The Women's Running Podcast

Welcome to episode 55 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m Esther Newman, editor of Women’s Running, and in this episode I speak to Rachel Ann Cullen. I was originally due to chat with Rachel two years ago at RunFestRun, but she was struck down with a nasty chest infection and it wasn’t meant to be. Rachel is a runner, writer and author: her bestselling debut book, Running For My Life, describes her journey to discover a better version of herself through running following years of mental and physical struggle.  Rachel has since run 12 marathons and has completed the London Marathon five times. She ran the Boston Marathon in 2018 and in addition to her running, she has cycled 480km across Costa Rica on a mountain bike.As you’ll hear, she discovered running at a complicated stage in her life, but now considers it a fundamental part of her mental health toolbox, as many of us do. Rachel has lived with body dysmorphia and bipolar disorder, and talks about both of these things frankly – and how taking up running offered relief, acceptance and support. As many of us will know, the path to mental wellness is not necessarily a linear one, and she talks about that particular road, and how she has been determined to get well for the sake of her daughter. Rachel has transformed her running with the help of Polar’s Vantage M2 GPS watch. Rachel utilises Polar’s unique, innovative technologies in her fitness and sleep routines to enhance her training. And it’s so interesting to chat to Rachel here about that after having talked to Eilish McColgan about how she uses Polar a couple of weeks ago: they’re very different runners, but as you’ll hear, Polar supports them both equally.Rachel is currently writing her third book, due out next year, so do watch this space for that. Podcast listeners can claim the best discount we have for membership to Women’s Running, which is 35% off. That’s less than £2.95 a month! And for that you get our brilliant magazine, and you also get loads of money off the sorts of stuff you love, like kit, nutrition and class memberships. Just enter WRPOD at the checkout for your discount. Happy running!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to our 19th Workshop. I’m back chatting with Holly, digital editor of Women’s Running. We have some very big things to talk about in this workshop. Holly has had a grim time of it, but in true Holly style, was more than happy to talk about everything with me here. Obviously it’s not all grimness, because we do tend to stagger off at very peculiar tangents, so we start by chatting about the crap emails we receive and by banging on about Duran Duran. We also talk about other good things to run to, including – and this is a new and exciting one for me - running to musicals. Then we fess up that neither of us made it to the start line of our race that we’d booked in for mid-August, and we explain why that is. For me, it’s mundane injury stuff, very blah blah blah. For Holly, though, it was an altogether different experience that stemmed from her mental health taking an almighty (and scary) plunge. So we talk about that here: what her experience was, how she bolstered herself, what she’s done to bring herself upwards again, and – joyously – how the methodical nature of running has been one of her valuable tools during this period. We also talk a lot about yoga: how we both furtively say “namaste” like imposters, how we like a sweaty session, whether Haribo would be a good yoga fuel, and that while we love it, we actually haven’t done any yoga for blooming ages and we need to get our collective arses in gear. Now let’s get to it, and give Holly a collective cuddle.You’ll be really pleased to know that this podcast was recorded almost two weeks ago now, and that in that time Holly has continued to look after herself and assures me that she is feeling better every day, thanks to all the tools she has at her disposal. If you’re feeling any similar symptoms to Holly, please have a look at useful websites such as the NHS and Mind, both of which have lots of brilliant information, helpful practical advice and ideas on where to go if you need more support.Podcast listeners can claim the best discount we have for membership to Women’s Running, which is 35% off. Simply enter WRPOD at the checkout for your discount. Happy running.Support the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I speak to running royalty and three-time Olympian Eilish McColgan. Eilish is an Olympic, World and Commonwealth Finalist who has just returned from her third Olympics in Tokyo where she competed in the 5000 metre and 10,000 metre races. Eilish is an avid user of Polar, the world leader in wearable sports and heart rate technology. Polar are pioneers in wearable sports technology, helping athletes and coaches at all levels to improve their health, performance, and overall wellbeing. Renowned for an unparalleled dedication to scientific accuracy, reliability, and a superior user experience, Polar has cemented itself globally within the industry as the go-to partner for anyone looking to discover their true potential.  I chatted to Eilish while she was in her training camp in France a couple of weeks before she flew out to Tokyo, and I was beyond excited to see how she was going to do, particularly as she had recently smashed Paula Radcliffe’s long-standing British 5000 metre record. In the event, she came 9th in the 10,000 metres and was typically pragmatic about that result, saying “This Olympics might not have gone quite as perfectly as I'd have liked, but I left every ounce on the track!” And she clearly enjoyed every minute of it. I speak to her about smashing Paula’s record, training for the Olympics, what it’s like being trained by your super famous mum AND your boyfriend, and how her training – and the distances she trains for – have changed since breaking her foot. Eilish is already a track legend, we’ve been watching her intently since London 2021, and we cannot wait to see what she does next. Podcast listeners can claim the best discount we have for membership to Women’s Running, which is 35% off. That’s less than £2.95 a month! And for that you get our brilliant magazine, and you also get loads of money off the sorts of stuff you love, like kit, nutrition and class memberships. Just enter WRPOD at the checkout for your discount. Happy running!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

My partner in running crime Holly is on holiday this week so in a small change to the advertised programme I talk to Kate Sellers, our digital assistant. Kate has been part of the women’s running team since January. She is a fitness enthusiast, a keen runner, a yoga teacher and an F45 instructor, so she’s pretty mega. But her journey with running and fitness has not been entirely smooth. Two years ago she was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue after she presented with a number of symptoms, including chronic fatigue, losing her periods and changing her appetite. She talks to me about how that happened, how she was diagnosed, and her road back to recovering and running again. She also introduces the concept of different types of stress: physical and mental – all adding up to the same thing, which I find pretty mind blowing. We also talk about training differently according to your menstrual cycle, which I promise you I’m going to start doing right now. This episode is sponsored by Brooks, and they have a treat for you! Hurrah! We love our Brooks, and we *love* the new Brooks Cascadia 16. This beautiful trail shoe enables runners to explore any trail thanks to its superior grip and stability. Softer and lighter than ever due to its new DNA LOFT V2 midsole, the Cascadia adapts, flexes and protects the foot, no matter how unpredictable the trail gets. And, get this, we’ve got a fab competition right here for you to win one of TWO pairs of Cascadia 16s. All you need to do is go here, and answer a very simple question. And that’s it! Find out more about the Cascadia here. Also remember that you chaps get the best discount for Women’s Running, which is 35% off. That’s less than £2.95 a month! Just enter WRPOD at the checkout for your discount. Happy running!Support the show Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 51 I’m speaking to the legend that is Nicky Spinks. Nicky was a cover star for Women’s Running on the issue before I started, so for me she has always been the one that got away. Not any more! Here she is chatting about her incredible running career so far. Nicky is one of the greatest fell runners of all time, if not the greatest. She set women’s records for the Ramsay Round (that’s 58 miles in Scotland including Ben Nevis), The Paddy Buckley Round (that’s 65 miles in Snowdonia with 47 summits) and the Bob Graham Round (this is the Lake District one, and is 66 miles). She is the holder of the overall record for the double Bob Graham round and is the only person ever to complete doubles of the other two Rounds. She talks to me about how she got into running in the first place, how she trains for those crazy distances, and her experiences running those unheard-of challenges (pre-Nicky). She also talks about her experiences running the terrifying Barkley Marathons, and it sounds like she has some unfinished business there, so watch this space. And because along with being a farmer and running incredible distances, she’s also a coach, I ask her opinion on how we can all run well on the trails, and – crucially – I ask her what the best food to eat on an ultra is – spoiler: there’s a lot of pork pies. And I get her opinion on why she thinks women make such incredible ultra runners, and there’s a lot more running chat besides Podcast listeners can claim the best discount we have for membership to Women’s Running, which is 35% off. That’s less than £2.95 a month! And for that you get our brilliant magazine, and you also get loads of money off the sorts of stuff you love, like kit, nutrition and class memberships. Simply enter WRPOD at the checkoutfor your discount. Happy running!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re celebrating our 50th episode by chatting about random stuff with a bit of running thrown in, as ever. We’re a couple of weeks away from our 10K and half marathon races in the middle of August. Along with some highly relevant content about nice mugs to drink tea from, what we mainly talk about is race day nerves, and all the various worries we have that constitute that. So that’s worrying about our sluggish pace, and also worrying about what other people might think, as well as our concerns about actually going the distance. We talk about how to combat those nerves, how to be confident in our own training, and how to dampen down our inner negative voices. Also, as we both agree, when we see other runners we think they’re brilliant – so surely, surely, other people think we’re brilliant too when they see us? I think this is true. We also talk about my many visits to the physio, ignoring his lovely and brilliant advice and somehow surviving anyway, I describe sciatica to Holly who is too young and flexible to understand what back pain is yet. And we also talk about love bites. Again, Holly is far too young to understand this very 80s phenomenon. Lucky her.This episode is sponsored by Brooks, which is rather brilliant. Why? Cos not only have Brooks created Holly’s favourite running shoe, the Ghost 14, but they’re also giving us two pairs of Ghost 14s to give away! To you guys! The newly launched Ghost 14 now benefits from 100% DNA Loft cushioning for a super smooth ride, a segmented crash pad for seamless transitions, and 3D fit print technology in the upper, so the fit is absolutely spot on. All that means that they’re soft, responsive, smooth and fit like a glove. The Ghost 14 is also, get this, Brooks’ very first carbon neutral shoe, so it’s a very special thing indeed. To be in with a chance of winning one of two pairs, just answer a very silly question here. Find out more about the Ghost 14 here. Please hit like and subscribe – that way you won’t miss the next episode. Podcast listeners can claim the best discount we have for membership to Women’s Running, which is 35% off. That’s less than £2.95 a month! And for that you get our brilliant magazine, and you also get loads of money off the sorts of stuff you love, like kit, nutrition and class memberships. Just enter WRPOD at the checkout for your discount. Happy running!Brooks Running Brooks Running is sponsoring this episode of the Women's Running podcastSupport 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 Jess Judd, British 5000m champion and soon-to-be Olympian. Jess is on the plane to Tokyo any minute now, I think, and I’m so excited about watching her race while she’s there – she’s due to be running the double: the 5000 metres and the 10,000 metres. She talks to me here about her modest start with running, her dad’s love of the sport, and how his enthusiasm was infectious. How she took to it like a duck to water, falling in love with both track and cross country. I ask her what it’s like to be picked for the Olympics, and how she trains for it given the demands of a very busy schedule: she’s also currently studying for a PhD, and she has the not insignificant task of planning a wedding alongside that. She tells me about that, about her thoughts on equality in cross country, how she gets used to race day nerves and performing in front of crowds, and what it was like to meet her hero Jo Pavey. Jess is sponsored by HOKA, so I also ask how that came about, and what kit she enjoys running in the most. She’s an extremely talented runner, and we can’t wait to see what happens in the next couple of weeks. Fingers crossed for Jess!Podcast listeners can claim the best discount we have for membership to Women’s Running, which is 35% off. That’s less than £2.95 a month! And for that you get our brilliant magazine, and you also get loads of money off the sorts of stuff you love, like kit, nutrition and class memberships. Enter WRPOD at the checkout for your discount. Come and join Women’s Running – we’d love to have you with us!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Holly has a bit of a confession to make. So we start off by talking about shifting our expectations with our running, and how that is perfectly okay – what’s not okay is pushing yourself so that you’re uncomfortable with your goals: these goals are supposed to be rewards for our training, not a stick to beat ourselves up with. We also talk about the bits of cross training we’re doing, and the wonderful Yoga with Adrienne. Then the big topic this episode is mental health. We chat about what running means to us both, in terms of supporting our mental health, and how it has helped us in the past. We also talk about how women can have a complex relationship with sport. For both of us, our love of running and exercise wasn’t fostered at school, and we both have bad memories of team sports in our teenage years, which I think can have a damning effect on many young (and older) women, preventing them from continuing sport after finishing school. We managed to find our love for sport, but many don’t – many are still trapped inside that little girl who was always picked last for netball. She is still very much part of me, so it’s joyful to be able to share that experience and realise that we’re not the only ones, and that one of running’s most meaningful benefits is in eradicating the sadness of those PE days: because us slow runners, us wheezy people at the back, it turns out we can run, and you know what? We’re good at it too. Podcast listeners can claim the best discount we have for membership to Women’s Running, which is 35% off. That’s less than £2.95 a month! And for that you get our brilliant magazine, and you also get loads of money off the sorts of stuff you love, like kit, nutrition and class memberships. Enter WRPOD at the checkout for your discount. Come and join Women’s Running – we’d love to have you with us!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode I talk to Natasha Acres, the founder of Earth Runs. There are several brilliant things about Tash. First off, she’s the brains behind Earth Runs; this virtual running initiative plants trees according to the number of miles you run. And, if you wish, you can further reward yourself with one of her truly original, and very magnificent seed bomb medals. Secondly, because this initiative is truly awesome, and because she managed to cobble together an entry at the very last minute, Tash is the hugely surprised recipient of the first Brooks Run Fund, which was launched earlier this year. This global initiative was set up to celebrate the power of running, with a fund to reward big ideas that benefit our communities and our environment. Something which Earth Runs literally does in spades. The fund that Tash won is $100,000. Obviously she is giddy with it. And she talks to me here about how and why she set up Earth Runs, what she’s going to do with the cash, and how she wants to continue spreading her very achievable message that we can all make a little bit of difference, that we can combine making those differences with our running, and that those differences all add up to a very big change. She is an inspiration.And I do so love talking to women who have very appropriate names, don’t you? We’ve had Sophie Power, Mel Bound, Holly Rush – and now Tash Acres, with her brilliantly tree-focussed name. Not quite sure how I can top that – if you can think of anyone from the world of running that has a name that fits what they do, then let me know so I can add to my Mr Biff the Boxer list.Podcast listeners can claim the best discount we have for membership to Women’s Running, which is 35% off. That’s less than £2.95 a month! And for that you get our brilliant magazine, and you also get loads of money off the sorts of stuff you love, like kit, nutrition and class memberships. Enter WRPOD at the checkout for your discount. Come and join Women’s Running – we’d love to have you with us!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 46 of the Women’s Running podcast, and our 15th Workshop. We kick off this one by talking about Holly’s concerns about our upcoming half marathon. I do my best to allay her fears about coming last, and general anxiety about a smaller race, in terms of runner numbers. On the one hand it’s a bit of a relief not to have the pressure of so many people, but both of us are concerned about feeling a bit exposed. But we are determined to enjoy it, to take it slow, and to keep hydrated properly! We go off on a tangent (standard) and have a giggle about sweat and where exactly we all sweat from, which makes me go a bit pink, and then for some reason we go off on a mega tangent about tights. I really have no idea why.But the main part of this podcast is to discuss periods: how the hormones, the mental upheaval and the sheer presence of them can affect our running, and what we do to combat those things. Holly is venturing back into the world of periods after having been on a contraceptive pill that meant she’s not actually had a period for some years now. So knowing this, I wanted to talk about that – and about our experience of hormonal contraception and how that has affected us and our running over the past years. And then what I really wanted to talk about was the practical side of things: what can people who have periods do to manage symptoms while out on a run. So we chat about some of the options available, and the things we prefer to do.We also talk about how to run on a period while keeping an eye on the environment, and we talk about some of our favourite brands– not sponsored at all, just the ones we like, so I’ve listed those below. Hey GirlMooncupDameBP3 pantsAnd if you’re at all interested in the thing I was blathering on about with the prostitute and the flowers, there’s this thing here.(you see, I didn’t make it up!)Podcast listeners can claim the best discount we have for membership to Women’s Running, which is 35% off. That’s less than £2.95 a month! And for that you get our brilliant magazine, and you also get loads of money off the sorts of stuff you love, like kit, nutrition and class memberships. Enter WRPOD at the checkout for your discount. Come and join Women’s Running – we’d love to have you with us!Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=67575412) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.