Milly started running purely for fitness and health, it was a means to an end and she’d go out, pounding the road and the pavement but never enjoying it. But that all changed when she went off road running.
Running no longer felt like a chore or just a means to keep fit. She found a real passion and love for it.
Milly shares her story and talks about making the change to off road running and how she went from running a 10 mile fell race to a 53 km ultra race in the Alps.
During this podcast Milly also talks about:
- What fell racing is, the different types of races and how to classify them
- Navigating with a compass, following other runners and planning your own route
- Why fell running is more of a thinking race
- Why she decided to go down the ultra running route and the most impulsive thing she's ever done!
- The challenges she faced during training, from over training, to injury and training for the mountains while living in the city
- The mental preparation and strategies she used to prepare for her race
- How she coped with self doubt especially during the training period
- Dealing with the concerns of other people
- Why “time on your feet” is so important
- What she was feeling while stood on the start line and what happened during the race including her first mental battle at 15 miles
- Thinking more strategically during the race and what drove her on
- How doing her pre-race preparation of the race route helped her to finish strong
- Why she started writing a blog about running and how she wants other women to be inspired
- Future challenges for 2016
- Her ultimate running race and top tips for running off the road
Thank you so much for listening to the 30th Episode of the Tough Girl Podcast!
I can’t believe how far the Tough Girl Podcast has come since I started on Tuesday 4th August (Tough Girl Tuesday!) If you haven’t already please do go back and check out the earlier episodes, you’ll be inspired by polar explorers, swimmers, mountain climbers and ocean rowers! Which will give you the inspiration you need to set your 2016 goals!
I’ll be sharing mine on the Tough Girl Blog! I’d love to hear what goals you’ve set for yourself?
Links
The Fell Runners Association - FRA
The OCC Race - Orsiere, Champex and Chamonix
The UTMB - Ultra Trail Mount Blanc
A short reading from Jeff Spiers - How to Succeed in Life & Happiness
Social Media Links
Twitter - @_TOUGH_GIRL @MillyVoiceRuns
Instagram - @toughgirlchallenges @MillyVoiceRuns
“The MDS is a magical race and I can honestly say that the two times I have run it (2012 + 2015), it has been a life changing experience in different respects. Whether you look at it as a fun holiday, a race, a trek or an adventure that has been on your bucket list for 20+ years you probably won't be disappointed. It can be as hard as you want it to be (or harder!) and it will likely test your physical and mental strength to the limits. The sun is ruthless, the terrain is brutal, the scenery is quite something and you will make friends for life.”
During this podcast we discuss a variety of topics, from how she got into ultra running, how the focus of her life changed, and how she trained for an event like the MDS. Elisabet, has a great story and shares some of the challenges she’s faced and overcome. Providing top tips and advice which will motivate and inspire you!
Discussion points:
- After you’ve run a marathon - what’s next?
- How personal events impacted on her and made her really reflect on what she wanted to do with her life
- The reason behind signing up for the Marathon des Sables
- Going through tough times with her husband and why having the MDS as a goal helped them to move forward and to look to the future
- Explaining what the MDS is, what’s involved; from the distance, to the type of race, and how it works with regards to kit, preparation and daily routines
- Her goal for the 2012 race along with training tips
- The myths of MDS and setting them straight
- Why walking the race can be harder than running, and why you need to adapt your pace to the race you're doing
- Highlights from the race, and what it was like doing the race with her husband
- How the MDS consumed her mind and why she had go back in 2015
- The differences between the 2012 and 2015 race
- Building ultra endurance and how it can take time to develop
- Why planning is so important!
- Tips for adapting to the heat of the desert and coping with the mental and physical pains
- How she keeps her mind occupied while running
- How it works with navigation and map reading during the race and her 3 Top Tips for race goers
- Why having a coach is so important to helping you progress in running
Links
Tempted to enter the Marathon des Sables? - Click Here
Check out - My Race Kit Website.
Jack Clover can be reached via JC Performance
Social Media Links
Twitter - ME! @_TOUGH_GIRL Elizabet - @UltraRunEli
Instagram - @toughgirlchallenges
Susie started running later on in life, she used to be a single mother, who loved drinking and smoking, but running had a profound effect on her and after doing one half marathon that was it, she was hooked. Two years later she was entering and running ultra marathons.
During this podcast we discuss:
-Her first race and what happened before, during and after
-How she swapped her bad habits for good ones
-Joining a running club and connecting with other runners
-Two races went on her bucket list- the Boston Marathon and the Marathon des Sables
-Advice for listeners who want to make a change in their life
-Why its never to late and age is irrelevant
-Her first ever Marathon - Running the Paris Marathon and why she had a terrible time!
-Do you need a training plan for a race?
-Why listening to your body is so important
-How she fits in her training around having a daughter and a full time job
-How she didn’t make excuses, she made it happen
-How she trains and why she loves hill training!
-Make a “run date” and get out of the door!
-Her first Ultra race - Around the Island - 72 miles over two days
-The low points and the hight points and what she learned about herself
-How to train your mind and how to have the right mindset - Be arrogant and believe in yourself!
-How Susie met her husband and the connection between twitter, running and the MdS
-What happened during the MDS 2015
-Her top tips for the MDS
-Her next Big Challenge in the Jungle - The Jungle Ultra! Plus many more - 2016 is going to be a busy year.
You can follow Susie on Twitter @Susie__Chan. I’m also on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL.
Send us a tweet once you've listened to this episode!
You can listen on iTunes - Soundcloud - Stitcher
During this episodes we chat with Mimi Anderson, who describes herself as a wife, mother and grandmother, who likes to run. We get to share in some of Mimi many challenges, from racing in some of the most extreme environments on the planet, from the heat of the desert to the bitter cold of the Arctic. She shares her experiences, the hights the lows, and what she learnt from the races. She provides advice and tips and will inspire you to put your trainers on and go for a run!
During this podcast we also discuss the following:
- Why she decided to start running & when she called herself a runner for the first time
- Making the change from the treadmill to running outside
- The 6633 Ultra Race - A 350 mile non stop, self sufficient race in the Arctic.
- Training for the event and having a plan for the race
- What it was like being in that environment
- Coping with being on her own during the race - and getting away from it all
- Coping with the cold and dealing with temperatures of -70!
- Why you don't want to sweat in the Arctic
- The highs and the lows and how she dealt with them and what got her through her darkest moments
- Achieving her goal of winning the 6633 Ultra Race
- The importance of having a race plan, doing your research and being prepared
- Her 2008 challenge - Going for the Female World Record - JOGLE
- How she learned from failure and how she became stronger as a result
- The challenges she faced; from having her body swell up, being hit by a car, and being stopped by the police!
- Recovery after big races - her 3 top tips!
- Why quality training is so much better than just training for the sake of training
- Learning more about the Double Badwater Race and what its like running in extremely hot temperatures
- Tips and advice for running in the heat
- What makes Mimi so determined
- The ultra running community
For more inspirational stories from women overcoming challenges go and check out the Tough Girls on the Tough Girl Podcast at toughgirlchallenges.com.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Tough Girl Podcast for more fantastic episodes!
Coming up next - Ultra runner and Blogger - Susie Chan.
Nat is a lover of endurance events, and anything to do with the outdoors! She loves being fit and active and during this podcast she shares with us some of the events she's participated in, from being involved in adventure races to completing Ironman's and ultra endurances races in extreme conditions.
She also discusses why she decided to join the army and what military life was like while training at Sandhurst. She shares top tips and advice which you'll be able to implement in your life.
Topics discussed during the podcast:
-What Adventure Racing is and what to expect during a race
-Tips for making decisions when tired and sleep deprived, and how she's learned from previous mistakes
-Why communication and teamwork is so important during race conditions
-How her journey into ultra events started and why she decided to do the 6633 Ultra Race - A 350 mile footrace in the Canadian Arctic!
-How she trained both mentally and physically for the 6633 Ultra Race
-Why it’s important to break your big goals down into smaller chunks and make it more manageable
-27hrs into the race, things changed and why Nat needed to split away from Nics and carry on, on her own
-How her race progressed over the next 5 days and the importance of having routines
-Having a sense of humour failure and how she managed to get through this and keep on going
-What’s involved in an Ironman and how she ran 2 Ironman's just 13 days apart
-Facing her ultimate fear…..the water
-Learn more about the Ice Maidens Challenge in 2017 and why the Ice-Factor is so important
For more inspirational stories from women overcoming challenges. Check out the Tough Girls on the Tough Girl Podcast at toughgirlchallenges.com.
Next week I'll be talking to Mimi Anderson and Susie Chan!
You can listen to The Tough Girl Podcast on iTunes, Soundcloud and Stitcher.
During this podcast we get to cover a whole host of different topics! From why Nics decided to join the British Army and what its like being a female in a male dominated environment. How sports at a young age from athletics to skiing encouraged her to try triathlons at university which led to her completing an Ironman!
Nics also touches on the following topics:
-The difference between Alpine skiing and Nordic skiing
-The Bolton Ironman in 2012 and coping with the unexpected heatwave
-Trying to get the balance right between training and studying
-How she combined her fitness with studying to become a doctor
-Mental preparation for the Ironman
-Getting help with training and training programmes
-The Winter World Triathlon Championships
-Doing a Nordic Ski Season
-Top tips for running on snow
-Coping with the cold!
-The 6633 Ultra Race - One of the toughest races in the world. Held in the Arctic!
-Her concerns before the race
-150km Ultra race in Lapland, Finland
-Coping with sleep deprivation and the thoughts running through her head
-How she overcame challenges during the race, when everything was starting to go wrong!
-What happened on the 6633 ultra race and why she was ashamed
-Her next challenge - Ex Ice Maiden - The first all Female British Team to cross Antarctica via the route Felicity Aston did solo.
Social Media
Follow the Ex Ice Maiden Challenge via their website, on twitter @exicemaiden or Facebook.
For more inspirational stories from women overcoming challenges go and check out the Tough Girls on the Tough Girl Podcast at toughgirlchallenges.com
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Tough Girl Podcast for more fantastic episodes!
British polar explorer Felicity Aston MBE became the first woman in 2012 to ski alone across Antarctica. It was a journey of 1744km that took 59 days to complete and which gave her a place in the book of Guinness World Records. During this podcast Felicity shares her experiences of how she prepared both mentally and physically for this journey.
Felicity also talks about the following:
-What first got Felicity interested in Polar Exploration
-How she coped with preparing for her first expedition
-Being 19 and heading off to the unknown for the first time
-Tips on building self confidence
-How to retain your femininity in a male dominated environment
-How to cope with criticism
-Staying true to yourself
-Her first job… moving to the Antarctica for 2.5 years!
-Why she decided to ski across Antarctica
-What skills she needed to develop before setting off on this challenge
-What it felt like at the very start, when she was suddenly alone on the Antarctica coast
-Preparation for being alone
-Mental hygiene
-Why its about where your heads at, and not the physical challenge
-What Felicity took away from the challenge and has used going forward
-Making progress & moving forward
-Keeping focused
-How not to get overwhelmed by your goals
-What a typical day on the ice was like
-Why routines are so important & how you can apply them to your life
-Returning to life in the real world
-Being present and being in the moment
-The next challenges Felicity faced
-Top tips for dealing with the cold
-Felicity’s Books:- Alone in Antarctica, Call of the White: Taking the World to the South Pole, Chasing Winter: A Journey to the Pole of Cold
Social Media
Felicity is on twitter @Felicity_Aston
Her website is www.felicityaston.com
For more inspirational stories from women overcoming challenges go and check out the Tough Girls on the Tough Girl Podcast at toughgirlchallenges.com
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Tough Girl Podcast for more fantastic episodes. Next week we have two more inspiration women. Nics Wetherill and Nat Taylor.
In this podcast we talk about:
- How Megan first got into Judo and what she loves about it.
- Taking it to the next step and deciding to train full time
- How Judo built her internal self confidence
- Why she wants to be the best in the world
- Jumping from a green belt to a black belt at 15 years old
- The grading route verses the competitive route
- Coping with being diagnosed with OCD at a young age
- How her OCD impacted on her Judo
- Competing at the Cadet Europeans
- How it works at Judo competitions
- The four main ways you can win in Judo
- The struggle to win and perform at a junior level
- How she needed to change her judo style to become a better athlete
- Keeping the faith and not giving up when she wasn’t getting the results
- Preparation for the Commonwealth Games
- “The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday”
- Why you need to focus on YOU!
- Facing her nemesis! - Sally Conway in the semi-finals of the Commonwealth Games 2014
- Getting over her own mental block of being able to beat Sally
- Do you attack or defend - what are the pro/cons?
- Why the right decisions are sometimes the hardest
- Why she dedicated her Gold Medal to her coach - Don Werner
- The tactics she thinks about when she steps onto the mat
- Why you should go and give judo a try!
- Surviving the arm bar from Ronda Rousey!
- Her future….. UFC fighter or teacher?
Give a shout out to Megan on Twitter @megs_feltcher1
For more inspirational stories from women overcoming challenges go and check out the Tough Girls on the Tough Girl Podcast at toughgirlchallenges.com
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Tough Girl Podcast for more fantastic episodes.
On Thursday I’ll be speaking with Arctic Explorer, Felicity Aston MBE about her Guinness World Record, when she became the first women to ski alone across Antarctic in 2012.
During this podcast we speak with Rachel Gibson a mum of two from the Wirral, UK. Rachel shares her experience of the Spartan races from competing and placing at the Manchester Spartan Race and her journey to the Spartan World Championships in America.
In this podcast we talk about:
- Getting back into fitness after children
- Why the Spartan Sprint races appealed to her
- What to expect at a Spartan Race from the obstacles to the atmosphere
- What happens when you fail an obstacle
- Why the Spartan spear throw isn’t as easy as it looks
- Top tips for rope climbs
- What happens after you win a “Spartan Coin”
- Advice for balancing training with work and having children
- Why you should always read the small print for races
- Dealing with the brand new Spartan course
- What it felt like at the start of the race & the Spartan chant
- The obstacles that challenged Rachel and pushed her to her limits
- Coping with the ice cold water during the swim
- Hitting the wall and still moving forward
- Future challenges
- Raising money for Cancer Research
- Why you should just - Go For It!!!
For more inspirational stories from women overcoming challenges go and check out the Tough Girls on the Tough Girl Podcast at toughgirlchallenges.com
Links
Fancy doing a Spartan Race? Click here!
Want to train with the best? Come and check out the Underground Training Station!
Are you tough enough? Try the original OCR race - Tough Guy!
Want to donate to Cancer Research? Click here!
Don’t forget to subscribe to the Tough Girl Podcast for more fantastic episodes. Next Tuesday I’m speaking with Judo Commonwealth Champion - Megan Fletcher who shares her story of how she got the gold!
On Thursday I’ll be speaking with, Arctic Explorer, Felicity Aston MBE about her Guinness World Record.
This week on the Tough Girl Podcast we talk to Sarah Outen where she discussed her journey from London all the way around the northern hemisphere and back to London by rowing, kayaking and cycling. In order to do this Sarah had to overcome a variety of challenges. She’s endured extreme conditions in remote environments, often being alone for months at a time.
A typhoon during the North Pacific crossing forced a mid Ocean rescue from her rowing boat in 2012 and a hurricane on the Atlantic this summer forced a pre-emptive evacuation after 143 days at sea. She has also kayaked some of the most treacherous waterways in the world and cycled across North America during one of the harshest Winters on record.
After 4.5 years and over 25,000 miles, Sarah has made it back home, arriving back on midday on the 3rd November 2015.
Sarah shares the following on the podcast:
- Her background and what’s inspired her to achieve what she’s achieved
- Becoming the first woman to row across the Indian ocean
- Turning her dream into a reality
- Persevering through the most treacherous conditions
- A typical day cycling from Europe to Asia
- How to overcome bad conditions
- Her highlights and low points
- Her best memories and highlights from the trip.
- The people she met
- Celebrating the milestones
- The most terrifying experience on her journey
- The healing process after a traumatic experience
- Tips for coping with isolation
- Dealing with challenge and change
- What she learned about herself on this journey and what’s next for her!
Don’t forget to check out previous episodes of the Tough Girl Podcast! - All links and information on www.toughgirlchallengs.com.
This Thursday at 7am I’ll be speaking to Rachel Gibson about her experience at the Spartan World Championships.
New episodes for December are out every Tuesday and Thursday at 7 am (UK Time) - Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a review!