When Should You Quit Running? An Honest, Difficult Conversation with Author Dimity McDowell
The Strength Running Podcast
Jason Fitzgerald
4.7 • 1.5K Ratings
🗓️ 19 March 2026
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What if you have to make the hard decision to stop running altogether? That's the heartbreaking choice Dimity McDowell, a long-time runner and sports journalist, had to make a few years ago.
In this conversation and in her new book, The 27th Mile, we explore what it means to hang up your running shoes for good:
- The loss of identity, community, and purpose
- How to fill the hole that running once filled
- What the experts recommend
- How to find closure after a running career ends
Follow Dimity on Instagram and be sure to check out her new book!
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Ready, set, go! |
| 0:04.0 | This is episode 450 with the co-founder of another mother runner, journalist, author, and former runner, Dimmody McDowell. |
| 0:13.0 | Welcome to the Strength Running podcast. I'm coach Jason Fitzgerald, and I want to help you become a better runner. Don't miss StrengthRunning.com, our home base, where you can find training programs, our award-winning content library, and our free email courses. My singular goal is to help you |
| 0:39.7 | improve your running. So if there's anything I can ever do to help your training, please get |
| 0:44.2 | in touch. Now, I do want to take a moment to thank you. I've gotten probably way more feedback |
| 0:49.6 | than usual lately about the podcast, and it's really lifted me up. So thanks a lot. This podcast has |
| 0:55.9 | been called Elite, Essential Listening, Excellent, and The Best. I'm almost at a loss for words. |
| 1:03.0 | I put a lot of time into this show, and I genuinely enjoy it. So to hear that you're getting |
| 1:08.3 | value from it is just so appreciated. If you want to leave a review |
| 1:12.5 | in either Apple or Spotify, please do. I read every single one. I also couldn't do this podcast |
| 1:18.2 | without the help of our partners. If you get value from the show, you can support us by supporting |
| 1:23.3 | our sponsors. A big thanks to two before. Get yourself a whopping 30% discount on their 20 pack and |
| 1:30.2 | multipacks at Two Before.com for their all natural scientifically proven pre-workout with code Jason. |
| 1:38.6 | Two Before, which is the numeral two followed by the word before, is made from New Zealand black current berries, which |
| 1:45.7 | improves vasodilation or blood flow, just like beetroot. But they also improve recovery after exercise |
| 1:51.9 | by managing oxidative stress through their unique ratio of antioxidants, which also have a nice |
| 1:58.1 | side benefit of supporting your immune system. |
| 2:06.8 | Now, the main antioxidant is called anthocyanin, which I hadn't heard of before, but is actually more present in New Zealand blackcurant berries than tart cherries, raspberries, blackberries, |
| 2:12.5 | or blueberries. |
| 2:14.0 | Plus, two before tastes delicious. |
| 2:16.5 | I love products that are both good for your performance and good |
| 2:20.0 | for your overall health. Get yourself 30% off any multi-pack with code jason at 2befor.com. They have a |
... |
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