Running on a Budget: 5 Ways to Save

Finn Melanson [00:00:09]: Hello, fellow runners. I'm your host, Fin Catered to making you a better runner with each and every episode. We are created and produced by the expert team of coaches at runnersconnect.net where you can find the best running information on the Internet as well as training plans to fit every runner and every budget.

Michael Hammond [00:00:37]: Hey, guys. Welcome back to the Run to the Top podcast. Coach Michael Hammond here with today's coach chat. Today's topic is running on a budget. You know, things are tight right now. Groceries are Seemly expensive. Everything just seems so ridiculously expensive. And everywhere I go, running groups or otherwise, it seems that a lot of people are talking about I can't get together with friends or family or anything without a lot of people just just seeming to talk about this.

Michael Hammond [00:01:00]: It's the subject of conversation. So I wanna do my best help you to help the running community. Now, you know, this isn't the Dave Ramsey Show. This isn't a financial podcast. So I'm gonna talk about the thing that I know, which is running. And ultimately, you know, it's been always been one of my favorite things about running is that it's cheap, especially compared to other hobbies like, you know, cycling and And skiing, those are just obscenely expensive sports. Running is very simple. You know, really, it comes down to it.

Michael Hammond [00:01:27]: You only need a few select things, and you're able to go out on a run. You're able to go out and train. But I know it can still add up, and it can still get really expensive. So I'm gonna give you 5 ways for runners to save money.

Finn Melanson [00:01:42]: If you've been looking to round out your nutrition, then you've got to try red tonic reds superfoods. They are one of the few reds superfoods that contain clinically effective dosages of ingredients that improve endurance. Check them out at runnersconnect dotnetforward/reds.

Michael Hammond [00:02:04]: Right away, I'm gonna jump in with the first one and give you a big quick win, and that's to make your own gels and electrolytes. This brand recently I I'm telling you, gels have jumped the shark in my mind, and it this big up and coming brand. Okay? They just released a gel, and I was intrigued by it. I was like, okay. I wanna out, see what's going on here. This is interesting. First thing that jumped out to me was the price. I was like, wow.

Michael Hammond [00:02:25]: That is that is steep, but let's dig in and see what's going on. I look at the ingredients. Guys, it's literally applesauce. That's it. Like, that's what it is. They have packaged applesauce Into, essentially, you know, one of those goo little gel pack things, and that's what's in it. And they're selling it for this obscene price. I was just I was shocked.

Michael Hammond [00:02:45]: I couldn't believe it. I was like, alright. That's it. People need to know that gels are extremely simple. You can make them on your own. I get it when you travel, something like that, or when you go into a race, maybe that's an a a different circumstance, but generally speaking, You don't need to spend that much money. Gels, really, really simple, guys. You know what the best ingredient to put in gels? Sugar.

Michael Hammond [00:03:03]: Sugar. Sugar is is is a a difficult it's almost like a four letter word right now, especially with, you know, so many people with with obesity, diabetes, all these these sorts of issues going around, sugar be kinda becomes this 4 letter word that people don't even like to throw out there. Everything's low sugar. Everything's no sugar. But when it comes to your glycogen, that's what we're trying to replenish you. That's what we're trying Fuel up, obviously, what we're trying to get is carbohydrates, sugar. Sugar is sucrose, and your table sugar is sucrose. It has a one to one Fructose to glucose ratio.

Michael Hammond [00:03:32]: Okay? That ratio is really important because that is the ratio that is preferred by your gut. You are gonna handle that. You're gonna process that so much better than anything that tips too far in the in this on the scale in terms of fructose or glucose. Other gels most other gels have way too much either glucose or too much fructose. You know, most gels use something like dextrose or maltodextrin, These heavy glucose gels or, you know, that one I mentioned in the beginning, wink, wink, that used too much fructose, those are those are not gonna handle as well. A lot of people get, like, GI distress, things like that. If you just use sugar, you can get rid of so much of that and it's so much cheaper. The the simplest way is just mix sugar with water.

Michael Hammond [00:04:12]: Just literally throw some sugar in a bottle with some water and mix it up and and drink it if you're on the go. Now you're gonna have to shake that up a little bit. Doesn't mix that well with water. So if you wanna prep a little bit ahead of time, easiest thing to do is just the night before, just use some hot water. Just use some hot water, Shake it up with the sugar. It'll mix a lot better. Stick it in the fridge. Then you have it for the morning.

Michael Hammond [00:04:33]: If you really wanna prep ahead of time, what you can do is you can you can boil water and add sugar to it. That's Basically, what's known as simple syrup, a common, like, drink mixer. And what you do is make sure that you measure the amount. This, again, you have to do a little bit of extra prep, so those other ways are great for most times on the go. But if you have a little bit more time to prep, make that simple syrup, make sure you you measure how much water you're using, how much sugar you're using, and how much liquid you end up at the end so that you know how much sugar is actually in a serving. And then what you can do I'm telling you, this is a game changer. You put it in reusable gel packs. For for example, I bought some of these reusable little gel packs at Walmart for, like, a dollar a piece.

Michael Hammond [00:05:10]: And they're basically they're the same little shape as, like, gel Goo packs, any of those common, you know, gel packs, they're a little tiny bit bigger than the typical, like like, what comes in a Goo or those Nuun gels or anything like that, But they still work. And, again, they're reusable, so you're not wasting a bunch of plastic. Keep in mind, you can take up to 90 grams an hour of sugar. Now I personally don't recommend that. Like, typically at runners connect, we recommend any certainly anything below an hour, you really don't need to fuel mid run Maybe even up to 90 minutes. You can stretch that pretty good, especially if you're trying to work on your metabolic flexibility, your fat adaptation, all that good stuff. We've had Bob Seabhar on a podcast talking about that. But either way, I'm telling you, make your own gels.

Michael Hammond [00:05:50]: It's so so simple, or just have a bottle with some sugar in it. It's so so simple. You're gonna digest it better. You're gonna fuel just as well or better as all those other gels do, and you're gonna save so much money. I'm telling you, those I can't say enough how much it angered me seeing that one that just came out. Now electrolytes are also really simple. You know, I think the supplement industry has kind of, like, convinced people that you need a supplement to get electrolytes. Where do we get electrolytes? We get them from our food.

Michael Hammond [00:06:15]: You know, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium. We get that stuff from our food, and they're super easy to make, especially because runners, Admittedly, runners often need a little bit extra in terms of electrolytes. You know, we we sweat a lot. We're out there running. You you do need a little bit electrolytes. So I do recommend people drink some from elect electrolytes, especially in the summer and especially when you're in some heavy training. But even in the winter, it's really, really important. So Super easy to make.

Michael Hammond [00:06:40]: The ingredients, salt. Ideally, use like Celtic sea salt. It has a little bit of that, has a lot of those extra minerals. It's just much more raw, way healthier for you. A little bit of sugar, and sugar helps you absorb those electrolytes. Again, I know bit of a 4 letter word right now, but a little bit of sugar goes a long way. You can use something like honey or maple syrup if you'd like. Water, of course, a little bit of water, and then orange juice or lemon juice.

Michael Hammond [00:07:03]: You know, both are high in potassium, calcium, magnesium, and then, of course, vitamin c, and then you just mix them up, man. You can even if you want, you can blend, like, big quantities and then just store it. That way you just have it ready made, easy to to access at any time. But that's how easy it is to make your own gels and electrolytes. Again, there are I'm not saying there's never a situation to use, like, the the, the mass, you know, produced, like, bought stuff Because if you're traveling or on the go or whatever, I totally understand that stuff, but I just wanna show you because I've been seeing these prices just get out of hand, How easy it is to to make this stuff on your own. Alright. 2nd way to save money, buy a bunch of your go to shoes. I was gonna make this talking about, like, rotating shoes.

Michael Hammond [00:07:44]: That's such a a Popular topic when you talk about running shoes is that idea of, like, the the EVA foam in shoes, quote, unquote, like, recovering or decompressing, Needing, like, 48 hours to decompress. The only research that we found the only legitimate research that we found at Runner's Connect that that goes into this Seems to debunk it, I hate to say. I'll well, I'll put the article of ours in the show notes because it just does not seem legit. But talking about shoes, shoes are definitely one of the biggest expenses, and man, oh, man, has that only gotten worse. Like, if you if you were only in the running scene, like, 10 years ago and then you got back into it, and you you probably think Like, 100, $120 is is a very typical price for shoes, and man oh, man, you are gonna be surprised at how expensive, especially, Like, the the carbon plate and and all those popular models that are coming out, shoes are getting expensive. So if you find a model you like and that work well for you, Buy a bunch of them. You know, of course, shop the discounts, you know, Black Friday just happened. That's a great time to shop the discounts.

Michael Hammond [00:08:42]: Get some old models. You can get discounts on that. But one thing I wanna implore you to do is try your best to support your local running store. You know, I'd much rather buy from there than from Amazon or Zappos. Not not judging anyone who does because you gotta you know, eventually, this stuff is expensive. You gotta save money where you can. But local stores will often they'll put old models on sale. They might even give you a discount, like, if you say, hey.

Michael Hammond [00:09:03]: I wanna get 4 pairs of these. You know, you you run a lot of miles. You train for a marathon. You know you're gonna go through them. Buy 4 pairs. They'll give you a discount often times for buying multiple pairs at once. That revenue upfront is fantastic for for a small local store. So try to support your local stores when you can, because honestly, man, Future models, they're only gonna get more expensive.

Michael Hammond [00:09:21]: So so I know it's it's a bigger upfront cost, but it definitely will save you money over time to to To load up, buy a bunch of your go to shoes all at once. And, again, the support your local store. They might even give you a discount if you buy multiple pairs at once.

Finn Melanson [00:09:40]: You're up for any challenge that comes your way. The Defender 110 is too. The iconic vehicle has been reimagined for 21st century adventure, and its unparalleled off road ability as well as its robust interior are invaluable whether you're headed towards uncharted territory or just a weekend of exploration. Defender 110 tackles challenging surroundings with absolute confidence. The SUV conveys strength outside and in, Featuring peerless technology like an intuitive driver display and an award winning infotainment system to keep you connected wherever the journey takes you. Adventure is unique to everyone, and so is the Defender. Choose from the 2 door Defender 90, the 4 door Defender 110, or the larger Defender 130 with the ability to seat up to 8 passengers. You'll find uncompromising performance in all three.

Finn Melanson [00:10:32]: Hack up and go even further with the Defender 110. Learn more at landroverusa.comforward/ Defender. Adding a REDS superfood supplement to your diet is not only a great way to round out your nutrition or to ensure that you have a sufficient intake of red pigmented plants and, you know, the types of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants found in them, but it's also a great way to boost Nitric oxide levels which have been shown to benefit endurance performance. But most Red's supplements list dozens of ingredients that don't have any evidence to support them or under dose the ones that do using proprietary blends. Red tonic is different. They list the exact dosages of every ingredient and only include those with actual scientific evidence that support their effectiveness. Because of this, their reds tonic is the absolute best reds supplement for runners. The research shows you'll improve endurance, recovery, and overall health.

Finn Melanson [00:11:30]: Check out the research yourself at runnersconnect.netforward/reds. They even have a 365 day money back guarantee. You try them and don't feel a difference in your training. Again, that's runnersconnect.netforward/reds.

Michael Hammond [00:11:49]: 3rd way, meal prep. This is a topic that a lot of people know about. You know, especially in the social media generation, it's gotten very popular to talk about Meal prepping, but it can be an absolute game changer for both your wallet and and honestly for your health too. The basic concept Is every, maybe, Sunday, one day of the week, whatever day it is for you, you prep meals for the week. It doesn't have to be every meal. I think that's something that A big misconception I see about meal prep a lot is that people think it has to be every single meal, and it gets overwhelming to think about making that many meals all at once. A great example of 1 meal to do is just lunch. You think about it, lunch tends to be the hardest meal to make Yourself and the hardest meal to have time for.

Michael Hammond [00:12:30]: It's in the middle of the workday. General if you're working, you're oftentimes not at home. It's a really tough meal to avoid, like, going out for or getting something healthy Or so you could just do lunches. You could just do every lunch that you do and and stick them in the fridge, stick some of them in the freezer if it's gonna be, you know, over 3 days out. You could do all your meals. You could do you could just do breakfast. You could do whatever you want, really. This could be, you know, sandwiches.

Michael Hammond [00:12:53]: It could be your basic Protein, carb, vegetable combo, anything you want. You know, some some examples would be like chicken thighs, rice, and broccoli. Boom. You Make those all at once. So much easier to make those in bulk quantity and then stick them in Tupperware. You know, I, I I get, like, glass Tupperware with the plastic tops, stick those in the fridge, boom, they're ready. If you're vegan, you could do, you know, quinoa, beans, vegetables with some sort of sauce on it. Like, you could you could make these healthy bowls that, again, will get you through the week.

Michael Hammond [00:13:18]: Can make sandwiches, as I said. Whatever it is that you prefer, so so easy. Ultimately, this this prep, it's basically prep against Our nature as humans. You know, you get home from work, you're exhausted. It's just too easy right now to order takeout, especially with stuff like DoorDash and stuff. Just so easy. Ultimately, what we're doing with something like meal prep is we're reducing that friction, you know, that friction that exists when you get home and you're tired From literally going into the kitchen, starting from scratch, making this healthy home cooked meal, that's a lot of that can be a lot of friction, especially when you're exhausted. So you're you're just you're prepping against that.

Michael Hammond [00:13:54]: You're understanding that that's your basic nature, and you're just preparing against that. One idea this is something we do at the Hammond household is what we we try to do, we try to always make dinner for 2 or 3 nights at a time. In a good example, today's Wednesday. Last night, My wife made this minestrone soup. It has, like, potatoes, sausage, carrots, just a lot of good stuff, a lot of good healthy stuff in it. Having that again tonight. It's 5:49 PM right now. As soon as I go upstairs, we're gonna we're gonna go have have that minestrone soup.

Michael Hammond [00:14:23]: We might even have enough for tomorrow night. That's just a super easy way to just just, again, prepare against that that situation, that friction that's gonna happen. Just so nice to a night like tonight. We've had a busy day. You know, my wife had an OB GYN appointment this morning. We're having our our our 2nd kid in in February. We had a bit I had a busy workday, and it's just so much easier to just go up and just have that stuff in the fridge. We place put it on the stove, heat it up.

Michael Hammond [00:14:49]: There's minimal cleanup. It's just so much easier, and yet you're not making you know, you're not doing this epic, big, giant meal prep. That's just an easy way to just kinda do a quick meal prep. I do wanna tell just a super quick story. I met this guy a few years ago who he was actually a runner. He's actually a very fast runner, and he would he would make Dinner? He would make dinners for, like, months at a time. I'm talking about, like, 1 he would make something like a a giant, like, industrial pot Of, like, chili, for instance. That's what he was eating at the time, and he would make it for at least a month at a time.

Michael Hammond [00:15:21]: I thought that was just absolutely insane. He would keep it in in the freezer, and he would, like, pull it out on certain days of the week to let it thaw, and and he knew when it was gonna be ready to eat. The funny thing is he was single at the time, and now he's married. So I wonder, I I really wonder if he if he's still, if they're still eating, you know, the same chili for months at a time. May maybe he found a wife that that, that loves meal prep like that as much as he does and doesn't mind the same thing for dinner for a month is straight, but but, my my gut tells me that maybe that's a little bit. But either way, I just thought that was such a a neat concept for somebody. And, again, we we do that. We'll make the dinner for 2 or 3 nights at a time at most.

Michael Hammond [00:15:55]: You know, not so not excessive, and yet, Man, such a game changer to head up at 6, 6:30 PM and just have it ready to go. It's so much easier. So meal prep, it'll save you a ton of money long term, and and, ultimately, it'll help you recover from all your training. It's so so much healthier than than eating out all the time, and, again, just way, way cheaper. Alright. 4th way to save money, embrace local races. Man, those big races, I don't know about you guys, if you all seen this. Those big races are getting expensive even just in terms of the entry fee.

Michael Hammond [00:16:22]: And the entry fee, that's only the tip of the iceberg. You've got travel, lodging, food, car rental. That's the stuff that adds up, and those can become this massive, massive expense. But there are probably local races in your area that you don't even know about. If you just go if you just look up, you know, running races in your area, type in your area running races, You might be surprised at what you might find. I mean, a lot of stuff might be trail, it might be road, whatever. It might just be really, really small, You know, lowly organized races, but there's a lot of local stuff around. Get involved at your local running store.

Michael Hammond [00:16:55]: Get involved with a local running club that will have a lot of information about about races. There's even track events that often go on. Like USATF has their master series that are usually very cheap enter, and it can be a lot of fun to kind of change things up a little time. Even an expensive, you know, quote unquote expensive marathon that's near you ultimately is gonna be way cheaper than travel into one of those big races. You don't have to travel. You don't have to rent a car that you can eat eat at home pretty much. It's just it's a great way to support your local Community as well, so I'm telling you, embrace local races. I have nothing against the big races.

Michael Hammond [00:17:28]: I have nothing against the majors. They're obviously a tremendous experience, an unforgettable experience, But I'm saying for more like your your routine races, especially those of you that like racing pretty often, embrace those local races, man. There's probably almost Certainly, there are races near you that you've never heard of, that you have no idea even existed, and yet they could be a really good time and a cool opportunity to kinda meet your local community, to know some people to run with and and just have some fun. Last one. Number 5. The 5th way to save money is consider group coaching. Yes. This is 100% Self serving.

Michael Hammond [00:18:00]: Of course, it is. But it really this is our model at Runner's Connect. You know, we believe that and we know that there are a lot of people out there I don't quite need, like, expensive 1 on 1 personal coaching, but they need they need a schedule and they need some guidance. That's what our training plans Really, ultimately, that's what they're all about. You get a custom training schedule totally personalized to your current fitness, not just some goal time you go plug in and it spits out, you know, whatever. It you get you get that custom schedule. It's customized to your schedule, your work schedule, your your days that you need to run, and days you can't run, All your needs you get coaching feedback when you need it from our expert team of coaches, best team of coaches on the Internet. I'll I'll go ahead and say that.

Michael Hammond [00:18:38]: I know again, pat myself on the back, but it is what it is. And then, also, you get a top notch community of runners across a huge spectrum of ability levels and ages. You know, I can't even take credit for that. We just have an awesome community. It's incredible. Our starter plan is $29 a month, you know. And, hey, maybe you're saying, I can do it myself for free, and that's that's cool. Like, of course, you can.

Michael Hammond [00:18:59]: That's awesome. I love seeing people Dive in, you know, learn everything they can, and then implement it. But it's funny. I was actually just recording a podcast. It's gonna air, later this month with, Coaches Alex, Andy, and and and also Corey, our podcast guy. And we were talking about how Alex was talking about how even the best and most experienced of us Often can benefit from a coach, you know, even if it's literally just a 2nd pair of eyes. An experienced coach, he just looks at us looks at you from a different lens than you do yourself, than we do ourselves. There's so much value in having a coach.

Michael Hammond [00:19:31]: So if you wanna get a jump start heading into the new year, we'd love for you to join us at Team RC. Just head to runnersconnect.net / training dash plans. Again, those start at $29 a month, but we also have one off plans. If those who, you know, don't want a monthly feed, yet another subscription. And we also have higher tier plans for those who feel like they need more intensive coaching. We'd love to have you on the team and help you reach your goals. Alright, everybody. That is it.

Michael Hammond [00:19:56]: I just wanna say before I sign off, I hope I hope you're doing alright. You know? I hope everyone out there is doing okay. I mean this to be A very serious podcast. You know, I know a lot of people are really struggling right now. You know, here at the Hammond household, you know, like I said at the beginning of this, things are tight. Was I was just joking with my wife. Our son, he just turned 1 in October, and we got him we got him this little bike for his birthday. He can't even really use it yet.

Michael Hammond [00:20:18]: He kinda just, like, Pushes it around, but it's really more of like a like a 1 and a half to 2 year old bike. It's currently sitting on the other side of our living room as our Christmas tree. And I joked I joked with my wife that on Christmas morning, we'll just roll it over under the tree, and then, you know, Merry Christmas, son. It's your bike. Maybe throw a bow on it or something like that. But, know, honestly, he's so young. He doesn't even understand gifts yet. But now that I have kids, I really just I really feel people who get a lot of anxiety close to to Christmas time.

Michael Hammond [00:20:45]: You know, you wanna give your kids a joyous experience, and and meanwhile, man, those bills are really piling up. So again, I truly hope you're doing okay. Hope this episode even just helps put even the slightest dent into your monthly budget from a running perspective perspective. Because as I said at the beginning of this, I love how running Is a very simple sport and can be, like, relatively cheap compared to a lot of other sports, but even then, I know it can really add up. So I hope this helps even just the slightest amount.

Finn Melanson [00:21:28]: Thanks for listening to the Run to the Top podcast. I'm your host, Finn Melanson. As always, our mission here is to help you become a better runner with every episode. Please consider connecting with me on Instagram at Wasatch Finn and the rest of our team at Runners Connect. Also consider supporting our show for free with a rating on the Spotify and Apple Podcast players. And lastly, if you love the show and want bonus content, behind the scenes experiences with our guests, and premier access to contests and giveaways, and subscribe to our newsletter by going to runnersconnect.netback/podcast. Until next time, happy