Young Hearts Run Free Podcast

Well that's us half way through season 10 already, this season is going lighting fast! Bit like John on an interval sesh. We're back to normal service this episode. John and Steven batter through a eccletic intro as they get excited about this weekends Chilli Trail Race amongst plenty more! This week's guest Dave Shaw then joins the party as we get a chance to blether all sorts with mostly running related content. Dave's latest escapade saw him have a magic day out on the Glasgow to Edinburgh Ultra Marathon, 55 miles of mostly canal toe path. Turns out Dave quite like canal toe path, thankfully. But we get tore right into much more than that including Dave's running back story and then onto the juicy topic of Run Rhaw. Dave is rightly proud of Run Rhaw, a community he's created in Dumbarton. It's fair to say it's caught fire, Dave tells us all aboout it. Inspirational stuff. With all your fav YHRF bases covered this belter of a chat with Dave might well light your fire too! In aboot it y'all! Find out all about Dave the Coach and Run Rhaw here https://www.runrhaw.com/

Transatlantic baby, that's what we are this week. We're mega pleased to be joined by Kevin Kaduk, Chicago Marathon 2023 finisher. We've a heftier than normal introduction as Stevie Boy and John reconnect after a month of irregular podcast activity! We've a heap to cover! It's then over to Steven to take the lead as he chats with proud Chicago native Kevin to explore how prepping and running in his first ever marathon went. No stranger to the world of podcasting Kevin came on to our radar when we discovered his own Chicago Marathon Podcast (see links below), it became abundantly apparent that getting the lowdown from him on YHRF was essential. Self-confessed mid-packer Kevin gives us his running backstory, what his motivations were to run his first marathon, talks us through his training block before re-counting marathon Sunday. It was an historic day in the Windy City for all sorts of reasons, an event that unifies a city through the running community not only chewed up and spat out a new world record, but it heralded an epic lifetime achievement for Kevin. His perspective lends us an entertaining and different insight, many of us will relate to and find ourselves nodding in agreement throughout. With a ton of lessons learned from the 26.2 and a first Chicago Marathon medal firmly in his grasp Kevin allows his thoughts to drift to another foray next year, armed with newly gained steel and resilience. Throw in a charity close to his heart, a city he adores and of course that sensational Chicago Marathon support we predict more heroics to come from the brilliant Kevin Kaduk. Lace up, volume up and go 'Run Like an Antelope' gang! Find Kevin's Chicago Marathon Podcast plus all others sorts of content and features here https://allchgo.com/

In this episode we catch up with Ali Eadie. Ali describes herself as a 'seasoned listener' to the podcast, and this chat has been a long time coming. Ali peaked our interest with her involvement at Run Talk Run, a group whose mission is to increase accessibility to mental health support through running & walking. But there is a whole lot more to Ali that this! Ali tells us what brings her joy from running...and life in general. Still to complete a road marathon (it's on the list) Ali has found a love of the trails and hills. Canicross is a love of Ali's and Fin (Ali's dog) and we find out a bit more about what Canicross is. If it's your thing too, let us know. From running a marathon through lockdown, to taking on the Dava Way 50k, the Cateran Trail, the Devil of The Highlands, and a podium place at an ultra in the Faroe Islands, the last couple of years running has brought Ali great joy and success. Define success...in Ali's words 'it was just a nice day', all the success you will ever need. We speak about the Love Trails Festival in Wales, big shout out to this, it sounds like an awesome experience, and it's played a big part in Ali's running story. It's not just putting on a race number that excites Ali though, we speak about her love of the hills, Edinburgh's Pentlands specifically and having adventures with friends and the EH3Milers run club (a run and a pint, what's not to like!) It wouldn't be a YHRF episode with chat of food would it? Pot Noodles, Salt n Vinegar Hula Hoops, Dairylea Dunkers (the midge version), Percy Pigs...it's all in here! If your thing is getting great joy from running, keeping it simple and living life with a smile, this is the episode for you. Did we mention the funky shorts? Mon in, your gonna love this...

He just blew in from the Windy City! You need big shoulders in the city of Chicago, well we've got just the guy . John catches up with Steven Watt a.k.a. Watty, a.k.a. Stevie Boy and his adequate shoulders live from Illinois, shooting from the hip on his Chicago Marathon experience. Steven headed to Chicago looking to secure his 5th star of the 6 World Marathon Majors. It wasn't the quite the journey Steven had planned. His 2023, beset by injury, forcing him to suss out and plan how he may have to walk parts or even all of the Chicago course. So what do you do? You could suck it up and do just that, pick up the medal and your 5th star, it's the same medal if you walk, run, shuffle or crawl afterall! Or...you could continue to maintain your fitness even if you can't run the miles you would in a standard marathon training block. How do you do that? You swim, you cycle, you join the gym, you change your mindset, you become stronger, resilient and focused. Guess what Stevie Boy chose to do? This post marathon catch-up took place two days after what tuned out to be an almost perfectly executed 26.2 miles given the circumstances building up to Steven's ChirCarGo adventure. It's a warts and all breakdown (cos that's how we roll at YHRF) of the travel, sleep, race build-up, the run, the finish, the highs, the lows. the buddies and the aftermath, it's just what you'd expect from Stevie Boy and JC. The food...well, we're waiting on a separate update on that spectacle and watch out for our spin off Young Hearts Eat Free Podcast starting soon ;-), you'll be able to check out our socials for the culinary delights of What Watty ate in ChirCarGo! Steven was joined by Paul Stoddart and Allan Carr for his Chicago trip, Allan continues to raise funds for the Kano Foundation and his fundraising link remains open here https://justgiving.com/page/allan-carr-1691697784846?fbclid=IwAR3AwHGpjCXy6Bls63lpdlv4nbkIlGNlMIMQYxSZZ8nh1-y9n85h72VO104

We knew from the moment we started chatting with Emma (aka The Scarpa-rer) on our Access All Areas spin off we were talking to someone with running talent. Fast forward only a few months and Emma has added in some wonderful running performances, as well as sharing a stage with us at the Lakeland 50 and 100 Running Festival in Coniston in July. Arc of Attrition, Ultra Trail Snowdonia, Lavaredo Ultra Trail and then top it off with Tor des Geants, you could say it's been no a bad year for Emma ! This episode takes us on a journey through all of the above, but our main focus is Tor des Geants, it just takes us a wee while to get there! There is talk of when Tor des Geants came onto Emma's radar, the preparation beforehand (including altitude tents!) lessons learned from events, and the execution of all of that into a fantastic eeh few days out in September 2023 in Italy's Aosta valley. Refuges, life bases, hallucinations, deja vu, nutrition and kit, it's all in here! Buckle up baby, this is a belter of a feature length episode. We also discuss Emma's plans/hopes for 2024, we have the feeling she may just be getting started. Listen in and let us now what you think by sending a wee message.

Here we, here we, here we f*ckin' ChicaGO!!! Boarding passes ready? Welcome on board our virtual flight to Illinois as we find out all about Steven's up n coming weekender to Chicago as he chases a medal in the Windy City. John leads our pre-race conversation as we find out about Steven's unconventional training block in a year that's been beset by tales of injuries for one half of your YHRF hosting team. We hear about adaptability and keeping discipline to ensure the marathon start line remained possible. A mindset shift is clear as Steven reflects on the year thus far and sets a different kind of target for Sunday 8 October. Plan A went out the window many weeks ago, but what about plan's B, C and D? John finds out not only about his current thoughts and hopes for the run but also the rest of the (long) weekend-plans, including how he's had help from YHRF family in planning the non-running actvities the city has to offer.....you knew it would turn to scran quick right, but this quick? With a whistlestop run through his itinerary plus an intro to Steven's travel pals including a v.important info regarding a fund-raiser one of them is undertaking (see link at bottom) . We finish up in customary fashion, dialect dictionary and song of the week. Good luck to Steven, his pals, all YHRF listeners and everyone else taking part in or helping out at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. All eyes are now on the tracker......Steven's race number? 9309 Give generously to Allan Carr as he raises money for the Kano Foundation here https://www.justgiving.com/page/allan-carr-1691697784846?fbclid=IwAR1FypBqtYZ8f0A5WpVbO3wXUAQPonJ6_IZ3gwctMlso924zfg_hKLqANg4

We've mentioned Season 9 will be full of surprises, this week we even had a surprise ourselves! After dissecting the weeks movers n shakers in our intro as well as the arrival of 'dart player style running nicknames' feature we move quickly onto our guests who were keen n eager to get their tongues wagging! Making his YHRF debut we welcome Ally McColl he's joined by YHRF vet Mr Graham Connolly as we get down n dirty on all things Barkley Fall Classic! Ally n Graham are fresh off the plane from Tennessee after making trip to the mecca that is Frozen Head State Park to partake the 2023 BFC. And they've come armoured with a tale or two on what was an unforgettable transatlantic sojourn. So gather in round the campfire as we get the on the ground review of their experience in the Disneyland of ultra running. Roll up roll up there's Rat Jaw, Testicle Spectacle, Fire Tower and Meth Lab....all the fun of the fair. Ups n Downs aplenty. After battering around the 50k (ish) BFC - known as the Barkley Marathon's 'Little Brother', our guests give a frank and honest account of what it's like to be on the ground at a Lazarus Lake event. From beer barn get togethers, missing luggage dramas, flying stinging venomous nature and the hotly anticipated jaggy nettle adventures! Nothing disappoints. Ally takes the lead with Graham ably backing up. A warning, at times Graham was lost for words and inputting through the chat facility (yip we did say there was a surprise!). A heady mix of travelogue, race report and observations on US culture this episode lives bang up to expectations. If running and living life to the max with your bestie's is your bag you're gonnae love this edition. Titan up baby and enjoy the ride!

We welcome Nic Dawson to the podcast this week, and we cover way more than we had originally planned! From running up and down the sand dunes of Irvine (check em out if you've not heard of them before), to the giddy heights of representing GB at the European Duathlon Championships in Bilbao. We chat with Nic about injuries (multiple) and the recovery journey involved to other sports, distances and disciplines. Inspirational isn't a word close enough to describe how Nic has rediscovered and reinvented herself, in her own words...'Why Not'? Nic also finds time in her busy life to run Epic Trails, based in Milngavie (you just know what happens next right?) From the Fling, to the WHW, to the Devil, oh that's the Triple Crown isn't it! Then throw in the Celtman, swimming wi jellyfish...you starting to get the picture? As you'd expect by now. we spend some time on the topic of scran, what works, what doesn't, this weeks wee food teaser...runny porridge! Never one to stop developing and enhancing her skills, Nic is currently undertaking a qualification be a licenced running coach, so keep an eye out to get involved if you'd like to work with Nic and get an up close insight into some of the dedication, devotion and pursuit of joy that can be derived from fitness and from running. Epic Trails Instagram Profile Epic Trails on Facebook Pre the chat with Nic we chew over a few things including 'supershoes', autumn marathon majors, the Jedburgh 3 Peaks competition, oh...and Race Or Not is back baby!

Well hello again, we've had a busy week since we last spoke. We're here to recap it all PLUS welcome to the show a most excellent guest. Come on in, the kettle's just off the boil. We spend the majority of this week's intro blethering about the epic Auchterarder Running Festival, a warm weekend of racing and achievement in glorious Perthshire. We do have a quick nip over to the Aosta Valley to see how a few pals of the show got on in the gruelling Tor Des Géants. Neil MacNicol then joins the fray, a familiar face on the Scottish Ultra Running circuit, himself a superb athlete as well as being pivotal to many others in his role as run coach. First up we find out all about Neil's running back story and his entrepreneurial motivation to set up his successful run coaching business RunRecover (see link below). It's Neil's personal successes and approach though that we home in on, after breaking into ultra running races back in 2011 it's fair to say he's achieved great heights. A methodical approach, a discipline and a love for stats and data emerge as we get under the lid of what drives Neil on and gives him his competitive edge. From early impressive forays into the marathon distance Neil recaps finding his strengths in longer distances, the appeal of the hills and trails winning over the tarmac and towpaths he'd started off with. A love affair with the Lake District is apparent and his regular return ticket to Coniston to take part in the Lakeland 100 each year dominates our chat. A first go at the Lakeland 50 in 2023 allowed for Neil to race hard, it was one he was up for ending in a superb victory. With a glimpse forward to an up n coming Bob Graham Round attempt thrown in along with all your YHRF favourites (fav kit, fav scran etc etc) this episode covers all the bases. Enjoy and let us know what you think! Neil's Runrecover website details all his offerings https://www.runrecover.co.uk/ Date for Auchterarder Running Festival 2023 is 7 & 8 September - get yir diaries marked!!

We said we'd be back soon, we dinnae lie, welcome along to a brand new season of the Young Hearts Run Free Podcast!! We kick off our curtain raiser with an intro that serves up all sorts of delights, some of them even running related! 'Oh Courtney Dauwalter!' Our opening guest of the season then joins the party. Hot off the heals of being crowned Devil O the Highalnds 2023 champ Rachel Normand chats to us about her running story. And it's quite the tale, Rachel leads us through how she got into running, her first forays into racing and how she found the trails and hills that she adores before discovering a little thing called ultra-marathons! We pause for a while in the Lake District, as we do often, before scooting up the road to the West Highland Way to discover a bit of a love affair Rachel has with the route. Success followed her and we hear all about some amazing days out on 'the Way'. We are then treated to a story of her 2023 Devil victory. A day immensely enjoyed by Rachel, that comes across loud n clear! It's not all racing though, Rachel is a relatively new mum and we find out how she's eased her way back into running post pregnancy. Of course it wouldnae be a season opener without talk of kit and scran, Rachel plays along and provides the insight we crave! With training, coaching and mindset all covered we were thrilled to have Rachel on for this seasons curtain raiser. Enjoy Episode 1, we've plenty in the pipeline for what will be a sensational Season 9!