¶ Brian's Introduction to Christy Dee
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 . Hi , welcome back to Brian's Rumpod and I'm your host , brian Patterson .
Now , in the second part of my chat with Christy Dee , I asked about how she collaborated with someone I've interviewed before and that is TJ Daly . I also go into how she wanted to become an author and the process for getting a children's book published .
I'm sure you'll agree with me that she has been an inspiration , and I just wanted to thank her for getting me in touch with TJ Daly and also for Jason
¶ Meeting TJ Daly and the Running Community
Norrell . So , without further ado , let's get into the episode , because I know you work with someone , tj Daly , who I've interviewed as well . Yes , and I was trying to pronounce the website name . You're probably better at it than me , because his running community was it MT , mtc , mtc Meshuggah .
Misha Trap Club . It's hard to say , it's a mouthful . For sure I met TJ . He lives pretty close by me , so we were just running by each other a lot before we actually met each other in person . We were actually both at an Orange Theory fitness class one day .
And we realized we knew each other from running , so we had a short chat after that and then connected through social media , and this was well before the pandemic .
And then we realized we had some mutual friends and so we would run into each other , even like at some social gatherings , and I knew what he was starting with MTC and I was very intrigued by it . At the beginning it was just about 12 guys in this group of friends and I was like , well , I'm not officially involved with any other run club .
I guess I wonder what these guys have going on . So TJ and I connected and chatted a lot and then the pandemic hit . He was putting together a fundraiser for during the pandemic , with races canceled , we all just kind of created our own adventures and he was putting together this 50 mile run .
Yeah .
And it was the same year that I had run 40 miles on my birthday when I turned 40 .
Yeah .
And so I was like , huh , I think I could do 50 miles . So I said , hey , tj , uh , is this just for the guys , or can you have ? Would you mind if a girl came along ? Yeah , yeah so I went out and I ran this 50 miles with these guys there are 12 guys and myself and um we .
We did that and I think that kind of solidified my involvement with tj and the mtc .
You got to know them pretty well yeah .
Yes , I was proud of myself for hanging with all those guys . They're quick , they're all like sub three hour marathoners .
Oh , wow , okay so 50 miles .
I knew I had the endurance capacity . Thankfully the pace wasn't at that kind of pace so I could keep up with them .
Do you run all the way I could . Do you run all the way ? Do you run all the way ?
I mean , that just blows my mind we did have aid stations okay scheduled yeah so about every eight miles we would um , take a breather and go to an aid station . Our families had set up these aid stations all the way , so we just kind of did that , but I think , solidifying myself with that group and becoming closer to TJ and his brothers through that .
He then decided to launch those two races , the FOMO 50K and the Prairie on Fire Backyard Ultra . I'm sure that he would share a lot with you about those , so I'm involved with him on the , you know , behind the scenes with those races and events , and so I fully support what he's done for this community and I'm super proud to be a part of it .
All right , so are you their kind of official coach on the ?
uh for yes , um , for those two races . Uh , I do promote myself as as a coach that they there are several coaches within that organization um , but I am officially the coach for the fulmo 50K . Yes , Great .
So I just wanted to ask do you think running for women has changed a lot compared to when you first started ?
¶ Evolution of Women in Running
I do think so , I really do it actually . Side note , it just actually still blows my mind the stories from the 60s and 70s of how women weren't even allowed to participate in these major marathons , they couldn't run over certain distances , that kind of thing .
It still blows my mind that that was not very long before my lifetime , for my lifetime and here I am like fully immersed in this community , building a career out of it and wanting to share the passion with other women and everybody . So you know , side note , I just still can't even believe that was a thing . But for women , definitely it's grown a lot .
I mean , we've seen barriers broken with world records and every distance imaginable since I started running almost 20 years ago , and the men are doing that too . But even recently , I believe just this week , nike announced that they were going to have a program . They were trying to get the first woman to run under a four-minute mile .
This kind of project that they're launching . So they're working on that , so continuing to raise the bar . The average women's marathon time is somewhere around like a 445 . And I think that's amazing . I think it's a testament to how many women are out there . They don't have to be all super fast , sub three , sub 20 .
I think , showing that that's the average time , I love knowing that there are five-hour , six-hour marathon women out there just getting out there , getting it done and talk about grit to be out there for that long , going at that intensity for 26.2 miles .
So I think , yeah , it's changed a lot by the numbers of people involved , by the thresholds that the women are still breaking through , and I think it's just super inspiring .
But obviously you must see that you know , as a coach , or how you know women are either coming to you , you know , asking for your advice . You know as to kind of you know where can I start , what kind of direction I need to be going . As to kind of you know where can I start , what kind of direction I need to be going into , that kind of thing .
Yes , I have new runners as well as people that have been running for a while but they just don't know how to continue to train for the next distance or whatever . I recently had one of my athletes share with me .
She had a coach previously and this particular coach body shamed her for her weight and time and pace , shamed her for not being faster and really broke down her confidence level . And it just broke my heart to even hear about this because , first of all , I truly believe there's space for everybody in this running world ,
¶ Building Confidence Through Coaching
but for somebody to feel ashamed for wanting to get better and hiring a coach , and then that to work to build people up , to give them the confidence to know that they can go , do hard things , to know that they can reach their goals . If you run , you're a runner and I don't care .
Your pace , your size , it doesn't matter , and no one else should care about your pace or your size either else should care about your pace or your size either .
Running and those involved should be the most supportive for each other , because we know what it's about , we know how hard it is and we know the time , the dedication effort that it takes to even lace up your shoes someday is hard , but if you're getting out there , yeah .
There's no room for people that break others down , and I've found that my new runners , as well as those that have been doing it for a long time and I'm just helping them channel their efforts so they can perform the best as possible . Building confidence is something that I really hope to do for my athletes as well .
Do you think social media has played a part ? I mean , I'm just thinking that . I mean you talk about coach body shaming , but you know , even if you just go on Instagram or something like that , someone could feel you know very put off about running . You know what are your views on that ?
So I think social media it brings a lot of positives , but definitely , as you just stated , the negatives too . I love that you can build community on social media , but each person needs to be aware of the things that might trigger them .
Kind of a catchphrase that's really popular right now is imposter syndrome , and I think if you go down the rabbit holes of Instagram and you're seeing these , you know fast runners and you know their amazing stories that they're telling and all the things and you're like is there a place for me in this space ? I don't match up to this .
their body shape or their speed their pace , how many marathons they've done , all the things that you can compare yourself to . You kind of wonder am I in the right space ? Should I be doing this ?
Maybe this isn't for me , maybe this isn't for me and you know , I've struggled with some of that , too kind of launching a new business and putting myself out there in various ways . You have to . You don't know if you can do it unless you try , because 100% of the things you don't try , you're going to fail at , going to fail at Right .
So you've got it .
I think someone said that .
And you know it's like , even if you fail at something , hopefully there's still a win within that that you can take to the next attempt . Yes , so if you didn't meet your PR , what did we learn from that ? And how
¶ Journey to Children's Book Author
can we transition that to help you build the next time , to be even stronger ?
And so there's , you know , ways that , if you can stay out of your head in terms of comparison , falling in the comparison , trap stay out of your head by self-doubt and stay out of your head by the comparison , and I think that social media can be a positive thing , but if you start going down those rabbit holes , it definitely can bring you down and you might
need someone to pull you back out of that .
But I like , from what you're saying and how you got into it , it was that the community aspect helped encourage you , inspire you and moved you to attain the goals that you set yourself . You know if you're doing it on your own and you know sometimes it can be a lot harder .
Yeah , Definitely , definitely . You know , there's strength in numbers . That's kind of another little saying . Of course that can kind of be cliche a little bit , but it's really true , especially when it comes to running . I , you know , carry you through a marathon .
It has to all be on you , but , at the same time , relying on others for that support system and that community is huge . I think that's why a lot of people stay in it . They find their group and they find where they fit in and that , you know , helps them dream bigger and and think through okay , what's next ?
And , oh , maybe I can actually do that , maybe I am a runner , uh , that could you know , potentially strive towards the marathon distance or or whatever the case may be um , I can't believe we've talked so much and we haven't even mentioned your books , so we will do now .
So now , um , I have talked to an author before , um , and she talked about her journey , but I've never talked to a , and my wife would be interested in this because she's a teacher to a children's author . So , okay , gave you you the inspiration to write a children's book .
So I think it was always in the back of my head , even when I was very young . I've been a lover of reading and I would even try to write little things myself when I was a kid , and my mom would tell you that I've always been a writer .
I don't know that , I believe that , but there's always been something in me that somehow I wanted to figure out how to be a storyteller . And over the years , when I would go to various baby showers , you'd maybe get asked to bring a book instead of bringing a card .
So I would look for books about running , because that was how I related , that was my identity and that's how I related a lot of times with the women who were having the baby showers . I maybe knew them as a running friend or whatnot , and I couldn't find a lot of variety out there .
There were few and far between things that didn't necessarily , you know , register for me . I remember specifically there was a book called Marathon Mouse .
Right .
And I would end up getting that same book every time I went to a baby shower and I was like , well , I've got some ideas . I could , you know , kind of broaden this topic , the genre for children ? So a long time ago I think , in like 2018 , I started a little note in my phone and it was rhyming and it was can a frog jog ?
And I would think of through the alphabet and come up with different animals for every letter , and then I would jot down over time like little rhymes . I would think of you know , something with the zebra or something with you know , the yak . And over time I had this full long note in my phone .
And last year , when I had left my previous job and I was launching my coaching business and I had a little more time and I was just really doing some self-exploration of what this career path would look like , I just thought to myself okay , why did I make this note , why do I have this that I've put time into if I'm not going to do anything with it ?
Yeah .
And I think it almost was a factor . The fear of failure almost prevented me from starting and from trying it .
Yeah .
And that's a huge life lesson for people If you wait until you're ready , you're never going to do it .
Yes .
So I wasn't ready , but I had a mentor . One of my good friends from college is an author . She writes romance novels like thrillers , but she knew the process and so I asked her if she would mentor me through the process of getting an editor , figuring out how to self-publish , getting the layouts done and all of that .
And so she was a huge inspiration and resource for me and really supportive , so I wouldn't have been able to do it at all without her help and then , of course , the support of my family . I'd be like , hey , will you guys read this ? How does it sound ?
Yeah , yeah , I'd be like hey , will you guys read this ?
no-transcript .
So did you just for that ? My daughter's an illustrator , but I'd just be interested , did you ? Yeah , she did a degree in illustration , but I'd be just interested . Did you have to commission an illustrator ? Obviously you wrote the text . Did you have to sort of commission an illustrator for ?
I bought the artwork and did the layout myself . Right so it was just . I don't think clip art is the right term . It was definitely art artwork yeah but , um , I purchased that and then did the layout myself . Okay , so it's not perfect .
Um , I'm I'm sure that there's a lot more I could learn , uh , with laying out the illustrations and all of that , but , um , I didn't have the resources to to hire somebody to .
Um yeah , but it's the first step , isn't it ?
so , yes , yeah , yeah , yeah , sorry , carry on yeah , um , so I once when , when you get finished with your original text and you send it off to an editor there can be a lot of time in between , and so while that was happening , my can of frog jog was off at the editor and then , once that process is finished , then you have to send it in and get a
copyright from the US government .
So all of that takes time .
In the meantime I started the second book , maya Runs a Marathon . I think I was just kind of on a roll . And Maya Runs a Marathon is definitely about my journey
¶ Marathon Experiences and Future Goals
and just some life lessons that I know training for an endurance event can bring people Can a frog jog and Maya runs a marathon . Of course , the stories they're both about running , but the underlying lessons I guess what I would like for people to know is , first of all , can a frog jog ?
It's about finding what you love , what your passion is which in this case the narrator is a runner and then looking for like-minded individuals and finding your community . So throughout the book it's an ABC book . He's trying to find someone to run with him and so it's looking .
You know , maybe you're doing something that's not popular or other people aren't doing , but that doesn't mean it's wrong . You just have to go and find where you belong and find others with that like-minded attitude , and so that's kind of the underlying message for Canna Frog Jog .
For Maya Runs a Marathon , the underlying message is really just to dream big and learn to believe in yourself . So , yes , it's about running marathon and training and putting in that work , but it's finding support from your family and friends .
It's putting in the time , even on the hard days , and then , in the end , reaping the reward for putting yourself out there , chasing your dream , putting in the work and starting to believe in yourself .
Yeah , so is that targeted to from you know , like 0 to 10 , or is there both books ? Are these targeted to the same age group ?
No , the Can a Frog Job would be a younger age group , but it's probably the more first . Learning to read that's an alphabet book , so I would say maybe three to five years old or six years old . And then my Runs and Marathon is a little more advanced . So maybe like six to 12 years old is a little more advanced . So maybe like six to 12 years old .
Okay , just when you get to the stage of learning to have goals , dream about things that you want to accomplish , and learning to believe in yourself , I think that's a little bit more advanced topic , so a little bit older age group .
Yeah , but it's good that , because I know , not just in the us but also over here you're I don't know if you agree with me um that you know the young people today are under so much pressure and also when we up we didn't have phones and I didn't you know sort of thing .
So there is the you know , that sort of obesity issue and I know that you know there are various governments , and the governments in each of our countries obviously are trying to tackle that . In each of our countries , obviously , I try to tackle that .
So at least you feel some way that you know in your own small little way that you've gone some way to do that .
Yes , I think so , you know , being active , staying active , regardless of what it is . Not every kid is going to want to run ever and that's okay . It doesn't have to be about running , but thinking of what your personal big dreams and goals are putting in the effort and working towards that .
It takes a lot of physical and mental growth and power to be able to do that , and encouraging kids from a young age , I think , will help keep them active and working towards whatever their finish line might look like .
Did your kids like the books ?
They do . Yeah , so I have two stepdaughters . They are almost grown 18 and 20 , uh , but they thought they were cute . Um , I , I am fortunate enough . Tomorrow I get to go be a guest author at an independent bookstore here in indiana and I get to read both of the books and talk to the kids about these same topics , so I'm super excited about that .
And is there another one ? I mean you've done two . Is there a third one ? Will they be to an older audience or do you stick to the kids' books ? Children's books .
So I do have an idea for a third children's book , so there'd be at least three children's books . The next idea that I have is about running the world and the various things that you can see when you're out exploring through running in my case . But yeah , I have a few more cities on my bucket list that I want to run .
And then that book would be the next thing that happens after that right , um , at time of recording , uh , because I know this probably won't go up for a few weeks , but the time of recording I mean the london is this weekend , so I take it you have done london . Um , what did you think ?
I loved london , yeah , um . So when covid hit , I was scheduled to ride Tokyo and London in the spring of 2020 . London was delayed till the fall of 2021 . So I'm one of the few people that got to run London Marathon in October instead of April . But I love the city . Just the energy , the beauty . It was a wonderful .
The weather was great the weekend we were there , um , and just the energy levels , uh , the entire course . So you start and run down these little streets and there's pubs lining the streets and , and already at 7 am , everyone was out with their pints of beer cheering on the marathoners very early on .
It's very jovial and boisterous and I just I love that vibe . I loved the crowds that cheered . It was an amazing race and there's not a lot of places more epic than to run an iconic to run across , like the Tower Bridge .
Yeah , that's right . And then you know , I think you go past , yeah .
Yes , I mean it's just . You know , places like that like to just run and finish it can bring you to tears , just with how magnificent the opportunity . Is there a ? Do you have a sporting icon In the sport ?
Yeah , in any sport do you have a sporting icon . It could be in running or it could be in any other sport . That's super easy .
Yes , super easy for me to answer . Des Linden , 2018 Boston Marathon champion , the grittiest of the gritty girls out there and just brings a lot to this industry .
Right , right . I think Rachel said the same thing . I'm just trying to think back .
Well , she and I have met Des together several times .
Oh , all right . And now another one is if you were stuck in a lift with anyone , be it sporting or not , who would you ? Who would it be ?
Well , this is a Brit . I would choose Princess Diana .
Oh , really , all right , yes , they is a .
Brit , I would choose Princess Diana . Oh really , oh right , yes , they would . Yes , she was my mom's iconic celebrity . Growing up , we had books and watched everything that she was on and the newscasts and all of the things growing up , so she was ingrained in my my childhood .
But as I've grown and learned more about her story and her life and the changes she wanted to make in the world , yeah , um , I I definitely could say that I would still be a huge fan of hers if she was with us .
yeah , I mean , I think , uh , I think you're right , she would , she , she wouldn't be out of place today . I don't think Right . And finally , do you have a favorite running route ? I mean because I know you've obviously run , done long runs , greater distances , that kind of thing or is it pretty much in and around Indiana or it could be anywhere Is ?
it pretty much in and around Indiana or it could be anywhere . So my favorite place in the world to run is Central Park in New York . City , so whenever I'm there that's definitely happening . But for here locally , we're very blessed with an enormous amount of connected trails and the main one that goes north-south through the state of Indiana is called the .
Monon Trail and that's where my running journey started . When I had to sign up for that first half marathon , I did all my training on the Monon Trail and I still hit it almost every week . And just the people that you see out there . You see the same faces over and over again and to say hi , um , it's .
It's definitely a favorite of mine good , good , so , um , well , I just want to say , uh , oh , well , before I go , it's just basically I mean , what are your I mean , apart from looking to write another book , any other goals and aspirations going forward ?
yes , so , um , my goal at this point is I've run all of the world marathon majors , which includes seven . Now , um , what I'm planning to do from here is to finish out running a marathon on each of the continents .
So I still have um Africa , south America and Antarctica to go Um , and we've got a plan in place to get all those done within the next four or five years .
Wow , oh , that's amazing . You'll have to let us know how , or you know if I'm still going in four or five years I mean , the podcast is still going . You'll have to come back and tell us about it .
Absolutely , I definitely would yeah yeah , or along the way .
I just want to say thank you , Thank you so million for you know coming on the podcast , and I just want to say it's been a pleasure speaking to you about your writing , about your coaching philosophy and also how you got into running . Thanks very much .
Thank you so much , Brian . This has been great .