429: Teamwork

Teamwork isn’t just for cross-country teams, group runs, or the workplace—it’s a value that can shape every part of our running journey and our everyday lives.

In this episode, we wrap up our series on core values with one of the most powerful of them all: teamwork. We explore what it really means to be part of a team, even if you consider yourself a “solo runner,” and how cultivating teamwork can transform the way you approach challenges, celebrate wins, and stay consistent over time.

You’ll hear us dive into:

• Why teamwork matters even outside of traditional team settings
• How to show up for others (and yourself) in meaningful ways
• The role of sharing struggles, celebrating wins, and building support systems
• How gratitude and communication strengthen both running and life relationships

Plus—we’re celebrating 8 years of the Real Life Runners Podcast! 🎉

To mark the occasion, we’re kicking off our Eight Days of Giveaways. Each day, we’ll be giving away prizes to thank you for being part of this community. Enter by replying to our emails or joining the fun on social media—you don’t want to miss it!

Be sure to follow us @realliferunners on Instagram for the daily contests and prizes!

Because at the end of the day, running is better (and life is richer) when we don’t go it alone.

00:28 The Importance of Teamwork in Running

00:52 Teamwork in High School Cross Country

02:44 Personal Stories of Teamwork

05:04 Celebrating 8 Years of Podcasting

07:34 The Role of Support Systems in Running

12:59 Finding Your Running Community

24:24 The Power of Support in Running

24:59 Encouragement from Fellow Runners

26:10 Understanding Non-Runners' Perspectives

29:46 Teamwork in Family Life

33:41 The Importance of Communication

38:56 Celebrating Wins and Overcoming Struggles

47:09 Practical Tips for Cultivating Teamwork

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Join the Team! --> https://www.realliferunners.com/team

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Don't forget: The information on this website is not intended to treat or diagnose any medical condition or to provide medical advice. It is intended for general education in the areas of health and wellness. All information contained in this site is intended to be educational in nature. Nothing should be considered medical advice for your specific situation.

Transcript

Angie: 0:00

This is the Real Life Runners Podcast, episode number 4 29. Today we are finishing up our series on core values with core value. Number five, teamwork. What the heck does teamwork have to do with you as a real life runner that may or may not actually be on a team? believe it or not, teamwork applies to not only your running, but all areas of your life. So let's chat about it. Stay tuned. What's up runners? Welcome back to the Real Life Runners podcast in our core value series, where today we're talking about core value. Number five,

Kevin: 0:57

it's teamwork time and teamwork makes the dream work. So this episode is gonna just be awesome

Angie: 1:02

because Kevin's gonna say teamwork makes the dream work multiple more times, probably. Possibly. So those of you that. Are new to the podcast. Welcome. we have been doing a little core value series over the last few weeks, that has stemmed from our work with our high school cross country team. So every year we come up with a set of core values for the team, and they are similar, but we often tweak them a little bit. And so we were thinking about ideas for the podcast and said, you know what? Let's take these core values that we've. Put forth in our cross country team and talk about how they apply to us as real life runners. And so I think that, so far we've talked about integrity, respect, commitment, and resilience. And so if you haven't caught those episodes, I would suggest going back to those you, you definitely don't have to listen to those before you listen to this one. But teamwork is an interesting one. I think when we look at. Our lives as real life runners with, real lives. And most of us aren't on some sort of formal type of team.

Kevin: 2:06

I feel like most people listening to this podcast are probably not on any sort of formal team. Maybe they've got some people,

Angie: 2:11

unless you're a part of our real life runners team, which is awesome.

Kevin: 2:14

That's very true. but a lot of our real life runners team is scattered around the world, and so it doesn't feel like a team in the same sense as right. When I was, I ran cross country in high school. That was a team right. As

Angie: 2:25

kids gathering after school every single day and running together.

Kevin: 2:29

That feels a whole heck of a lot more like a team. Yeah. My alarm going off at five and heading out to run in the dark does not feel as much like a team sport as our cross country kids getting together at, three 30.

Angie: 2:39

yeah, I would agree that it's different, but I still think that. What we're gonna talk about today, I have a feeling all of you are gonna be able to apply to your life. Whether or not you are a part of our real life runners team or any other team. Maybe you're part of a local running group. Like those are some of the more obvious ways that this applies. But there's ways that you might not expect where this also applies. So it really matters for us to talk about this because running can often feel. And seem like a very individual sport, and we even talk about this with our cross country kids because. A lot of them come into running, maybe not even realizing, like they know that they're on a team and they know that they're doing this with other people, but running does tend to feel very individual. However, when we start to see teamwork and we start to really embrace it and the power that it has, it can play a really big role in our growth and our success as runners.

Kevin: 3:35

I think the more that the kids latch onto the teamwork, it really helps the overall team improve. Yes, it is. It is a collection of individuals. any team is just a collection of individuals, but when everybody's just fighting for themselves instead of uniting towards a common cause, I think that common cause. Creates a lot of motivation within each other. It creates a lot of the benefits of teamwork because you're all striving towards the same thing. a few years ago, there was that big push on that team that they really wanted to get to the state, meet as a full team, not just have a couple kids individually qualify. Yeah. But as a whole team. And that was the year that I suggested, okay, fine. You make it as a whole team and you can color my hair, whatever color you want it. And it just, it added to some, like some fun. Of chasing a very difficult physical goal, but they were really united in this. We are going to get to the state meet as a whole group, and it tied the whole group together. I thought,

Angie: 4:30

yeah, I agree. And, making your hair pink and purple was also, I think, a very motivating factor.

Kevin: 4:35

I think it was like a little bonus that they got. I don't, I think as the season wore on. That was less exciting for them than how close they were to getting to the meet. Like they kept seeing their times get faster. They kept seeing how close they were. I was giving them comparisons to the other teams. And as that goal kept getting closer and closer to in their grasp, I think it, they were like, and we get to color his hair pink. Like it was just like a bonus add-on. But it, that was beyond the point. At that point.

Angie: 5:01

Yeah, I agree. And it might be time to start bringing that. Into our conversation this year now too, start giving the team an idea of where we stand, don't you think?

Kevin: 5:11

Oh no, definitely. Yeah, I'd, it is time'cause we haven't done

Angie: 5:13

that yet, so I think it's time for us to bring that piece in. So before we jump into today's episode, I want to invite you, if you are listening to this episode, when it is released here, which is the actually. This one's actually coming out in October,'cause we're recording it in September, but the release date of this one is actually October 2nd. So if you are listening to this episode during that week, I wanna invite you to join. The eight days of giveaways. I'm actually running a special promotion right now because Kevin, did you know that a couple of days ago we celebrated our eight year podcast anniversary?

Kevin: 5:55

I did. The podcast player sent me an email that said, congratulations on your anniversary. Did it really? Yes, it did. Oh, that's

Angie: 5:59

fun. but yes, so we have been recording this podcast for the last eight years, and we have only missed one week recording the podcast in eight years.

Kevin: 6:11

I have missed multiple weeks. The podcast has missed one.

Angie: 6:14

Yeah.

Kevin: 6:15

Yeah. I've lost my voice a few times. You've done plenty of solo episodes.

Angie: 6:18

Yeah. You did a solo episode once too. That was good. Yes, I did. But there was one, I forget what week it was, but it was like early on in our podcasting journey. I wanna say it was within the first or second year. I think it because we, let's see, we started this in 2017. I wanna say that. the week that we missed was somewhere in 2018 or 2019. But, yeah, we only have missed one week out of eight years, which I am really freaking proud of. And I think that demonstrates a lot of the core, all five really of the core values that we're talking about today. Integrity, doing what we said we were going to do.'cause I, when we started this podcast, I said I wanted to release a weekly podcast and we've done that pretty much, minus one, resilience. Definitely coming back when things get hard, and especially when we don't have a podcast topic to talk about. Or you definitely

Kevin: 7:07

resilient or we're just so tired and it's like, all right, like tonight. Yeah. Or this, that's happens a lot that it's like, we're so tired and we've gotta get the podcast out. We've gotta get it recorded so it can get processed and put out there. that's happened a few times. Did we make it through? Christmas break of 2017 making podcasts because like I had a seizure in the middle of that Christmas break. Yeah, so I feel like that may have been the time we missed. It

Angie: 7:30

might have been. I think that it was actually a little bit after that. I wanna say that it was like a week in February where just things just went awry. Interesting. but it might have been, yeah, I don't remember exactly. Yes. And then obviously commitment and respect for you as our listeners and respect for the commitment that we made, and then of course, teamwork because not only have we gotten together and done the vast majority of these podcast episodes together, which has been great, but. We've also have had guests and I've done solo episodes and you've done a solo episode, and we also have a team that supports us. I have someone that edits, or she doesn't really do much editing, to be honest, because we pretty much just hit record and then hit play. But she publishes the episode she, she adds the music to it and, she publishes the episode and helps me with some social media from the episode. So we have a team, With this podcast. And so it, it is definitely has been, and continues to be a labor of love. So we wanted to celebrate that with you all. So I came up with this idea of doing eight days of giveaways to celebrate eight years of the podcast. So you can go back and catch up and if you wanna do all eight of the, days, that would be fantastic. But today, on the day that we're recording this, like today's. Activity was to leave a review for the podcast. So I'm gonna give away, I'm gonna ask you for one to do one thing to support the podcast, and then I am going to, if you do that thing, you'll be entered to win that day's prize. So the prize today is a real life runner shirt, which is awesome. and we're gonna have various prizes to give away throughout the eight days and various things that we're going to ask you to do in order to enter that prize giveaway drawing. That's the teamwork that I'm gonna be asking of you guys because this podcast would not exist if it weren't for all of you. This is, you are the reason that we do this every single week. You are the reason that we stay up late and record when we are exhausted, that we come up with new ideas, that I reach out and I find amazing guests to bring to you all because we love helping you. We love hearing from you. And those of you that have ever reached out and left us a review or sent us an email or, PO posted something on social media and let us know how the episodes have impacted you and your running and your life, I just wanna say thank you because that is the reason that we continue to do this. And when I get those emails, when I get those notes or those dms or those comments from you all. Talking about how this podcast has helped you or has changed your life or changed your running in any way, that's. It's just further reinforcement of why we're doing this, and so please keep those messages coming. If you haven't, left a review on the podcast, I would love to ask you to do so because when you leave those reviews, it really does help other people find the show and help us to reach new runners and help more people,

Kevin: 10:27

which is ultimately why we do this. All is, is to try to help more runners enjoy the running experience. Running is not difficult. this whole episode is about teamwork, and this podcast, I think helps bring runners together and realize that we're all sort of part of this running team.

Angie: 10:44

Did you just say running is not difficult?

Kevin: 10:46

No, I said running is difficult. Oh,

Angie: 10:48

okay.

Kevin: 10:48

I, at least I was aiming to say running is difficult. I was like, like you pointed out, I'm, it's, I'm tired. We'll wait. but no, running is difficult and having other people around, but that's not all that teamwork is. To bring this back on to point here, teamwork is not just working together. There's a whole lot more involved in the aspect of teamwork. Teamwork is support, it's encouraging other people. It's,

Angie: 11:12

hold on. I have to. Tell them how to join the eight days of giveaways, don't you think? Okay, go. So sorry to interrupt you, but you like tried to cut me off here. I wasn't ready for that.

Kevin: 11:21

I was not trying to cut anything off. I got an email. Bring it back

Angie: 11:24

around.

Kevin: 11:24

There you go.

Angie: 11:26

they have to be on the email list essentially. That's'cause you got the email. I got the email that I sent out. But yes, if you want to participate in the eight days of giveaways, you have to either. Be a part of our email list. That's where all the details will be sent out every single day. Or follow us on social media, on Instagram at real life runners, because I'll be posting on our Instagram stories every day as well. So make sure that you're on our email list. You can go to our website, real life runners.com and sign up to be on our email list there. Or you can follow us on social media. Okay, so bring it back to teamwork. It's not just about working together.

Kevin: 12:00

It's something about makes the dream work, I think is roughly where the topic is perfect. That's number two. So it's not just working together, it's support, it's encouragement. Like you don't have to be working and get cheering for each other. That is teamwork. It's providing a source of accountability. It's the common purpose, whatever that is. Even if you're not directly working with another person, like there is a. Team all doing a workout together. There's something to be said for a group of people knocking out like 10 by a 400, but knowing that you and somebody else are both training for a similar goal, even if you're never sharing miles with them, that is a common purpose that you're aiming for. Or maybe the common purpose of simply there is a fall race that two people are training for. That could be the common purpose. All of these are different aspects of teamwork and all of them provide a whole heck of a lot of benefit towards every person involved.

Angie: 12:53

Yeah, I agree. And I think that, running can be lonely. It can be a solitary type of activity, but. It rarely is successful in isolation, right? So that's where the distinction lies. It can be solitary, but it's rarely successful in isolation because on a team, everyone contributes, even if your results are individual and that actually expands out. If you're not a part of like a. Traditional type of team, like the cross country team, it still expands out to the rest of your life because you as a real life runner, have a team, whether you realize it or not. So when we talk about it on the cross country team, we talk about that support. We talk about supporting your teammates. Even if you are on the varsity team, it's a great idea that you will stick around and cheer on the junior varsity runners, the JV runners, or vice versa, Just being there at the tent, helping each other get ready and make sure everybody has the numbers, and then going out and cheering for the runners, out on the race. All of those things are very important. Showing up for practice, that is a big part of teamwork because the kids, they know like they have more fun when. Their friends are there. it's, yes, they are runners and they like running. At least most of them do. But it's a lot more fun when you're there doing it with your friends

Kevin: 14:18

and it's a lot easier to not do it if other people start not showing up to the practice. That's where the accountability shows up of teamwork. Yeah. Is if everybody shows up, everybody's practice starts at three 20, so time to go to practice, then that's what everybody does. As you start losing a few people, it makes it easier and easier for. The next person to be like, oh, I guess I don't also need to go to practice today. So it works both directions. You can really help encourage people towards bigger goals, but you can also help people slide and let things drift away and lose all sorts of motivation and accountability.

Angie: 14:52

Yeah, we talked to that about that in the race too. if you are in a race and you are running with your teammate and you notice that your teammate is starting to slow down, you can. Slow down with them, that is an option. Or you can encourage them to stay with you, right? You can cheer them on and say, come on, we're, let's go. we're still in this. And so how does this. apply to us as real life runners. like we mentioned, the obvious way are the ones, those of you that are part of any sort of training, like a running club or training team, like an, even a virtual online community, like our real life runners team, if you have running buddies like. Even if it's one or two people that you train with or run with, you don't have to do it alone. And even if you don't have any people in person, there's tons of Facebook groups and all sorts of online running communities that you can be a part of. Now, I will say that with an asterisk and I will say, please be very careful which running groups you are a part of, because I've been a part of a lot of different running groups online. Some of them are toxic places to be. I think that there's a lot of bad advice that gets given out in those running groups. You have to be very careful and very choosy what kind of information you want to listen to, and I highly recommend that. You join a group and you know if it's, if there's a coach in charge of that group, if the information is being vetted in any way, just be careful what you listen to, and what you consume because there's also a lot of comparison in those groups and there can be a lot of jealousy and all sorts of ickiness. So choose wisely. if you're choosing an online community, I highly encourage you to choose wisely and be very careful with what you choose to be a part of.

Kevin: 16:38

Yeah, the online group, and we've had a, an online group like our team exists around the world like, like I said earlier, but. I still feel very much connected to the team. Like when I race, I put on a real life runner's racing shirt and I feel like I am part of this team. Whether there are other people in the race that have that shirt or not, it to me. That is me showing up as part of this team. And so I'm putting forth the effort surrounded by my teammates, whether they are physically there or elsewhere. It's still part of a whole team thing and I think that is super helpful'cause it's not saying that the weight of this entire race is on me, it's saying I'm heading to this race with support of others, with a whole crew with me.

Angie: 17:22

Yeah, and that's who you're representing also, right? Because teamwork is also about your support crew, and this is really where I think teamwork. Is the strongest. like the biggest thing that we have to think about as real life runners is who is a part of your team, like your family, your friends, coaches, healthcare providers, like who do you work with that helps to support you? In the thing that you are doing and that could look like, your spouse that is not a runner that maybe just supports you that in your crazy goals or your crazy dreams or maybe not crazy. I don't really like to use that word actually. I do like to use that word. I use it as a more of a badge of honor because I think it's a good thing. Like I'm a big fan of being crazy. but. Maybe they don't do it. Maybe they don't really understand it, but they support you. Maybe they're a runner also, but they just don't run a hundred miles, and so they don't understand why you would ever want to do that. But they wake up and they drive lots of hours to support you and they pack up the car. And I'm not trying to toot my own horn because there's a lot of people that do this, not just me. And that's. A huge thing for you to celebrate. So if you have a spouse, a partner, a friend that is like that for you in your corner, that is there cheering you on at a race or holding up a sign, even if they don't understand what's going on, they are a part of your team and they're a part of your support crew. And if you are really, truly honest with yourself, you couldn't do it without them like you probably could for a while. Do you, how long do you think that would really last?

Kevin: 19:02

Yeah. Have you been at every long distance race that I've ever run? I wanna say

Angie: 19:08

yes. Like

Kevin: 19:09

you were at my first marathon. Completely unsure of what the heck was going on. But you had a sign.

Angie: 19:14

Yeah. I was not a runner at that point. And this was our senior year of college. And I still hated running at that point in time. definitely thought there was a cute boy with dimples that I was going to cheer in Chicago,

Kevin: 19:24

which was like the full point of you going like that was it. It wasn't like, oh man, it's gonna be great to go watch a marathon.

Angie: 19:30

no. I was also visiting my friend that lived in Chicago, so that was funnel, so

Kevin: 19:33

but that was unrelated to the marathon. Yeah. That was related to Chicago.

Angie: 19:37

Yeah, exactly. but I had no idea why you and Mark were doing this. Kevin ran the Chicago marathon with his best friend and roommate. At the time, our senior year of college. but we at that point had been together about six months.'cause we got together, a little bit longer than that. Because we got together in April officially. Yeah, about six months. Yeah, about six months. About six months.'cause Chicago's in October. I

Kevin: 20:00

wanna say October. Yeah. Yeah. It's coming up.

Angie: 20:01

Yeah. So we had been dating about six months at that time. And, I didn't. Understand it at all, but I made you a sign and slept on my friend's floor and supported Chicago.

Kevin: 20:12

There you go. Yeah, and you've been at every race since and there were plenty of races from the beginning, like I remember. Sitting on the ground at mile 22, like I couldn't even make it to the curb. My calves completely seized up. So I'm just like sitting on the side of the road and I knew that I still had four miles to go Because you were at the finish line. Like I had passed the last time that I could see you during the race. Yeah. And because I saw you

Angie: 20:36

like 21, 21 and a half.

Kevin: 20:37

Yeah. So I knew I had four more miles to go or I wasn't gonna be able to see you. So you have been very motivational from the very beginning. You have helped me to many finish lines that I don't think I could have made it to without you out there. Aw. So you point out that there, there are other people doing this. You go, you've crewed me at some ultras and you watch, vans full of people and families unloading outta these giant vans and setting up like a whole picnic table out behind them. The support crews at these longer races are. Crazy. They're

Angie: 21:09

amazing. Like they're amazing. I remember the first one that we did well,'cause the first couple of ultras that you did were running down the road. Yep. So I didn't really have the same level of interaction with the other crews that were there because it was just, I had us and we were the crew in the car and we were just following you down the road. And we, I talked to a couple people at some of the stops that when we were waiting for you, but that last ultra that you did, where it was. Kind of camp style. Like you just, we just sat in a parking lot, a field really, and not a lot, but we parked in a field and waited for Kevin to come see us six times throughout the course of the day. Yeah.

Kevin: 21:49

I just, I saw you every three to four hours. Yeah. that was the craziness. But

Angie: 21:52

it was like, it was really cool because that's what all of them were doing too, and they all had their camping chairs and they were just sitting out and just hanging out. Here. I was like, okay, we saw him once. Let's go to get Starbucks. Yep. I didn't know what I had signed up for here.

Kevin: 22:08

I really hope I get into that one again. That's gonna be a blast.

Angie: 22:11

Oh, I think I'll be much better prepared this time. if you have someone, and maybe you're not into marathons or ultras, and that's cool too, do you have someone that goes to a 5K with you or do you have other friends at that 5K? Or maybe just that, those people that you know, that you see at your local 5K that you know are probably gonna be there even if you don't know their name or those people that you see. On your Tuesday morning runs at five 30 in the morning because you know that if you run Tuesday mornings at five 30, that person's gonna be out there too. And you don't even know their name. You don't know what they're doing. But in a way, they're also a part of your support system. Like I enjoy going out when I'm out on my runs and seeing those people. And when I don't see the same people, I'm like, oh, I wonder where that girl is today. Orange sports bra girl or whatever it is, like you, you think about those people and you're like, oh, I hope everything's okay. And maybe she's outta town or maybe she's, I hope she's not sick or anything, but those people are a part of your routine.

Kevin: 23:11

Yeah, there was a guy that I saw all summer long on, on the loop that I did, and it was right around the start of school year and we always crossed each other going the opposite direction. And as I got to him, he started waving both hands. And I'd seen him for the last, I don't know, couple of months, and he waved both of his hands at me to get me to stop. And he goes, I just wanted to let you know I'm heading back to New York, so you're not gonna see me on the loop anymore.

Angie: 23:36

Aw.

Kevin: 23:37

to make sure that I wasn't worried about him. Like he just, he let me know I'm going back up oh, okay. have a great time. Aw. But I had seen that guy most days for the last several months, it made sense. It was like he was saying, bye, and you don't have to worry about me. I'm good.

Angie: 23:52

Which I think is so cool because clearly you are a part of his running crew.

Kevin: 23:56

Yes. And I

Angie: 23:57

think that's really cool to think about it. Also, you never know who's. Support crew you're a part of. Either like just by asking somebody, Hey, how's your running going? Or Hey, how's your training? Are you signed up for a race? Like just expressing interests in someone else's running or fitness journey, I think says a lot and means a lot to people more than we might realize.

Kevin: 24:22

that's why I like my runs. That I don't have to do in the pitch black because I don't recognize that all the people out there and I can't exactly see who it is. Yeah. There's not a lot of conversation and even, in the daylight, it's not like I stop and have conversations with people, but I give the smile and the wave. If it looks like they're. Pushing. I'm like, oh, looking good, looking strong. Like I try and say something positive to whoever I'm running, either opposite directions or the same direction, whatever it is that we're doing. I try to send some sort of positive message toward that person. But at five 30 in the pitch black, I don't always send that message. I recognize that person. They might recognize me. But there's not always a whole lot of talking. There's one guy that I passed most mornings that he's, if I'm pushing, he will always send words of encouragement back Aw. Of oh, looking fast this morning. Yeah. And it, that's amazing to hear. It's so if anybody ever out running has said something positive to you and you're like, oh, wow, that, like that means so much. It seems like it's coming from a stranger, but if that's ever made an impact on your run, think about how you could do that to everybody that you see when you're out running and how nice that would be for them.

Angie: 25:29

Yeah, I agree. And the other thing I wanna mention too, and I wasn't really planning on this, it just popped into my head, is that if you don't have, or if there's. A family member or a friend that maybe is not outwardly supportive of your running, it might not mean anything negative. It might just mean that they don't understand it and they don't understand how important it is to you. So tell them. I think that's a really important thing.'cause like for me, my mom has been one of the most supportive. People in my entire life, and I love her dearly. She's always been there for me. I have so many good things to say about my mom, but what I, but my mom did not come to my first half marathon, and that hurt me a lot because I was like, how could she not be there? And in my mom and I actually brought it up to her, relatively recently and said, told her that really. was hurtful. Like I was upset about that, that, and she was like, oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea. She's but don't I just get to see you like one time? And I was like, yeah, but that's not the point. but non-runners don't understand that. And so if you have someone in your life that it's important to you that they support, you have some more conversations with them. Because my mom just genuinely didn't understand because I was never a runner. I. Always hated running when I was athletic and in into sports and on different teams, and she came to all of my games and was always super supportive. But this whole running thing was just an individual thing, I think in her mind. Like she, I, she just didn't understand it and like it was upsetting to me, but. At the same time, I never expressed to her that it was important for her to be there to me and I, and that's on me. Like I think that if I would've told her, I think I just assumed that she would know, or I just expected her to be there. But I never, I. Expressed that, and that's on me. And I think that, if there is somebody that you feel that way with, I would just encourage you to have a conversation with that person and tell them how important it's to you and tell them how much it would mean to you if they showed up at. Your race. My mom was like, wait, you want me to wake up at 6:00 AM and drive? What? What are you talk to, to just stand on the side of the road? she just didn't get it. And I was like, yeah, but that's what you do. and so I think that's a helpful conversation to have.

Kevin: 27:55

it's a helpful conversation. It's also helpful to figure out what it is that you expect out of them. Yeah. And maybe even help coordinate things for them, because especially at something longer, like a half marathon or a full marathon, there is some logistics in coordinating how to see somebody multiple times. Yeah. Or if you're only gonna be able to see them once alright, you can see me at this part. And then there's a coffee shop right here that you can hang out at. And then in about an hour I'll be back. And then we can meet up after the race here. Yeah. Like you might want to actually put some coordination for them. Yeah. Be, especially if this is a non runner that does not get it at all.

Angie: 28:31

Yeah, for sure. I think that would be a good idea. So there are people in your life, so whether you realize it or not, those people that love you and that are in your life. They're supporting you and you probably wouldn't be where you are without them. So say thank you. realize that they are a part of your team and, that requires some teamwork. And teamwork also requires communication. So don't be upset if you haven't communicated certain things to them as well. And the cool thing about all these core values, including teamwork, is that they all extend beyond running. And teamwork carries over into your real life in so many ways in your family. Like you have to have teamwork in the family. Like just think about tonight, right? Tonight we definitely had some teamwork going on with taking, we had to have someone over.'cause now we are in the. Dog adoption process, and some of these rescue organizations have very extensive application processes. So we actually had to have a home visit tonight where they like took pictures of our house and did, made sure that we are who we say we are. I guess so. I'm

Kevin: 29:39

not sure.

Angie: 29:39

Yeah, so it was pretty wild. So we all had to be home for that. Like all four of us have to be there. And then our oldest daughter had a college fair and so I took her to that and Kevin stayed home and made dinner and then we, stopped at the grocery store on the way home and there's all these different moving pieces and so in family life, then there was dishes afterwards. some, somebody washes somebody. Dry. Somebody wipes off the counter and clears the table. There's a whole lot of teamwork involved in family life all the time. if you're trying to get kids to various places. And that's a, that's our tomorrow, Tuesday night, we've got kids in all sorts of different places. Tuesday night

Kevin: 30:17

just screams teamwork, like it has to be well coordinated and well communicated as to who's moving in which direction it is. it is a dance that we get to play out here and that is teamwork, that is parenting. And, it's a great team. You are, an amazing team teammate,

Angie: 30:34

and you are an amazing teammate

Kevin: 30:36

also. I try my best. I am a niche role player. I'm like, like on a basketball team, Angie's clear, she's running the point. She's also the two guard. She's the center. You're probably the, I don't

Angie: 30:51

think I'm the center

Kevin: 30:52

of our family unit, definitely. And, but I'm

Angie: 30:55

definitely not the tallest one on the court

Kevin: 30:56

and the power forward. And I am, I'm that one that's just, I'm gonna set up around the three point arc. I've got my role and this is what I'm going for.

Angie: 31:05

Yep. we all have different roles, but that's the beauty of teamwork is that you find people on your team that support you. And I couldn't do what I do in life without you. Like you are the best team player and I didn't realize we were gonna get a little mushy on this, but this is. What it is, like even this business, you have supported me 100% in my crazy ideas of I'm gonna stop doing physical therapy and create a whole online coaching business. And you're like, yep, let's do it. Like you just, you support me. I couldn't do what I do without that love and support from you.

Kevin: 31:49

Yeah. And that allowed me to do something crazy, like I'm gonna start running a hundred mile. Yeah. Because both of us were like, this is the thing, this is the thing that I'm going to do that's gonna bring the joy, but I'm gonna need a whole heck of a lot of support from you. And that's where teamwork comes in. And Sure, mine is related to a running goal, but it doesn't really matter what it is. Yeah. Like it's the teamwork that helps you that. Makes you feel supported that says, I'm gonna try this crazy thing, and I don't know how successful it's going to be. But I feel supported in the process. So it's okay if I don't have immediate success because the people that I have surrounded myself with, my team gets it. They get the importance of this and they will be there regardless of the outcome of this week or next year. They're here to support me and my efforts.

Angie: 32:39

Yeah. And I think that the, one of the big. Things with teamwork, like one of the important points is that in order to be a good team member, you have to both give and receive support. And I think for some of us that can be the hardest thing. Like we're very good at giving and we're not as good as receiving sometimes. And I think that's really what teamwork teaches us how to do and what running teaches us how to do. We have to be able to both give and receive support. And, I think about, your race. I know you've told this story before and I'll let you tell it, here, but when you were coming up against the time deadline or in your head the time deadline for Daytona The Daytona 100 where you had wanted to finish before midnight and. We, you were getting really upset about it.

Kevin: 33:32

Yeah,'cause I'm doing the math and I'm trying to do math after running for over 12 hours. So math is not working. The

Angie: 33:37

math is not math. That

Kevin: 33:38

as the kids like to say,

Angie: 33:40

six, seven,

Kevin: 33:41

a good one, but I. I was capable of doing math enough that I knew that midnight, the gold deadline, the Cinderella hour was getting really small. The chances of actually crossing on the same day were getting really slim. And I came to you at an aid station. I'm like, I'm not gonna make it. I'm not going to make midnight. And you said something to the effect of, okay, we are still gonna be here. And it was just like it. It wasn't like you didn't have to give me this giant rah speech. It was just like, that's okay. We're, you're still gonna get to the finish line and we're still going to be here the whole time. And I didn't need a giant rah speech. I just needed that support. I needed it to be okay that I wasn't gonna make it to midnight. Because in my head I'm like, oh, everybody had to get up so early. They're driving down the side of the road. This has gotta be. Awful for them. So at least if I could do my best to get'em done by midnight so we could all just go home and go back to the hotel and sleep, that's, that would be my doing. My part is maybe we can get to bed at a reasonable hour.

Angie: 34:46

to be fair, both of the girls fell asleep in the back of the car, so it. Truly didn't affect them. They were just sleeping away. Okay, but

Kevin: 34:54

you needed some sleep at some point because then you also drove back the next day. I can't help on the drive the next day. I did suggest, not after Daytona, but after long haul last year, that I could have driven some of the way home. I definitely suggested that you did, you said? no, it was the whole conversation.

Angie: 35:13

And maybe laughed a little bit about it too.

Kevin: 35:15

I felt as though I was up to it.

Angie: 35:17

yeah. No, again, that's not that's all we need is like a calf cramp as we're driving down the highway, like absolutely not You know that this applies to you in your life, right? In your family, in your work, in relationships and friendships, like you have to both give and receive because if you're giving all the time and you don't have that reciprocated, oftentimes that. Leads to resentment, and that's not gonna take you a place where you wanna go. Resentment's never gonna lead to good things because the stronger your team is, the stronger your support system is, the stronger you become individually. And that's exactly what Kevin's story, I think just. Exemplified so beautifully is because he felt the love and support from us. He was then able to finish that 100 mile race, and that was his first 100 mile finish. Was that race?

Kevin: 36:13

Oh yeah. No. if you had not given me that conversation, I'm not sure I would've made it to the finish line.

Angie: 36:19

And it wasn't me. I didn't do it like, but. Our support helped him be stronger as an individual like you did that. That was your accomplishment for sure. But it was because of the love and support that you had that made you stronger and able to continue on.

Kevin: 36:37

Yeah, and that's why you need everybody and you can't have that resentment because the tighter the team is, the stronger each person is. Like it's so much easier to go after. What if you want to call'em crazy goals. I think that's a great. Great word for it. Yeah. It's easier to chase after crazy goals when you are well supported by the people around you.

Angie: 36:57

Yeah. Especially when you know that they're going to love you and support you no matter what happens. And I think that's some of the beauty too, of your non-running friends or family members that don't understand your running, they don't care what your time is on the clock or what distance you run. They think it's probably cool that you did a marathon and. They may or may not have any idea what your time means. oh, is that good? Is that bad? but they're gonna love you anyway, and they're gonna think that you're amazing just because you're out there doing it. And I think that's really important for us to acknowledge and be extremely grateful for, because that's going to help you in your running and really in the rest of your life. Some practical ways to cultivate teamwork in your running, in your life is number one. Know who's on your team, make a list. I would love for you to just take five minutes and journal and write down all of the people that support you in your running and in the rest of your life. And just then look at that list and look how supported you truly are and that is going to. Give you so much of an opportunity for gratitude. And gratitude is the frequency that all of us need to tap into more often because it helps to calm our nervous system. It helps to bring so much goodness into our lives. But if you actually write down all of the people and all of the ways that they have supported you, you're gonna realize you have a lot of people on your team.

Kevin: 38:26

I mean you, you mentioned your mom and your half marathon story earlier, but she's super supportive of my going off and running absurdly long distances because she'll watch a dog. Like she'll or I need to go get in something. She's been supportive of us coaching always because she'll watch the girls like whatever it is she's there to help provide support and she does not understand what is involved in running a hundred miles. No, but she has sent a solid congratulations every time I've done it. Yeah, because that. That's the support that, that she's providing. That's what makes sense.

Angie: 38:58

Yeah. I, and my mom is the best. I like, yes, I told that one story, but again, I take responsibility for not communicating with her on how important that it was for her to be there. And I also maybe didn't realize how important it was until afterwards. I think that was a big part of it too, is that I didn't realize it until at the end when I was like, or maybe even afterwards. I don't remember exactly when, but. then I realized oh, I wish my mom was here.

Kevin: 39:25

Yeah. I remember shortly after you crossed the finish line, it seemed weird that your mom wasn't there Yeah. For that accomplishment. But it didn't occur to you beforehand that, that you wanted her

Angie: 39:35

to I think that also that's. Proof of asking for what you want to, I think I didn't wanna ask her and inconvenience her because it would've required her to wake up at five or 6:00 AM Yep. And drive. And to see me one or two times like that to me, was a big ask. And I did realize afterwards that it was important to me and I should have asked, And I think that's where we can sometimes. Grow like that would be an area of growth, is really asking for the things that are important to you. And I think that's. a good thing.

Kevin: 40:07

Excellent. Alright. Another way to cultivate teamwork is simply to show up. Because your presence matters. We talked about this in terms of teammates showing up for practice. The more people we have, the more likely we are to have everybody. As soon as you lose one or two, you're more likely to lose three, four, and five. Yeah. it's just more likely that happens with everybody. If. We are doing dishes after dinner. If one person can't do it, then the next person becomes slightly resentful that they're doing it, and then suddenly we're down to that person is only barely doing it, and now two people are doing most of the work. it all just starts falling apart, so show up and be part of the team.

Angie: 40:45

Share your struggles as well as your successes. And I think that being a part of the social media world, it often feels like a major highlight reel. And oftentimes we look on to other people's posts and sometimes can feel bad about what we're doing or what's going on in our life. And so I think it's really important as to be a good teammate. We also have to share some the ups and downs. Like it's important for us to share our wins for sure, because your wins can help other people, inspire other people, and I think it's also important for us to be real in those times where. Things aren't going the greatest because then people understand that they're not alone and that there's nothing wrong with them when things are down. And I think it's important for all of us to be better about that. I know that is something that has been very hard for me, to share my struggles openly, especially. With being a presence of a personality online. Like I'm not a major influencer at this point. I don't have hundreds of thousands of followers or anything like that. And at the same time, I do think that it is important for me, hold on. I should go back and say I, I'm not, that, I don't have that many followers. and at the same time, I. Care about my reputation, right? I care about what other people think about me because I do want to share my expertise and I want people to trust me. I want people to know that I know what I'm talking about. And sometimes I feel that if I share too many of my struggles, because obviously nobody wants to be dumped on, but if I share too many of the struggles, then people will be like, this girl has no idea what she's doing, when in reality. Me showing my struggles is going to show you that I'm a real human being too, and that even though I am an expert and I do absolutely know what I'm talking about, me as a person and me as a runner, I can still experience those struggles as well.

Kevin: 42:43

Yeah. sharing the struggles, I think just it brings the team closer together. It allows the, whatever team unit you're looking at, unite. Like they unify if people can share ups and downs. Yeah.'cause

Angie: 42:57

you don't wanna just share the struggles either.

Kevin: 42:59

you have the ups and. On, on, following any cross country race. Some people on the team are going to have big success stories. Other people are gonna be like, that was a terrible race for me. And it all kind of balances. And it's not a matter of comparison. It's not being like, oh, that person had a good race, so that was a good day for them and that person had a bad race. And that was a struggle. And that doesn't balance, but the struggles of one person can be that person's lessons, but they can also be the lessons for the whole team. The success of one person could then lead to a lesson to somebody else. It's hard to learn a lot of lessons off of your own victories, but you can learn a lot of off of somebody else's victories. It's easy to learn off of your own struggles, but you can learn just as much off of somebody else's struggles, and then maybe you don't have to experience those. So to be able to share the highs. And the lows with the whole rest of your teammate. It unites the teammate. It creates a stronger team, and it allows lessons to be learned even faster. So that's why I think celebrating the high, celebrating the low, celebrate it all because it's real and it brings the team closer together. But you also learn faster and get to more success.

Angie: 44:04

Yeah, absolutely. And then as always, celebrate your wins. celebrate your wins, celebrate your team wins. And your wins can be anything. It doesn't just have to be your PRS or your personal best. Every single Tuesday we meet with our team on Zoom. Every Tuesday at 11:00 AM we meet on Zoom and the first 10 to 15 minutes of every single call is sharing wins. And I, we always say, no win is too small. So some wins. some people get on and they share that they ran their first marathon or they ran their personal best 5K ever. Or they ran their longest distance ever and other people celebrate that. They showed up this week that they made it to the team call that they did their run yesterday even though they didn't want to. Or even though they only got in 20 minutes and it was supposed to be a 45 minute on the calendar, or they got in one round of strength training it, it's still a win. And I think it's really important for us to start to acknowledge more wins in our lives because so many people. Measure their success, in by comparing where they are now to where they want to be, to some ideal future that they want to be, or to some goal that they have set for themselves. And they oftentimes don't look back at how far they've come. And it is so important for us to do that. And that is going to be such a good way for you to cultivate more teamwork in your own life as well. So it, I really want you to understand that, teamwork is not about. Just being on a team of people that you run with on a daily or weekly basis. It's about. Taking your running experience and connecting with other runners or even non-runners and using the wins, the ups, the downs, in a way to continue to grow as a runner and as an individual.

Kevin: 45:58

Yeah. it's not about losing your individuality, it's about using the benefits of those people around you to improve as an individual. Okay. your individual journey is. a solo process, but it is so influenced by the people around you. And so create a giant, a nice team around you. Acknowledge that you have a good team around you and see what that support network is, because that is so much of your real life teammates.

Angie: 46:27

Amen. So your challenge this week is to write down or just think about who is on your team in running and in life, and also. How can you be a better teammate this week to whoever it is that you want to reconnect with? or how can you express gratitude to someone on your team this week or show up in a better way than you have been? Like? I think it's important for us to realize sometimes we do go through periods where we are. Only focusing ourselves on ourselves or focusing more on ourselves, than we are on the other people in our lives. So this is an opportunity to do some self-reflection there too, and figure out how you can become a better teammate. And maybe that means asking for what you need. Maybe that means not giving as much this week as you always do, and asking other people on your team to step up and take some of the. Responsibilities off of your plate. I think that's also being a good teammate because a good teammate doesn't just do it all. A good teammate asks her team for help also. So reflect on that. I'd love to hear your thoughts and make sure that you join our eight days of giveaways. So you can join that on our email list, over@realliferunners.com. If you scroll all the way down to the bottom. There's a section where you can put in your name and your email address, I think, or actually I think it's just your email address. and that will put you on our email list. So you'll get the rest of the emails in our eight days of giveaways. And you can also follow us over on Instagram at real life runners and learn about what the task is for every single day and be entered to win the prize for that day. So as always, thanks for joining us. This has been The Real Life Runners podcast, episode number 429. Now get out there and run your life.