Well Far: The Running Podcast

A super chatty season finale for you all with one of Instagram's fittest celebs, Millie Mackintosh. Millie talks about how motherhood shifted her workout goals and how, like many other runners in the past year, was forced to embrace running to get a hit of cardio during lockdown. Since then, her uptake of running has become a key part of finding confidence and comfort in her postpartum body, whilst also enjoying the brief moments of headspace and ‘me time’ in busy mum life. In her words, she’s learned not to punish herself or compare her journey to others. Listen in to hear how Millie’s new role as Mum, helped her fall in love with running. 

Topics covered:

Challenges of settling into the new role of mum 

Finding ‘me’ time and how running creates this space 

Unforeseen learnings from life in lockdown 

Appreciating your body and not comparing yourself to anyone else 

Finding time to exercise with a little one around 

Millie’s morning routine 

Millie's journey to a 10k 

Safety when out on a run

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Much like your trainers, leggings really are the workhorses of your running wardrobe, and pulling on the wrong pair can really ruin a run. It’s also one of the most common questions asked by the Well Far crew. 

That's why this week we have enlisted the help of Esther Newman, editor of Women’s Running Magazine, who regularly puts kit to the test, to share her edit on leggings and fits that go the distance. Amy also shares her legging learnings that she’s amassed over the years! 

Over to Esther to answer this week's Well Far Question: What are the best black running leggings? 

To hear more from Esther and the Womens Running Team head to Womensrunning.co.uk for regular running edits, or by following: 

Insta:@womensrunninguk

Facebook: @womensrunningmagazineuk

Twitter: @womensrunninguk

WeWill Campaign: @wewill.campaign

Finally, if a hard copy magazine is what you are after head to Shop.womensrunning.co.uk and enter WELL FAR at the check out for your exclusive discount!

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Thanks for staying with us while we had a little break last week. Today’s episode is well worth the wait. This week we're taking a deep dive into that topic of how female hormones can affect our running. Because although running is there to be enjoyed at any age and life stage, understanding how to tailor our training to suit our life stage, and current hormone levels will help us women truly enjoy the physical and psychological boons of running. Today we tackle some big questions: Should we be doing the same in our twenties as our seventies? How does menopause and perimenopause affect our training and are women missing a trick by choosing generic training plans also used by men. This is a new field of research and helping to educate and inspire us to keep clocking the miles as we age is Rosie Stockley founder of Mama Well (@mamawelluk) a fitness company that helps women navigate fitness through the biggest of life changes. And also Kelly McNulty, a PhD student at Northumbria university investigating the effects of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive use and performance recovery and adaptation in sports women. And she's also the author of Period of The Period Blog (@periodoftheperiod).

Topics covered:

Mental and physical benefits of exercise

How your cycle affects your run

What we need to do to support our training, and how our hormones come into play

How to track your cycle and plan your runs accordingly

Using new research as a base and tweaking your

Training around the menstrual cycle so that it works for you

Working with your body not against it

How your muscle mass changes throughout your lifetime.

How to train for body and mind

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Well Far is taking a short break. In the spirit of practising what you preach, the Well far team and I are taking a short hiatus before coming back for the season finale in two Sundays time. 

I hope that the last three months of episodes have helped you find your focus and be more aware of how you spend your energy, and actually taking some time to be mindful about where I spend my energy is the reason for this update. Throughout this podcast, I've not shied away from talking about mental health. I've spoken about my eating disorder and how running became a part of the scaffolding that's helped to hold me up after, but now with a new baby, I found that my foundations aren’t so steady and so I need some time to work on them. 

In truth, I always thought I'd be a mother who'd be able to have it all and do it all because I could spin many plates. But with a new baby it’s much harder to keep those plates in the air. Which is why I'm sharing today’s update as I don't think there should be any shame in admitting that juggling babies with work and workouts is complicated. 

Until we return, keep getting out there and making the most of the time in your trainers and supporting your (virtual) crew around the world.

Keep up with Amy on instagram @wellness_ed, using the hashtag #WellFar to post as part of the well far community.

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Sharing his running wisdom with the Well Far crew this week is technique analyst coach, author of The Lost Art of Running, and movement guru, Shane Benzie, whose analysed and coached and studied running races five continents to learn from the running styles of some of the most gifted athletes on the planet. Running technique is a much talked about and important part of a runner’s process, but guidance around it can be confusing with mixed messaging and subjectivity getting in the way of information. Shane Benzie is the go-to authority for running technique having analysed and improved the running styles of many competitive athletes.

Topics covered: 

A human history of running 

The fascial system elastic body and what that means for our running 

Shane’s learnings from studying movement from around the world 

How to run well

How to use video to improve your running 

Is there a correct running technique?  

Plantar fascia and finding spring in your foot.

Barefoot running

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This week the well far listeners have asked how to help sore hamstrings and how to stretch out tired legs after a long run. So this week we are revisiting the brilliant guided stretch that Chris Magee provided a couple seasons back. You can do this stretch before or after a run, or as a standalone stretch during the week to help your recovery and improve your run. 

But first, Amy gives us her hot tip of the week….There’s nothing quite like that sense of achievement that you get after hitting that PB or reaching that goal or checkbox of having a pad around the box and yet, stats have shown that sometimes the very thing that brings us joy can also bring us anxiety. This week Amy shares her experience of the liberating joys of running by feel. Instead of being plugged into your app of choice, or glued to your watch, running by feel means that you can truly be in the moment. Amy talks us through her joy in setting off on a run with no goal, distance or pace in mind. So why not try for yourself and leave your running watch or phone at home this week? Let us know if you feel the same magic using #Wellfar on instagram or post on the WELLFar strata club. 

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Today, rather than focusing on the nuts and bolts of running, Amy talks with presenter, model, runner and all round delightful person Shareefa J about the need for much better inclusivity and diversity in running. We often talk about smashing notions of 'a real runner' and today Shareefa talks us through how she motivates herself to get out the door when confidence is low and how she shows the world that there is no single type of runner. We discuss her many impressive running endeavours including running in her underwear, and how she dealt with training when the pandemic brought her marathon journey to a halt. A wonderfully bubbly conversation to accompany you on your run this Sunday. 

Topics covered: 

Covered body confidence

Inclusion in running 

Finding motivation when the goal posts are moved 

Reframing the narrative to boost your confidence

Follow Amy on insta @wellness_ed and use the #WellFar to keep us updated or join the Well Far Strava Club to see what the #WellFar community has been up to this week! 

Connect with Shareefa on insta @shareefa_j and connect with her motivational friend Anna @Anna.the.runner

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Rather than recruit an expert this week, to answer your question, Amy takes on the topic that the Well far listeners have pitched and that's: "Where can you find a good free 10k running plan?"

Couch 2 5k was many people's new year target this year and many of you are coming up to or have already completed that target, so what next? Training for a 10k is a really great progression from 5k but when you step up the distance and you begin to run that bit further, you'll find that your easy breezy plans become a little bit more complicated. You might notice that there's more kind of running jargon that you might find yourself googling just as you head out the door. Listen in for Amy's best running plan recommendations and where to find them!

Free 10K plans mentioned by Amy: 

Free Runners need 12 week plan to a 10k: https://www.runnersneed.com/expert-advice/training/10K-training-plan.html

Vitality 10 weeks to 10k: https://www.vitalitylondon10000.co.uk/training/10-weeks-10k/

Nike 8 week training plan: https://www.nike.com/pdf/Nike-Run-Club-10K-Training-Plan-Audio-Guided-Runs.pdf

Runners world training plans: https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training-plans/

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Our health has never been more on the radar than it is at the moment, but what can we do either side of falling ill that supports our immune system and our running? Can vitamin C prevent a cold? Is it possible to boost our immune system? And are there times when running can do more harm than good? And, why are people reporting that returning to exercise after COVID is tougher than they ever imagined? To share an expert insight on whether we should hang up our running trainers at the first sight of a cold, or whether there are circumstances when it’s OK to sweat through sniffles is Dr Jenna Macciochi. Last year, Jenna published the book IMMUNITY: The Science of Staying Well which is all part of her obsession over understanding how nutrition and lifestyle interact with the immune system in health and disease.

Topics covered:

What is the immune system and why do we get sick?

Can we boost our immune system health?

What role does exercise play in the health of our immune system? 

Do intense workouts (long runs) weaken the immune system because of the stress they place on the body?

Should you have a phased return to exercise or are you OK to pick back up where you left off?

Are there any ways to self-monitor that your body is dealing with the stress of exercise OK?

Should we be wearing masks when running to protect ourselves and others?

COVID-19 is a rapidly developing situation. For the most up-to-date information, check government resources.

Get in touch with Amy @wellness_ed on insta 

Get in touch with Dr Jenna @dr_jenna_macciochi

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The questions the Well far crew have asked this week is: “During lockdown I'm struggling to concentrate on my work and so everything is taking longer than normal, which is leaving little time for running. How can I feel more organised and stop canceling my runs?”

Helping us get to the bottom of making time to run when life and to-do lists feel overwhelming, is the brilliant Dr Sabina Brennan, health psychologist, neuroscientist, author, and host of the super brain podcast. But first, an update form me just before I set out on a run myself!

To hear more from Sabina check our her Super Brain podcast or head to:

Superbrain.ie

@sabinabrennan on insta

@sabina_brennan on twitter

As always, you can follow me, Amy, on insta @wellness_ed 

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