The Women's Running Podcast

Welcome to the Women’s Running podcast: a very special Bake Off edition. We’re your hosts, Esther Newman and Holly Taylor, and usually you can find us chatting about life and running – though, let’s be honest, it’s mostly the life bit. Every year we get terribly overexcited for the Great British Bake Off and discuss it at length on the pod. Despite being total failures at baking ourselves, we’ve decided that we simply have far too much to say about the show – so here we are, turning it into its own spin off so we can dissect each episode properly. We’ll be chatting about all the highs and lows from the Bake Off tent, playing total favourites and slagging off bakes we could never dream of producing ourselves. Whether you run while you listen, bake while you listen, or neither – enjoy this extra little morsel!SPOILER ALERT: Of course, this episode is chock full of spoilers. What did you expect? Go and watch Tuesday night’s episode before listening!Bake Off series 14 episode 2: Biscuit WeekIt’s Biscuit Week, and we’re answering some hard-hitting questions. Tea cake or wagon wheel? Custard cream or Bourbon? It’s the cutting-edge journalism you turned in for. Plus, we fall in love with the entire cast and make our predictions for which baker is on the rocks this week.Signature: Marshmallow biscuitsDing ding, it’s our first Hollywood Handshake of series 14! Listen up to hear our thoughts, as well as which marshmallow biscuit we would have chosen for our snack of choice.Technical: Custard CreamsWe discuss the merits of the humble biscuit selection box and remember some classic childhood biscuit moments. Meanwhile, the bakers are ranked according to their Custard Creams and we have our first Big Controversy of the series.Showstopper: Realistic biscuit foodsA battle of the tomatoes has us calling for justice for one baker – and our dreams are crushed once more as another of the Class of 2023 are sent home.Join us!Become part of our Pod Squad on Patreon, where you can get involved in live zoom calls with us, newsletters and an exclusive community for friendly chat and support from like-minded runners! Come and join us at patreon.com/womensrunning.Extra bitsThis is a VERY good time to subscribe to Women’s Running – join today and you’ll get a FREE exclusive Women’s Running technical tee worth £35! Quote X23WRPOD! Come and visit womensrunning.co.ukCome to our Live Podcast event on 9th November at Sweaty Betty for proper chats and a mega goody bagGet your hands on our new magazine: How to Run 10K with Esther and Holly, available at womensrunning.co.uk/learntorunBuy a Pod Squad t-shirt! Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.com/womensrunningEmail us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 164 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. We are both firmly average runners who don’t take life, or running, too seriously. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.Now that Vitality 10K is a million miles away, we’re back to real life. And real life means we’re knackered, we’re hating September, and we are overwhelmed by Marathon training which is taking over our lives.New York MarathonIn terms of our training, we have news from the New York marathon about a change in policy, which will interest any of you currently in the last few weeks of training.We also have a couple of lovely letters to cheer us all up in the last throes of marathon training. Meanwhile, if any of you native New Yorkers or frequent fliers have any New York recommendations, we would love to hear them! Please email us!Big new podcast newsIn some very big news, we have a brand new extra podcast coming out for you guys, all about BAKE OFF! Niche, we know, but we thought you guys would love it. Should be ready for you this weekend! And it’s for everyone!Join us!If you LOVE this podcast, there is a way to get more Holly and Esther nonsense, and that’s by becoming part of our Pod Squad on Patreon, where you can get involved in live zoom calls with us, weekly newsletters and an exclusive Discord community for friendly chat and support from like-minded women runners! Come and join us at patreon.com/womensrunning.Lovely extra bitsThis is a VERY good time to subscribe to Women’s Running – join us today and you’ll get a FREE exclusive Women’s Running technical tee worth £35! Use the code X23WRPOD at the checkout! (They're different from the Pod Squad ones, promise!)Come to our Live Podcast event at Sweaty Betty in Battersea Power Station for proper good chats and a mega goody bagGet your hands on our brand new special magazine: How to Run 10K with Esther and Holly, out now, and available at shop.womensrunning.co.uk / ExtrasBuy a Pod Squad t-shirt! And ensure you tell everyone it’s nothing to do with Love is BlindDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningPlease continue to donate whatever you can to our fundraiser for the Trussell Trust – Holly and I ran 5K and donated £5, but you can give whatever you can afford. Search Anthem on JustgivingDo please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 163 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. We are both firmly average runners who don’t take life, or running, too seriously. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.London Vitality 10KThis episode is about one thing – London Vitality 10,000, which we ran at the weekend with absolutely shedloads of you, our glorious Pod Squad. It was a joyous, emotional, incredible experience – and to be honest, we weren’t really prepared for how many of you would turn up, but turn up you did, and we have a lot of memories and thoughts and joy, and we try to keep on the tracks to tell you all about it.Except of course we don’t stay on the tracks, so we talk about hotel breakfasts and peanut butter and not being able to go to the loo.If you weren’t able to make it this weekend, we promise we’ll do another event as soon as we have the strength to do so. Oh and do listen in to the end for a spot of expert dream analysis if you ever wanted to know what dreams about public loos meant!Join us!If you LOVE this podcast, there is a way to get more Holly and Esther nonsense, and that’s by becoming part of our Pod Squad on Patreon, where you can get involved in live zoom calls with us, weekly newsletters and an exclusive Discord community for friendly chat and support from like-minded women runners! Come and join us at patreon.com/womensrunning.  LinksGet your hands on our brand new special magazine: How to Run 10K with Esther and Holly, out now, and available at shop.womensrunning.co.ukBuy a Pod Squad t-shirt! And share your Pod Squad love!Pick up a copy of Women’s Running for just 99p! Pop in PODCAST when it asks you for a promotion code at shop.womensrunning.co.ukDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningPlease continue to donate whatever you can to our fundraiser for the Trussell Trust – Holly and I ran 5K and donated £5, but you can give whatever you can afford. Search Anthem on JustgivingDo please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 162 of the Women’s Running Podcast. Your hosts Esther Newman and Holly Taylor are both firmly average runners who don’t take life, or running, too seriously. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.Today, we’re recording in person! Which is quite exciting, but a bit odd. We start by talking skanky university behaviour, with some next level tips on student cookery and some discussion on some sadly defunct fashion retailers.London Vitality 10,000Then it’s the main event – we’re taking on the London Vitality 10,000 this weekend, on September 24th. If you’re coming along, please join us by wearing a blue top if you have one, so we can look like a proper colour co-ordinated gang.10K training tipsAhead of the Vitality, we look at some 10K training tips and also some things to bear in mind in the last week before the race.Special 10K magazineTo help with all of that, we have just launched our brand new special edition of Women’s Running, which is called How To Run 10K – and we are *so* proud of it! It’s everything you need if you want to run 10K for the first time, or you want to run your fastest ever PB – it’s all in there! And along with that we’ve got our first bit of merch in the shape of Pod Squad tees. Go to shop.womensrunning.co.uk and head to Extras for tees, and Single Issues for the mag.Join us!By the way, if you LOVE this podcast, there is a way to get more Holly and Esther nonsense, and that’s by becoming part of our Pod Squad on Patreon, where you can get involved in live zoom calls with us, weekly newsletters and a chat room all for you. If you’re part of our Cheer Squad, you can watch these podcasts on actual video! Come and join us at patreon.com/womensrunning.Lovely extra bitsGet your hands on our brand new special magazine: How to Run 10K with Esther and Holly, out now, at shop.womensrunning.co.ukBuy a Pod Squad t-shirt! It's at shop.womensrunning.co.uk - just go to EXTRASPick up a copy of Women’s Running for just 99p! Pop in PODCAST when it asks you for a promotion code at shop.womensrunning.co.ukDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningPlease continue to donate whatever you can to our fundraiser for the Trussell Trust – Holly and I ran 5K and donated £5, but you can give whatever you can afford. Search Anthem on JustgivingDo please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we talk about September stresses and, forgive us, but we’re already chatting about Christmas. Esther has a race report, as she ran the New Forest half marathon at the weekend. We chat about what it’s like to run a smaller race – compared with, say, the Great North Run which was happening on the same day.10k trainingWe also talk about the London Vitality 10,000, happening on September 24th, and what to wear when we run – if you’re coming, we’re asking Pod Squadders to wear blue, if you can, so that we can spot each other and look like a gang. We’re wearing our Pod Squad tees – which you can pick up at shop.womensrunning.co.uk.New running magazineAnd all this 10K chat leads us to our very Big Reveal, that from the 20th September you will be able to buy a a Special Edition of Women’s Running, which is snappily titled How To Run 10K with Esther & Holly. Look out for it wherever you buy the mag, or you can also pick it up from shop.womensrunning.co.uk (perhaps when you’re treating yourself to a tee). Our 10K special is full of brilliant advice and lots of silliness – and it’ll make the perfect gift for a running buddy, or you!Join us!If you LOVE this podcast – and of course you do, there is a way to get more Holly and Esther nonsense, and that’s by becoming part of our Pod Squad on Patreon. Come and join us at patreon.com/womensrunning.Lovely extra running bitsFancy running a 10K? We’ve bought out a special magazine to help with that – out next week! And from the same place you can also check out our brand new Pod Squad tees. Go to shop.womensrunning.co.uk and head to Extras for tees, and Single Issues for the mag.Sign up to one of the New Forest races in 2024: https://www.newforestmarathon.co.uk/home/#topPick up your FREE tickets to the National Running Show 2024 by going to https://nationalrunningshow.com and popping ANTHEM in the big code box when it asks you toJoin the Women’s Running Wave and run Vitality 10,000 with us!Pick up a copy of Women's Running for just 99p! Pop in PODCAST when it asks you for a promotion code at shop.womensrunning.co.ukDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningPlease continue to donate whatever you can to our fundraiser for the Trussell Trust – Holly and I ran 5K and donated £5, but you can give whatever you can afford. Search Anthem on JustgivingDo please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 160 of the Women’s Running podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. We are both firmly average runners who don’t take life, or running, too seriously. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.UTMBWe’ve had a bazillion technical difficulties, and here we are on Zoom, which feels very 2020. As ever, bear with. Holly has had a very exciting week, hanging out with the ultra runners in Chamonix. She’s had a whale of a time, swooning at the stars, and enjoying the Courtney superfans, and she even ran!And on that subject – we talk a LOT in this episode about running. I know, who even are we?Pod Squad runningNext on the list is the London Vitality 10,000, which is quickly going to be upon us, and we want to chat about any worries about pace, and to employ our brand new hashtag – Plod Squad! We don’t want anyone to feel awful or anxious – we can walk it with you!Interval trainingI talk about the training sessions I’ve been doing as part of my marathon training, which have been hugely hard for me – especially so because I’ve never really done any training like this before. Turns out intervals are TOUGH.Race nightmaresAnd then we’re on to stress dreams ahead of races – ours seem to revolve around missing the start of the race, or trying to find a loo. What are yours? Let us know please at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk, if only to make sure we don’t feel like idiots.Join us!By the way, if you LOVE this podcast – and of course you do, there is a way to get more Holly and Esther nonsense, and that’s by becoming part of our Pod Squad on Patreon, where you can get involved in live zoom calls with us, weekly newsletters and a chat room all for you. If you’re part of our Cheer Squad, you can watch these podcasts on actual video! Fancy that! Come and join us at patreon.com/womensrunning.Lovely extra running bitsPick up your FREE tickets to the National Running Show 2024 by going to https://nationalrunningshow.com and popping ANTHEM in the big code box when it asks you toJoin the Women’s Running Wave and run Vitality 10,000 with us!Just go to vitalitylondon10000.co.uk and enter the Women’s Running wave!Pick up a copy of Women’s Running for just 99p! Pop in PODCAST when it asks you for a promotion code at shop.womensrunning.co.ukDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningPlease continue to donate whatever you can to our fundraiser for the Trussell Trust – Holly and I ran 5K and donated £5, but you can give whatever you can afford. Search Anthem on JustgivingDo please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 159 of the Women’s Running Podcast. I am your host Esther Newman, and she is your other host Holly Taylor. We are both firmly average runners who don’t take life, or running, too seriously. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.Pelvic floorsWe have our Kate with us again this episode. This week, we’re chatting pelvic floor exercises, time-poor training plans, and returning to fitness after having a break.Hormone testingWhen we’re not talking to Kate, we’re talking about home health testing kits to measure our hormones, with a bit of chat about blood donation. If you’re anything like Dave, right here is a massive trigger warning if you hate blood and needles!Race anxietyAn excellent email from a listener sparks big chats about race panics and anxiety. We talk about our own race experiences, and how to try and differentiate between anxiety and race anxiety – what’s normal and not normal, and how the feelings we have in races can really put us off racing altogether. We have a few amateur tips on what to do if you’ve been spooked in your first race, in order to take on your next one feeling more confident. But there’s no pressure to run in races! If you just don’t like racing, you really don’t need to do it to prove anything to yourself or us. You are still a runner! And, we suspect, a very good one that knows your own mind and everything.Join us!By the way, if you LOVE this podcast – and of course you do, there is a way to get more Holly and Esther nonsense, and that’s by becoming part of our Pod Squad on Patreon, where you can get involved in live zoom calls with us, weekly newsletters and a chat room all for you. If you’re part of our Cheer Squad, you can watch these podcasts on actual video! Fancy that! Come and join us at patreon.com/womensrunning.Lovely extra running bitsWe’ve been taking our home health tests through Randox.Join the Women’s Running Wave and run Vitality 10,000 with us! Just go to vitalitylondon10000.co.uk and enter the Women’s Running wave!Pick up a copy of Women’s Running for just 99p! Pop in PODCAST when it asks you for a promotion code at shop.womensrunning.co.ukDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningCheck out Sports Tours International to find your next race!Please continue to donate whatever you can to our fundraiser for the Trussell Trust – Holly and I ran 5K and donated £5, but you can give whatever you can afford. Search Anthem on JustgivingDo please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 158 of the Women’s Running Podcast. Esther and Holly are both firmly average runners who don’t take life, or running, too seriously. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.Pregnancy and runningTrigger warning: pregnancy, postnatal depression and mental health. In this episode, we invite our friend and colleague Kate Sellers on to chat to us about pre and postnatal training, as she’s a PT and she’s just had a baby – perfect combo. She talks about the importance of core strength during pregnancy – something that’s weirdly overlooked. And she talks through her training during her pregnancy. She also talks very honestly about her experiences with something called Dysphoric Milk Ejection Reflex.Marathon trainingBefore and after that, Holly and I chat about my marathon training, using running apps, and technical training runs. We also have chats about injuries, as I’ve got a couple of niggles, which obviously I’m pretty  worried about.Emails from the Pod SquadImportantly, though, we have some emails from you guys, which means we can revisit parakeets, running in the media, and the “other sports are rubbish” thing, which obviously we LOVE. Plus, additional extra chat on the legend that is Bullseye.Join us!By the way, if you LOVE this podcast – and of course you do, there is a way to get more Holly and Esther nonsense, and that’s by becoming part of our Pod Squad on Patreon, where you can get involved in live zoom calls with us, weekly newsletters and a chat room all for you. If you’re part of our Cheer Squad, you can watch these podcasts on actual video! Fancy that! Come and join us at patreon.com/womensrunning. Lovely extra running bitsJoin the Women’s Running Wave and run Vitality 10,000 with us!Just go to vitalitylondon10000.co.uk and enter the Women’s Running wave!Pick up a copy of Women’s Running for just 99p! Pop in PODCAST when it asks you for a promotion code at shop.womensrunning.co.ukDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningCheck out Sports Tours International to find your next race!Please continue to donate whatever you can to our fundraiser for the Trussell Trust – Holly and I ran 5K and donated £5, but you can give whatever you can afford. Search Anthem on JustgivingDo please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We are back from our holidays! Holly has been swanning about in luxury, and has lots to talk about, but as an over-thinker we still manage to circle back to the busyness of our brains.Holiday runningWe talk about our various holidays, and I’ve actually done a bit of holiday running, so there’s even something relevant to talk about. And the reason that I’ve been keeping up with it is because of some Big News.New York MarathonVery excitingly, Holly and I are off to New York in November with Sports Tours International for me to run the marathon and Holly to support me and tell you guys how it’s going. So I’ve needed to keep an eye on that mileage as a result.London Vitality 10,000We also talk about the London Vitality 10K and Hol’s training, which she’s worried about. We talk about running apps, training plans, and how to keep our heads on the right track (as well as our feet).Join us!By the way, if you LOVE this podcast – and of course you do, there is a way to get more Holly and Esther nonsense, and that’s by becoming part of our Pod Squad on Patreon, where you can get involved in live zoom calls with us, weekly newsletters and a chat room all for you. If you’re part of our Cheer Squad, you can watch these podcasts on actual video! Fancy that! Come and join us at patreon.com/womensrunning.Lovely extra running bitsJoin the Women’s Running Wave and run Vitality 10,000 with us!Just go to vitalitylondon10000.co.uk and enter the Women’s Running wave!Pick up a copy of Women’s Running for just 99p! Pop in PODCAST when it asks you for a promotion code at shop.womensrunning.co.ukDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningCheck out Sports Tours International to find your next race!Please continue to donate whatever you can to our fundraiser for the Trussell Trust – Holly and I ran 5K and donated £5, but you can give whatever you can afford. Search Anthem on JustgivingDo please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 156 of the Women’s Running Podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she is your other host Holly Taylor. We are both firmly average runners who don’t take life, or running, too seriously. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.IBS, hay fever, endoIn this episode, we have a super useful chat with our resident health expert Juliet McGrattan who answers all our questions about IBS, hay fever and endometriosis.Anxiety managementBefore and after that little Woman in Stem section, Holly and I talk about CBT (that’s cognitive behavioural therapy), and some of the things that Holly has been doing to manage her anxiety. We also talk about unexpected wildlife in Hyde Park, and favourite underground lines. Somehow this moves into some very shaky knowledge of history, so we need to stop talking a long time before we do.Racing soloPlus, there’s some stuff on awkward poo situations, sunscreen and running races solo – something that’s been popping off on our Discord chat. As soon as you’re a patron you can hop on that chat and find out what everyone’s talking about!Join us!By the way, if you LOVE this podcast – and of course you do, there is a way to get more Holly and Esther nonsense, and that’s by becoming part of our Pod Squad on Patreon, where you can get involved in live zoom calls with us, weekly newsletters and a chat room all for you. If you’re part of our Cheer Squad, you can watch these podcasts on actual video! Fancy that! Come and join us at patreon.com/womensrunning.  Lovely extra running bitsJoin the Women’s Running Wave and run Vitality 10,000 with us!Just go to vitalitylondon10000.co.uk and enter the Women’s Running wave!Pick up a copy of Women’s Running for just 99p! Pop in PODCAST when it asks you for a promotion code at shop.womensrunning.co.ukDo join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunningPlease continue to donate whatever you can to our fundraiser for the Trussell Trust – Holly and I ran 5K and donated £5, but you can give whatever you can afford. Search Anthem on JustgivingBuy Juliet McGrattan’s book Run Well – honestly, it’s the only book about running injuries and niggles you’ll ever needSolarsport – lovely sunscreen perfect for runnersFollow the Folding Lady!Do please email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.