Tough Girl Podcast

This week we’re going back to catch up with Amy to see what’s she’s been up to since we last spoke in August 2015! Which is a lot!  Amy is a massive runner and her passionate has always been to inspire other people. Her latest challenge has been the biggest and hardest challenge she’s ever take on, dealing with blisters, tiredness, and exhaustion. We talk to Amy about her determination, her stubbornness and achieving a NEW Gluiness World Record!  Amy has also been travelling to Ecuador to film a new TV show called “On the Run” and we discuss the next challenge she’d like to take on, which would be another world first!   Show notes -Catching up with Amy Hughes (53 Marathons in 53 Days Raising £53,000!) -How Amy came up with her next challenge -Why saying her challenge out loud and making her challenge public helped her to achieve it -Coping with the pressure of the challenge -Why Amy kept her planning simple and why I’m the opposite! -Why different things work for different people -Being in the middle of the Trafford Centre feeling like she was in a goldfish bowl -Seeing Amy on the treadmill in the Trafford Centre -Being a zombie! -Going back to Day 1 - still feeling fresh and feeling relief at starting -Getting 3 hrs behind on the first day and having to play catch up for the rest of the week -Breaking down on Day 2 after 20 hours of running -Dealing with the lows throughout the challenge -Keeping track of the miles -Mental games and tricks to keep going through the pain and tiredness - Plus her motivational mantra!   “I am Fearless, I am Strong, Don’t Stop”   -Why she had to keep on upping her running game -Sleeping for 2/3 hours per day and spending the rest of the time running -Moments from the challenge that stand out - for good and bad reasons! -Blasting out really fast 5Ks towards the end -The final 12K to do, and knowing it was possible to break the record -Celebrations! -How her feet coped…. -Heading to Ecuador to film “On the Run”  -What’s going to be the next challenge?! -Any ideas for Amy?! Get in contact on twitter @AmyHughes53 or visit her website    Learn more - visit - www.toughgirlchallenges.com    Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! LINKS! Twitter - https://twitter.com/_tough_girl Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/toughgirlchallenges/  Blog/Website - www.toughgirlchallenges.com/  FaceBook - https://www.facebook.com/ToughGirlChallenges/  Tumblr - http://toughgirlchallenges.tumblr.com  Pinterest - https://uk.pinterest.com/Tough101/  Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/ToughGirlPodcast?ty=h  

The Marathon des Sables (MDS) is known as the toughest footrace on earth, where competitors carry everything required to survive on their back for the week, except the water they collect en route and tent they share with seven strangers.  Temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).  Selina run over 2,000 miles in training and added a further two official marathons to her total of nine.  She'd never run an ultra-marathon before so the fourth day, which is typically over 90KM long, was both a mental and physical challenge! Selina ran the race to raise money for Women for Women International, which provides life, business and vocational skills to women in countries affected by conflict.  Women and girls suffer disproportionately from high rates of rape, violence and extreme poverty during times of conflict.  In modern war, it is shocking that it is more dangerous to be a woman than it is a soldier.  Women for Women International is making a difference in these women's lives, by empowering them with skills which can turn their despair to hope, and engaging men as allies by teaching them about issues which negatively impact women.     Shownotes   Learning more about Selina her background and why she say’s she’s not a sporty person  How she got into running at age 30 Running the London Marathon followed by the Paris Marathon two weeks later Raising money for charity and why her charitable focus has started to lean more towards women’s charities How reading “Half the Sky” made her think more about her own life Women for Women International (WfWI) The Marathon des Sables - why she decided to pick this as a challenge! How much time she gave herself to prepare Being scared of applying for the race and what changed her mind Thinking she’d missed her opportunity How she went about preparing for MDS Picking Rory Coleman as her trainer & his top 3 pieces of advice How she managed to fit her training in and why discipline was important What her training week looked like Why you should give yourself permission to do something for you every day Getting the children involved!  Her fears before the race The power of belief Her secret dream of getting in the top 10 women Her race strategy and why she kept it simple  Her mantra - “Run if you can, walk if you need to” Dealing with the low points during the race and how the power of positive thinking pushed her through Feet!! Her highlight from MDS Would she race it again? What she learned most from doing the MDS    Charities - Women for Women International (WfWI) & Aidha   

Jill changed the direction of her life when she decided to move to Alaska to follow her heart. After have her heart broken she recovered while riding in the 2009 Tour Divide — a 2,745-mile mountain bike race along the Continental Divide from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. In 2014 Jill completed in the Freedom Challenge, a 1,400-mile mountain bike race across South Africa. Following on from that race, Jill went on to set a new women's fastest human-powered time while riding her bike across Alaska in the 2016 Iditarod Trail Invitational.  During the podcast we discuss the why, we discuss the motivation and we discuss her fears and how she still battles them everyday. Show notes Getting to know Jill Why she moved to Alaska Finding out about the Iditarod trail - 350-mile winter bike race from Knik, Alaska 100-mile winter bike race What she learned while racing and how she found it empowering Growing up timid, being cautious and not wanting to take risk How she changed the direction of her life after her race Being more confident and more being more willing to take on bigger challenges The next big challenge! Learning how to be self reliant Being constantly scared and having to talk herself down and how she uses the power of mantra!    “Be Brave - Be Strong”   The 2009 Tour Divide — a 2,745-mile mountain bike race along the Continental Divide from Banff, Alberta, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico Dealing with a break-up, being demotivated before the start Dealing with bad weather, mud and facing near death experiences What drove her and why she had to keep on going Getting herself physically ready and why she took leave from her job to prepare Day to day life on the trail from cycling for 14 to 18 hr days, and camping at night Having doubts she would finish the race Her top tips for recovery Rediscovering who she was and what she was capable of Racing the Freedom Trail and how it came about Seeing what this whole running thing was about! Meeting a new man and the special races they’ve done together Why really successful people are drawn to endurance sports Goals for the future and taking on a 1000 mile race! Starting weight lifting and how its helps her in training and in the race Struggling with confidence and self belief and trying to understand where that comes from Why its ok to have fear Her goals and plans for the future Learn more about Jill be visiting her blog or follow her on twitter @AlaskaJill  

Corey is an American living the expat lifestyle in London. She started blogging in 2011 “Learning Patience” and has documented her adventures in cooking, running, traveling, and all things expat.  I’ll also be giving an update about the Tough Girl Tribe and what’s in store for 2017! Show notes Struggling to deal with patience Learning a little more about Corey Dealing with a foot injury Being diagnosed as a diabetic Differences between the types of diabetics Growing up and hating running How running has changed her life Starting with virtual races and moving onto trail marathons to relay races Being diagnosed with type 1 Diabetes and how it impacted on her life Why her goal was to just get running again Trying to learn patience! Recovery from injury and not taking no for an answer Dealing with the worst year of her life and why she tries to be as positive as she can Top tips for patience How meeting her husband taught her about positivity and why she only hangs out with positive people Her plans for the future Getting into climbing and heading over to Austria! Travelling Final words of advice and why you should soak up all the happiness you can Learn more about Corey by visiting her website and following her on twitter @CoreyLearn To see more episodes of the tough girl podcast check out - www.toughgirlchallenges.com 

Cathy grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, as a child she was not sporty and labelled herself as an academic. As a shy person, she embraced rock climbing at university and during this podcast we learn more about Cathy, her drive, and how she went onto become the fist women to climb Mount Everest from both sides. Show notes What it was like growing up in South Africa Being terrible at sport at young age and labelling herself as “academic & square” Why she loved rock climbing and how her passion progressed As an introvert and shy girl growing up, rock climbing allowed her to develop her social skills while also using her mind to solve climbing problems  How she ended up getting on the South African Team to go and climb Everest & why it was never a goal for her Being inspired by Arlene Blum - Annapurna: A Woman's Place Trying to find the opportunity to climb big mountains! What she learnt whilst being on and around Mount Everest Knowing she was going to make it to the top and the boost it gave to her confidence Why she has always been careful on the mountains and why you can be to careful What she learnt about failure from the expedition Dealing with the negative media coverage and coming home to people who had opinions about her and every decision she made while on the mountain Finding the opportunity in the mess Being more prepared to try things Being process driven, rather than goal driven Attempting a new route on one of the world’s top 10 mountains – the Mazeno Ridge on Nanga Parbat The different challenges and adventures that have impacted her the most Dealing with risk - in high stress environments and how’s she applied what she’s learned in the mountains to every day life Why she likes to try new things! From skiing down 6,000 metre peaks, to dog sledding in the Arctic! Waiting for the stars to align & having patience! Shout out to Alistair Humphrys and his Micro Adventures Money, finding the right partners & serendipity!  Why she thinks of life like a journey Her next challenge!   Visit her website! Cathy is on twitter @CathyODowd - I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL  

Here is a raw and unedited interview I did with Ali, where we discuss some of the big challenges I’ve faced in my life, from deciding to leave my job, coping with summit night on Mount Kilimanjaro, to training for and running the Marathon des Sables this April. Ali will also be writing a blog post about our interview and this will be available on www.ithinksport.com.  Helping to raise awareness for Women’s Sport Week - organised by Women in Sport. #WSW2016   Show notes Discussing the challenges of writing a book! More about me, my background and how I ended up leaving my job Why I decided to leave my job Having to deal with change Why I felt so lost when I didn’t have a job How I decided on what I wanted to do next Why I needed to get away from friends and family to help me decide what I wanted to do next Coming up with Tough Girl Challenge and what it’s goal is Where my mental strength comes from Summit night on Kilimanjaro Why you have a choice over your attitude The power of “self-talk” - "you can either be your own best coach, or your own worst enemy" How the Marathon des Sables came about The responses of friends and family when I told them about the race. Why you have to be careful of who you spend time with Dealing with fear before the race How I took training to an extreme level Thinking I was mentally weak! Being told by a Doctor that I couldn’t do the MDS in 2015 What I learned from all the negative experiences Building my physical strength and mental strength up Trying to get balance in training The power of visualisation, and why I always thought about crossing the finish line Creating my own certificate of achievement! Being overwhelmed by trying to pack everything Trying to stay calm and why yoga helped me Dealing with the long stage during the marathon. Running 52 miles in a day. The benefits of breaking down challenges into smaller chunks Why the final stretch on the long day was so, so hard! Why I thought I could keep on going Coping with pain The final day, and just being over the whole race Why gratitude can play an important part of mental strength  Seeing the finish line and how I was feeling! The anti climax of finishing the race Why it was all about the journey and what I learned along on the way Crying at Euston Train Station What’s next for me and why I struggle when I don’t have a goal Stepping into the boxing ring Why you have to know your reason   Learn more about ithinksport.com  Learn more about - Women’s Sport Week Follow along on twitter #WSW2016  

Kat is originally from Melbourne, she spent 7 years living in Tokyo before moving to London. After a knee operation she was forced to forget about running and sports and walking was the only activity she could do. So far her quest has taken her all over the world, on epic walks, from the Camino’s, the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage, as well as numerous short walks in the UK. Most recently she has completed the Pacific Crest Trail which stretches from Mexico to Canada! During the podcast Kat shares her story, she shares top tips and advice and why she believes anyone can get out there and go for a walk! Show notes Kat introduces herself and shares more of her story Moving from Melbourne, to Japan, to Toronto to London Why she became a walker What is was like making the decision to move to Japan Falling in love with Japan and living there for 7 years! Climbing Mount Fuji and why she did it every year  The meaning of “Henro"  Deciding to quit her job in 2013 and head off to do the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage Dealing with typhoons, snakes & centipedes The reason she started her blog - Following the Arrows Why you don’t need to speak Japanese to do the Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage The enlightenment, prayers and ritual you could choose to follow at each temple Doing it on a budget The highlights and the challenges she faced Getting to the final temple number 88 and the final challenge she had to overcome The Camino Route and why it’s such a special pilgrimage Walking the PCT - Pacific Crest Trail in 2015 How it came about and how she had to face her fears Doing the research and getting mentally prepared Dealing with injury just months before the PCT Advice and tips for planning and preparation Getting through the low points while on the PCT How she copes when she finishes a challenge Why her trail name was, “Hummingbird” What future walks she would like to do Words of advice for wannabe walkers   Read more on Kat’s Blog - Following the Arrows  Check out www.toughgirlchallenges.com for more info!

Emily shares more of her remarkable story of how she first entered the world of cycling and how it changed her, how she grew to love it and how it took her on adventures all over the world. Emily is a master story teller, and during this podcast we get to go with her, to experience the highlights and learn from her mistakes along the way. This is a very open and revealing interview, Emily talks about depression, dealing with failure and why she’s so passionate about encouraging more women to enter the world of cycling.  Shownotes Emily introduces herself and shares a little more about who she is Why she ends up talking about danger a lot! Why she found cycling in London empowering Becoming a cycle courier and what it was like Learning on the job and why she wanted to do a winter on the bike so she could call herself a proper ‘cycle courier’ Deciding she wanted to do a bigger cycling challenge & being inspired by Alastair Humphreys  Realising she could take on a bigger trip and having the courage to do so  What she learnt most while planning her round the world trip and why next time she wouldn’t plan as much Remembering the day she set off and what she was feeling The highlights! Surviving the Turkish winter and why she remembers it as one of the best times of her life! Why she’s still trying to work out what drives her and motivates her How she knew it was right to finish the cycle and head home at the end of Asia and not continue Dealing with the adventure blues and being clinically depressed for a year Postponing the rest of her cycle until 2015 and why it was hard to give up on the dream but why she knows it was the best thing for her Going back to being a cycle courier and why it helped her recovery In 2014 - Turning her blog into a book!  Setting off from Anchorage on the 2nd January 2015 Dealing with fear while heading off into the great unknown The magical encounters that happened on the way Camping at -40! Dealing with the loneliness & isolation What she’s learnt about herself while on these trips What the Transcontinental Race across Europe is and why she wanted to cycle it Becoming obsessed with sleep - but not allowing herself to sleep…dealing with chest pains and ending up in hospital Winning the women category in the Transcontinental Race 2016!! What can we do to encourage more women to enter long distance cycling races? The Adventure Syndicate - What its aims our and why it was started Emily’s next challenge!   Visit Emily’s website! Say hi to Emily on twitter! @emilychappell   

Some of the amazing challenges Juliana has done…   World Cycle 2012 On July 23 2012, Juliana Buhring set out from Naples, Italy to make the first women’s world record for fastest circumnavigation by bicycle. On December 22, 2012, she re-entered Naples with a total time of 152 days including flight transfers and 144 actual days peddled.   Transcontinental Race 2013  In 2013, Juliana participated in the inaugural Transcontinental Race, the toughest unsupported race across Europe starting in London and ending in Istanbul, crossing the high cols of the Alps. Juliana was the only woman in the race, finishing in 12 days and placing 9th overall.   Trans AM Race 2014 In June 2014, Juliana raced the inaugural Trans Am Bike Race. Starting in Astoria, Oregon, and finishing in Yorktown, Virginia, the race is 4,322 miles long, with 67,000 metres of total altitude. Buhring finished the race in 20 days and 23 hours, winning first place in the women’s category & 4th place overall.   The Race Across America 2016 The Race Across America (RAAM) is one the most respected and longest running endurance sports events in the world. Racers must traverse 3000 miles across 12 states and climb over 170,000 vertical feet. This will be Juliana’s first supported ultra-cycling race and she is keen to discover how much further she can push herself within this category.   Shownotes -Where Juliana is living at the moment and why she love Naples -Going back to when Juliana was growing up and what life was like for her growing up in a cult -Learning how to ride a bike at 30 and making the decision to cycle around the world -Dealing with tragedy and the death of her soulmate and how she struggled to bounce back -Deciding on the ultimate adventure of cycling around the world and finding out that no women had done this challenge before -Starting to train for the challenge and deciding on which bike to use & what route to take -Advice for listeners on how to get through the darkness and into the light -What Juliana’s learnt about inner strength and how you can get stronger - “if you’re going through hell keep on going” -Why you need to have a purpose and a reason to wake up in the morning.  -Her world cycle trip & what she experienced along the way and why she changed on the journey -Running out of money, almost having to give up and what kept her on the road -Human kindness while on the road and how the most incredible moments came after the hardest points on the way -How cycling changed her life and why she didn't want to go back to teaching -Being invited on the transcontinental race across Europe in 2013 and being the only women in the race! -What’s she learnt about the “mind body connection" and how she’s applied it to endurance sports and also to her life -Trying to find the balance in her life -Following a ketogenic diet to reduce inflammation -Being the only female in a very male dominated world and how she’s started to see this change -Dealing with accusations of cheating and how she responded to it -Advice for women who are competing with the men at all levels and why she just focuses on herself and why knowing your why is so important -The Race Across America (RAAM) - everything you need to know and why Juliana decided to do this race -Her next challenge - heading off to Australia to race! -Changing her diet to fat burning and the benefits she’s had from that -Her advice for women who may be scared or afraid of travelling alone   You can learn more about Juliana by visiting her website  Support her on Facebook  Say hi to Juliana on twitter @JulianaBuhring    

Shownotes -Where Jo is at the moment -Getting back out to Everest in March  -Why she didn’t want what happened last year to stop her from living her life -Reflecting back on what happened and why she found it cathartic  -Climbing two, 6,000 metre peaks before Everest -Getting back on the mountain and feeling right at home in her tent -Getting blessed before the climb and why its important to follow this tradition -Learning more about the atmosphere on the mountain after the earthquake the previous year -Why you shouldn’t be 100% reliant on your climbing sherpa the whole way -Why you need to have experience when climbing Everest and the ability to get yourself out of problems that can happen on the mountain  -Jo summit attempt  -Dealing with feelings of frustration while on the mountain   “Choose your mood!”    “Its about attitude not altitude!”   -why you need to conserve your energy on the down days -How Jo kept herself entertained while having to wait at camps -Dealing with low points & wanting to walk off the mountain -Feeling calm on the final push -Having to deal with slower climbers in front and how she handled it  -Trying to keep awake and warm on the mountain -Coping with her fear of heights and having to keep it together on a windy high ridge -Why reaching the summit was a massive anti-climax  -Learning to appreciate what she’s achieved and dealing with the post trip blues -Having more self belief in herself and what she’s learnt most about herself from climbing Everest -Why she wants to climb more 8,000 metre peaks -Questions from the tribe! -Find out what’s next for Jo!   Links! Take a listen to the first Tough Girl Podcast episode with Jo! Click here! Check out Jo’s Blog - http://www.29029feet.co.uk  Follow Jo on twitter @29029feet  & on Facebook!   Charities Check out - Place2Be & Support4Sherpas   Events! Come & join us at the Women In Adventure Expo in Bristol 8th October! Get your ticket before the 30th September!