In this episode, I talk about our limitless capacity to grow as we age, how we should all be inspired by the remarkable athletes, not intimidated and how we can slowly stretch smaller goals into bigger and bolder ones.
I discuss:
- My History Of Roller Derby And Running
- Being Inspired By Remarkable Athletes
- Realizations That Every Athlete Starts Somewhere
- Tips On How To Get Started As A Runner
...and more!
Listen to the full episode:
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Here are some highlights:
Running My First Marathon And Ultra This Year
“Just this last year, in 2019, I ran my first ultra. It was a Spartan Ultra, it was a 30 mile Spartan race and it took me 13 hours. It was really, really hard, but it was something that I had built up to over the years to the point where this was something that I could pull off,” Robin said. “I'd love to do what she does to the level that she does it, but I was happy that I could do one. In the beginning of this year, before the pandemic shut everything down, I ran my first marathon, which at one point in my life, I looked at that as something that I either didn't want to do or could never do. But somehow I reached a point where I could run 26.2 miles pretty much without stopping. Was it easy? No, no, it was really, really, really, really hard. Mentally and physically, but I got from start line to finish line. That's something that I believed I could do, and it was something that I did. And so I entered the chat, and wrote, ‘Hey, I ran my first ultra last year. I started with a 5K 10 years ago,’ that's where I was at 10 years ago, and I built it up.”
Don’t Be Intimidated By The Big Stories, Could Be You One Day
“I also want to encourage you to not be discouraged by the bigger stories, by the really over the top challenges that people over 40 have chosen to take in their lives because I just wanna make it clear that that can be you,” Legat said. “That can be you, if you want it to be. Is it gonna be you in the next six weeks? Probably not. Could it be you in the next two years, five years, ten years? Absolutely.”
Roller Derby Was My Entry Into Sports
“I played roller derby, that was my first entry into sports. I did that through pretty much the entirety of my 30s, Roller Derby,” Robin said. “When I was playing Roller Derby, I remember we had practices where we would do off skate work. We would do stuff off skates and some of that would include running. I remember very distinctly saying that I don't run. That's not me. I didn't join Roller Derby to run. I joined Roller Derby to put on roller skates. But we would cross train and some of that cross training involved running. My Roller Derby name for those who don't know, was Susie Snake Eyes. Everybody has a roller derby name, and so I would say ‘Susie Don’t Run,’ that was my catch phrase any time running came up. I'd make several excuses. It's like, I can roller skate for hours, but if I put running shoes on, I'm winded in two minutes. It sucks, I don't like it. And back then, I also didn't have the proper sports bras, so it was uncomfortable. So I would make all the excuses not to run. And those excuses, by the way, go all the way back to childhood. They go all the way back to PE class, when I would hide out when we were supposed to run.”
Getting Married & Downloading The Couch To 5K App
“When I was getting married at 35, I wanted to amp up my fitness at that time. This was before I was a fitness coach, and before I was a certified trainer,” Legat said. “So I wasn't really doing a ton of hard core working out. I was doing Roller Derby practice and any cross training that was involved in Roller Derby practice. But I also was getting married and like any bride, I wanted to look really, really hot on my wedding day. So I decided to take up running. I think that was the thing that switched my brain over to the idea of, ‘maybe I should run a little more.’ So I decided to start running to get into extra awesome shape for my wedding. And the first thing I did was download the Couch to 5K app. It's a very common app. It's usually a free app, anyone can use it. I downloaded the Couch to 5K app for my phone. If you've never used it before, several days a week it tells you exactly what to do, how many minutes to jog, how many minutes to walk. It's usually in intervals like that. You start off at a very, very simple, one minute jog, three or four minute walk. So it’s not overwhelming to start, and I felt good. It's like, ‘Okay, I could jog for a minute. Okay, cool, I can walk for three minutes.’ Oh yeah.”
Potential Can Stretch From A 5K To Becoming Limitless
“Some friends and I decided to run a 5K, and that's usually how it goes down,” Robin said. “We don't start off saying, I'm gonna run the marathon or I'm gonna run the ultra. You start off saying, I'm gonna try something manageable. I'm gonna run a mile for the first time or I'm gonna run a 5K. I'm gonna train for it slowly and methodically to get to the point where I can complete a 5k race. I remember running a 5K with friends and being very, very sore afterwards for days after running that 5K race. That's where I stayed for a little while, I stayed at the 5k level. Eventually one or two years later, I got to a point where I could run a 5K as a regular week day run. And that's the part where, again, our potential stretches. Our potential is limitless.”
A Special Half Marathon For A Momentous 40th Birthday
“So November 2014, I was turning 40. I knew at the start of the year I wanted to do something momentous for my 40th birthday,” Robin said. “I wanted a milestone achievement, and so I decided this is gonna be the year that I am running a half marathon. I decided on a half marathon that took place over my birthday weekend. It was a Disney half marathon, they called it ‘The Avengers Half Marathon’ at the time. Now, I think they call it the ‘Super Hero Half,’ but it was a Marvel Avengers theme. So it's a super fun theme, and I love costumes. I run these with my husband. I could dress up in a costume. So I was like, we're gonna dress up as the hulk, you and me both. We're gonna run this race for my 40th birthday.”
My Athletic Adventures Did Not Start In Childhood
“A lot of this has existed in my mid 30s to my 40s,” Legat said. “So this wasn't me starting as a kid. I wasn't doing any of this. I was hiding out from running in PE class as a kid. So my 40th birthday running my first half marathon, and then I started getting into Spartan races at age 41 and grew within that. So that was a whole new thing where I started at the Spartan sprint, which was the short Spartan. I started an open heat instead of competitive heats, and over time over the next year or so, I started getting more comfortable in my own abilities. I started learning skills and how to complete the obstacles. And then I started stretching out the distance.”
Expanding Your Horizons And Goals Over Time
“You take that goal post where it's like, this is the finish line for you. This is the end goal post for you. You can push that back. You can push that further back and do bigger, bolder things,” Robin said. “I call it ‘Expanding Your Horizons’, you can dream bigger and you can do bigger. But you build. You build in a methodical logical way up to that point.”
Every Athlete Had To Start Somewhere
“I want you to take this into how you listen to Seasoned Athlete, because I don't want you to be discouraged by the athletes that come on the show that are doing what feels like the impossible for you right now,” Legat said. “Probably the impossible for you. Probably the impossible for me, for many of these things, but they all started somewhere. They didn't start doing this craziness, they started running their first mile. Many of them probably picked up a Couch to 5K app and started with that. This has been a long journey for them, but they have reached this point because they want to see what they can do at whatever age they're at. We share people doing remarkable things at remarkable ages, because the goal is to inspire.”
Go After Those Bigger And Bolder Goals
“What you’ll learn is that your capacity to grow and improve and go after bigger, bolder things is limitless. You have that capacity, Robin said. “It exists in all of us. But we all start somewhere, so that's what I wanted to share with you today. Instead of feeling discouraged by the big bold, remarkable stories, maybe get lit up by that. Think, what can I do? And make a goal for yourself. Write it down saying, in 90 days, I'm gonna run that 5k or in 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 6 weeks, I'm gonna run a mile. Without having to stop to walk. Maybe I'll run that 10 minutes. See how that feels. It’s a big accomplishment when you do that for the first time, and then see where it takes you.”
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If you want to stop feeling old and start living BOLD, register for ‘Age Like an Athlete’ webinar on October 15, 2020. Click here to sign up.
You will learn...
Why exploring your athletic potential at any age can be life-changing in every way
What messages and stereotypes about age you need to let go of right NOW
What's the first step you need to take to set you on a new athletic journey at any age or fitness background
What key mental, emotional and physical shifts to take to age like an athlete!