Be a Life Warrior with Muyiwa Abediyi

Have you ever wondered how an active lifestyle can profoundly shift your mindset? This week, we're joined by the great and powerful Muyiwa Abediyi, host of the Day In and Day Out podcast, who brings his infectious enthusiasm for running and a wealth of insight on the mental fortitude needed to push past personal boundaries. Together, we peel back the layers of what it means to embrace the runner's high and the psychological benefits that accompany setting one foot in front of the other.

As we lace up for this journey, we recognize the importance of forging genuine connections in our digital landscapes. We reflect on the strides we've made over the past three years and the evolution of our content, all while nurturing dreams of what lies ahead. With an unwavering commitment to motivation and growth, we engage in discussions that will inspire and challenge our community. Whether discussing the humbling lessons from a failed marathon or strategies to embracing discomfort, this episode is an invitation to join a collective pursuit of self-improvement and a celebration of life's marathon.

Welcome to the Do Hard Things Podcast with your host Jay Tiegs, Are you ready to amplify and improve your life? Then you are in the right place.  On this podcast we have unfiltered conversation with inspiring people who take on challenges and share with us, the wisdom from their journey. We talk about how doing hard things adequately enable all of us to deal with life's struggles and challenges and ultimately improve the quality of our lives. 

Big things are happening inside Do Hard Things Nation, and I want you with us.

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:43

All right, welcome back everybody to another episode of the Do Our Things podcast. I'm your host, jt, your high performance running coach, high performance mindset coach, and what we do here is we empower people to upgrade their life through mindset and movement. And this is another interview episode and I'm excited to have our special guest here, miwa Adibi, who hosts the Day In and Day Out podcast. I had the pleasure of being on his podcast. It's been probably just around a year, maybe a little more than a year, and Miwa is across the pond over in England and, man, I tell you what I am truly, of all the podcasts that I have been on, miwa gave me the most. It was probably the most memorable intro and energy and I love his consistency. He was always out running and getting after it over there in England and I'm glad to have you on the podcast, miwa.

Speaker 2 1:37

Thank you for being here, I'm glad to be here, jay, and I'm glad to see the check has finally cleared, so I get this positive feedback from you on a regular basis. It's all good, yeah man.

Speaker 1 1:52

I'm a huge fan, Miwa, like every day, I feel like I see you every day when I'm doing my workout and I post and I scroll you pop up. It's almost like I love being connected with like-minded people on a similar journey. I love your message about being a life warrior and I just love the positivity that you're spreading, because I think that the world needs it and I'm a huge fan, brother.

Speaker 2 2:15

Ah, thank you very much for the kind words there. Thank you very much for the kind words, but like this is the thing we always need to be out there, sort of trying and testing ourselves, because it's so easy to fall back, it's so easy to get lax in life. Trust me, I've been highly active and I've been highly inactive through the course of my life. I like being on the active side, you know.

Speaker 1 2:42

Absolutely, absolutely. Well, I'd love to get into that. Before we get into that, just real quick, let me do some of the business end of things. For those listening. We appreciate you. Make sure that you go over to DoHardThingsNationcom. Feel free to don't feel free, absolutely. If you're not a subscriber, make sure you smash that subscribe button so you're notified of future episodes. We're on all platforms and we also broadcast live on TikTok and YouTube and in the Facebook group. If you're not part of that community, you need to be.

Speaker 1 3:09

Go to DoHardThingsNationcom. You can join our mailing list. You can see all the great merch that we have over there. We got some pretty cool just motivating and inspirational shirts. We've got patches and hats and we're going to be uploading and updating the store on a regular basis, so you're going to want to be tuned in on all that. And then also we're offering regular challenges. We got the DoHardThings 28, which is a 28-day challenge. It's completely free. You download the worksheets and get after it there. Then we got some in-person and other virtual events. So stay up to date on that. Be a part of the newsletter.

Speaker 1 3:43

Go to DoHardThingsNationcom and if you're ready to level up, you want to join a group of highly motivated individuals working together to improve their mindset and move the body. We've got the DoHardThings premium where you can be a pro member. We do weekly group coaching sessions and it's like how would I describe it? I mean the certified high performance coaching curriculum. It's a proven curriculum and it's like going to the gym for your mind. It's a workout for your mind. So you got to work the mind and the body and it's awesome.

Speaker 1 4:14

So if you want to learn more, go over to DoHardThingsNationcom and we'd love to hear your feedback. Make sure you leave us a review and if there's a nugget or something you took away, we would love to hear about it. Also, every week on the Monday episode, we recognize and honor people for just getting after it. They're a role model. If they're doing something pretty cool, if they've accomplished a milestone, we send them a shirt and we're looking for nominations for people. So if you know someone out there deserving getting after it, shoot us an email, go to DoHardThingsNationcom and submit that and we'd love to honor them. So, miwa, thank you so much for taking the time to be here. I guess we'll kick it off with just tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do.

Speaker 2 4:57

Yes, my name is Miwa Adibi. I am the host of the Day in, Day out podcast. I am a podcast is now coming up to almost half a decade of podcasting as well as yeah, how can I put it? I wouldn't say a full-time athlete or anything like this, but like, yeah, a very enthusiastic hobbyist when it comes to working out. Let's just say so, yes, this year I will be doing the London Marathon, running for Action for MEE. So, yeah, so I am keeping myself busy. This year, Hopefully I'll be getting out there and doing some more things, but we need to keep focused on what we're doing right now. See if we can set up other things along the way I love it.

Speaker 1 5:50

Half a decade, that's a long time, you know. I don't know if many people know this, but a podcast 96% of podcasts do not make it to the two-year mark. What has kept you? Well, I guess it's two-part question what inspired you to start the podcast and what has been probably your biggest lesson or takeaway from doing this for over a half decade?

Speaker 2 6:13

Now the reason why I started the podcast like okay, when I first started I was like, okay, let me just talk into the mic and wax the lyrical, give him my sort of thoughts, and like, like waning throughout my life, which I got, kind of like, yeah, I've only, I've only got a fumble worth of wisdom in me. So I was like no, so I started interviewing people. I've like, in this day and age I feel it's very important to have discussions, to talk to people out there in this world of ours, because as much as we're connected in this world right now we are quite isolated and we're getting more and like the whole sort of realm of discourse is getting that much harder. It's like if you don't, if you've got this set opinion, you will never be able to talk to X, Y and Z people and it's just like makes no sense to me. So with that it was a case of for myself, on a selfish level, I get to talk to many people out there like good people like yourself, where I can learn and get that, that increase my fumble of wisdom up to maybe a glass, maybe a pint glass in the near future. But I still grow, I can still grow, I can still develop. It goes.

Speaker 2 7:37

One of the things as you get older, when you're in your teens, you like, oh, yes, we're going to go out tonight, who's with me? We are Legion. And you turn oh, big, raw and away you go. So you having all of these interactions, you having all these conversations, hit your like, hit your mid 20s, your late 20s. It's like, okay, we're going out tonight, we are Legion, Turn, oh, still not as loud as it once was, but it's still there. Now, get into your 30s, we're going out tonight. We are Legion. Oh, where's everyone gone? So as each decade goes on, like it comes to a point where it's like we are Legion, it's like, no, no, we are small crack team unit. It's like, yeah, so you lose all these other opportunities to have conversations, to meet people on the regular basis. And that's where you get more settings like your ways get set in stone and you get that much smaller. So I'm trying to fight that off as well, you know.

Speaker 1 8:51

Yeah, you bring up some great points. We are connected more than ever, but it's very shallow and it's a lot of squawking and it's a lot of like loud noise and entertainment, but it's not deep. And I think you know, I don't know, I know in the United States we're having a mental health. I would say it's a crisis. I mean, we have a lot of. The suicide rate is incredibly high, depression, anxiety, all of those things are incredibly high. Yet we live like in the most peaceful time, the most abundant time ever. Now we're not without challenges but by and large, compared to like you know, if you study humanity, like it's a pretty damn good time to be alive compared to other, but we are like just deficient in our mental health and yeah, there's some significant challenges there and I think it's just a lack of deep connection.

Speaker 2 9:46

Well, like deep connection. But you think about it right, this time in, like, in this world of ours, like, especially if, like, look, you're in the States, I'm in the UK. I'm pretty much like, yeah, any quote unquote developed world country is in a time of abundance like no other Melnutrition, starving, hunger, no, like put it, like you could be homeless right now and be able to get at least two, maybe three meals a day, still not having any money or whatnot, just going about your business, which would not have been a thing, say, 50 years ago, 100 years ago. No, but like, yeah, there's an abundance of ways to communicate, but with that abundance, there is no focus because, like, I could look, for example, when you were a lad and when I was a lad, you go, okay, I'm going to watch a TV show. And like, yeah, if you didn't have access to cable and you were just watching normal, like regular TV, you had to be there for that show at that time.

Speaker 2 11:02

When it came on. You didn't really be like, okay, I can do this. You had to make that appointment and you had to be focused on it. Now, I could be watching what I want to watch. You could be watching what you wanted to watch right now, right here, with a thousand and one different things, the amount of times people just scroll through like Netflix, looking for something to watch and I can't seem to find anything. Every option under the sun, but there is no focus. If there was five things to watch Netflix and you were like, yeah, you got to watch one of those things, yeah, pal, you're there, no problem at all Focused. But that's one of the things which is lacking, I think.

Speaker 1 11:51

Yeah, lack of focus. I'm writing a book right now and it's one of the topics I talk about is the lack of people feel lack of purpose and disconnection. And biologically, as humans, we were designed to create and be a part of a community. Everything in the universe has its function and place and everything is harmonious. What is the place of a human? I think we're designed to create and be a part of a community. I think we're very much similar to ants and bees. Right, they have a community. Everyone has a job.

Speaker 1 12:30

I think that for us, as humans, we have to figure out what is the thing that we create. Then that's where the options come in. Like we have, we're designed to create something and I think people are disconnected from what they're supposed to be doing. They're working in boring jobs that are. They're not in alignment with what they were designed to create. And for centuries, you know, humans were just so busy. You were born if you were born into a you know blacksmith family, well, you were a blacksmith and you spent all of your day doing that thing and just trying to survive. Now we have, like, so many options. You can literally do anything that you want and we just don't know what we want, and it's the lack of focus to try to just crazy, because we're not tapped into what we want, what we should be doing, and doing that level of soul searching, and I think I think that's part of our challenge.

The Importance of Real Life Connection

Speaker 2 13:21

Yeah, like this is the thing. You also bring up a very important point with regards to connection, like that sort of sense of community, like one of the things is OK, people like oh, yeah, it's so easy to like form your community online, everything like this, but there's one fight or thing. What is missing? Like OK, you have a community which is online, which is great, it's all good, but if you can't meet face to face, like look at that person who's in your community and have that conversation while you're in the room, pick up on the little micro things, share a laugh, like see a tales of sorrow, like personally, where you can physically touch them, yeah, people, but it's a case of that sort of thing, that sort of extra connection.

Speaker 2 14:15

That is what is lacking as well, I would say, with many people out there, and it was highlighted so much more when 2020 rolled around and it was like OK, people went a little bit like doing Lally, wasn't. It wasn't for a case of, yeah, oh, we got zoom. You can talk on the zoom, but without that sort of interconnection where it was like one on one people together, it does take something away. There is something which there is this, that, that secret sort of whatnot is missing, as you know.

Speaker 1 14:54

Yeah, we need real life connection and what I've noticed is I've talked to people like one on one or off the side. You would think that people are incredibly connected because you're looking at their social media and they've got a bunch of followers and whatnot. Then, when you really talk to them like they're feeling lonely and it's because they don't have that, they might be connected online, but that's like it's not. It's not deep and meaningful and, to your point, we need to be connected, like we need to have. We need to be having shared experiences and being able to have like deeper conversation, and I think humans humans are tribal. We need that and we, when we don't have that, I think that's a recipe for you know, that's where you go down this negative track and get really disconnected and that's where you go off the deep end.

Speaker 2 15:44

Yeah, but like this is the thing you like you should know better than most people, because you've organized a number of events and, like you must probably, are picking up feedback left, right and center from people you've helped go right when you've done the 5k's and got like fruits of people across, like across the country, across the world, to meet and connect with each other, like they must be able to like tell you one or two things. Like this is the reason why I'm grateful for X, y and Z what you've been doing, you know yeah.

Speaker 1 16:19

I mean that's the whole point of the Do Our Things Nation is to create a community. Because the here's what I've learned a lot of people I go out and run and you get made fun of you, get car drivers are impatient with you. It's like a very small percentage of us are getting out there and actually running and doing this crazy sport of running and endurance sports, like people make fun of you. And then the mindset stuff, like I, you know years, you know American football here, very, very popular. We played, you know, on Sundays and you go to work on Monday and everyone's talking about the football game and I was always like, well, I just read, you know, think and Grow Rich. Does anyone want to talk about it? They'd laugh at me, you know.

Speaker 1 16:58

It's just I felt lonely, I feel lonely and in running sometimes I feel lonely, in in the mindset stuff and I'm like you know what I want to create a community for people that appreciate this. And that's what we've done. And when you talk to people that are engaging the kid, they feel the same way. They've got lots of friends outside doing other things but they all feel the same thing. Yeah, they make fun of me when I run they. We talk about personal growth development. They don't want anything to do with it, and that's fine. There's no judgment in that, but we've. That's what that's. The whole purpose of the Do Our Things Nation is to create a community where we can actually connect virtually, because I think virtual is great for those day to day hits where, but also creating in-person events as well. That's kind of where we're going going forward, so we can actually connect with people.

Speaker 2 17:46

The great thing about social media is the ability to connect, but we also need touch points that are in person yeah, no, but like this thing, if you can connect, but you can add depth to that, yes, by all means connect. Like the quality of that connection so much better, like the amount of times I've through my job, like my day-to-day job, where I call countless people on the phone and when we have an event where we bring people together, like for awards night or whatnot, when like like, oh, yes, oh, you're so and so, above our pleasure, thank you for coming. Like, yeah, their, their faces light up, because it's like, yes, I actually am meeting you, having this conversation with you here and now, rather than sort of like you're on the telephone over a screen, but yeah, but you know what I mean.

Speaker 2 18:44

I don't know um, like sometimes it's, I see the value of it. But like, yeah, but there's nothing wrong with being uncommon. Like, yeah, there's nothing wrong with being like, okay, yeah, you might run, you might do this, and people might go, ha ha, make fun of you about it. But this is the truth of it. There are people when you're running early in the morning, they'll look at you like, oh, you're freaking crazy, you're insane. Like people are going ah, ah, respect to you for doing the run. Like, ah, respect to you for doing their run. And then, every now and then, you get that look from a person where they're like, oh, should be there yeah, I should be there with you.

Speaker 1 19:28

Yeah, I wish I was there, yeah, yeah, well, I've learned over time to to quit caring what other people think of me, because no matter what you do, you're going to get judged, so you might as well just be you and uh, and and that's uh. Once I was able to do that, I felt incredibly free, and now I just do whatever it is that I want to do, and I really I truly don't give two shits what somebody thinks about me or what I do, and I'm glad to be in that space of my life, because I had lived many years where I I cared a lot, I cared a lot about the opinions of others and it didn't serve me very well, and now I'm confident in myself, I know who I am, and I want to encourage other people to get there too, because it's incredibly freeing yeah, I know, but like this is the thing.

Speaker 2 20:14

Like I, I've got to say respect to you because, like, yeah, when we, when I had you on my podcast, you were like you were preparing to like, yeah, um, I don't know what the correct term for leaving the military is, but you were preparing to like, yeah, go from military service into civvy street and you're doing that transition across and like this is the thing. Like look, rather than sort of like, going, okay, yeah, I've done that. And like being lost in the wilderness of like going for a, a drip, like a organization which has a shared purpose driving forward. To like, yeah, to being out there. Like going I have nothing now, what the heck's going on? Yeah, just get. You went, put your head down, got on with it and you went, yeah, you executed your plan and you're and from what I can see, you're executing your plan quite well.

Speaker 1 21:12

I'm like.

Podcast Growth and Future Direction

Speaker 1 21:12

I appreciate that. Yeah, we're working hard at it and you know what you bring up a great point like when I was in the military. I spent 27 years and you got to tow the. You got to tow the line of the company, the company line, right, and you're being in the military like it's 24 seven and I was always kind of an outlier.

Speaker 1 21:28

You know, starting a podcast and talking about things, that's, that's a people kind of give you the side eye, like who the hell do you think you are doing that? You know, and the and um, it was. It was interesting because I started that a few years before I got out and it's unusual, uh, to do that, but I did it anyway because I just didn't care and I knew I was getting out and it's what I wanted to do. But, yeah, it came with some like um, some some peculiar looks like you're stepping out of the company line there. What are you doing? And um, yeah, so it's been interesting, but now I can be free to do whatever I want and it's, it's great. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 22:08

Ah, yeah, I hear you, how many podcast episodes have you done now? Because, uh, you and and like, yeah, you do an episode. What do you mean?

Speaker 1 22:20

Yeah, every, every Monday we kick, we kick off, so just just on Mondays, um, I've had a couple other co-hosts and they've kind of like you know, they kind of came and gone and and for you know the whatever, um, I started this, I can't even remember it's been shoot. We're over the three-year mark or right around the three-year mark now, so I don't know the total number of episodes, but we've been, we started slinging one out and then two for a while, then back to one and then now we're back on to two again. So, and I I need to go back. I I'm kind of like reorganizing things. I need to go back there. I want to number them like one through, whatever, because right now I've got like season three, episode 20. So, to be honest, I don't know how many episodes I currently have, but it's a lot.

Speaker 2 23:06

Like this is the thing, like do you really want to number them? Or like are you happy with the way it is right now?

Speaker 1 23:14

I want to number them, because now I'm at a point where I want to reference like, hey, go check out this podcast with so and so, but I've had a couple people on twice. I'm like, well, I don't know what episode number that is, so I didn't keep a good record of what was on what episode. Now I'm getting more organized. When I first started this, this thing, yeah, I'm just like, look, I'm gonna get to two years. It's gonna be messy. I'm trying to figure things out. I don't know how it's gonna turn out. I just want to get to two years and that's what we did. If we didn't, we just we just went for it. Now I'm here, I'm like, okay, well, this is where I'm at, this is what I like, this is what I want to do. We've made changes, we've experimented along the way, and I think a lot of people would have probably stopped the podcast, maybe recreated it. I just, I have just let it turn into whatever it's turned into and I just keep showing up.

Speaker 2 24:01

So so, like this is a thing I have to ask, and like this is where I might be turning, turning back. So what do you want for the next two years with regards to, let's say, with the podcast say, yeah, what do I want?

Speaker 1 24:18

I Wanted well, so we're we're the Monday episodes are turning more into movement. We I recategorize the podcast is something I did recently. I had to figure out who who is, who are our listeners, who's listening to the podcast, and what we've determined is it's Runners with the growth mindset. So we've kind of shaped that we. We recategorize the podcast into the running sports category and we talk about mindset topics and running. So the last couple episodes we've talked about various running topics, because Angie's also a running coach and avid runner and so we keep that one kind of short.

Motivation and Growth in Podcasting

Speaker 1 24:57

And then the interviews are gonna be more mindset-oriented athlete. It's gonna be a mix of both athletes and mindset, and so the the goal of the podcast, kind of to your point me is I'm selfish, I want to have great conversations with people and I want it to be genuine and I want to. I want to use it as a platform to maybe get some higher profile guests on here. But I also want to have great conversations with whomever I think is interesting and who I think might serve our community, and I Want I mean I want to continue to grow it and, you know, get it to a top ranking podcast. So that's where I'm kind of out with it. I Hear you, I hear you.

Speaker 2 25:41

Oh, like this the thing lots of, lots of hard work down the way, I'm sure you'll get done yeah.

Speaker 1 25:49

What about you? What's what's your motivation and where do you see your podcast going?

Speaker 2 25:53

now, with regards to my motivation to keep going, it's a case of like, yeah, well, with this, with my podcast, I'm like, okay, see, like, get to the five year mark, see where I'm at. If, like, see how many episodes have done kind of review, what Sort of lessons have come along the way, yeah, and then basically go, okay, I know I'm gonna have to make a choice where I would like Things to go a little bit more focused, because I generally just talk to everyone. I just like it doesn't like if you went, yeah, I don't, I can't say it's like, or is it about films? No, is it just about running? No, is it just about fitness? No, so, yeah, we've regards to getting it focused down to like a couple of like, maybe three key areas.

Speaker 2 26:51

I must already be doing that for the like, for this year, next year, which will take me into year five and six, and yeah, basically try to get as many people like interview this possible, given like, give myself the opportunity to learn and grow and, hopefully, giving other people the opportunity to learn and grow, like the whole thing is like growth is like growth, especially mental growth, should be a Life-long endeavor. Yes, there is no sort of end. There's no sort of stop. The only time that should ever end. Ever stop is, yes, when I'm not gonna really care anymore and lucky because my time has come to an end. But from this point, like so when I go, that's what it should be all about. And, yeah, would I like it to be like. If it grows to something where it's like a top-ranking podcast, that'd be cool. But if it's the case of it, doesn't do that but it's. I still get the opportunity to learn and grow and help a small group of people, yeah, grow.

Speaker 2 28:06

I've added something positive to the world which wasn't there before. Yes, people like, oh, but this podcast time, it doesn't know, there's not. It's not as many podcasts as people think there are. And, yeah, adding something positive to the world, not many people like, not many people are doing it in a sort of medium, like in this medium. In some regards Some are, some are not. But if you can, if I can add something positive, I'm gonna download to it.

Speaker 1 28:41

Yeah, absolutely. I. I To your point. I'm not trying to compete with Joe Rogan and be like have millions of people if that happens, great, hmm, but what I think what's more meaningful is to create a community, and I love you. I've always. I was inspired by. There's a there's an essay called a thousand screaming fans.

Speaker 2 29:04

Oh, and I was true fans.

Speaker 1 29:06

It's that, yeah, a thousand true fans, yeah, and the whole premise is that if you want to make a movement, you don't need millions of followers, you just need a thousand of dedicated people to you know, to you know, support what you do and be all in with what you do. And you know, from a coaching perspective and a content creator, you can make a pretty good living, you can make it like a legitimate business out of that, and so that's been kind of the. The goal is to make a unique. I don't want it to get too big like, because it is hard to manage, you know and and and whatnot, but I do want a solid core of people that are like-minded, that can connect together. And it's also a really cool legacy for my family, like all of these episodes, like that's a digital footprint that you know. You know along after I'm gone.

Speaker 1 29:57

You know, I don't know who my great-grandfather was. I've got a couple photos, but I don't know. I never, I've never heard his voice. I have no idea. Whomever comes behind me, if they're interested, they can hear who I am and what I am, and my kids can listen to me later. They don't listen now, but maybe one day they'll appreciate what I do. They know that I record a podcast, but they hear me enough every day, day, in and out. Maybe, maybe their kids will want to hear grandpa, you know, and I think that the legacy aspect is actually pretty cool.

Speaker 2 30:26

Yeah, that this is a thing like as the hammock online, as the line from hammock and says yeah, like yeah, create a legacy is like plot, like Create a garden you'll never see, and like the whole thing is like from what you guys have been doing, inspiring people to get out there, do hard things, yeah, so I'm like yeah, gets that place where they're moving from there a comfortable, cushy life, inter. Like yeah, testing themselves, like this is a testament to like the world we live in. We have to actually Arrange things to physically test ourselves like mentally and physically, rather than it's all been on the regular. So the dates day, if you get Miami, for the most part, I think that we are designed to.

Speaker 1 31:17

I Mean everything in the universe expands. If you think about when you were born as a baby, like, over time you grow, you expand. You expand your body, your wealth, your relationships, your legacy. Everything in the universe is ever expanding. And I think as we expand we get to a comfort zone and we should enjoy that. That's kind of like the yielding the fruits of your labor. But if you stay there for too long You'll start to have some resistance. You're expected to expand again and with that expansion comes a little bit of challenge and grit and discipline and People that have been the comfort zone too long that are unsettled. That's a sign the universe is tapping on the shoulder like it's time to grow again. It's time to do something difficult again Now. You shouldn't have to be spending your entire life doing hard things. You're probably maybe expanding it such a Maybe too fast, or maybe you're not expanding in the right direction. But we should be expanding and I think that comfort is okay, comforts great. But if you're too comfortable, I don't think that's healthy for you either.

Speaker 2 32:24

Yeah, no, no, this is a thing. No, it's not too healthy, but like this is like when you sort of test yourself, you got to make sure you're like kind of like You've laid the ground for that Uncoming challenge, because like this is a thing. Like what year was it? Like it was 2022, like Beginning of the year. I started the beginning of the year. I ran every day, at least 5k every day for the whole month of January and like I like I'd signed it off with doing the 4448.

Speaker 1 33:02

Oh, yeah, that's a good one yeah.

Lessons From a Failed Marathon Experience

Speaker 2 33:05

I was like, yeah, so I was like impeccable, like my mind was like all into, yeah, great. But then I kind of fell off the running for a good like sort of my running was spotty at best for a good three, four months. Then come like, my friend managed to get me signed up for London Marathon for 2022. And I was like yeah, I was like okay, yeah, I mean I'm fairly good shape. Tell you what I'll do the lemon spa half marathon beforehand, so sort of kick off my training regime. J J J J, j, j, j J J J J. Oh, now, let's just say it was how can I put it? It was a test of humility. On that occasion I went from like yeah, running every day, like, yeah, piece of cake, piece of piss, no worries. Ah, doing the four, four, four, e, eight, going, yeah, ah, I managed to get it done, no problem, no worries. To doing this half marathon, get into the end of it. Like sprinted through the end of like. Through the finish, I was like okay, walking to a bench, sat down, recorded the video, ate a banana, getting up to walk up the road. I lived from where, the park, where it finished, I lived about just over like three quarters of a mile away, to like going, getting walking up this hill, stopping picking up my phone, calling my pregnant lady at the time to pick me up by car to get home. Everything, everything, ate, like going right, just like. Ah, didn't do anything for a good maybe 10 days because everything's still eight.

Speaker 2 35:20

Yes, pain upon pain upon pain. And like, yeah, it was like, oh, it was a good job I did that if I didn't because I was like I was. What made me fail on that, like I've completed it, but what made me feel that pain? Running by yourself, you run at a different pace. You run totally different. When you're running by yourself, running in with a group of people, all of a sudden all these different things start kicking off. Like, yes, I'm in a race with that person over there, you in the green shirt, I'm in a race with you. They have no idea you're racing them, but you are racing them, so you're going. For I was going faster than I should be, like my pacing was completely off and, yeah, a well-dressed suffering was there for me at the end of it all. So by the time I got to do the London marathon, I was aware of it. Quite done, yeah yeah.

Speaker 2 36:18

Still felt it, but yeah, it was like yeah, how much.

Speaker 1 36:22

how much time did you have between the half marathon and the marathon and prefer?

Speaker 2 36:25

Like, basically, the half marathon was, I believe, end of June and the London marathon that year was in September or October. So yeah, it was like it was a healthy amount of time. But it was like, yeah, it was a good wake up call to like, okay, I need to get off my backside and do quite a lot of work. So it was like running, like yeah, stationary bike work to like help get me up, get my like fitness up and conditioning. So yeah, lots of work.

Speaker 1 37:05

My first marathon was an absolute shit show. I ran the Honolulu Marathon. I was stationed in Hawaii and at the time I was a really fast like 5k, 10k runner. Yeah, I didn't do anything more than a 10k and I'm like a marathon. That's going to be a challenge, but I can muscle my way through it. I can make it happen. I bought a brand new pair of shoes. Oh no, I'm like they got bananas and goose on the race course and they've got. They got hydration. I think they're using propel or something like that. I'm like I don't need to bring anything. I got new shoes. What else? This is going to be all right. This Honolulu is going to be great. I towed the line and I took off. Man, I took off. I held back a little bit, but I was cruising at a pretty good pace and right around the half marathon mark that's where I started to really like.

Speaker 1 37:58

I started to feel it. I was hungry and I'm like, oh man, I don't have any food. They had little pieces of banana and stuff there. I was like I'm going to give us whole bananas. So I was like scavenging for food at the water stops. I started my run. I could run a little bit and I started to walk. I'm slowing down by a mile 18.

Speaker 1 38:15

I mean, I hit the wall hard and I noticed there were some people pointing at me. I'm like man, there's all these people around me, because it's a race of like 30,000 people. There's people all around me, but like people are pointing at me. I'm like, what the hell are they pointing at? And they're like kind of like doing this, Like, oh my gosh. I'm like look at, like what the hell I'm looking down. I'm like fine, and I looked down at my shirt and I had a white tank top on.

Speaker 1 38:39

Oh no, I had blood down from my nipples. My nipples were chafed so bad. I had blood down my white shirt and I'm like, oh my God, I've just like felt like I just got hit by a, by a Mack truck, and I still had six miles to go. So I I took my shirt off. I was embarrassed. I'm like, oh my God, I got a photo. I do have. One of the photo spots has me with my shirt and I have it somewhere. I didn't buy it. Well, maybe I did buy the photo because it came with the other, the other nice finisher photo.

Speaker 2 39:11

I was embarrassed.

Speaker 1 39:12

I kind of run, walked, you know, the last six miles and that the last mile I was just kind of I was hobbling through. I ran across, I got my medal and I just got in the grass and I just like I started crying. I was like in so much pain and the start line were from where my car was parked, was like a couple of miles away and I had to. I I don't know how long it took me to get to my car. I was like I found a park bench, I laid there for a bit, I crawled my way and finally found my car. I got in my car and I was like laying there for a bit. I finally drove home and I remember cobbling like, just like crawling up the steps. I got in the bathtub, I was done. I was done.

Speaker 1 39:54

I could hardly walk for like the rest of the weekend and then it took me about a week to fully like get to where I could actually jog again. It was a disaster. It was an absolute disaster. I didn't know what the hell I was doing. Oh man, love it.

Speaker 2 40:07

Love it. No, I've never done that. Like less the bloody nipples, dude.

Speaker 1 40:14

I got to find that photo. I mean, I got to post that because I don't know if I've ever posted that, but it was. It was pretty bad, it was. It was a lesson like do hard things. I learned things the hard way. And you know, from that point I'm like, okay, I will never do that again, but I want to do this again the right way. And it, you know, I started studying, I started learning. I, you know, I upskilled my knowledge in running, I mastered short distance running. But I, I was cocky and I had ego and I'm like I got this and it kicked my, it humbled me.

Speaker 2 40:47

Yeah, no, but like this is a thing when, like, when we all, like any of us, when we go into something, which okay, and it's worse if you feel like, if you've got a little bit of experience to give you that sort of like, oh yeah, uh, cockshawness, and I suffer from it. Um, but like, yeah, when you're like, when you haven't truly sort of like gone that distance, haven't really sort of pushed yourself, or like, yeah, you lived in a like I came from a position when I did my run, like from I think you did as well where, came from a comfortable position and sort of like, oh, okay, let me tell like I didn't do those runs which, oh, let me put on a couple of extra miles which I would not normally do. To like, oh, am I testing myself? Have I been tested?

Speaker 2 41:44

So, when it came down to the day, uh-uh, because I did that lemon and spa half marathon a year after, like, and it was like right, I was regularly running on a basis of 13 miles, like more, and like, yeah, crossed the line, like, went through the run and everything like this. Like, yeah, I think I was maybe 10 minutes slower than I was that previous year crossed the line, walked home under my own steam. Like two days later I was out for a 13 mile run. So I was like, yeah, I was perfectly fine. But that was like, yes, I sharpened my iron. You've got a T-shirt which goes iron sharpen sign. Yeah, yeah, t-shirt, yeah, but yeah. But I tested myself and I kept like yeah, I kept me sure I was conditioned to take on the challenge again and succeed. So yeah me.

Speaker 1 42:56

Yeah.

Resilience and Comfort in Discomfort

Speaker 2 42:57

If I didn't have that experience, that sort of like yeah, even though I succeeded, there was like I still like sort of partly as a failure because I was nowhere near as fit as I thought I was, yeah, I like. I think there's, and there's still, things I look at in my own life. Where I go, I am not as prepared or I am not as conditioned as I should be for whatever forthcoming challenge it like sits on the horizon which is most probably going to at some point come down and go hello. Today's your test. Are you ready?

Speaker 1 43:37

You know, I've got one of those coming up myself in April. I don't know that I'm quite ready for it, but, to your point, I think that we could have easily, in both those situations, been like you know what, I'm not going back again, I am done with this endeavor. You know what? I think it's a true test of when you get your ass kicked like that, that you get back up on the horse again with a little bit more knowledge and you give it another go, and I think that's. I think that's a spirit that a lot of people don't have, but they need to have it and, yeah, I think that's important.

Speaker 2 44:15

Yeah because, like this is the thing, yeah, if you don't have it, because, look, look, you know it and I think many of you listeners know it because life will come back and test you and test you, yes, and like, yeah, there are times where we're ready for the test and we can handle it no problem at all. And there's times where, like, that test will come along and you're like, okay, it'll put you to your knee and like, put you both on both knees, and that's when you need to turn to like if you can't get up by yourself, turn to like support of loved ones to help you get up and keep going. But you've got to get up.

Speaker 1 44:55

There's a great quote that comes to mind I'd rather be the warrior in the garden versus the gardener in the war, and it just it really speaks to just being prepared. You know, just this is why I like to do uncomfortable things, because it prepares you for when life throws something at you and it makes you more resilient because you do it in a controlled environment. It's like getting comfortable being uncomfortable, and we, as humans, we're designed to do that, and I think that the challenge is that we're not going to be comfortable, and I think that the challenge that we have is we're too comfortable because of all of the creature comforts that we have, and it's an amazing blessing, but it's also a curse because it's made so many people too comfortable and they're miserable for it.

Speaker 2 45:43

Yeah, well, like this is the thing, like I think the human condition, how like it, it's designed to live in an environment where it is constantly tested, which is constantly on the on the realm of go like, go, go, go, go go. We have, just over the course of time, because we're smart, in the average bear boo boo, yeah, yeah, and like, which is like giving us all of these comforts today, like I can sit on the other side of the Atlantic talking to yourself right now quite comfortably in like a nice house a house equipment, like in front of me, and like to have this conversation which let's just say, let's not even go, let's not even go extreme, like 20 years ago this would not be possible, you know like ah yeah, and it's all that long ago.

Speaker 1 46:47

The thought of basically I mean essentially we have our own radio show and we can do that with it's like next to nothing to do, that as far as cost, it's just putting in the time to do it that didn't exist when I was a kid.

Running

Speaker 2 47:00

No, no, that's the thing, and that's part of me which fakes it. Yeah, maybe it was a good thing that didn't exist when I was a kid. What kind of stupid things are it might have been saying back then. You remember what you said this, yeah.

Speaker 1 47:18

I thought about running for, you know, a political position. I'm like man. If they would have had footage back then, there's no way I could even consider it.

Speaker 2 47:27

Yeah, you know what I would say? I would agree with you about five years ago. Now it just seems like anything goes. Yeah, I was caught doing this.

Speaker 1 47:41

That makes it stuff up and it sticks. So it's yeah you still can run.

Speaker 2 47:46

Yeah, yeah, okay, so yeah.

Speaker 1 47:50

Let me ask you this why? Why do you run? Why are you training for the London Marathon? Why do you subject yourself to these things, this hard thing, and you're always running at night?

Speaker 2 48:01

I see, well, like wow, this is a thing. Reason why okay, One reason why I run at night well, more early in the morning is, yes, it's the small, it's the sort of small window of time where, okay, with like it's quiet, it's like it's easier to do, Don't have to negotiate traffic, but more so now with a young, like young toddler in the mix, Now it's the only sort of time I can get in a decent length run in the day. I've got to make it happen one way or the other. Some people like, oh, but you got to optimize sleep and now you got to do this. Yeah, Whatever. No, that that ain't going to fly. If that baby like, when my baby girl is awake, I can take it for some runs, but I can't do it all the time because, like, depending on what you're doing, like, depending on what her mood of temperament is at the time, it can go well or it can go not that well. And like, yeah, being like, when someone's like you're going to go into a push chair for X amount of time and be pushed around while running, it's like that doesn't sound like fun to me. No, so there's that.

Speaker 2 49:26

But with regards to why I run, there is like. It's also another element. There is a cent. Well, I have a little bit more control over that than anything else in a lot of aspects of my day to day life because it's like, right, like when it comes to work, I have to do X, Y and Z for work to make sure X, Y it might not necessarily be things I want to do, I want to do, but when I'm running I have control of that. If things are a little bit chaotic at home with a toddler and normally the path of the course, there's many things which I don't have control over. So when I run, I have control over that and I think there is people like what? So it's some type of coping mechanism, isn't it? In some regards there is that. But I think there is an element. Everyone needs to have some type of element where they can go. I control this part of my life completely. I can choose to run, I can choose not to run, but I have control over that and that's one of the things what helps keep things together.

Speaker 2 50:47

Because people go meditate. I can't sit down and go. No, it's not me, Not me at all. I would say my meditation and getting my thoughts clear come with running. And, yeah, people can say that's not healthy, but no, it is healthy for me. I have that element of control. Other people who don't have that. How's your life going, buddy? How? You know what I mean. I think there are people which you don't have that thing in their life and they feel the effects of it on a regular basis.

Speaker 1 51:28

I was in a group run yesterday. We were running out on the trails and we were talking about I think I asked something about can you run on the trail out here after dark? And they're like, well, the cops, they won't mess with you too much. And one time a cop did mess with us and said we couldn't run after dark. And I'm like you know what? We're just out here running in the park. What difference does it make? They've got real crime to deal with. I'm like I run so I don't become a criminal, right, so leave me alone. I run so I don't throw punch people, and so just leave me alone.

Speaker 2 51:59

Yeah, Like this is the thing, like this is the thing with running in the states, where you have this extra X factor, depending where you are in the states, just like I'm like look, let's just say states, depending where you are in America. Like you're running along, running along, what does that rustle in the trees? Especially if you're running on the trail? It's like, hey, buddy, hello, who are you? I'm Mr Coyote, and here's some guys with more friends. Or hello, I'm Mr Wolf, and here's like, yeah, my friendly pack. Or I'm Mr Grizzly Bear or Brown Bear. Hi, how are you doing? It's like there's that factor I always think of in the states.

Speaker 1 52:52

It's like, yeah, do you have anything like that in the UK that you have to worry about?

Speaker 2 52:56

No, no, put it this way Like or like we might have. Like where I run, I might see an urban crack fox. Yeah, just like, just yeah. Plus, I looked over, I've like foxes. They either run away, they're doing their fit like foxy life or they sit down and watch you like you're a TV show for their amusement, but that's about it.

Speaker 2 53:20

Yeah, but no bears, no wolves, no coyotes, no snakes which you might accidentally step on, none of that. So yeah, yeah, put it this way. Wait, I think the only time, I think, when I was in America, in Virginia, they had like, yeah, copperhead snakes.

Speaker 1 53:40

Yeah, copperheads, yeah, they're pretty rampant out here where I'm at.

Speaker 2 53:44

OK, yeah.

Speaker 1 53:44

They'll be out on the trail. They'll be out there on the trail sunning themselves. Yeah, so it's worse down when you get down. Like Florida, you got like gators to deal with. I mean there's runners out there. They get bit by gators. It's crazy.

Speaker 2 53:56

No, but like oh, there was that story about the gator in Disney. Like Disney World. Yeah, Just like, took a kid. Yeah, yeah, that's right. Yeah, it's like what You're like and this is well, it's well, it's one, it's Florida. It's like yeah, just gator just takes a kid. Yeah, that's the way why we carry guns. Yeah, like, this is the thing, Even though I come from a land where guns are not the common thing, like if I was running out on the trails and whatnot in the States, I would most want to be like give me a gun, just not for other people, just for some of the wildlife which we're critters.

Speaker 1 54:42

I've seen some crazy stuff out running and you know more so probably riding my bike, because you're moving at a much faster pace and you're a lot quieter. I've never ran a course of animals like bobcats and stuff like that. I had a friend that was hit by a deer. He was riding a bike and got hit by a deer and his collarbone. So yeah, people are the biggest threat, really. Americans on TikTok.

Speaker 2 55:14

No, well, like this is a thing. There was that TikTok where someone's in Yellowstone and they're next to a bison and I go oh yeah, it's like a bison In history it's not. It's. It's short sighted, it's. I don't even know how much they weigh, but it's like the second biggest thing in the United, like in the northern part.

Speaker 1 55:42

I weigh as much as a lorry. I don't know how much a lorry weighs, but probably like that.

Speaker 2 55:47

The only thing which is bigger than a bison is a moose, and that's about it.

Speaker 1 55:53

Yeah, moose, regressive bison are not very smart, but yeah, that video didn't, she got attacked, right, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it was like oh my God, and it was surprised by it, like just animals doing what animals do.

Speaker 2 56:06

Yeah, it's like oh, let me do a selfie with a bit. No, it's a bear, Leave it alone. Like do the do the smart thing Get in your car and go or run away. Make sure you're not the slowest person.

Speaker 1 56:23

Yes yes, that's why you got to train hard, so you cannot run your friends in the moment of crisis like that.

Speaker 2 56:31

Yeah, it's like Duncan. Yeah, when was the last time you ran in five miles? Been some time not be overweight? Ok, that's all good, duncan, I'll just tell your family I love you.

Speaker 1 56:46

Always run with your slower friends.

Speaker 2 56:48

Yes, your survival might depend on it. My friend, you must have a high profile. Depend on it.

Speaker 1 56:54

Well, we're almost in an hour. I know you got a hard stop coming up. What are your final thoughts? Anything else you want to talk about before we call it a day? It's a great conversation.

Speaker 2 57:02

Now, yeah, with regards to the final thoughts, it's one of those things where there are times where, like in life, where we go through the hardest times and like, look, there are people like, oh, yeah, got to remember we are stronger than we ever can believe. We can endure a lot more than like, yeah, well, life throws at us. And, yeah, many of the times we're told we're not, many of the times we're told we're not enough, many of the times we're sold, like, on this whole thing, that, yeah, weakness is a good thing, like the strength we all have a lot more strength than we ever can believe, and that is the strength to stand alone, that is the strength to face the storm, that is the strength to turn and ask for help, and that lives within us. So you know what I mean. People need to remember that and, yeah, tap into it when they can.

Speaker 1 58:12

Absolutely, I 100% agree, and that would be probably a great way to finish up the show. You're stronger than you could ever imagine. Need to tap into that and sharpen the saw. Mee-woo, how can people get in contact with you?

Speaker 2 58:28

They can find me online like this is the thing. Yeah, the Day in, day out podcast would be the main way they can find me. If they want to track me down, I am on Instagram and everything like that. So, yeah, links and everything like that. I will be sending Jays way to like yeah, find me out there.

Speaker 1 58:51

We'll put them in the show notes for sure. So, mee-woo, I appreciate your time today. Great, excellent conversation. Glad we finally were able to connect and I know when I was on your podcast check out the podcast episode that I was on on the Day in, day out podcast we had a great conversation.

Speaker 2 59:10

Yes and look, I look forward to getting you back on the podcast. I look forward to like your hair maybe returning on the podcast one day, yeah absolutely, we'll do that.

Speaker 1 59:20

And one day maybe, who knows, we'll run the London Marathon together. We'll find a race together, maybe come stateside, we'll figure that out.

Speaker 2 59:27

I look forward to it and like, yes, if I'm over in the States running with you, I just like, yeah, I will have to find. Like just like, no, don't let your group know, but yeah, we'll find someone slow, just in case, just in case We'll find someone slower than you.

Speaker 1 59:44

Well, I'll make sure you get here. Oh yeah, we got you covered.

Speaker 2 59:49

Thank you, chair. Thank you. So yeah, we shall see, yeah, we'll appreciate your time.

Speaker 1 59:55

Mee-woo For everyone else out there. Keep doing hard things. We'll see you all in the next episode.