From 1 Mile Runs to 300 Miles: Lydia Oldham on Building Courage, Grit, and Meaning Through Running
Everyday Ultra
Saying Yes: Courage to Attempt Bigger Challenges
Lydia describes her optimistic mindset, accepting risk, and reframing failure when deciding to tackle the Speed Project and solo efforts.
Lydia Oldham didn’t come from a traditional ultrarunning background. She started running during lockdown — running 1 mile runs, sprinting every 5K, and having no idea she’d one day be creating 300-mile running projects across countries.
In this episode, Lydia breaks down how she built herself into someone capable of taking on massive, self-created challenges — including running solo across Portugal, completing a solo Speed Project, and most recently running 300 miles from London to Cornwall for charity.
But this conversation isn’t just about distance.
It’s about courage, self-belief, creativity, and redefining what’s possible when you stop waiting for permission.
We dive into:
How Lydia went from struggling through short runs to creating multi-day ultrarunning projects
Why self-created challenges can be more powerful than races
The mindset shift that helped her stop fearing failure
How she mentally navigates dark moments during 300-mile efforts
Why enjoying your runs matters more than “grinding”
How storytelling gives meaning to hard efforts
Why you don’t need elite talent to do extraordinary things
If you’ve ever thought:
“Could I do something bigger… or is that not for me?”
This episode will change how you think about your limits — and what you’re capable of building over time.
SHOW LINKS:
Register for our race, The Desert Peak Ultra 100K + 50K at desertpeakultra.com
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Want to be coached by me and my team to crush your next ultramarathon in our 1:1 coaching program? Book a free call here with one of our coaches to see if we are a good fit!
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