Young Hearts Run Free Podcast

Back once again for the renegade master!!! It's season 2 Episode 19 and another we've sensationally good treat in store for your lugs.  John & Steven are joined by an author (a first), hill runner and much much more too. Ally Beaven came to the fore in 2020 by scribing a wonderful book called Broken 2020: the year running records were rewritten. We catch a wonderful insight into the mind of the author who, in his own individual style, introduces us to some of the characters covered in the pages of the book.  Ally lets us know just how huge feats the FKT's featured are.  He even has some on the ground experience with FKTer's in his armoury so is well palced to share with us a real feeling of what it's like to be involved in some of these amazing human endeavours.  We can't just cover the book though without finding more about Ally. We find out heaps about how his running journey started and how he went from struggling up the Pentland Hills with bags full of sandwiches to running some amazing world renowned ultra-marathons. Ally has a real individual approach, refreshing, witty and interesting. He also loves exploring, with favourite races in Andorra and Italy, listen in to find out why.  In usual YHRF style we meander way off script and, thankfully, Ally embraces all that with glee. So if it's racing ghost riders on Mario Kart or laughing along with John's usual lack of geographic nounce you'll defo love this blether with Ally. Pizza's are mentioned as is beer, what's not to love? Now, hurry go get FKT up and listen to us shoot the breeze with Ally....enjoy! Grab a copy of Ally's brilliant book direct from the publishers Vertebrate here Broken by Ally Beaven  Read Debbie Martin-Consani's Tor des Geants race blog here Tor des Geants race report  Watch Dan Lawson's Breaking 10 LEJOG Documentary here note costs £3.75 (well worth it!) Breaking 10 Watch Donnie Campbell's self propelled Munro round documentary here note costs £3.99 (also well worth it!) Self Propelled Munro Round  Grab a beer for that run reward by Top Out Brewery (mentioned on the pod) here Top Out Brewery

In this episode we catch up with Michelle Melville aka Scot_Lassie_Runs.  Michelle won our recent competition, in conjunction with Pyllon Ultra, for a place in the up n comin' Pyllon Exposure Race. John & Steven also have a quick blether about their own current respective run loads as they ramp up their training ahead of an imminent (fingers and toes crossed) return to 'racing' before welcoming our prize winner. On Saturday 24 April Michelle will join fellow competitors on the start line of the Pyllon Exposure Race.  It'll be the biggest undertaking of her running journey to date.   The race-format is an unsual one, most races you'll know what to expect beforehand, not this one. Each hour starting at 8am you'll be informed what distance is to be covered in the next hour. Each hour is a new exposure, either 6, 12 or 24 of them. Comfort zone stretched yet? We are so pleased to have had the chance to chat to Michelle about how she's feeling about the event, her strategies and mindset. It's also fabulous to hear how she's embraced the opportunity and although nervous about what lies ahead is prepping herself for the task in hand. We'll be catching up with Michelle after the event too, to get the lowdown on how she got on. And how it feels to become an Ultra-Marathoner. Please give Michelle a follow on her Instagram. Keep up with her quest and give her a word of encouragement https://www.instagram.com/scot_lassie_runs/ More on the Pyllon Exposure race can be found here Follow and interact with John & Steven on our own social channels YHRF Instagram and YHRF Twitter

And just as you thought Easter weekend couldn’t get any better along comes our 37th episode. Time for another brilliant guest to join us and be sure to hang on until the end of the show as we announce our Pyllon Exposure Ultra Marathon place competition winner!! This week John & Steven catch up with Bob Turner. It’s safe to say Bob likes running and now specialises in a distance most of us struggle to comprehend. 100k racing isn’t for the faint of heart, but then you don’t become the British 100k champ being faint-hearted. You don’t choose 100k racing, it chose’s you. Bob lets us know in his own relaxed, mild mannered way what it has taken to get to what we’d class as the summit of his running mountain. Not that he intends leaving that summit any time soon. From early promise as a Steve Cram inspired kid to a wayward spell on the side lines during Uni years and then falling back in love with running in his 30s we leave no stone unturned. During that time Bob’s represented both Scotland and GB numerous times, we speak about the memories these have left behind and his plans to keep on featuring in team selectors thoughts for many years to come. His journey has taken him from a spritely 5k/10k specialist through to a seasoned ultra-marathoner. Injury though hampered Bob’s progress several times and we discuss how he came through that, and how discovering mobility and strength & conditioning helped cure his woes. With a marathon PB of 2hrs 31 mins and a 100k PB of an amazing 6hr 51 mins it would be an easy assumption to make that Bob’s story is unrelatable to many of us. Trust us, it isn’t, it’s all relative and all inspiring. Happy Easter everyone from us. Enjoy the treats, enjoy your miles!! Link to Pyllon Exposure Ultra Marathon details  Hook up with us over on our socials.... YHRR Twitter @YHRFPod YHRF Instagram @YoungHeartsRunFreePodcast

In January whilst most of us were either hiding in the house, warm and cosy or getting back to some form of post-Christmas binge training our guest this week was doing something extraordinary. We’re joined by Vic Owens, better known as The Happy Runner. Vic chose to run 1000 miles in January. Now, if you’re like us that may take you a little time to compute, 31 days and an ultra-marathon covered in every single one of them. Welcome to the world of The Happy Runner. Vic amazes us, she’ll amaze you too. Listen in to find out what drove her to run what would be a brilliant annual mileage total………in one month!! Vic, who started running seriously in 2016, quickly realised that running on tarmac wasn’t for her but after finding trail running she well and truly caught the bug. Shifting through the distances in a flash and choosing to enter events most of us would baulk at. An advocate for barefoot running Vic gives us a fascinating insight into how minimalist footwear (or sometime no footwear) is her ride of choice. Food for thought for your hosts! It’s an inspirational chat as we explore lots of Vic’s own motivations. Incredibly Vic reckons she is just doing what anyone could do. Vic’s fastest known time on the 625 mile Monarchs Way might give you an idea that she really is a bit of a wonder woman. If you need to little shove, or your mojo has currently gone amiss this episode will give you a jolt. Next on Vic’s agenda is the small matter of the 250 mile 'Lon Las Ultra Marathon' in Wales, another of Mark Cockbain’s wicked events! Vic is an Ambassador for Active Root - https://activeroot.co.uk/ Some of Vic’s fav events are Cockbain Events - http://www.cockbainevents.com/ Follow Vic’s adventures on her Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/the_happy_runnernw/ For a last chance to enter our Pyllon Exposure race place competition head over to Young Hearts Run Free Twitter and Instagram to enter.

Well this is a spectacular episode, why? Well, not only are we joined by a brilliantly entertaining guest we also have a HUGE competition announcement!!  Season 2, Episode 15 is unmissable! Our guest this week is Nikki Johnstone, a fella who is making a big splash in the marathon distance, a fella who is addicted to racing. Nikki is a proud Scotsman who's lived in Germany for the last 15 years. He talks in KMs where we talk in miles, apart from that though he's bang on our wavelength! He's unearthed an unbelievable talent for high octane racing, crushing PB's along the way has become customary and the last 2-3 years have seen that race day approach transfer into several magnificent marathon outings. So quite how did Nikki make the progress from talented mid packer to rubbing shoulders with the elite? Listen in to find out......SPOILER ALERT!! Nikki is anything but conventional. We find out about some of Nikki's greatest races, how his addiction to racing has been curbed by the COVID pandemic and, amongst many other laughs, how his running exploits saw him get (unofficially) into the Guinness World Records for the fastest marathon dressed as Elvis!! We loved chatting with Nikki, a refreshing and grounded athlete who does things his own way, and who are we to say that way is anything but the right way? What's more Nikki is primed and ready to make the transition to ultra running, he's got big plans on the horizon, we can't say we are surprised. Our big competition news? We have a place in Pyllon Exposure Ultra Marathon up for grabs!! A massive thank you to our pals over at Pyllon for offering such a fantastic prize, taking place on Sat 24 April the winner will have the choice of the 6 hour, 12 hour or 24 hour event! Head on over to our social channels Twitter and Instagram to enter now!! Prizes money can't buy!! Full info on Pyllon exposure can be found here http://www.pyllonultra.com/exposure Some links we mentioned during the episode Strava profile Nikki Johnstone Unsanctioned Running - Makers of Nikki's brilliant marathon Elvis costume Brauereienlauf Brewery Marathon 25.09.21 Dan Lawson's Re Run Clothing - Extending the life of running clothes Please give us a shout on our social media channels, we love some interaction with our loyal band of listeners!

John & Steven expose themselves....yikes!!! Amidst the plethora of awesome guests who come on to the pod and give us their craic, words of wisdom and inspiration every now and again we like to just have a wee catch up, just the two of us. So that’s what is in store in this episode. We shoot the breeze about all sorts of stuff, incredibly most of it is running related!! So, here’s an hour that will just fly by, come join us and remember please get involved on our social channels. First up we talk Young Hearts Run Free merchandise, what would you like to see on the shelves of our merch store? Steven enjoyed a unique February and all due to a running superstition, we can’t be the only one to have running superstitions? We end this segment challenging any ex-professional footballers to run an ultra! We chat about our own current training load as we set about 2021 with gusto, John elevates himself and Steven making a welcome return to consistent mileage, its all unearthed. John 'officially' announces his participation in Paul Giblin’s Pyllon Exposure, what did he plump for though? The 6 Hours, 12 Hours or 24 hours? We blether about some of our favourite bits of running kit, and mostly that’s about how we carry gear, hydration and nutrition on long runs. This gets us onto other strategies to overcome carrying too much. Lastly, the good news of a return to group running is under the spotlight, it was so good to discuss this positive topic as we race towards the return of events soon (fingers crossed!) Oh and Steven finally admits he’s a sh-wanker thanks to Graham Connolly’s kind words on Instagram. It’s full of fun & laughs as you’d expect, so come on in and get comfy, the kettle’s always on. Link to Pyllon Exposure Steven's fav running kit UD Waist Belt YHRR Twitter @YHRFPod YHRF Instagram @YoungHeartsRunFreePodcast

It's March, time for another treat, let's go Episode 13, Season 2!! And it's a huge huge welcome back to the pod to Debbie Martin-Consani. Ultra runner Debbie first appeared on YHRF in Episode 4 of Season 2.  She was busy prepping for The Spine Race (it got postponed) whilst juggling the social media rigours of the wonderful Marcothon. We catch up with Debbie this time around about all the stuff we failed to cover last time round, and that's heaps!  With her wealth of knowledge and experience in the world of running how could we resist from picking her brains once again? We talk running tours of the Glasgow Mural Trail in the city she loves, joining Dan Lawson during his iconic LEJOG attempt, Team GB 24 Hour racing, her favourite races....ever, coping with 100 mile race curveballs, Anglo-Celtic Plate managerial duties, virtual racing (and rainbow buffs), competing in the gruelling Tour De Geants, Steven & Debbie find they share a trainer addiction and we even slip in an(other) blether about the Kinlochleven Chip Shop. We find time to touch on a more serious topic too, that of female solo running and how Debbie feels about it along with some of her tactics to ensure she's keeps safe out on the streets, trails and hills. Steven challenges Debbie to run to the moon, does she accept though?  Remember hang on until the end as we coax out Debbie's favourite local dialect word and assess if it's a worthy entry into the YHRF dialect dictionary! It's another fun filled chat full of laughs & precious tips, hints and inspiration from a lady who leaves an indelible mark on everyone she meets with her enthuisiam and commitment to achieving great things. You can catch up on our first part chat with Debbie on this link - Debbie Martin-Consani Part 1

We're back for another blether. And this episode we're joined by yet another inspirational guest. Alan Cormack started running when he was 39 years old. Alan hasn't stopped running since. And what an incredible journey he's been on. Since his first 10k back in 2006 he's followed a steady but relentless rise through the distance landmarks. Half marathons became marathons. Marathons quickly became ultra marathons. We'd call it an addiction, but what a healthy addiction to have. We ask Alan, what's your favourite distance of race? His answer 'the longer the better'.....listen in to see just how far that is!! Clue...it's far. It's a treat to hear Alan chat about how he truly caught the running bug. His ultra marathon count is now sitting at 80 plus, but he's not intending slowing down. Find out about lots and lots of his lessons learned, his fave kit, his relaxed approach to nutrition and where he loves to run the most. We spend time talking about some of the races he's remembers the most. The Hill Ultra (55 reps of a hill, just the 160 miles in total), The T184 Ultra (184 miles the full length of the River Thames), The Spine Race (268 miles) and the Tunnel Ultra (200 mile long ultra - all inside a tunnel) You get the drift? Of course more importantly we establish what he uses as lube? LOL And hang on until the end, Alan has one of our favourite YHRF local dialect words yet!! ENJOY!! Picture - Alan mid T184 Ultra

In this brilliant episode John & Steven catch up with not 1 but 2 incredibly talented Scottish Ultra Runners! Iona Mackay and Jo Murphy join us to talk about the importance and benefit of training partners.  At a time when all we can do is run with one other person, thanks for that COVID, we hear all about how Iona & Jo inspire, motivate and drive each other on to reach new heights. Insights into their training, what motivates them and even turning the clock back to what got them started. It's wonderful stuff and to cap it all they both enjoy triple carbs, pasta with a side of chips AND some garlic bread, which makes them very much kindred spirits of your podcast hosts!! Tune in to find out their favourite ever races, some of their biggest mistakes, their absolute love affair with the West Highland Way and how they use each other (as well as their extended training network) to give each other accountability. How many hours of Glenmore 24 Hour Race do you reckon they spent together?!?! Of course we finish up with their local dialect word and with a proud Fifer as well as someone with Dundonian roots as our guests those are pretty special too! Iona is a keen blogger you can catch up on her ramblings here http://www.ionarunningblog.co.uk/ Please visit our social channels to join the blethering and let us know what your own thoughts are, find us on Twitter @YHRFPod and Instagram @YoungHeartsRunFreePodcast

Episode 10 of Season 2 already?!?! The weeks are just melting away as we continue to enjoy the paradise of lockdown (convincing?) It's another belter of an episode as we're joined by James Waldie.  James enjoys running, like us all, but he's also not bad at it. not bad at all in fact. As you'll be able to tell when he modestly lets us know his 5k PB. James though is a man who prefers the steep stuff offered in fell and hill racing, listen in to find out why. James also enjoys an interesting day job, he's Operations Director with Active Root, the Edinburgh based Ginger Sports Nutrition, a firm favourite of your podcast hosts! We spend some time talking about the Active Root story and finding out just why it's becoming the go-to hydration choice for so many. We get to find out heaps about James, how he got into running from a young age, how his Dad played a huge part in his coaching, how he's taken pride in representing his country (what country though?!) as well as some utterly jaw dropping days out in the Scottish Hill racing circuit.....ok, not all of them were successful, but aren't those the ones we learn most from?? You can try out Active Root for yourself and propel yourself to ginger fuelled new high's by visiting their website here https://activeroot.co.uk/