Tough Girl Podcast Jen Benson: Running Coach, Author, and PhD Researcher – The Stories Behind 'The Path We Run' and Her Ultramarathon Adventures
Jen Benson is a runner, writer, running coach and mum of two.
Along with her husband, Sim, she has co-authored 10 books including Smart Running, The Camping Bible, Wild Running and The Adventurer's Guide to Britain.
She has an MSc in sport & exercise medicine and is currently a PhD researcher exploring the phenomenology of running.
Jen has run more than 50 marathons and ultras, including the 100-mile Arc of Attrition in 2024.
Her new book on women in ultrarunning, The Path We Run, is out in September.
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Show notes
- Who is Jen
- Intro to her life and work
- Publishing 3 books in 2024
- Book: Smart Running: The ultimate guide to becoming a fitter, stronger, more confident runner
- Book: The Camping Bible: The Complete Guide to Life Under Canvas
- Book: Great British Walkies: 100 brilliant dog walks through beautiful countryside (National Trust)
- First speaking to Jen - 23rd July 2019 - Adventuring with her partner and two young children, living in a tent for 18 months!
- What's been going on since 2019
- The wild year - spending 18 months in a tent
- Having freedom from the monthly treadmill of paying rent and bills
- Writing their first book (Wild Running) and wanting to make writing a full time career
- Writing their second book - Amazing Family Adventures: Fun days out and action-packed weekends.
- Being back in a proper house since 2016
- Son aged 10, daughter aged 13
- Researching an alpine adventure book in the Alps
- Getting back into running and starting to train for a 100 miler
- Documenting her training for and attempting to finish her first 100 mile race
- Always being a runner and doing a MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine specialising in distance running.
- How pregnancy impacted on her life and withdrawing from her PHD
- Deciding to go back and do a PHD at Liverpool John Moors University - wanting to look at the meaning of running for couch to 5k runners and ultra distance runners.
- The battle with negative troughs and how a lack of confidence impacted on her running.
- Signing up to do a mindfulness course and how it changed her life for the better
- Deciding to train as a mindfulness teacher
- Identifying the triggers for what causes the negative spirals
- The impact of tiredness and sleep deprivation
- Running through the dark and running through the night
- The dream of wanting to run 100 miles
- Book: The Path We Run: A personal history of women's ultrarunning
- Learning about the history of women in ultra running
- TGP Episode Ann Trason (July 19th 2016) - American ultra runner who has broken 20 world records & won Western States a record breaking 14 times
- Barriers for women in ultra running
- Why running can be an expensive sport
- Working with her partner to fit in training
- Being anaemic and how 50% of women/runners can have low ferritin levels
- Book: Smart Running: The ultimate guide to becoming a fitter, stronger, more confident runner
- Why it was a dream book to write
- Book: The Camping Bible: The Complete Guide to Life Under Canvas
- Top tips for camping
- Some of the challenges from the past 5 years
- Planning for work and family life
- Getting older
- How to connect with Jen online
- Final words of advice
- "Just because something feels scary, that's not a reason not to do it."
- Taking the plunge and doing the scary thing
Social Media
Website: jenandsimbenson.co.uk
Instagram: @jenandsim
Facebook: @jenandsimbenson
X: @jenandsim