The Women's Running Podcast

This week we’re talking hormones. Well, first of all we’re talking about creepy blokes in spinning classes, swiftly followed by Wordle tactics. It’s all going on. At one point, we even start talking about running. Then after a bit, I have a chat with Dr Nicky Keay from Forth who offer blood tests to track your hormones. This can be massively beneficial for women runners, as she explains. She talks to me about how mapping your hormones over the course of a month can benefit your general health and your training. I had a female hormone mapping test with them, and for me it indicated what I know – that I’m firmly perimenopausal. But Dr Nicky explains how the test can diagnose perimenopause and also RED-s, which can often show up with the same symptoms. So lots of chat about menopause, hormones, and owning your periods. Then it’s back to Holly and me to talk about even MORE running annoyances with some emails we’ve had in from listeners. We thought we were going to be ostracised by the running community, but it turns out we’ve hit a nerve!Over on our Instagram page we’ve launched #Run4Ukraine because we want to do whatever we can to support people who need it most right now. It’s really simple to get involved: just run or walk 4K, donate £4 to the Red Cross and encourage 4 friends to do the same thing. Tag us, use the hashtag @run4ukraine, and raise some cash. Please help. In case you’ve not noticed, we’ve launched ourselves on to Patreon as we need your help to keep going. Please support us with whatever you can and you’ll get some lovely patron-only perks. And some of you have already started supporting us, which is LOVELY. A big shout out to the very brilliant Jodie Price and Carly Evans, who are two of our newest Silver Patrons!This episode is sponsored by Precision Fuel and Hydration. I love finding out more about how we can fuel ourselves better on our long runs, and it’s been brilliant getting to know Precision Fuel & Hydration's scientific approach to what we should eat and drink during training and races. Their tools and products are firmly built on scientific evidence and are designed to help you personalise your hydration and fuelling strategy for whatever you're training for. Head over to precisionfuelandhydration.com and take their free online Sweat Test and Quick Carb Calculator to understand your own needs. You can also book a free hydration and fuelling strategy video consultation. Missed the discount code during the show? Drop the Precision Fuel & Hydration team an email at hello@precisionfuelandhydration.com and they'll be happy to help. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Holly and I are talking all sorts of rubbish, and we start off discussing coffee, disappointments at yoga, and other random stuff until we eventually get into running. Mine is going well, the hip niggle appears to have subsided, and Holly has actually jeffed, and jeffed brilliantly, thank you very much. Both of us are running to feel – neither of us feel like doing hill sprints, so we’re jolly well not doing them. But, gloriously, we are enjoying running - and so much more than we have done recently. I’m hoping this is the beginning of me trying to stop thinking about times, and to instead enjoy the journey a bit more. That’s the ambition in any case. We also talk about getting annoyed at runners who carry on running after the race has finished, and also Holly’s disgust at anyone wearing a Cheltenham Harriers singlet. We have a bit of a chat about periods and hormones because I’ve had a hormone test to see what’s going on with my ovaries, and the quick answer is – not much. So we chat all things sluggish ovaries. More on that in the next episode when I’m talking to a doctor from Forth about how hormonal blood tests can give us useful insights for our running and our health.Then just a few more things: firstly, in case you’ve not noticed, we’ve launched ourselves on to Patreon as we need your help to keep going. Please support us with whatever you can and you’ll get some lovely patron-only perks. And some of you have already started supporting us, which is just LOVELY. A big shout out to Ulrike Schlesiger, Kim Racon and Katie Fraser. Thank you!Over on our Instagram page we’ve launched #Run4Ukraine because we want to do whatever we can to support people who need it most right now. It’s really simple to get involved: just run or walk 4K, donate £4 to the Red Cross and encourage 4 friends to do the same thing. Tag us, use the hashtag @run4ukraine, and raise some cash. Please help.  ---This episode is sponsored by Precision Fuel and Hydration. We recently welcomed Sports Scientist Abby Coleman onto the show as we discussed the importance of personalising your carb, fluid and sodium intake for training and racing. Precision Fuel & Hydration help runners refine their own individual hydration and fuelling strategies for whatever you're training for.Head to precisionfuelandhydration.com to use their free online Sweat Test and Quick Carb Calculator to understand your individual needs, and then book a free one-to-one video consultation with Abby or one of the team to refine your strategy for your next race. Listen in to the episode for an exclusive discount code!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 83 of the Women’s Running podcast. Today, Holly and I are (belatedly) celebrating International Women’s Day with a bit of random ramblings including the joy of Drag Race, and whether or not Harry Styles or Morten Harket would fancy us. We also talk about more running related stuff, including practising our jeffing, listening to our hips and being kind to ourselves and our training. In a lovely, sweaty interlude I speak to Abby, head scientist from Precision Fuel and Hydration, about how we can better hydrate ourselves before, during and after a run. I had a sweat test with Abby at the National Running Show, and she is keen to talk through my results, which are less disgusting than that sounds. She tells me how we can measure how much we sweat to ensure that we’re taking on the right amount of water and electrolytes when we run. Importantly, she also tells us whether we can or can’t drink coffee and booze. There is some good news here. Some. After that, we come back to Holly and me talking about the biggest thing that annoys me when I run – and I’ve tried not to ostracise all people here, but I have a worrying suspicion that I might have done! Spoiler: it’s about dogs. Which naturally leads into a discussion of what kind of animal we both are. Answers on a postcard – or to wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk please.Then just two more things: firstly, in case you’ve not noticed, we’ve launched ourselves in a slightly abashed way on to Patreon as we need your help to keep going. Please support us with whatever you can and you’ll get some lovely patron-only perks. Last things last. Over on our Instagram page, we’ve launched #Run4Ukraine because we want to do whatever we can to support people who need it most right now. It’s really simple to get involved: just run or walk 4K, donate £4 to the Red Cross and encourage 4 friends to do the same thing. Tag us, use #run4ukraine, and raise some cash. Please help. This episode is sponsored by Precision Fuel & Hydration, who offer a range of tools and products to help you personalise your fuelling and hydration strategy so that you can perform at your best.Everyone sweats differently and the amount of fuel we require varies depending on factors like the duration and intensity of our activity, so a one-size-fits-all approach to fuelling and hydration just doesn’t cut it.Head to precisionfuelandhydration.com and use their free online Sweat Test and Quick Carb Calculator to understand your fluid, electrolyte and carbohydrate needs during training and racing. Then book a free one-to-one video consultation with the team to refine your hydration and fuelling strategy for your next race.As a listener of the show you can get 15% off your first order of fuelling and hydration. Missed the discount code during the show? No worries, drop the Precision Fuel & Hydration team an email at hello@precisionfuelandhydration.com and they'll be happy to help.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week on the workshop we have a lot to get off our collective chests. The big news is that Holly has tested negative TODAY and is feeling super happy and looking forward to her first trip to Sainsbury’s, and also her first post-Covid run. We talk about how she should approach that, and how we can both train and run our half marathon in berlin sensibly, so that we enjoy it and don’t collapse. So yes, we start wanging on about the walk/run method, and I get all finger waggy with Holly about this. I also have a bit of a race report having completed the Brighton half marathon which, through no fault of its own was a bit of an uncomfortable run for me – so we talk about injuries here too. We also, because of my experience here, talk about the things we have inadvertently said out loud while running. We also finish this one up by talking about some of the things that annoy us while we run – I have quite a long list, so I’ve kept mine short. And in fact, this is something we’re going to revisit next time: please let us know your own running grievances, we would love to know we’re not the only ones! Tell us your big hates!Then just a few more things: firstly, in case you’ve not noticed, we’ve launched ourselves in a slightly abashed way on to Patreon as we need your help to keep going. Please support us with whatever you can and you’ll get some lovely patron-only perks. And some of you have already started supporting us, which is just LOVELY. So a big shout out to Rachel Stevens, Mary G, Naomi Corrieri-Hobbs and Fabiola Garay. Thank you!Over on our Instagram page we’ve launched #Run4Ukraine because we want to do whatever we can to support people who need it most right now. It’s really simple to get involved: just run or walk 4K, donate £4 to the Red Cross and encourage 4 friends to do the same thing. Tag us, use the hashtag @run4ukraine, and raise some cash. Please help. Today's show is brought to you by Precision Fuel & Hydration, who help athletes personalise their hydration and fuelling strategies so that they can perform at their best. Everyone loses a different amount of sodium in their sweat and that's why a one-size-fits all approach to hydration simply doesn't work. Check out their free online Sweat Test to get some personalised advice. As a listener of the show, you can get 15% off your first order of electrolytes and fuel. Missed the discount code during the show? No worries, drop the Precision Fuel & Hydration team an email at hello@precisionfuelandhydration.com and they'll be happy to help.The National Running Show is a home for runners, no matter how far or fast you go. Join us at Farnborough International on the 7-8 May for inspirational speakers such as Paula Radcliffe, Shakira Akabusi and Jo Pavey, the latest kit, cutting-edge technology, expert coaches, the best races and a host of tasty nutrition all under one roof. Just enter the code ANTHEM here for free tickets to attend.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak to Chrissie Wellington. Chrissie is so enormously famous in the world of running (and cycling and swimming) that she really needs no introduction. Chrissie is actually part of the Women’s Running family – if you read the magazine you may have noticed her crop up in our annual Product Awards, in which she plays a big part. So we’ve spoken before, and it is to my utter shame she hasn’t appeared on the podcast to this date. We talk about her meteoric rise into professional sport – how she made the leap in the first place, how her coach saw her potential in the ironman distance, and how in fact she didn’t really come from nowhere, as everyone says – it was just an unconventional start with tons of experience of endurance, even if that was cycling around Nepal rather than around a track. She also talks passionately about the unifying and empowering force of sport, a belief that has moved with her from the world of professional sport to her current day job as Global Head of Health and Wellbeing at parkrun. She is super inspiring and happily overlooked the Zoom call from hell – we’ve done our best with this one, but do please bear with a slightly glitchy call in places. It gets better!We love making this podcast for you, and we hope you love it just as much. If you do, we’re asking for your support so that we can continue making it. We’ve joined up with Patreon to do that awkward thing of asking for money. But the thing is, we’re only asking you to donate as little as £2 a month. For that we’re offering you some lovely perks and, if you’re very generous, a free subscription to the digital magazine too. Come and be part of the Women’s Running podcast and we will love you forever!This episode of the podcast is sponsored by The North Face. Flight Vectiv from The North Face is an incredibly responsive trail shoe. Ultra light and breathable, it’s been designed for speed and agility. The Vectiv technology combines a 3D carbon fibre plate and rocker midsole to turn energy into momentum to propel you forward. A bio-based outsole rubber compound provides superior traction and durability, while the upper is durable, flexible, light and protective. All the things! The Vectic range of brilliant trail shoes enables you to power further. Available now at The North Face. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 80 of the Women’s Running podcast. Holly is in the house – but not my actual house, because she has actual COVID. She’s been dancing around the Covid lurgy for the past couple of weeks, but now it has firmly struck. She’s feeling okay, though, so I cracked the whip and we did this podcast despite the virus. So we talk about that, and we talk about other things that have put the kibosh on our running, including my self diagnosed hip bursitis, which is worrying me ahead of the Brighton half marathon this weekend. I’ve decided not to run at all in the week beforehand, which I find very concerning, but I’m trying to find some confidence from within. We chat about how we as women, and as runners, can tap into that innate confidence men have, and use it to feel better at start lines – and in life. We also talk about something closely linked with that – Imposter Syndrome. And how we both suffer hugely from it, but how that isn’t a massive surprise because we are WOMEN. So not much about actual running here, and more about the mental tricks our minds play to prevent us from running, or entering races, or feeling good when we do run. We don’t have the answers, but we do have ALL the empathy.We love making this podcast for you, and we hope you love it just as much. If you do, we’re asking for your support so that we can continue making it. We’ve joined up with Patreon to do that awkward thing of asking for money. But the thing is, we’re only asking you to donate as little as £2 a month. For that we’re offering you some lovely perks and, if you’re very generous, a free subscription to the digital magazine too. Come and be part of the Women’s Running podcast and we will love you forever!Right now, you can become a member of Women’s Running Plus, which includes a subscription to the magazine and tons of great benefits for just £9.99 every 3 months, saving a third off the cover price. Just go to shop.womensrunning.co.uk and enter FEB22WRPOD at the checkout.This episode of the podcast is sponsored by The North Face. Flight Vectiv from The North Face is an incredibly responsive trail shoe. Ultra light and breathable, it’s been designed for speed and agility. The Vectiv technology combines a 3D carbon fibre plate and rocker midsole to turn energy into momentum to propel you forward. A bio-based outsole rubber compound provides superior traction and durability, while the upper is durable, flexible, light and protective. All the things! The Vectic range of brilliant trail shoes enables you to power further. Available now at The North Face. Find out more about the Brighton half marathon I’m running this weekend.Run the London Landmarks Half on 3rd April.Please support us on Patreon!For more information on how to help strengthen and support your hips, listen to this episode of the podcast all about hips!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this special edition, we speak to Hannah Beecham, the founder of RED Together to find out the answer to the biggest question of all: how we can all attempt to be active every day. I did RED January this year, something I’ve felt increasingly confident about doing because of the shift in recent years from Run Every Day to Active Every Day. We have a lovely, and enormously inspiring (and moving) chat, as Hannah tells me about how she started it all up to support her mum, who had been struggling with her mental health. So the roots of the thing has always been about managing mental health rather than achieving some kind of peak physical fitness, and I think this is HUGE. And marks what I hope is a shift in thinking in terms of sport and including it in our lives as a habit based on how it makes us feel as opposed to how it might make us look. It’s the only way we’re going to get more people moving, by understanding that sport and running isn’t punishment, and in fact can be something that people who hated exercise will end up loving and rearranging their lives to include. Because Hannah is at the heart of that movement, I thought it was so important to speak to her and find out what she’s done differently, and her thoughts on how we can all fit in being active every day, and enjoy it!This episode is sponsored by Yeo Valley Kefir - lovingly made with only the best organic British milk and 14 distinctive strains of lactic cultures for maximum gut flora diversity. Creamy and lightly tangy it literally packs billions of live bacteria in every spoonful. Available in Natural, Mango & Passion Fruit, Blueberry and Strawberry flavours, the daily boost you need to try is in the yoghurt aisle at all the major supermarkets. Find out more at Yeo Valley. We love making this podcast for you, and we hope you love it just as much. If you do, we’re asking for your support so that we can continue making it. We’ve joined up with Patreon to do that awkward thing of asking for money. But the thing is, we’re only asking you to donate less than a very average cup of coffee a month. You can become a patron of the Women’s Running Podcast for as little as £2 a month. £2! I mean, that’s nothing, right? And for that you get four whole new podcasts a month AND we’re offering you some lovely perks and, if you’re very generous, a free subscription to the digital magazine too. It’s just 50p a podcast! We’re worth that, right? Right? Come and be part of the Women’s Running podcast and we will love you forever. If you enjoy this podcast, you will love Women’s Running magazine. Right now, you can become a member of Women’s Running Plus, which includes a subscription to the magazine and tons of great benefits for just £9.99 every 3 months, saving a third off the cover price. Just enter FEB22WRPOD at the checkout.@REDJanuaryUK on Instagram, Facebook and TwitterFind out more information at redtogether.co.uk Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Holly and I are talking about a load of running bits and pieces that have got us incensed recently. First up: spin classes (which we love) with seats made for men (which we hate). Who out there is going to make a bike seat that doesn’t bruise our undercarriages? It seems ridiculous that in order to boost our cardiovascular health we also have to bruise our vulvas. Second on the list is motivation: we talk about how to keep trucking in the face of race postponement, and – thanks to a listener – ingenious ways we can get our mojo going again if we’ve fallen out of love with running a bit. Our big discussion point this issue, however, is stress incontinence. We talk about how we need to normalise the conversation about it, as so many women can experience it and it is particularly prevalent in women runners, but that doesn’t mean we need to accept it as a fact of life. Yes, it’s common – and that’s why we need to talk about it – but it’s not ‘normal’ and it can be fixed. If you suffer from stress incontinence, do please go and speak to your GP, who will be sympathetic and, in most cases be able to suggest a way forward that will lessen the symptoms or stop them altogether. Now: let’s talk about weeing!This episode is sponsored by Yeo Valley Kefir - lovingly made with only the best organic British milk and 14 distinctive strains of lactic cultures for maximum gut flora diversity. Creamy and lightly tangy it literally packs billions of live bacteria in every spoonful. Available in Natural, Mango & Passion Fruit, Blueberry and Strawberry flavours, the daily boost you need to try is in the yoghurt aisle at all the major supermarkets. Find out more at Yeo Valley.  If you enjoy this podcast, you will love Women’s Running magazine. Right now, you can become a member of Women’s Running Plus, which includes a subscription to the magazine and tons of great benefits for just £9.99 every 3 months, saving a third off the cover price. Just enter FEB22WRPOD at the checkout.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak to Paula Radcliffe, my biggest running hero. Paula’s record breaking win in 2003 is something I think will always stay with me as not only a highlight in the world of athletics, but an inspiration for women everywhere. So I was a bit giddy to be speaking to her. We talk about her marathon achievements, and what it was like to nab that record on that day. We also talked about what it felt like to have that record taken 17 years later. I also ask her about her first love: cross country – what she loves about it, and why she keeps returning to it, and also her thoughts on equal distances for men and women in that sport. We also have a chat about RunFestRun – the running festival she’s been an integral part of since its inception: how meaningful it is as a concept to combine a festival about running, family and fun, how much her own children have loved it, and what she’s looking forward to this year. OMG, it’s Paula! And she is LOVELY.Join us at RunFestRun! You can camp! You can bring the kids! (Or you can leave them at home...) And you can run!Join Paula’s Families on Track waves at RunFestRun or at various events nationwide.Sign up to Women’s Running magazine this February for just £9.99 every 3 months. Just enter the code FEB22WRPOD at the checkout. Happy running!This episode is sponsored by Run 4 All. This year, set yourself the ultimate running challenge and join the thousands of runners who will be taking to the streets of York on Sunday 16th October for the Yorkshire Marathon. If you’re not quite ready to tackle a marathon, you can also try the Yorkshire 10 Mile. Taking place on the same day, this popular event will allow you to experience the atmosphere and sights of the Yorkshire Marathon while tackling a shorter distance. Enter today!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the workshop, Holly and I are hugely excitable about several things all at once. Holly’s running has been going brilliantly, so she’s feeling hugely positive about that. Mine isn’t too bad either – I’ve even done some hills, so am feeling a little bit smug. But all that positivity is against a backdrop of the disappointment of our half marathon being postponed, which we’re both gutted about – although we are still looking forward to running it in May. But as far as our training is going, all is not lost – as Holly confesses in her Big Announcement. No spoilers here. We also talk about alternatives to weekend parkruns, the universal truth of the last mile of any run being awful, no matter how long or short it is, and the lack of good public loos basically being a feminist subject. We also talk about an email we’ve had in from a listener who has a running issue that deserves masses of air time, and a solution. We have one idea, but if you have any other ideas on good places to go, or brands to visit, who can help women run who have had mastectomies, then do please let us know at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk.We loved the National Running Show – find out about the next show in May!Check out Sports Tours International to book a half marathon in a beautiful cityGo to Boobydoo for expert bra fitting advice and guidanceBuy some flapjacks from Flapjackery – I’ve just finished the vegan one and it was IMMENSE (they do not have a pecan version btw, but they do have a dangerously addictive hazelnut one)This episode is sponsored by Run 4 All. This year, set yourself the ultimate running challenge and join the thousands of runners who will be taking to the streets of York on Sunday 16th October for the Yorkshire Marathon. If you’re not quite ready to tackle a marathon, you can also try the Yorkshire 10 Mile. Taking place on the same day, this popular event will allow you to experience the atmosphere and sights of the Yorkshire Marathon while tackling a shorter distance. Enter today!Don’t forget to sign up to Women’s Running magazine this January for just £2.99 a month. . Just enter the code JAN22WRPOD at the checkout. Happy running!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.