15,560 that and why the results may not be what they need to be. 271 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:20,280 And I think that they need to be kinder to themselves as to how 272 00:17:21,640 --> 00:17:24,160 they they they look at their results ultimately. 273 00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,240 Yes, yes, I couldn't agree more. It, it sounds like you know 274 00:17:28,240 --> 00:17:32,360 from, from all that the mental impact of this imposter 275 00:17:32,360 --> 00:17:34,800 syndrome. It's just you not liking the 276 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:37,680 sport anymore. And then, you know, a lot of our 277 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:42,040 listeners are 40 years and up. Obviously eventually we're not 278 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,640 going to hit the same results when we run, even if we have 279 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,840 more time to train. So that's another aspect to 280 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:53,360 consider, not just social media, not just the comparison to other 281 00:17:53,360 --> 00:17:56,160 people, also your old race times, right? 282 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:01,000 Of course, no. And well, it's interesting 283 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:07,440 because even the notion of of the more work that I do, the 284 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:11,800 more I'll see the results there. No, to your point, we need to 285 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:15,960 change that narrative. It's what is the value or 286 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:19,520 getting more out of less thumbs and you mentioned right now that 287 00:18:19,520 --> 00:18:23,640 as age changes that's going to become more difficult 100%. 288 00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:28,040 But how has that impacted me? As an example, I used to do 289 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:32,200 those 4050 mile weeks and my results were OK. 290 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:40,040 I have changed my my approach over the last five years where 291 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:43,080 even as a coach, I have my own coach and I work with him very 292 00:18:43,080 --> 00:18:44,960 closely. And it's a constant back and 293 00:18:44,960 --> 00:18:47,600 forth of ideas and why would it work or why would it not work 294 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,760 with what I'm doing. But what we learned is that the 295 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:56,000 less load of mileage I was doing, the better I was 296 00:18:56,000 --> 00:19:03,320 performing to the point that last year at age 42, I hit APR 297 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:05,880 in every distance from the 10K up to the 50K. 298 00:19:07,440 --> 00:19:09,800 And this was going off of less mileage. 299 00:19:10,680 --> 00:19:13,040 That doesn't mean that everyone needs to drop mileage and you're 300 00:19:13,040 --> 00:19:15,080 going to do better. It was OK. 301 00:19:15,080 --> 00:19:18,680 What can I influence back to my point earlier, can't do as much 302 00:19:18,680 --> 00:19:20,280 mileage. I know that my body can't handle 303 00:19:20,280 --> 00:19:23,640 it anymore. So can I improve my sleep? 304 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:26,440 Did I change my diet? There were some things that I 305 00:19:26,440 --> 00:19:27,480 took out. There were some things that I 306 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:29,000 just said. I'm not willing to sacrifice 307 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:30,840 that. It's too much fun not to have 308 00:19:30,840 --> 00:19:33,360 that in my day-to-day. So that that stays. 309 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:37,960 But it it's really just finding the right balance as an 310 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:40,160 individual. And that's the important thing 311 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:43,640 here also, it's each individual is going to work and function 312 00:19:43,640 --> 00:19:47,240 differently, which is why the moment that that you start 313 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:50,560 turning to yourself and saying, well, they were doing this, I 314 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:52,960 need to do this or I'm not doing this correctly because I'm not 315 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,520 seeing the same results. It's wrong. 316 00:19:56,360 --> 00:19:58,240 And we need to get out of that mindset. 317 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:03,920 Yes, again, I'm fully agreeing. And with that I want to go to my 318 00:20:03,920 --> 00:20:06,840 next question that I have for you in regards to your new 319 00:20:06,840 --> 00:20:09,160 runners. You know, there are certain 320 00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:11,720 runners, including you just mentioned it yourself, you 321 00:20:11,720 --> 00:20:16,080 didn't feel like you were going to be a legitimate person that 322 00:20:16,080 --> 00:20:18,680 could volunteer at coaching at your son's school unless you 323 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,160 went back and got that coaching certification. 324 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:23,240 So there's other runners that feel the same way. 325 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,480 Like I recently talked to a running coach that didn't start 326 00:20:26,480 --> 00:20:28,840 run coaching until he ran a sub three hour marathon. 327 00:20:29,080 --> 00:20:31,460 There's runners that don't feel like they're runners, quote UN 328 00:20:31,460 --> 00:20:33,520 quote. I'm doing air quotes unless they 329 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:37,880 run the Boston Marathon. So how do you address that? 330 00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:46,520 Yeah, no, I, I honestly, and I know it's been used so many 331 00:20:46,520 --> 00:20:50,200 times and so many times, but if you move your runner, if you 332 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,960 lace them up, you're a runner. And the reality, what, what we 333 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:58,200 mean with that is that running is an experience as a whole. 334 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:01,440 It's not about your times. It's not about the races that 335 00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:02,880 you've done. There's people who have never 336 00:21:02,880 --> 00:21:07,000 done a single race and probably run considerably faster than I 337 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:08,480 do. And there's people who have done 338 00:21:08,720 --> 00:21:13,360 all the races and they're doing them at their own pace and 339 00:21:13,360 --> 00:21:17,280 enjoying every minute of that 6-7 or eight hour journey. 340 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:22,760 The reality is that the distance is when it comes to the 341 00:21:22,760 --> 00:21:25,400 marathon, if we're using that as an example, I don't know during 342 00:21:25,400 --> 00:21:32,360 the exact same distance doesn't matter during the, the, the, the 343 00:21:32,360 --> 00:21:34,880 comparison, which is a terrible thing to do. 344 00:21:35,160 --> 00:21:39,800 But but the the whole point when I use this is I had one of my 345 00:21:39,800 --> 00:21:45,080 newer runners say, well, I don't want to be running to using your 346 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:48,640 example, I don't want to be running out there six hours when 347 00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,480 I know that there's others who are doing it in 2 1/2 or 3. 348 00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,600 And I said, OK, well, think of it the opposite way from my 349 00:21:55,600 --> 00:22:01,400 perspective as a runner, I say, OK, I run in three and I am in 350 00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,840 pain. I can only imagine the effort 351 00:22:03,840 --> 00:22:06,400 that's going in for someone who's been going out there for 352 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:10,840 4-5, six hours and the mental strength that it takes for you 353 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:14,400 to be able to do that kind of accomplishment. 354 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:18,600 It's not about the time. It's about looking at what are 355 00:22:18,600 --> 00:22:21,240 those wins changing again, changing that narrative of what 356 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:22,400 are you trying to accomplish out of this. 357 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,120 If it's saying you completed the marathon, you completed it. 358 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:31,600 And not only that, you did it when 99.9% of the world is not 359 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:36,320 able to do this and you did this on your own terms and you did 360 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:37,920 the training, you put in the work. 361 00:22:38,000 --> 00:22:40,680 You, you, you got the exact same medal at the end of the day. 362 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:47,520 So for a new runner, when I bring them on board, it's more 363 00:22:47,520 --> 00:22:50,520 of a conversation for me of what is it that you're wanting to do? 364 00:22:51,080 --> 00:22:52,440 What do you want to get out of this? 365 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:55,320 Forgive out, racist and says forget about anything. 366 00:22:55,440 --> 00:22:57,560 Why is it that you're doing this? 367 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:01,080 Coaches are not A1 size fits all. 368 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:05,000 I have a ton of amazing friends who are coaches and colleagues, 369 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:08,960 and there are very few of us who have the same approach for 370 00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:12,120 running. There's those that are no 371 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:15,040 bullshit approach. And sorry if I'm not supposed to 372 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:19,200 say that if I can't say that on here, but which I consider 373 00:23:19,200 --> 00:23:22,560 myself very much. I don't mince my words. 374 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:27,480 I'm very blunt about it, but I also am a constant reminder for 375 00:23:27,480 --> 00:23:30,520 them as all the things that they're doing well that we need 376 00:23:30,520 --> 00:23:32,640 to focus on. I'm not the one who's going to 377 00:23:32,680 --> 00:23:35,440 promise you results. That's not how running or 378 00:23:35,440 --> 00:23:37,680 coaching works. What what I want out of this is 379 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:40,000 for you to feel that there was actual improvement. 380 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:42,360 It may not come on the day of your race. 381 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:45,600 Races are fickle. It's one day out of 365 that we 382 00:23:45,600 --> 00:23:48,080 have in a year. But do you feel better? 383 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:49,840 Do you feel healthier? Do you feel that you're getting 384 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:51,240 the kind of support that you need? 385 00:23:52,080 --> 00:23:57,160 And also, what can I gain from each one of these runners? 386 00:23:57,440 --> 00:24:00,520 And it's it's it's not that there needs to be some kind of 387 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:02,080 gain. I'm not talking monetary. 388 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:04,560 I'm talking what can I learn from them? 389 00:24:05,360 --> 00:24:06,840 Everyone's coming from somewhere different. 390 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:10,320 Everyone's going to have that balance of what they want or 391 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:13,920 what they can do. And that's tremendous for me to 392 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:18,160 be able to to learn from what I'm seeing in them, what changes 393 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:21,160 I see in their day-to-day when I'm working with them and how I 394 00:24:21,160 --> 00:24:24,000 can apply that in the future with other runners as they join 395 00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,400 on board towels. I love this and it's so true. 396 00:24:27,400 --> 00:24:31,800 Every coach is so different and how they are able to support 397 00:24:31,800 --> 00:24:33,720 you. You know, there's so much more 398 00:24:33,720 --> 00:24:37,320 to running than just having a simple plan of, you know, 399 00:24:37,320 --> 00:24:39,920 coaching plan and following it because there's so much more 400 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,840 that goes on behind it. So I guess my last question with 401 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:46,760 that is for somebody that does have imposter syndrome, besides 402 00:24:46,760 --> 00:24:48,840 asking the question, what is it that you want? 403 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:52,400 What do you tell them to do? Are there any exercises, any 404 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:56,760 self talk, things that you advise them to do in order to 405 00:24:56,760 --> 00:24:59,280 overcome this so they can ultimately feel happy again? 406 00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:01,120 Yeah. No, no, no. 407 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:06,680 And, and I started doing this with my son and his teammates, 408 00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:11,000 but, and I've continued to apply today, but I, I after every 409 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:16,880 single week, I asked them to come back and give me, give me 410 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:19,880 almost that sandwich method of feedback. 411 00:25:20,160 --> 00:25:25,840 I want to hear 2 positives, 1 negative and another positive. 412 00:25:25,840 --> 00:25:28,520 And ultimately I want to hear what your feedback was for the 413 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:31,080 week. And it's a great way for them 414 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:35,160 to, you're forcing them to, to, yes, see that positive, which 415 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:37,640 for some people it's very easy, but for others it, it's not 416 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:41,520 saying, oh, well, you know what, this week it may not have been 417 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:43,760 APR. It was I just wasn't as tired 418 00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,640 after running that Sprint. What was the negative? 419 00:25:46,760 --> 00:25:52,160 Well, I, I think that I could have done a better job as a 420 00:25:52,240 --> 00:25:56,200 teammate or I could have done a better job with, with my warmups 421 00:25:56,200 --> 00:25:58,840 or whatever it may be, but calling out also the things that 422 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:02,000 you aren't doing, but then closing it on a positive note to 423 00:26:02,000 --> 00:26:04,480 say again. But you know what, all things 424 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:09,600 considered, this is the total bird's eye view of what we did 425 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:11,040 this week. And that's why it was a 426 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:13,040 positive. And I love taking that approach 427 00:26:13,520 --> 00:26:16,080 with them. Again, I think that with kids, 428 00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:19,480 it's always been a little more blunt and a little simpler, 429 00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:22,120 which I love. But even with my runners, that's 430 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:23,400 exactly the same thing that I do. 431 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:30,080 And even more important to do that not only during races, but 432 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:33,080 throughout the journey of their coaching, we want to make sure 433 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:37,400 that they have that constant reinforcement and self-awareness 434 00:26:37,400 --> 00:26:38,800 that they are doing things correctly. 435 00:26:39,480 --> 00:26:41,760 And if there's something that they do not feel like they're 436 00:26:41,760 --> 00:26:44,040 doing correctly, bring it to my attention. 437 00:26:44,160 --> 00:26:46,680 And if, if I agree, I'll say, you know what, you're absolutely 438 00:26:46,680 --> 00:26:49,040 right. Shame on me for not having put 439 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:51,160 more attention to that. Let's work on it. 440 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,680 And if it's something that I can turn and say, actually, you may 441 00:26:54,680 --> 00:26:57,400 be a little too harsh on yourself, you're doing this, 442 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,280 this and this, correct Within that one thing you called out. 443 00:27:00,880 --> 00:27:03,440 I think we're on the right path. It's just a matter of you seeing 444 00:27:03,440 --> 00:27:07,160 that as well. Perfect. 445 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:10,480 I love that sandwich method. I've I think read in a book 446 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:14,360 about it where you have to say 2 positive things and you can 447 00:27:14,360 --> 00:27:15,960 sandwich one negative thing. You know how to give 448 00:27:15,960 --> 00:27:19,000 constructive criticism as well. But the whole impact that you're 449 00:27:19,000 --> 00:27:22,600 ending it on a good note, I think unavoidably that's going 450 00:27:22,600 --> 00:27:27,360 to make the runner feel happier and more accomplished, while at 451 00:27:27,360 --> 00:27:30,320 the same time being realistic and aware of shortcomings. 452 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:36,160 Absolutely. And again, it's important to, 453 00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,480 to, to keep ourselves accountable if we're doing 454 00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:42,000 something wrong. But there's so many variables 455 00:27:43,360 --> 00:27:47,400 that, that it's unfair for us to only look at it that way. 456 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:49,160 And we do need to look at those positives. 457 00:27:49,200 --> 00:27:52,600 And there's a lot of positives. There's so many positives out 458 00:27:52,600 --> 00:27:54,800 there. So we might as well also pat 459 00:27:54,800 --> 00:27:59,280 ourselves on the back and and, and appreciate those moments as 460 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:02,480 well. I absolutely agree with you, 461 00:28:02,480 --> 00:28:04,280 Carlos. Thank you so much for coming on 462 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:08,040 and I can't wait to have you back on an another topic very 463 00:28:08,040 --> 00:28:09,920 soon. Perhaps you can let our 464 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:11,800 listeners know how they can best find you. 465 00:28:11,800 --> 00:28:13,800 Oh. Absolutely. 466 00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:24,240 I am on Instagram as run under score coach under score CP from 467 00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:31,960 a coaching perspective, Resolute runners.com and then I'm on 468 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:36,760 TikTok as well. Run dot coach dot CP Anytime 469 00:28:36,760 --> 00:28:40,080 anyone I engage often it's entertaining. 470 00:28:40,080 --> 00:28:44,400 For me, it's kind of a just shoot the shit, have some 471 00:28:44,400 --> 00:28:47,160 giggles with people online. It's a great way to just get to 472 00:28:47,160 --> 00:28:49,560 meet people so. I love it. 473 00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:52,640 Thank you so much, Carlos. Of course lady, have a good one. 474 00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:00,240 All right, thank you so much for coming on and speaking with us. 475 00:29:00,240 --> 00:29:03,760 Everything will be LinkedIn, our show notes, and bottom line. 476 00:29:03,760 --> 00:29:07,120 Ryan, what did we learn on overcoming imposter syndrome? 477 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:11,760 I want to say that just remember you are all on your own journey. 478 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:13,480 You're running your own pace, your own distance, your own 479 00:29:13,480 --> 00:29:15,560 goals. Everything is yours and 480 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,760 everything is valid. You are a runner no matter what. 481 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,480 And I think you picked a good sport because running is 482 00:29:21,480 --> 00:29:24,760 generally pretty inclusive. Running is also a good sport 483 00:29:24,760 --> 00:29:26,880 just to compete with yourself and you don't really have to 484 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:31,120 compare with others a lot. Yes, stop comparing and focus on 485 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:34,800 your own progress. You're not someone else's real 486 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:37,720 highlight. So if social media has that 487 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:41,360 negative effect on you, maybe just get off of that completely. 488 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:47,640 And if you find a running group that isn't inclusive or is too 489 00:29:47,640 --> 00:29:49,800 competitive, usually there's other ones that aren't. 490 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:52,360 Exactly. Yeah, there's always your tribe 491 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:53,880 out there. So keep looking for that. 492 00:29:54,200 --> 00:29:56,880 Keep showing up and until next week. 493 00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:04,200 Have a good week of running. Thanks for tuning in. 494 00:30:04,520 --> 00:30:07,320 For more information and marathon running news, please 495 00:30:07,320 --> 00:30:11,200 head to www.marathonrunningpodcast.com 496 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:13,000 and we'll be back next week.