FBP 014: From Non-Athlete To Running Maven – Jaymie Pizarro of TheBullRunner.com

Running. It’s something that I’ve always really wanted to do, but somehow couldn’t get myself to. I play basketball once a week and suspension training about twice a week. Those activities need a bit more preparation but still, I am able to get myself to do it. With running – one of the easiest sports in the planet to get into – somehow, I can’t. (I know it’s a mental thing).

And yet my Facebook News Feed is barraged with posts like, “Just finished 10K!” (Heck, I can’t even do 5 meters). Running has taken over our country by storm in the last half decade or so and is still going strong. Am I missing something here?

At the forefront of this craze is an enchanting lady by the name of Jaymie Pizarro of the highly acclaimed running blog, The Bull Runner (a.k.a. TBR). I’ve never met Jaymie before and prior to the interview, I was preparing myself to either get bull-ied or bull-dozed by The Bull Runner. However, to my surprise, Jaymie was one of the sweetest and more “kalog” guests on the show. (I wonder how a woman with a monicker like that be so charming.)

It was easy for me to relate to her because: first, we are both graphic designers who love creating logos and branding stuff; second, we are both self-confessed non-experts in our niches (running and freelancing); third, we both started by masterminding with our peers (Jaymie – with fellow running bloggers and me – with fellow podcasters); fourth, we both started prior to the rise of our booming niches (running and podcasting); and fifth, we both love serving and growing our communities.

I do hope to follow Jamie’s path and become a successful blogger, podcaster, motivational speaker, community leader and, yes, a runner like her someday. That is, if I can keep up with her.

Here are the key takeaways from this interview.

Key Takeaways

How the challenge of running 30 minutes straight on a treadmill kickstarted her love for running.
Her first race, Pinay In Action, and how it got her hooked in running.
The secret on how to improve your runs.
How she started The Bull Runner blog within just 30 minutes.
The authenticity and rawness of her first blog posts.
How she started the blog as a non-expert in running and then growing with the readers.
Why she liked it more during the pre-Facebook days of blogging.
How The Bull Runner grew because of her affiliation with fellow new bloggers.
How The Bull Runner contributed to the running boom in 2008.
The factors that contributed to The Bull Runner’s explosion in the blogosphere.
The great thing about freelancing and how she balanced it with running the blog and the magazine.
How being fast not just applies to her sport but also to her blog and brand.
How she became a self-taught graphic design.
Her love for the arts and how she ended up in that field despite being discouraged by her dad to take up Fine Arts in UP.
The beginnings of the The Bull Runner Magazine and why she had to let it go after 5 years.
The upcoming relaunch of the blog.
When she started monetizing on the blog.
The importance of being authentic and unbiased when writing reviews, even for products of advertisers.
What she learned through the years about posting rants or negative reviews about a race.
Her responsibility to educate the running community in seeing the good side of a race.
How the sport helped Jaymie personally, physically, mentally and socially.
The effect of her first marathon.
Changing people’s lives with the TBR-Unilab Active Health Dream Marathon.
How to register for the TBR-Unilab Active Health Dream Marathon and what you get when join the marathon.
The fulfilment seeing Dream marathoners go from zero to hero and its ripple effect in the community.
Why running is not just a fad and is here to stay.
How the Pinoy runner has advanced since 2008 and why it’s the perfect sport for Pinoys.
The role of BGC in the running boom.
Her tips to first time runners.
Where to find a good running group.
Being the Mommy of the TBR running groups.
Why she almost shut down TBR.
The bad side of having a very large community.
What running has taught Jaymie.

Resources and Links

Couch to 5K Program (The blog post she read that helped her start her running career).
Philippine Blog Awards (2008) – Best Blog & Post in Sports
WeddingsAtWork.com
UrbanMom
Takbo.ph
Carb Trim – The Bull Runner All Woman Race on July 27, 2014 (Men must wear tutus if they want to join.)

Websites and Social Media

The Bull Runner
The Bull Runner Magazine
The Bull Runner – Unilab Active Health Dream Marathon
thebullrunner@gmail.com (email)
@thebullrunner (Twitter)
www.facebook.com/pages/The-Bull-Runner/169799423816 (Facebook)
Jaymie Pizarro (Instagram)

Quote-Unquote

“When I ended that race, I knew I was hooked. That was basically that start of everything. Immediately, I knew I just wanted to run for the rest of my life.”

“The secret is to take yourself gradually to increase your running, in between walking, until you can run straight.”

“My goal was to provide information for runners like me who online wanted quick information about it.”

“I like it more when I felt like no one was reading. ‘Coz I could be talagang, WOW, all out, I can say anything!”

“I don’t consider myself an elite athlete or even a super strong athlete. I’m basically just your typical runner who tries to balance her life and everything on the plate and still tries to find time to live an active lifestyle.”

“I never get into something purely for the profit of it.”

“I never let a paying advertiser affect my opinion about a product or race.”

“Each race is a goal. You set if for yourself and you have something to look forward to in a month or even in the year ahead. You try to achieve all of those.”

“I just felt so empowered. I felt like nothing could get in the way of anything I wanted because if I survived 42k of pain, it’s like I could do anything.”

“Even if the running boom dies down a bit, there’s still a deep, passionate group of runners who will continue to keep the sport alive in the country.”

“When I started, I was just, “Go, go, go!”

“It’s when you’re really scared to do it or when you really don’t want to do it and then you take that leap, that’s when the magic happens.”

“Every single day, a runner will lie in bed and think: “What if I just don’t it? What if I just don’t lace up.” Nothing’s gonna happen. But when you do, you always end up feeling fulfilled, feeling glad that you did it because you conquered your own enemy, which is really just YOU at the end of the day.”

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