Blasting Through Setbacks

One lesson we all learn from this ridiculous yet addictive hobby is that things don't always go to plan: from DNFs to long term injuries, leaking gels to poor toilet strategies, via asking "why am I doing this?" in the middle of an Ultra (or 5K!). This time we go through some of the trials and tribulations of being a runner and, crucially, why these should never diminish your personal running story and generally how to cope with disappointment.

Andrew has uncovered another fascinating portmanteau word, this time to describe the joy and liberation of running wherever you find yourself. We are joined by high flying pharma exec Troy dale who runs a lot, travels a lot and knows a lot. We find out who is the greatest nerd in the team and desperately try to get some free merch sent to us.

This is not remake of an infamous 70s self discovery book featuring a man with a dodgy beard, but a sincere exploration into the discomfort we all feel whilst or after running, how we cope with it and why we convince ourselves it is all worth it. And we are very pleased to welcome avid listener and born again runner Adam Ashby who has some great ideas to share.

This episode is, as the title suggests, is all about "balance". Whether it be balancing life's responsibilities with finding the time to run, chasing pace versus running to just stay healthy or simply understanding what is meant by a balanced diet, we all have to compromise. This time, we welcome two guests, Rob and David to talk this through and also catch up with preparations for our next 10K. So, are we getting the balance right and can we learn from each other as a group of runners who came late to the joys of putting on a pair of trainers and getting soaked?

Inspired by the incredible achievements of David Lodge, we started thinking about how to start increasing the distances we run. This coincides nicely with Oliver's first 10K race which was completed with the help of Andrew's constant presence. And chat! We take you through the best, safest ways to build up distance and get as far as the "Backyard Ultra" where super resilient runners complete a course of 6.7Km once and hour every hour until one competitor is left. In this event runners complete 100s, that is 100s of miles! But most of us just want to explore how to run further and this is what we focus on.

You've heard of "Cross Country" right? Well, how about "Cross an ENTIRE Country". That's what "The Dragon's Back" is: competitors crazy enough to take on this challenge run, scramble and slide from Conway Castle to Cardiff Castle, in other words the entire length of Wales in all its rocky, hilly and rainy beauty. This means climbing up and running down the height of TWO Mount Everests over 380km in six - yes you got that right - just SIX days! At the end of every day, athletes not hitting par time are eliminated leaving only the very toughest at the end. In this episode, long-time friend of Andrew's, David Lodge, tells us how he managed this feat, at the fourth attempt, and shares lessons all us lesser runners can learn from his incredible experience. Enjoy!

The IWNCN guys meet special guest (real runner, real stand-up comedian, real author) Paul Tonkinson and also discuss how to manage aches, pains and injuries. Award winning (for both performing and writing) Paul talks about returning to running in middle age after taking it seriously in his youth, which has culminated in him writing two books documenting his adventures. A late appearance from Paul's dog adds to the fun as he reveals whether he managed a 3 hour marathon as an "older runner". Spoiler alert: of course he did! The guy's a running machine! :)

In this episode we talk to James who is roughly our age but only started running this year and is already faster than both of us! Now we all know that being a runner is not all about how fast you are, but James's trajectory is pretty impressive! He chats to us about how he got into running and what he has found out on the way. Also, with the nights drawing in, we talk about how we enjoy the change of the seasons and give some tips about running in the dark and cold. Spoiler alert: our message is, keep running!

As pretentious as this title might sound both of us feel that apart all the other things we define ourselves as, we are "runners" now! In this episode we talk about how running has genuinely changed our lives, whilst trying not to be too soft about it. Broadly, we tackle how are minds, bodies and souls have felt the benefit of getting out there, strapping on the old pumps and running. We end up struggling to find reasons to not take up this rather brilliant activity which gives so much more than it takes. Are you a runner? Go on!

Ok so we all have setbacks, from realising we are not Eliud Kipchoge to being reminded that calf muscles have an elastic limit to frankly, not being arsed to go out into the cold. In this episode we go through all that nonsense and more and give some hints that worked for us as we powered on though!