Hello :)

Last year I released a podcast episode called "How Not To Run An Ultramarathon". I was reminded of that a couple of times recently, partly because this year's running of the Calderdale Way Ultra happened recently, and partly because over the last couple of months I've finally hiked all the sections of it that I never completed. Including the bits I missed out when I got lost.

After recording that pod, I entered and completed a second Ultra - the Pilgrims Way Ultra, in Northumberland, NE England - partly to prove to myself that I could. This episode looks at my experiences of that race. I'm publishing it now mainly because my last episode was a chat about Ultra-running in general with my friend Seanna, and it seemed a logical companion piece.

Don't expect this to become an annual ritual.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* "Bugger Bognor"
* Why I chose this particular Ultra
* Logistics & race admin
* Holy Island / Lindisfarne
* The first 20km, flat causeway and a hill
* Belford Checkpoint and the road to the coast
* Bamburgh and its Castle
* Sand Dunes, Salty Air, Quaint Villages
* Grace Darling
* ... and then the rains came
* The finish and the aftermath
* Results breakdown of all three Ultras
* Did I follow my 'lessons learned' from last time?

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topics, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this pod, though a short unused extract from my last episode's chat with Seanna appears in the intro.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

For a variety of reasons I'm a week late with this podcast, conceptually, but also, this episode was going to have additional content about my second attempt at an Ultramarathon, which I did last September but never got around to talking about. I've written a lot of that already so all I'll do is publish that next week, and then I'll be back on schedule. This also means I'll do a housekeeping update then too, to save this episode being too long.

I'd been trying to schedule in a chat with my friend Seanna for pretty much exactly a year, originally in conjunction with my original Ultramarathon episode, but life happened for both of us and it's taken this long to get together. I'm aware my last episode was also a one-to-one chat; don't get the expectation this will become a regular thing, but I think it is more interesting doing this than just having pre-recorded contributions.

Bear in mind I am not, of course, Michael Parkinson or David Letterman.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* ... but I'm a cheerleader
* Let's not start with an easy one; that's not my style
* Bodybuilding is not the answer either
* Seanna's first ultra
* How to fuel for running when you're vegetarian or vegan
* The highest and lowest points of ultras
* Night running
* Running is not therapy, but it feels like it
* Ultras tend to be run by older people
* Queer Representation and inclusivity is often lacking
* Seanna's ambitions

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available, though at the moment it's quite raw.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topics, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this pod. However, Seanna's YouTube channel is here.

Until next time, bye for now. :)

Hello :)

Earlier this week, I had a chat with my friend V, because she'd recently gone on a trip abroad for the first time this millennium, and she wanted to talk about how it felt on her YouTube channel. I said, well that might make a good podcast episode, you know, the whole 'this is what it's like to travel abroad properly for the first time as an adult', might be useful for other budding world travellers, so we recorded it for both.

Topics discussed in this episode are:
* Housekeeping: Running, Hiking, Well-Dressing
* Why did V finally take a trip abroad
* Anxiety around border security
* Being a sighted guide for a blind travel blogger
* How V felt on her first plane this millennium
* Alcohol and no food makes V an ill girl ...
* ... so she forgot how to read English!
* Cultural differences and how Hamburg feels very safe
* Hamburg Airport was a breeze
* Could she do this again?
* The moment V really felt she was actually there
* Business travel doesn't feel like leisure travel
* Packing angst
* What's next for V?

A PDF transcript of this podcast is available, though at the moment it's quite raw.

As always, if you have anything to say about the topics, or indeed about my podcasting in general, leave a comment or let me know. I also have a Patreon - if you like what you hear, and want to access exclusive content (or just to show your appreciation), then head on over.

There are no contributions in this pod. However V's YouTube channel is here, and I also ought to link to Blind Girl Adventures (Sassy Wyatt's blog), as she gets mentioned a lot in the episode.

Until next time, bye for now. :)