Scottish Queen of the Backyard Ultra and co-founder of the Wildheart Runners, Karen Nicol spends some time with us this week.

Her bio on the Wildheart Runners page says it all:

"Karen has been competing in ultra-distance races for over 10 years and loves (and sometimes loathes) a Backyard Ultra. With 40 yards under her belt, the former GB female record holder is passionate about encouraging females to participate in the lapped format. Karen has won the Crawley 12-hour and 6-hour races and stood on the podium in many other ultra races, including Edinburgh 24, Glenmore 24, and Devil of the Highlands.

She is also the Founder and Race Director of her local Junior Parkrun, she is a guide runner, journaling advocate, and ultra-running coach specialising in female health and menopause.

Her passion is supporting others to overcome barriers and use running as a vessel for a better life.

UESCA Certified Ultra Running Coach and Certified Female Athlete and Menopause Coach. "

What we talked about:

• Karen's background is from being a non-runner and signing up for a charity 10k to representing her country at the Back Yard Ultra World Championships
• Her thoughts and campaigning for better, more equitable representation of females in endurance sports
• We explore some of the barriers to females in ultra running
• How the Wildheart Runners started and how you can get involved

Key Takeaways:

• The unique challenges that females are faced with
• How the support of others, like the Wildheart Runners community can help build your confidence
• How getting the right people around you is so important to being able to fulfil your potential sich as getting the right coach (and a supportive partner)

Resources Mentioned:

• Follow Karen on Instagram @ultrakazy and the Wildheart Runners on @wildheartrunners
• You can find out all about the Wildheart Runners at their website here:wildheartrunners.com

Connect with Us:

• Follow @davidultrarunner on Instagram for some running-related content, engage with the podcast and find out when the next one is available
• Subscribe to our podcast on all good podcast platforms including apple, spotify and amazon
• Leave us a review on whatever platform you are listening on and share with people you might think would like to hear what we have to say. It really does help

Do you want me to be your ultramarathon coach?

All you have to do is fill in a simple form, and then we can set up a time to see how I can help you. The link is here: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/david-taylor-glasgow-running-coach/, and one of the team will get back to you. Plus, if you mention the podcast, I have a little discount waiting for you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Once again we have came up trumps with a long-run feature length episode.

This time we will hear from Scott Brown. not only is Scott my coach but he is the owner of SBF (Scott Brown Fitness) and a serial winner in both OCR and ultra-endurance events

The conversation is filled with inspiration throughout. I hope you enjoy.

Topics Discussed:

• Scott's background, from school to the military, to close protection work to the business that he has built
• How he has evolved as an athlete and how he finds new and exciting challenges#
• We talk about some massive races from the worlds toughest mudder to the the West Highland Way Race, to the GB Ultras Scotland events and the Spine.
• The way that he surrounds himself with the right people and how in turn he is also able to help and support others great team and people
• How mindset can overcome obstacles regardless of whether you are an elite athlete like Scott or more average (like me)
• His future challenges (we will come back to Scott after he has smashed this one)

Key Takeaways:

• Mindset is key to achieving what you set out to do, and it is something that you can work on and develop
• The environment that you are in is important, what kind of culture do you want to be in?
• Getting the right people and team around you will accelerate your success, but where can you also give something back?

Resources Mentioned:

• Follow Scott on Instagram @sbf_scottbrown and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/scottbrownfitness
• You can find out all about his gym here: https://www.facebook.com/scottbrownfitness

Connect with Us:

• Follow @davidultrarunner on Instagram for some running-related content, engage with the podcast and find out when the next one is available
• Subscribe to our podcast on all good podcast platforms including apple, spotify and amazon
• Leave us a review on whatever platform you are listening on and share with people you might think would like to hear what we have to say. It really does help

Do you want me to be your ultramarathon coach?

All you have to do is fill in a simple form, and then we can set up a time to see how I can help you. The link is here: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/david-taylor-glasgow-running-coach/, and one of the team will get back to you. Plus, if you mention the podcast, I have a little discount waiting for you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have another long-run/feature-length episode this week with Paul Manson aka The Random Runner.

Paul is the dynamic personality behind the YouTube channel 'The Random Runner'.

Join us as he shares his journey from a casual runner to an epic adventure conquering social media sensation, known for his fun and quirky challenges that bring joy to the running community.

Topics Discussed:

• Paul’s background, what inspired him to start running and when he got 'the bug'.
• The concept behind the Random Runner and his positivity in facing challenges
• How he uses social media to connect with and motivate others
• How he chooses his races and challenges like the West Highland Way Race, Lakeland 100 and the Tor de Geants
• Tips for anyone looking to make running more fun and engaging

Key Takeaways:

• Frame ultras as adventures
• Choosing your path and focusing on the joy that running can give you
• Finding what it is that inspires you - then go and do it

Resources Mentioned:

• Follow Paul on YouTube @therandomrunner
• @salomon s/lab genesis as his 'go to' shoe

Connect with Us:

• Follow @davidultrarunner on Instagram for some running-related content, engage with the podcast and find out when the next one is available
• Subscribe to our podcast on [Platforms]
• Leave us a review on whatever platform you are listening on and share where you can

Do you want me to be your ultramarathon coach?

All you have to do is fill in a simple form and then we can set up some time to see how I can help you. The link is here: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/david-taylor-glasgow-running-coach/ and one of the team will get back to you. Plus, if you mention the podcast I have a little discount waiting for you.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we move back to Ayrshire where we have a conversation with the one and only Andy Darling.

Andy is a Personal Trainer and Ultrarunner based in Irvine and has recently completed the 57-mile Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultramarathon in just 9 hours and 27 minutes.

He is also a personal trainer (There is Always Time) working out of Scott Brown Fitness in Irvine.

In this episode, we talk about:

• His transition from CrossFit, where he got a bit bored to Obstacle Course Racing
• Moving beyond the OCR world and focusing on road-running
• Going from shorter races to road marathons to recently completing the Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultramarathon
• How he moved from managing a coffee shop to being a personal trainer - his passion for this shines through
• Finding the inspiration in what he does now and next

Many thanks to Andy for his time and if you would like to connect with him then he is on Instagram here: @thereisalwaystime_pt and on the ol' Facebook just search for There is Always Time PT

If you are looking for coaching help and advice for ultrarunning, I still have space, so why not set up a time to see how I can help? Just fill in some details in the contact form here: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/david-taylor-glasgow-running-coach/ and one of the team will ensure we get connected. If you decide to go ahead with coaching, then just mention the podcast for a nice little discount. I can't say I'm not nice.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We kick off season 2 in style and have feature (long run) length episode that I promise will be worth it.

We catch up with Jeev Sing, co-founder of the Green Runners who has recently conquered the infamous Bob Graham Round, and in the process became the first Indian to do so.

In this episode, we talk about:

• How he went from humble beginnings in India to the corporate world in London.
• The moment that he turned back to running and a healthier way of life
• Moving from road to trail (and loving it)
• Moving from trail to ultras (and loving it) - including 'that' fell running book
• Running the classic 153-mile Spartathlon
• Falling in love with the Lakeland Fells (and moving there)
• What the Bob Graham Round is, the approach he took and the friends he made
• Where the idea of The Green Runners came from and how you can get involved

You can find out more about the Green Runners by clicking on their Instagram bio and also connect with Jeev at @desi.runner where you will be able to see his reels including some awesome highlights of his Bob Graham. The film about his round will be coming out in Spring 2025 and will be available through Summit Fever Media

As always, if you are looking for some help to achieve your ultra goals then get in touch for a chat here: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/david-taylor-irvine-scotland-running-coach/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Flying solo this week and I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about a couple of areas that I've heard people talking about

Ultrarunning is as much a mental game as it is physical so I cover mindset so I look at:

• A working definition of mindset
• How you create evidence of the person you are
• How you maintain focused attention on your behaviours
• How mindset is important for resilience in ultras

It's also the time of the season when many people have done a couple of races one of which might have been their longer 'A' race.

What happens then?

Yup, it's time to recover so I cover some of the basics in terms of:

• Recovery during training blocks
• Recovery after big races, especially ones that are harder than you've done before
• The role of the nervous system and Heart Rate Variation (HRV)
• Using metrics on your fitness trackers
• Some (very important) basics on recovery
• Ice baths

If you are wanting to find out how I can help you then get in touch here: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/david-taylor-irvine-scotland-running-coach/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We go international again this week. Julie Urbanski, an American and co founder of team RunRun, joins us this week from Portugal.

In this episode we talk about:

• How running became Julie's sport of choice
• Her through hiking background across some truly epic trails in America (we're talking thousands of miles here)
• How she manages the balance of work, running and parenthood while travelling
• Her recent run at the OCC - one of the UTMB series events
• Team RunRun, what it is and its mission to bring together coaches and athletes

We talk about what Team RunRun is in this episode and how I have become involved as a coach. If you want to see how I might be able to help you with your running goals then get in touch here: https://teamrunrun.com/coach/david-taylor-irvine-scotland-running-coach/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.