Richard Conner: Accomplished Obstacle Course Runner and now an Inspiration to others

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Richard Conner was a runner and he did work out. But he wanted more when a friend mentioned running a Spartan race. Spartan races are super challenging obstacle courses that really test you! If you fail at an obstacle, you have to do 30 Burpees!

But Richard knew he could do it and with the help of a coach, kept pushing himself until he was an accomplished obstacle course runner (the Spartan races).

He shares his story about how he did it and continues to motivate others on his own podcast "Inspire to Run." Check it out!

You can reach Richard on Instagram: @inspiretorunpodcast
Listen to his podcast; Inspire to Run on your favorite platform
Email him at: richard@inspiretorun.co

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Original music "Saturday Sway" by Brendan Talian

Transcript

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Hello, you've reached the Storied Human podcast hosted by me Lynne Thompson. Each week I share a story, either an interview with someone fascinating, or a short solo from me. I love your stories, and I learned so much from them. Hopefully you will, too. So welcome. If you are new here, I'm so happy to have you. If you are a returning listener, many thanks. So here it is the next episode of the storied human. Hello, and welcome back to the story of human. This is Lynne Thompson, I have a great interview today with somebody I found on Facebook and one of those really cool groups where I kind of troll to find to find interesting guests. And I came up with a winner. Richard Connor contacted me he's a marketing professional in healthcare. He lives in Connecticut. He's a husband, dead runner. He's an obstacle course racer, and he has his own podcast he's hosted for three years, called Inspire to run. He has a great story about deciding to make changes in his life did getting the motivation to do it, sticking with it. And now he's in a whole different place. And he wants to share that journey with us, and hopefully motivate a bunch of us to move more and achieve our goals. I think there's a real good, there's a bunch of lessons in your story. So welcome, Richard, it's great to have you. Thank you so much, Lynne, it's really great to be here. It's a honor to chat with you in your community about my journey. I'm very excited to hear more details. And that's why I didn't I didn't ask too many, because I want to hear them kind of like fresh. So how did you start? Like, where were you when you decided to make these changes? Yeah, you know, I was in a time of my life where I was working a lot, you know, family responsibilities, and I was not taking care of myself in the best way. But that wasn't too too far off. I didn't have to make major changes in that way. But it wasn't as active as it was, you know, going back to growing up, you know, in high school. So you just secure a little bit about my background. I was a runner in high school, I did cross country and track. And it was kind of one of those sports that I felt like I could do, I wasn't totally athletic, but I felt like running was was something I could do. But I didn't really run or stave that active after high school, I did my workouts I did some runs here and there, but not in the way that I did in high school. And just a few years ago, I just found myself in a place where I needed to make a change, just as you mentioned. And I started to run again, going back to my old high school running their annual five K's which was super fun, super nostalgic, but still didn't really train in the way that I was before. So that's kind of a little bit of my running journey, kind of where I was. And you know, the for the question that you asked, the moment that I decided to make a change was a family member who was looking at running a Spartan obstacle course race. And I had no idea what that was, I'm like, What is this and they started researching it. And it just looked really interesting for me because I was afraid of doing all of it. So if your listeners don't know, you know, of course, kindness, it sounds like you're climbing through mud and up ropes and over walls and under barbed wire, and like all the things that I never thought I could do. And a lot of the things I'm you know, I'm afraid of still am. And I was like that's really interesting. And I think it was challenging me in a way that I haven't been challenged before. And also helped me overcome fears in my life. I have a lot of fears, you know, physically but you know, I have a lot of fears of doing other things and other aspects of my life. And that's kind of the journey that I started at that time was to do things I never did before and overcome fears. I love that. And there's like a mental component. There really is there's like a whole mental mindset to completing those kinds of things. I mean, it sounds really it sounds like army training sounds really hard. Very similar, very, very similar. And, you know, when I it's funny, you mentioned about the training, I did not know what kind of training I needed to do or really what I was getting into. So I followed some training plans. We kind of worked out together throughout the year, I had a problem with my shoulder and went to physical therapy to help me with that. And I did my first race and the first race was amazing. It was an experience I never had before, but it was really hard. And honestly, there was parts of the race where I'm like, can I really do this, especially after I failed my first obstacle, which was maybe about a mile in, and you have to do 30 burpees as a penalty for failing the obstacle. Yeah, so I did the burpees. And I'm thinking I have about three miles to go, how many more obstacles and I knew there were a few more that I probably wouldn't be able to do. So. So that was a tough time for me. But after I finished, I looked back and I'm like, You know what? I could do better. I'm happy that I finished. I'm happy that I did the first one, but I'm sure I could do better and then you know from there There's a whole story about signing on with a coach and, and again, doing things that I never did before. I love this whole story because it fits what I've heard people say that if you want to make changes, you have to step into the unknown, you have to be uncomfortable, you have to be willing to do that. I'm kind of intrigued that you knew to do that. And that you said, you know, I'm gonna try this, even though it scared you. I think that's so important. And I also think when you do something so challenging, like work is not that challenging, and you're busy with your life and your kids. But this is physically challenging in a way that you haven't had, like, probably ever, you know, so you really feel like, elated after you're done. I mean, we're the endorphins firing. Oh, for sure. And I think that's what you know, prompted me to say, I want to do another race, and I want to train and I want to do better. And, you know, and I'm thinking back even growing up, you know, mentally, there were just a lot of things that I thought I couldn't do. And I remember saying that a lot. I can't, I can't, I can't. So it wasn't just physical. And like you said it was also mental. So I feel like just jumping in and making this change was not only to overcome these physical challenges, but also mentally like, No, you can but like you said, you just have to jump in and and start, it's very brave that first jump. And I'm sure that it has ripples through your whole life, like you just feel maybe more productive, you feel more confident you can do you can do more in other areas. Yeah, for sure. For sure. And, and it started to turn a little bit away from me maybe more towards others, because now I'm telling my story. Now I'm sharing all of these things that I'm doing. During these obstacles, course races, I'm sharing photos of me in mud, or climbing up ropes on monkey bars, selling them about the physical changes that I'm going through them, probably in the best shape of my life, you know, maybe not compared to high school, maybe that's a tough comparison, but in my adult life, in the best shape of my life, and I'm really excited about it. And then I started to hear, you know, really positive responses to my story. But then folks, some folks are like, wow, I wish I could do that. Or I could never do that. And then I started to hear the things that I was saying before. And I'm like, no, really you can. And then I started down the journey of not only overcoming my own fears, but helping others overcome theirs. And that's the sweet part. I think when you go through something like that, it's a big transformation, something about you made you turn around and say, You know what, I want to share this, and it really does inspire other people. And maybe we won't, I mean, I'm probably not doing a Spartan Race anytime soon. But I get excited hearing these kinds of things. And it makes me want to do more. And I think my listeners to that we get inspired hearing about somebody, especially somebody who used to say, I can't do that when he was little. I mean, that's really inspiring, and really kind of miraculous that you overcame, sort of like a a lot of who you were when you were kind of scared when you were little about certain things. And I just think that that kind of growth is so great. But what's way great is that you wanted to share it, because that's like the full story. That's the full transformation. And over and over, I talk to people and they say, Well, I wanted to sort of let people know and start sharing it, and then you get excited about other people. So it's just this wonderful, full circle, it also keeps you motivated. I'm sure, you're not going to give up anytime soon. People are like watching. It's such a great story. So is there anything that you can tell us normal people who don't run these races? What What's something a piece of advice that you could give us about getting started and getting healthier? Yeah, well, you know, one thing that I would say is I talk about this a lot. These three pillars mindset, movement and motivation. And it really starts with your mindset. And I've interviewed dozens of folks who share their story where they're coming from a place where they didn't think they could do it, or maybe they weren't physically ready, but they need that change. And it started with that first step. It started with the commitment to do it, but also the belief that they can do it. So you know, one piece of advice I would have is believe that you can write you're stronger than you think. And it really takes you to take that first step. Because if you don't, you're not going to get to you know, where you want to be. And, you know, it's it's really interesting, I've been thinking about this a lot, you know, kind of through the conversations that I have. I realized that it's in a lot of cases, it's not until someone is facing some circumstance where they decide to make a change. So it's really interesting, whether it's a doctor's diagnosis, and they have to make a change, maybe for health reasons or it's family or job related or you know, they're working on their mental health and it's still situations that I found That really motivates someone to make that commitment and make a change. And what I'm trying to do is be there for them share my story, but also for those folks who may not be facing that situation. But still they do want to make a change. So how do you how do you do that? How do you take that first step? So that would be my my advice is, is really to think about what it is that you want to do, and then believe that you can. Yeah, and maybe get somebody to support you. Like I noticed, at one point you did, you got some training, and I think that's great. It's more accountable, and you have somebody who knows what they're doing kind of set you on your path. Also, what's intriguing to me is that people often do they have something happened to them. And that sort of motivates them. And they call that in a movie, they call that the inciting incident. And it's supposed to happen early in the movie. So it's the reason why somebody is going on a journey or having something happened to them. I think that's so such a cool connection that you made. But you don't need to have that. I think that's great, too. Like, you don't need to have a health issue. You can, I think what's at the bottom of this is you can take yourself seriously, you can care for yourself, and you can go farther than you think. Because I think we get So, you know, like you said, busy with our lives and kind of like working too much. And maybe following. I mean, I found as a mom, following everyone else's schedules, and doing for everybody else. But I just don't think in the long run, it's good for you to, you know, to focus too much on other people and not take care of yourself. It's really important. For sure, someone asked me, How do you do all of the things that you do, and it's, it's a balance, you have to decide what's important in your life, and you have to find time for each of those things. So your person, your personal life, mental and physical health, your family, your job, these are all important things. So how do you find time in your life, and there's different tips, you know, and life hacks, I guess you could say, to help you balance those things. And I say that I don't always do all of those things. Well, all of the time, there's certain times where I lean into some things versus others. And they just do the best they can. So So there's ways that I or tips that I use to kind of keep everything on on tracks. And one of the ways I do it is scheduling things. So I schedule time for my nine to five I scheduled time for my running, I scheduled time for the work that I do with podcasts and for family. So that's a way for me to keep it all straight. And if something needs to move, that's okay, because it's already on my calendar. And then I can move it. So it doesn't mean I don't do it. It just means that we need to adjust to accommodate for different areas of my life. I think that's a great tip. I also just noticed successful people who've made changes. They have to change their habits, like they don't watch as much TV, maybe they get up earlier, they might meditate in the morning that really intrigues me a lot of people do that. So have you made those kinds of I bet you don't watch a lot of TV. Yeah, so I don't watch a lot of TV shows. But I do watch a little bit of TV because that's that's family time for us. Yeah, if I want to be with the family, then that's what I'm doing. But I don't like to watch series. I do like to watch movies. Because I've you know, there's a beginning and then there's and then I could just move on. I think that would series I am hooked for the for the length of time of the series. But you're absolutely right. In terms of habits, I did start to motivate meditate. In the morning, I did start to journal. Admittedly, I didn't keep up with either one. But I did feel very good about myself during that time. So that is something I definitely want to get back into. I'm pretty good about getting up early in the morning. I'm pretty good about you know, getting getting started with the day early. Just you have more time to do that the things that you that you need to do 100% I'm much better about that. But journaling and meditating. I did in the past, I definitely saw benefits to it. And I need to get back into the habit. I want to do it more. It's something I I have a hard time doing every day. But I'm pretty good at it because I'm kind of like low energy and I really relaxed. So when I do do it, I think it's really effective. It's really intriguing to me, because all the things that you do tell your unconscious that you're worth it. Like it's just such a mental thing. You know, it's like you're turning your focus on your health yourself. And you're telling yourself unconsciously, you know, I'm worth the time. You know, I can do these things. I'm going to set aside a time. Look, all these things are so nourishing to your to yourself. So I think you're the whole package. I think you figured it out, you know, and now you're very kind to help others figure it out. I just think you figured out a lot of good things and I'm seeing similarities with other people who achieve their goals. I think there's something under all this. It's like this sort of recurring thing that I keep hearing about how do you achieve your goals? And a lot of it is mental and believing in yourself, and making those changes that you see you need to make. But you're saying that most of us can do that, which I find very encouraging. You know, I mean, we can't do Spartan but we can do something, right. You know what, first off, everyone could do it, you just have to put your mind to it have the right mindset, if you want it enough, right? If you want it enough, you could do it and then you know your comment about Spartan I'll tell you what, Spartan Spartans for that one thing I love about Spartan Spartans philosophy is to basically get everyone off the couch. So if you're not moving today, and you're looking to make a change your life, Spartan is the way to go to get just have a really great philosophy, but they also have different levels of races to help you no matter where you are. So as an example, you know, when I tell my story, someone's like, Well, I'm not going to run through mud. And I don't like the idea of barbed wire. But that's okay. Because Spartan has races where you could run on the trail. Or you could run in a baseball stadium, which is super cool, especially if you're, you know, if you happen to be a sports fan, you're on is that yeah, you're you're running up and down stairs, you're running through the bleachers, you're running through the concession area, and you're doing these, you know, obstacles within the stadium. But they have ways to make it fun. They have ways to get you involved no matter where you are. And they even have kids races. So your kids can get involved. And it's a way to do it as a family. So I say all that to say that. I hear that a lot like, yes, I would love to do these things. But I don't think I can well, it's one step at a time. It's at 1% better every day. And you definitely can do it. There's options for you. And it's so cool that there's other kinds of races. Yeah, it sounds like they've really thought about how to accommodate everybody. Absolutely, absolutely. So that's 100% of the people can do it. You just have to put your mind to it. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us? Is there anything else that you want to share? Yeah, so just you know, one thing about the coach, you'd mentioned this, and I didn't talk to you too much about it is having a coach was so important. And the reasons why have a coach changed over time. So when I first got to coach, my coaches, coach, Kevin, it just was serendipitous how we even met, we met through my wife who had him as a trainer, and he turned out to be a sparring coach. And I didn't even know. So, so cool how we met. But I needed someone to show me what to do. Just tell me what to do. And I'll go into it. That's how I started. But what I didn't realize, and I'm pretty self motivated. So I'm like, I don't need someone pushing me to do things. I don't need someone keeping me accountable. I'm good. Tell me what to do. And I'll do it. He's been so much more than on for me. Through working with Kevin, yes, he showed me what to do, I'm able to climb a rope. Now Monkey Bar is doing all the things that I'm afraid that I'm still afraid to do. But I can do it. And I you know, and I'm less afraid, let's just say, but the fear is still there. But I'm able to do it now. For sure he's helped me do that. But he's also helped me push myself to do more to do things that I don't even want to do in the beginning. I'm like, Yeah, I probably can't do it, I don't really want to do it. I only want to do five K's I only want to do these short Spartan Races. Since then, I've done half marathons. I've done the longer Spartan Races, even the Spartan trifecta, which has three levels of races. And I'm thinking about doing my first marathon next year. So these are all things that he has helped me, push me to do to get to that next level. And I'm all about it. And then the last part is around accountability. Again, I'm self motivated. But having someone checking on you, having someone where you make that commitment to is going to help you follow through. Because if you don't make that commitment to anybody, or if nobody knows, sure, if you're self motivated, you could you could go through but having someone with you on that journey is going to increase your chances of success. So those are many of the advantages that I've had by having a coach. So no matter if it's a life coach, a health coach, countability partner, whatever it is, having someone in your life to help you in your journey is going to increase your chances of success. I found that to be true. And I love the idea that he that's such a great coach who pushed you when you were like, oh, no, no, no. And he pushed you and now you're at a whole different level. So that's a great quote. I found that to be true with the podcast, because I really didn't even know about podcasting. And for some reason I wanted to do it. And I'm a writer, it didn't make any sense. But I was attracted to it. And I got in this course learned all about it. And it was really like a mindset teacher who did it. It wasn't really about podcasting. It was but it was about mindset and getting yourself in that right frame of mind. And I loved it because it was about starting like you talked about. It was about starting. Not you can start messy. You can start, you know not having a good mic. You just have to start and she talked about that all the time. She said BSC student I was like appalled in the beginning because I was always an A student, I would get B's in math, but I was a really good student. And so that hit me really hard. I was like, I can't be a C student, like, I was just not into it, you know. But over time, I started hearing what she was saying. She said, you know, messy, messy and Done is better than perfect, and never done. And so she got me to do stuff I never thought I could do. And I had accountability partners, because we formed these pod squad groups, and we talked every week. And I would say, I don't want to let them down, I told them, I would be doing this. And that was like magical. And I can see how it would work with anything, because it was so it really was transformational in my life. So I can relate in that way to what you're saying. But also, I tell everybody all the time, it's so simple. Just don't give up. You know, like, I was kind of taught like a lot of us that, you know, I was taught to be fearful like starting your own business kind of thing. And my family was like, Oh, they would tell stories about people that failed. That's how they, that's how they talked about it. And the idea was, if you failed, that was it, it wasn't for you. And that is a failure mindset. It's not, it's not good. So I turn that mindset around, and I now see failures as a time to pivot. You know, it's just a stepping stone on my path, I'm not gonna get off my path. And as long as I get up and keep walking, I'm on the path. And to me, it seems so simple now. But it took a long time for me to get to that place where I didn't just fail and go up, it's not for me, now I just say, Oh, I'm going to do something a little different and keep doing this. So I'm hearing that kind of tenacity. In your story, too. You're like, Okay, I'm afraid of that. But the coach is going to help me and I'm not going to stop. And you are, you're blessed with motivation. But you don't have to have that you can sort of surround yourself with, that's the real key is I surrounded myself with different people. For sure, and the motivation isn't always there, right? You're gonna wake up some days, and you're just like, I'm not feeling it. It's raining outside. Yeah, my muscles hurt, I'm busy today, I'm stressed, you're gonna have, you're not going to be motivated every single day. So 100% Having that, you know, group or community around you is, is going to help support you. And I love what you said about failure. I mean, that's part of the process, yes, to fail, and to learn and to try again, or do it differently. But everybody who's successful, will go through, you know, tough times, or will fail at something and then try it again. And eventually they'll get to where they want to be. So it's part of the process, you have to embrace that. I love that. And I think trainers understand that intuitively. They just say, Oh, well, we'll try this, or oh, we'll pivot or Oh, that hurts you, we'll do this. It's just a wonderful gift. Now to look at it that way, which you know, it's really good to maybe look at your beliefs and how your family influenced you. I mean, they were trying to protect me. But they were like a free. They were very fearful of people who started their own businesses. And I've always wanted to have my own business, but I was afraid. So it's kind of cool to like, confront those things in your life. And do it anyway. 100 I think a bunch of people are going to be inspired by your story. They're going to hear something of themselves in your story and take away you know, the kinds of things they hear on your podcast, which I highly recommend. It's called, I wrote a million things down, inspired to run. And I'm inspired. I mean, I might walk but definitely inspired. It's a great story. I thank you for sharing it. And I'll put all your contact info in the show notes. Is there a way you prefer to be contacted? Yeah, you know, so folks can contact us through Instagram inspired to run podcast on Instagram is probably the best way to get in contact. Or Richard at Inspire to run.co Great. Thanks again for sharing. It was good. I really enjoyed it. No, it's a lot of fun. I'm happy to share my story that like I said, I love helping others along their journey. So thank you for the opportunity. Isn't that just such a nice sort of surprise how fun it is to help others. I mean, it really it's like the it's like the icing on the cake. Yeah, for sure. For sure.