Lorna North is the founder of Queen of the Mile, a platform for those who share the joys of road cycling and running with a particular focus on making these sports less intimidating and more accessible to women. The idea came about when she bought her first road bike and couldn’t find any personal insight on how to get started. As a professional writer anyway, she decided to build a resource to fill this gap and share first-hand experiences of the cycling and running challenges she and the community were embarking on. Lorna’s approach is not about being the fastest but about pushing your own limits, having fun with it and seeing every mile as a victory.
Show notes
Learn more about Lorna by visiting her blog - www.queenofthemile.com
Lorna is on twitter @QueenOfTheMile I'm on twitter @_TOUGH_GIRL
Next week we will be speaking to Lorna’s Mum - Alison “Ace” North as she shares more about taking up running in her sixties and how she went from running 5K to a 100K ultra race!
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Rachel is a 44 year old, Special Needs PE Teacher who loves sports and has represented Team GB at Triathlon. This is her story of how she knew something was wrong with her, but no one would listen. Eventually she stopped talking about it. She was then diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2014. During the podcast we talk about how she handled the news, and how she coped with her diagnoses. What kept her positive through the challenges she faced, from emergency operations, to only being able to sit up in bed for five minutes at a time. Rachel has fought her way back to health and fitness and inspired many along the way with her story.
Show notes
Learn more about what the Brain Tumour Support charity does by visiting their website.
Rachel is also on Twitter @TheRachelBown
Thank you for listening to the Tough Girl Podcast - Make sure to subscribe and check out the website for more info www.toughgirlchallenges.com
Yorkshire born Lauren did all the normal things that are expected, she did her GCSEs, her A’Levels and headed of to University. After graduating instead of following a safe career path she decided on a different route and in 2013 she and a friend set off to row the Atlantic Ocean.
It was a challenge like no other. During this podcast we learn the reasons behind her row, how she dealt with the catalogue of errors that happened on the row and why she went back in 2015 to row it again.
Lauren is a 2x World Record Holder for rowing across the Atlantic Ocean, she’s also survived “The Island” with Bear Grylls.
Shownotes
Learn more about Lauren and her adventures by visiting her website.
You can follow Lauren on twitter @MortonLauren
Erin Bastian is a sea kayak explorer like no other. Adventure is her life. She’s embarked on many expeditions, trying to achieve the impossible and as a result is continually having to raise the bar.
From an early age Erin was drawn to exploring the dramatic coastlines around her hometown, Cornwall, where she was able to connect with nature and gain a unique perspective of the cliffs. At the age of 15, Erin started working in the outdoor industry and has since become a qualified Sea Kayak Coach, which has allowed her to work during the summer season and organise epic adventures in the off-season to the likes of Patagonia, Peru, Nepal, Norway, Tanzania, Mexico and Sardinia.
One of Erin’s latest expeditions was to Patagonia where she and two others embarked on a 33-day self supported kayaking adventure. Paddling through the wilds of this remote region they dealt with extreme weather, discovered glaciers, fought against strong tidal currents and navigated through a maze of canals. During this episode we learn more about Erin, and the extraordinary challenges’ she’s embarked on!
Show notes
VOTE for Erin by clicking HERE!
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Of French, Swiss and Filipino descent, Christine Amour-Levar is a true citizen of the world, she grew up between Manila, Paris and Tokyo and is currently based in Singapore, where she lives with her husband and four children.
She is one of the founding partners of Women On A Mission, a non-profit organisation that combines challenging expeditionary travel to remote locations around the world with the support of humanitarian causes.
Christine recently received the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World Award that recognises Filipina women who are influencing the face of leadership in the global workplace, having reached status for outstanding work in their respective fields, and who are recognised for their leadership, achievement and contributions to society, female mentorship and legacy.
"Have the courage to define success on your own terms. Your uniqueness in your power."
Shownotes
-Christine is Introduces herself and shares more about growing up and living a very international lifestyle
-How sports have always played a part of her life; especially swimming, basketball, tennis & soccer
-Working for Nike and how sport continued to play a huge part of her life
-Trying to get the balance in her life between; work, family, fitness and having a social life
-Having a career break while having her first child and going back to school to follow a creative dream
-Moving to Singapore & setting up her own business and a non-profit - “Women on a Mission”
-Dealing with guilt and how she copes with those feelings
-Her love of trekking which started in Switzerland and how her passion grew when she was older and why she turned to the mountains for strength after her divorce
-Why she keeps going back to the Himalayas and why Nepal holds a special place for her
-More about Valerie Boffin, Women for Women International and how that let to her becoming a founding partner of “Women on a Mission”
-Their first trek to Everest Base Camp & getting to stay the night at base camp
-Trekking to Siberia to experience what daily life is like for the nomadic Nenets reindeer herders
-Dealing with the difference in extreme temperatures - going from 30 degrees to - 40!
-What she learned most from this experience
-What’s next for Women on a Mission
-Writing her book - The Smart Girl’s Handbook to Being Mummylicious,
Website - Links
http://www.christineamourlevar.com
Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode! x
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!
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
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