Quick Tip: Two Years of Podcast Lessons That Runners Can Relate To

Whether you want to call it a birthday or an anniversary is up to you, either way the podcast has officially been alive for two years as of today!

On one hand, it doesn’t seem like I’ve been doing the show for more than a few months, and on the other hand it feels like it’s been a decade since I launched the show.

Funny how that works…

Today I want to share some of the things I’ve learned from doing the show that have also benefited me as a runner, in hopes that they might also benefit you as a runner.

But First…

But before I get to the lessons, a few thank yous are in order.

• Thank you to all of the past guests of the show. Point blank, there’s no way I’m still doing the show if there weren’t so many amazing people in the running community that are willing to shoot the breeze with me.
• Thank you to everyone that has supported the show in any way. Maybe you’ve left a rating/review. Maybe you’re supporting the show financially via Patreon. Maybe you’ve shared an episode on social media. Maybe you’ve recommended someone as a future guest. There are so many ways that you can support the show, and all of them are invaluable. And any bit of support is very much appreciated.
• Thank you to everyone that has listened to a show in the past two years. Would I do the show if no one listened? Yeah, probably. I love doing the show, but knowing that people are listening definitely helps! Your feedback is always appreciated, and I’m trying my best to get better with every show. So thank you for taking me with you on your runs, while you’re driving in the car, or wherever else you’ve listened to the show.
• And last but not least, in fact last but most importantly, thank you to my wife. She’s not only put up with this crazy entrepreneurial/podcasting adventure I’ve been on for the past several years, but she’s supported and encouraged me to stick with it. Literally, this wouldn’t be possible without her love and support. I love you.

Thanks Y’all…

5 Things I’ve Learned in Two Years of Podcasting

• It’s OK to Suck at First: Let’s call a spade a spade: I was a terrible interviewer two years ago! Listening to some of those early episodes of the show is difficult to say the least, but there’s no way I could have improved to where I am now as a host/interviewer had I not started and improved with time and experience. And two years from now, I’ll probably shutter when I listen back on my interviews from this year because I’ll be even better then than I am now. Guess what? It’s the same with running.

I Might, But I’ve Definitely Gotten Better!

• Work With What You Have: What do you need to start a podcast? A computer and a decent microphone. And that’s exactly what I started with. I bought my microphone, which is hardly top of the line, for about $60 and I got going. I’ve invested some additional money here and there for hosting, to get the software to record Skype calls, etc, but I worked with what I had (and what my budged could support) and made it work. One of my tricks has been to keep a bath towel in my desk and literally wrap it around my microphone to help eliminate ambient noises from the dogs, the air conditioner, me breathing, etc because my mic picks up EVERY FRICKING SOUND in the house when I’m using it. One of these days I’m going to up my microphone game, but I didn’t rush out and spend a few grand before I even launched my show on equipment like some podcasters do. As for running, you don’t need a $500 GPS to start running. You don’t need $60 running shorts. Start with the basics (a good pair of shoes and a quality sports bra for the ladies) and upgrade your running gear as you go.
  

  That’s How I Roll…

• Be Consistent, But Be Realistic: I’ve known more than a few people in the podcast world that launch their show and plan on doing 5 shows a week (or more) only to realize that is a lot of fricking work! So then they either burnout and stop doing a show altogether or dramatically reduce the frequency of releasing new shows. When I started the show, I did two episodes per week. After 6 months, I added the third episode. And I have no plans of adding any more episodes per week because I simply don’t have enough hours free to add any more to my plate. But I can consistently release two interviews and one quick tip per week without burning myself out. And that consistency is paying off as I continue to improve as a host and the show continues to grow. One of the things I try to do from day one when I’m working with the runners I coach is get them on a schedule that allows for consistency. How many days per week can they consistently commit to running? Not in a perfect world, but in the real world?

• Adjust as Needed: Speaking of the real world, shit happens from time to time and we have to adjust. I’ve missed releasing an episode of the show here and there in the past, and as much as I aim to maintain that consistency I just spoke about I’ll probably miss an episode at some point in the future. And there are times when I don’t have an interview recorded and a show is supposed to go out, so I have to decide to do a solo episode of the show, release a “Best Of” episode, or just skip releasing an episode. Skipping is the last resort, so I’ll usually do a solo episode on something topical or pull an oldie but goodie out of the archive. As runners, we need to be willing to adjust our training schedule when life gets in the way. When a kid is sick or you’re stuck at work, you may have to forget about running that day. Or when training plan calls for speed work and your body just isn’t feeling it, it’s ok to dial back the intensity for that work out and add an extra easy day. Yes, consistency is key for long term success, but perfection is not required.

It’ll Be OK, I Promise

• Most People are Good People: One area where running and podcasting are very much the same is that the members of those respective communities are, on the whole, some really good people. Sure, there are a few bad seeds in any group of people, but any time I have a podcasting question all I need to do is ask and I’ll find no shortage of people willing to help. Same thing with the running community.

Bonus lesson here, but seriously you’ve got to make it fun, whatever the it is that you are doing in your life.

Do I love every single task that I have to complete to put out a quality show? Of course not!

But on the whole, I absolutely love it. Kinda like running…

Top 5 running lessons learned after two years of podcasting! #runchat #podcast Click To Tweet

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