Like many of us Louise Hannam-Jones' life has changed during the last year.

Coronavirus and the plethora of lockdowns it instigated got her thinking about her own mental health and wellbeing.

As a result, she started her own Instagram account - The Wellness Curator. It has proved so popular Louise is now taking on clients to teach them how to be fitter, healthier and happier.

Running is an integral part of that, providing - Louise says - an addictive structure and routine, as well as the base to start every day.

Qualified couples counsellor Karin Blak is the author of 'The Essential Companion to Talking Therapy' - a guide to what therapy is and how it works.

With the Covid pandemic bringing fears of a mental health crises, Karin is keen to re-frame the discussion. Time to analyse and talk about our problems means, she says, this could be the chance to start a mental health revolution.

One of the ways Karin looks after her own wellbeing is through running - including sprinting up hills with my Step Forward With Lewis group.

I spoke to her about her book, lockdown and how TV doesn't always tell the truth about therapy...

 

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Karin's website: www.karinblak.co.uk

Karin's blogs: https://karink-blak.medium.com and https://psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/demystifying-therapy

You can buy Talking Therapy on Amazon

 

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The music in this podcast is:

"Fearless First" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Gareth Snelson is Mr Milton Keynes parkrun.

But his journey to founding the event is not what you might expect.

Already a keen runner, Gareth stumbled upon parkrun and decided it looked like the perfect thing to get people running together in the new city.

Incredibly, though, he'd never previously taken part in the 5km event.

That didn't stop him though - although those at parkrun HQ did suggest he tried one out himself before he took a plunge which, until Covid hit, saw hundreds and sometimes thousands of people turn up in MK every Saturday morning to take part.

 

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The music in this podcast is:

"Fearless First" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Alan Hackett has spent a significant chunk of his life running.

His achievements include 24 hour runs, taking on the London to Brighton challenge and serving as chairman of Northampton Road Runners.

Recent years have thrown a different set of challenges his way, but he's already using the skills and mindset he developed during ultra running to tackle them head on.

After developing a back injury, Alan eventually found out he had cancer and the coronavirus pandemic means he is still waiting for an operation to remove a mass from his kidney.

Now in a wheelchair, he has recently completed a fresh challenge to complete 100kms and help him lose weight in the process.

I spoke to Alan about his life in running and how his health issues might slow him down, but they won't be stopping him...

 

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The music in this podcast is:

"Fearless First" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Stephen Buck never intended to write a book about his experiences in the world of running.

Then again, he didn't really plan to start running either.

Once he did though he found a love for the sport that took him away from fears he would never amount to anything.

The simple act of putting one foot in front of the other changed Stephen's life and gave him a new confidence.

When a little boy offered him an orange at a race it not only encouraged him to complete it, but also gave him the inspiration to write a book about his experiences.

This is Stephen's Running Tales story...

 

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Stephen's book, 'Inspired By An Orange,' is written under the name S.I. Rolland

 

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The music in this podcast is:

"Fearless First" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Dannii Levi has Raynaud's disease, a condition which results in reduced blood flow to people's fingers and toes.

For Dannii, Raynaud's can result in extreme pain, in her becoming a prisoner inside her own home when it's really cold and can make running an impossible task.

With the help of medication and the Scleroderma and Raynaud's UK charity. Dannii has learned vital methods to allow her to live - and run - more freely.

This is Dannii's Running Tales story...

 

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The music in this podcast is:

"Fearless First" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Race walker Shaun Lightman's incredible international career peaked when he represented Great Britain at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico.

Competing in the 50kms walk, it was as challenging a race as it is possible to imagine.

Press reports before the team left for Mexico suggested athletes might die due to the heat and altitude, once there Shaun found himself out of breath climbing the stairs and, when race day came, he battled extreme temperatures, raced along streets lined by armed soldiers and found himself passing competitors slumped exhausted at the side of the road.

I spoke to Shaun about how he manged to keep going, his race walking career, how he got into the sport and what he makes of its popularity now...

 

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Photography provided by Shaun Lightman and taken by Mark Easton

 

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The music in this podcast is:

"Fearless First" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Shack Baker wasn't traditionally a runner.

In 2019, someone challenged him to take on a half marathon for charity.

As with so many first time runners, it was a challenge that stretched him physically and mentally - and one which has changed the way he looks at the world.

Shack's story is one everyone who has turned from relative couch potato to regular runner will immediately recognise.

 

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The music in this podcast is:

"Fearless First" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

When Kathy Saunders had to have major lung surgery, she had a choice.

After having part of her lung removed, she said she could have thrown in the towel when it came to running.

Instead, she decided to re-evaluate what she could do - and running has remained a part of her life ever since.

This is a story about never giving in, even when all the odds seem against you. This is Kathy's running tale...

 

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The music in this podcast is:

"Fearless First" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Andy Cottrell only started running when rugby, as he says, became too much for his body.

It has now become an obsession.

Inspired to take part in 12 marathons across a year, he quickly came across other runners who made even that incredible achievement look minuscule.

The Northampton Road Runner, better known as Sharky, soon had his sights set on 50 marathons and then on becoming a member of the exclusive 100 Marathon Club.

These days his mind has turned to the 300 mark - this is Sharky's running tale...

 

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The music in this podcast is:

"Fearless First" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 Licensehttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/