Unlocking the Runner's Mind: Insights from Kate Allgood

In this episode of Brian's Run Pod, host Brian Patterson welcomes mental performance coach Kate Allgood, founder of Quantum Performance Inc. Together, they explore the mental tools used by professional athletes and how these can benefit recreational runners. From achieving consistency to pushing through tough miles, Kate shares insights that can transform your fitness mindset. Whether you're a weekend warrior or a park run regular, this episode offers valuable strategies to enhance your running experience. Tune in to discover how to unlock your potential and enjoy your runs more fully.

 Brian's Run Pod has become interactive with the audience. If you look at the top of the Episode description tap on "Send us a Text Message".  You can tell me what you think of the episode or alternatively what you would like covered.  If your lucky I might even read them out on the podcast.

Instagram

My Favourite Band

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

So you're thinking about running, but not sure how to take the first step? My name is Brian Patterson, and I'm here to help. Welcome to Brian's ROMPOD. Welcome back to Brian's Rom pod. It's me, your host, Brian Patterson. Great to have you along for another lap with me today. Now, if you've ever wondered why some runs feel effortless and others feel like a mental straight fight, then this episode is going to hit home. I'm joined by someone who knows the mind of an athlete inside out, Kate Allgood, mental performance coach and founder of QP, our Quantum Performance Inc. Kate's background in sport and her journey into the mental side of performance is seriously fascinating, and she's taken everything she learned as an athlete and channeled it into helping runners, cyclists, and everyday athletes. So unlock the mindset we all wish we could tap into more often. Today we're digging into how recreational runners, yes, the weekend warriors, the afterwork joggers, the park run regulars, can actually benefit from some of the mental tools that pros use. So whether you're trying to get more consistent, push through those tough miles, or just enjoy your running a bit more, Kate's got the toolkit that can generally change the way you think about your fitness. So lace up, settle in, and let's dive into this chat with Kate Allgood, the athlete or the the quantum performance coach. Anyway, I hope you like that intro. So anyway, if we even do it did go a bit wrong at the end. So anyway, um uh well good evening here. It's probably, I don't know, afternoon there, or it's a sort of late morning at where in San Diego?

SPEAKER_01 2:08

Yeah, it's 9 a.m. So first thing. Oh really? It's 9 a.m. first thing, but early. Yeah. Day's just begun.

SPEAKER_00 2:14

Oh, brilliant. Excellent. So um having listened to some of your other podcasts that you've been on, I understand you grew up in Canada. And I understand you pretty much knew how to skate before you could walk, which is in fact, you you had skates on when you were like two years old. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

SPEAKER_01 2:37

Yeah, I I it's what they call cheese cutters. So they're not what most people think of as skates. They just kind of strap onto your boots and there's like four different blades, and you're not really gliding, you're kind of like walking across the ice, but you're still on some form of of skates and and definitely I think walking and skating happen simultaneously. I could skate before I talk. So yeah, it definitely was very, very early on in my in my life where I got on the ice.

SPEAKER_00 3:03

As I said, you grew up in Canada and I did a little bit of a Wikipedia search and I said, well, why is it that, you know, what what's the um, you know, how good have Canada been at ice skating? And so I had a look and I looked looked at the ranking at how many times Canada in the men and the women have won the Olympics. So apparently they've won gold nine times. Uh and the women's game um they've won gold five times. So it's pretty much although football is a national sport in this country, we're rubbish at it at the moment. But being a national sport over in Canada, you are pretty amazing.

SPEAKER_01 3:42

Yes, we're very, very good. It's it's always, especially now as we are heading, you know, getting close to the the Winter Olympics, it's always gold or bust, right? For both men and women in Canada for hockey.

SPEAKER_00 3:51

So any anything less than that, it's a failure.

SPEAKER_01 3:54

Pretty much. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:56

And I did try to find um if uh find out basically, we will get into running at some stage, but I mean, if Wayne Gretzky had ever played in the Olympics, but apparently they didn't let NHL, NHL players play into the Olympics until late 90s, is that right?

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Yeah, so 1998, I believe it was, was the first year that they allowed NHL players. That was, I think Gretzky did participate in the Olympics. So I think it happened just before he retired. Yeah. And that was also the first year that women's ice hockey was introduced into the Olympics. So yeah, that's uh and then obviously if if you follow hockey, the last two Olympics, the NHL has not been a part of the Olympics due to just the agreement with the NHL, but the NHL players are heading back this year, which a lot of people are excited about because they want to see best on best. And yeah, obviously the best hockey players on the male side are in the NHL.

SPEAKER_00 4:52

Yeah. Because they do it in basketball, so they have the NBA players playing in the Olympic, US Olympic team. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 4:59

Correct. Yeah. A little different because for them, the Olympics happen in their off season, so there's no conflict with regular schedules of the NBA, whereas with hockey, the the NHL I think is gonna have to take three-week break for the guys to go over there. So that does disrupt things a a little bit.

SPEAKER_00 5:16

Right. Now moving back to you. Um you obviously you grew up in Canada. Ice hockey was a big thing in your in your life. Um, and you grew up. So um, were you doing any other sports or was, you know, from an early age, were you gonna go sort of the athletic route anyway? Or did you did you ever think think that maybe I preferred sort of going down the academic side?

SPEAKER_01 5:45

No, it was always athletic. Athletic was the thing that spoke to me uh very young. I think it goes back to the whole thing I skated before I talked. Yeah, you know, so for me, I had a basketball net, a little Fisher Price basketball net when I was three years old. Um, so I did a lot of different sports. So uh it wasn't just hockey, I was introduced to everything hockey, soccer, tennis. I did cross country running when I was younger. Yeah. Um, so everything that I could possibly get my hands on. I did piano as well. So I was introduced to musical instruments as well. So yeah, it's I think just for me, sports was always um so much fun. And I I had a little more struggle with school. I did have a learning uh difficulty, so it wasn't an easy thing. And so I think for that reason, you know, maybe the sports was just a little bit more of what I would like to do when I was younger, probably still to this day.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

Yeah. Although I know got two master's degrees, but that didn't hinder you later in life. I mean, I always think that it's a similar thing. I mean, I I struggled at school. Um, I think because I was on medication, I was gonna having a medication for epilepsy, but still I ended up, you know, doing higher education and getting an MBA. So it just because you struggle at school doesn't mean that it's gonna hinder you later on.

SPEAKER_01 7:03

No, and I think sometimes it helps. I know it it helped teach me hard work and perseverance and and things like that. My parents were very shocked when I told them I was gonna go and get two master's degrees. So because yeah, it wasn't they knew I wasn't loving school even in undergrad. So I think that was a little bit surprising. But I think like anybody finds when you find something you're passionate about, yeah, then it just becomes easier. And when you're younger, I wasn't learning about, you know, sport psychology or how to train the mind or anything that was really specific to things, something that I already loved, which was sports, right? Other than gym class, there was nothing else that I was learning about uh sports, even if it was a physical side training. So I think for me, it was just natural that anything that related to sports, I'd probably be a little bit more fascinated in.

SPEAKER_00 7:52

So I mean, I don't know how it works um in in in Canada at the time, but were you kind of picked up earlier on as being quite a a promising athlete? Let's say, you know, uh I'm I'm thinking about sort of like, you know, in your uh sort of 10 years old or 10 or 11 years old. I mean, because I think I think from what I hear that sort of 15, 16-year-old, you were sort of doing quite a lot of uh doing quite advanced uh you were playing at hockey and advanced level, is that right?

SPEAKER_01 8:24

Yeah, when I got to about uh 15, 16, I was playing at the highest you could for females at the at the time. And and I'm from Toronto, which is a hub of hockey. So a lot of great players come out of Toronto. It was interesting. I don't think it was really until I was probably maybe grade seven or grade eight where we realized how good I was. And the reasoning for that was I've been playing with the boys since I was six years old. So playing with them, they're obviously good. And and eventually they do start to get a little bit bigger and stronger. And so when I transferred to just primarily playing with females, then I started to see comparative to them that yes, I did have a uh I was pretty good at what I was doing. Whereas before I was just like kind of an average player, just yeah, playing with the boys and and that was it.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

Okay. So it's like you're going from being a small fish in a big pond to a big fish in a in a little pond, as it were. Yeah. So what I mean, what what kind of from going transition to there? So you were playing sort of a kind of an elite level. Did that sort of work its way through to to college um um that you would carry on playing as well as doing the studies as well?

SPEAKER_01 9:41

Yeah, so I did. I I played in uh university. Uh so I and part of that, I I would did won a number of awards as one of the top uh female athletes in Canada as well as the top female hockey player for the university level in in Canada while I was there. And then I did play a couple of years of pro as well. I was uh pegged by the Canadian government as a potential candidate for the 2010 Olympics. So I was in that pool and yeah, what they called the quest for gold recipient, where you got some, you know, financial support from the government to try and help support those of us who maybe would potentially make it to help with training and other things so that we could focus on uh being good as any host country likes to do, right? They want your you want to win a lot of medals when you're hosting the hosting the Olympics. So yeah, no, I did I did a lot with hockey. I I uh I was very fortunate to to do a lot with it.

SPEAKER_00 10:32

So when did your interest come about into into sports psychology? Did did it did it happen then? Was there a particular event that prompted it?

SPEAKER_01 10:44

I think there's a a number of events that that I guess uh came together. One when I was in high school, I didn't uh see someone for sports psychology, but I did see a therapist. So I think just talking and working through things uh obviously was a little bit there. When I went to undergrad, I initially was a sports management major and I took a first-year psychology class. And so that was the first introductory to, from an educational standpoint, to psychology. And it it fascinated me. I was very interested. So I actually changed majors. And then through that journey, I did take a couple of sports psychology classes. So I think it was that weave of slowly introduced to sport psychology. I knew I wanted to do something in the world of sports as a career. And I think also just my personality. I'm much more of the observer, hence I didn't talk until uh way after I skated. So I've always been kind of the observer, the quieter one. So I think being someone who asks questions and listens, that's just kind of it fits what I who I am.

SPEAKER_00 11:49

So you're kind of someone who kind of um surveys a situation, listens, and sort of like uh processes it. Um and you felt that you you doing that naturally kind of lent itself to that kind of field.

SPEAKER_01 12:06

Yeah, yeah, correct.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

Right. But the uh so uh Was the did you still have that dream that obviously you were kind of earmarked for the Olympics or maybe be you know taking it up professionally? I mean, did you feel that maybe, you know, this this becoming a professional nice hockey player may not be the thing for me?

SPEAKER_01 12:29

I like when I did it for a couple of years and back then it was professional, but it wasn't professional at the same time. That was the standard people understand now. Um it was the highest you could play once you were done university hockey. And if you were, you know, even if you're part of the national program, you're only getting together every so often, only going to tournaments, maybe or the Olympics, something like that. You have to go play on this, you know, in this professional league kind of to give you some ice time. But you had, I think we had one or two practices a week, you know, like nine o'clock at night. So it's not how there is a professional league now that started up two years ago for women that's much more similar to what you'd expect, a professional hockey league. So it was never something I was going to make money at, have a really a career at. It was really for me to go to the Olympics, you do need to be playing here to get your ice time. And I came at a little bit of a crossroad in my life and made the decision it was just time for the next, next chapter. And because of the way the professional league was at that time, I I always had to be thinking of what I was going to be doing anyways as a career and professionally. So I already was starting to, you know, get to other education after undergrad, uh, starting to work and all those different things. So it does make the transition in one sense easier because you know and have that career path kind of being put in place, but it's still very hard. I did. There was probably about two or three years after I retired where I was like, ah, should I go back? I could I could still go back. I'm still young enough.

SPEAKER_02 14:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 14:06

So it was definitely it was it was hard, as any high-level athlete will tell you it to walk away. It's it's regardless of the timing, it's an exceptionally hard decision.

SPEAKER_00 14:15

Yeah. And uh had you felt that, you know, sports psychology was something that obviously you could fall back on, and therefore you you you kind of you you kind of pursued it at a much more higher academic level at the time. So like you said, you didn't think that's a good thing.

SPEAKER_01 14:31

Yeah, interesting that interesting, there was a break between undergrad and doing my master's. I did some um uh I got a certificate in something called muscle activation technique. So I I was doing some more uh physical work with athletes on biomechanics. And then about three years after I graduated, I decided to go back and get my my two master's degrees.

SPEAKER_00 14:51

Right. Okay. So when did you start, did you start uh setting up your company Quantum Performance Inc. straight after your uh master's or straight after you you left uh postgraduate?

SPEAKER_01 15:04

Or in one sense it was before my master's because I was, as I was mentioning, I was doing the other uh work with athletes. So it was, it was, it had a different name at the time, but it was the same company. And so I'd started the company and then through my master's, I slowly shifted the type of work I was doing with athletes. Yeah. And then eventually um it just completely flipped to just working with athletes uh on training their mind.

SPEAKER_00 15:28

Yeah. I'd be interested to know that what you learned then and what you know now, has that changed a lot? Or has what you've learned at the time, you know, some of the techniques, um have have you felt that no, you know, there's been more research, you know, things aren't like that anymore. You know, they, you know, there is a different mindset. Um has has that I just would like to be interested to know, has that changed?

SPEAKER_01 15:58

There's definitely more research, I think, to back up what was known back when I started. So for example, meditation. Right. I think there's more research now to support what I knew back then. And that does help a lot. I've I've learned that really when it comes down to it, there's some core elements that were there even at the beginning when I was first learning about all of this that are still there now. And for me, it's almost an understanding that we really want to go deep with some of these these things like your meditation or your how to train yourself talk. And instead of like trying to give too much at once, I think that was a little bit earlier on. It was let's try and give you as many tools and as much as we possibly can. And now it's how do we make you really good at a a select number of things? Because that really moves the needle more than I think just giving too much early on. So, but the the basic principles are, I think, the same. I think new research comes out to give you a little bit more idea of how to use it, maybe how to utilize it a little bit better, but the core of it still are like mental rehearsal or visualization, as some people will know it.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:04

That's always been known as a very beneficial thing and it still is to this day.

SPEAKER_00 17:09

So do you um what was I gonna say? So basically, what's the what what what would you say are kind of the the core principles of Quantum Performance Inc.? I mean, do you do you have them or you know, when people come to you, I mean, what what are they looking for?

SPEAKER_01 17:29

I've kind of yeah, created three pillars that a lot of things obviously fall under.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:35

I think first and foremost, uh knowing yourself. Um, and that goes beyond self-awareness. That is a part of it, but knowing yourself, uh, whether that's self-trust, uh, confidence, self-awareness, uh, these various things, you really do, really, truly do need to know yourself to get the most out of yourself. And that then obviously is going to help these other two pillars as well. And then the second one is owning your past. So really taking responsibility and ownership over your journey, your path, your decisions, and what you're doing, and knowing what you need to do to go far in whatever it is you're choosing to do, to really understand that while there's a lot of things you can't control, you always get to control how you respond to things. And I think that's you know, a very powerful uh thing for people to learn. And then number three is presence. So your ability to um align your energy, your focus to get into a flow state or the zone, um, as it is also referred to. So I think when you when you look at those three things and then the things that follow what I focus on with my clients.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

So moving on from that in terms of how this may be applicable to, let's say, a recreational runner. I mean, I wanted to touch on the last thing, which is I know I think you've written about in your in some of your books, this kind of flow state zone. Is could could that be uh relevant to people who are just running on a recreational uh uh absolutely, because I think that's what it's it's not just about high-level athletics.

SPEAKER_01 19:07

People in everyday life, regardless if they're runners or or doing something else, that's just something most people are are striving for, or when they're enjoying something the most, that's what they're entering, that kind of zone or flow state. When the research on this initially happened, it wasn't on high-level athletes or even athletes. It was just really looking at people who were the happiest and what what did they do? And what came out of that was they focused on the quality of the experience. And I think that's something if you're a recreational runner or an elite runner, that ultimately is what you need to be doing is to really be focusing on the quality of the experience and that that experience in and of itself is enough and isn't you're not doing it for something in the future. That's where you're able to, along with a number of other factors, you know, really start to look at how do you, you know, drop into this um so do you mean living in the here and now as to thinking about what's what you're aiming for in the future? Yeah. So when you're running, just be with that that run, regardless of what why you are running. Like most people will be running for a reason, for a purpose. And I think when you just get into what's the quality of this run and not worrying about does this run, you know, match with my programming, you know, for I know even recreational learners, they might have some type of program they're trying to follow and a set number of, you know, whether miles or kilometers they're trying to do, and just more focus on what's the quality of this experience I'm trying to create and be in that, be in each moment of the run, right? Like with each footstep that you're taking, be with each footstep that you are taking, not even, you know, five seconds from now.

SPEAKER_00 20:51

Yeah. So does this sort of tie in with sort of the the meditation type of thing? Because I know sometimes if you're what I've heard is to sort of controlling your breathing, obviously have that presence of mind to be within, to feel as to the here and now. Um it doesn't seem such a struggle. Because I know sometimes, you know, go out for a run, you you just feel I've got to do this because it says so in the program, or, you know, I've got to do six times 400 repeats with a 400 400 minute rest, that kind of thing.

SPEAKER_01 21:27

Yeah. So it really is about, as you said, being in the in the here and now. So if you have what you just said, uh I guess these different reps or or sets you need to do, yeah. Even within that, it really you need to take first it one set at a time, one rep at a time. Yeah. And then even while you're doing it, don't think, you know, a few feet in front of you. Think about where you currently are and maybe your mechanics or your breathing or something that's really truly in that in that moment that's propelling you to complete the task.

SPEAKER_00 22:00

There any other I mean you said you work with recreational runners. I mean, are there any other sort of like tips that you've given for recreational brothers to help runners to to help with with their training? Or is there anything that you feel that some have come to you with that they've struggled with and you've kind of got around that by by using different different techniques?

SPEAKER_01 22:23

Yeah, there's been quite a few. I think uh the discomfort at times of running is a big one.

SPEAKER_02 22:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:29

Especially if you're doing long distances.

SPEAKER_02 22:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:31

That's a huge that's a really big one. Um scheduling, like going back to recreational. So when I have worked with some people who are still competitive, whether they're doing marathons or or other things, but they're full-time lawyers or they have full-time jobs. So the whole balancing of the demand of their work plus the demand of their schedule for running can be a lot at times. So just working through that. Planning for things not going according to plan, because that always is going to happen at some point, uh, where something you expected, maybe your pacing, how you feel that day, uh, the weather, anything can be different than what you would expected. And to plan for the unexpected is actually a really important thing to think about what are all these things that could distract me or not go according to plan. And what are my kind of action steps to take in that moment if it happens to come up? And a perfect example of this, I did have a runner, and I think we talked about absolutely everything. And we, and this was part on me too. We'd assumed because of where her run was going to be, it would be warm, and it happened to be like a really freaky cold spell.

SPEAKER_02 23:38

Right.

SPEAKER_01 23:39

And she hadn't taken any of her cold running apparel. Oh, right. So that was obviously not a great, you know, experience. That was hard to run in the cold in what, you know, she thought it was going to be more, you know, 80 degrees and it ended up being like 50 degrees for some reason. And so um, those are things to always think about because you don't want to be surprised. And if you have thought about them, then it's much easier to respond uh in the moment. Another thing I would say is the story. So going back to the discomfort is when we start to feel that physical discomfort, if we start creating a story around it, it's gonna now make it bigger. And so now it's not maybe the pain, it's now almost now we're suffering from the pain versus yeah, it's uncomfortable. If it's supposed to be uncomfortable, then there's nothing to do other than make sure your focus goes somewhere else that does now add on to that, to that discomfort.

SPEAKER_00 24:33

All right. So so if you're going through that discomfort, either to think of something else or to to kind of anticipate it. I mean, have I got that wrong?

SPEAKER_01 24:45

Yeah. So there can be two, absolutely two approaches to that, right? One is to anticipate it. So to think about I know that this discomfort is going to come in this run. This is the run is structured for that very thing to happen. So how do I want to respond when the discomfort comes?

SPEAKER_02 25:00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 25:01

And then hopefully, if you know how to respond in that moment, then your idea is just to execute the response you've already created rather than trying to think about what you're going to do in that moment. So that's why the thinking about it in advance is really beneficial. And then hopefully you've created it where you know where to place your attention. It doesn't necessarily, you could think of other things or you could focus on your breathing, focus on your technique. You know, a lot of runners will do it, just focus on that next, you know, signpost and get there.

SPEAKER_02 25:29

Yeah. Right.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

And kind of really chunk down your run to again be more about rather thinking like, I don't know how I'm going to make the next X number of kilometers or miles, make it, can I just get to that next signpost? And then after that, can I just get to that next signpost?

SPEAKER_00 25:44

I've found that sometimes the the slower I run, uh kind of like concentrating on that, I've found it it makes it a lot more enjoyable. You know, I don't know whether it's because I'm not getting as anxious or I don't feel um as uncomfortable. And then before you know, before you know it, I mean, you you're actually in a funny sort of way because you're going at a more even pace, it's kind of a lot, I don't know, quicker in a sort of funny way sort of thing. You just send I think you're kind of you're you're in sort of in harmony with the body. Uh I don't know if that if people have found that, that you're you you're you sort of tend to be focusing on rather than being anxious about something, but you're focusing on on just something else, slowing down, you know, concentrate on your stride length and maybe keep it short or something like that.

SPEAKER_01 26:41

Yeah, I know exactly what you just described is is uh mechanisms that will help you to be more in the in the here and now, get in more into a flow state, having that experience of maybe things feeling like they're going by faster, um, are those indications you're in a really good, a good place to be in your mind is is really helping you do that.

SPEAKER_00 27:01

Aaron Powell In summary, Kate Allgood, a mental performance coach and founder of Quantum Performance Inc., shared her journey from being an athlete to helping others unlock their potential through mental tools using used by professional athletes. Whether you're a weekend warrior or a park run regular, Kate's insights on consistency, pushing through tough miles, and enjoying your runs can transform your fitness mindset. Next week, we continue our conversation with Kate using specific techniques that can help the recreational rather. So till next week, goodbye for now.