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Rachel Abernethy - face of UKRunChat Instagram
52 Plays4 years ago
In this episode we catch up with the face of the UKRunChat Instagram stories, Rachel Abernethy.
You can connect with Rachel on:
Instagram @raachel712
Twitter @raachel712
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Transcript
Introduction to Rachel Abernethy
00:00:03
Speaker
Welcome to this episode of UK sports chat podcast. I'm Joe Williams. And in today's episode, we continue with our community member focus. And I am chatting with Rachel Abernethy, who you may recognize from our Instagram stories. Rachel is the face of our Instagram stories. Enjoy this half hour interview and getting to know Rachel.
Role and Goals in Instagram Stories
00:00:30
Speaker
Hi, Rachel.
00:00:32
Speaker
Hi, Joe. How are you? Yeah, I'm very good. Thank you. How are you? I'm good. Thanks. Excited to be here today. Excited. Any nerves? Nervous me. Just a little bit. So for those who don't know, Rachel is the face of the UK One-Time Instagram Stories, aren't you? Yes, I try to do that. Anyway, make people laugh a little bit and let them see what I'm up to.
00:01:02
Speaker
Yeah, you do it. You're brilliant at it. Very, very relaxed. You are. You are on camera, which is why it's unusual to think you might be nervous about coming on here. I know it is a bit different. It's maybe easier if people can see you. You can't see how I'm reacting or facial expressions. But anyway, looking forward to chatting to everybody today. Find out a little bit more about me. Cool.
00:01:31
Speaker
So go on then, tell us more about you. What would you do for a day job? Oh yeah, the life outside of running.
Academic Journey and Career at Esri Ireland
00:01:41
Speaker
So I, well, I guess a bit of information that's useful is I'm actually in Dublin, but I am from Northern Ireland as many people might pick out from the accent. Although I get all sorts of places, most people think I'm Scottish, which I'll say this from the beginning, I'm not, but
00:02:01
Speaker
I did go to university there, so maybe that's why. Did you work right? Sorry? Where did you go to university? In St Andrews on the east coast of Scotland, so between Edinburgh and Dundee and it was lovely and I know I'm sure we'll get into this, but I did run there a bit too and I wish I could just go back for a lovely run along West Sands Beach. Anybody from around that area will know it's beautiful, so I do miss that.
00:02:29
Speaker
And of course this year without, I haven't been able to travel. So I haven't gone back, which is quite sad, but I'll definitely be going back there once we can travel again and go back to all of those places. But I guess linked to that, I studied geography there and that led on to studying for a master's. And then I've worked in Exeter where I joined the physical running group of UK run chat Exeter. And that's what got me into all of this.
00:03:00
Speaker
meeting some of the gang. Um, but I left there and obviously I've moved to Dublin now and I work for a tech company called Esri Ireland, and
Integration of Work and Passion for Running
00:03:10
Speaker
we specialize in geographic information systems. And I won't go into too much detail as I've been told, I'm not very good at explaining this. And most of us, most of us who work there, we just say it's, it's like Google maps.
00:03:26
Speaker
But we do a lot, it's digital mapping, spatial analysis. It's good for my geography background, but it's very IT based as well. But it links quite well in with running because I still like to map out my roots and there is that link there very much into data and stats and things like that. So I'm a bit of a Strava addict as well. So all kind of links in together, my day job and
00:03:56
Speaker
my interests outside of work as well. So that's, that's what I do. And running definitely helps keep me seeing through all of that with, at the moment, working from home. And I'm lucky enough to be able to do that anyway. I just hadn't done it very much, but that's what I'm doing at the moment.
COVID-19 Impact on Life and Travel
00:04:16
Speaker
You work from home every, well, what are the restrictions at the moment? Oh yeah.
00:04:24
Speaker
Yeah, we're in quite strict restrictions at the moment. Over here, the whole of Ireland, as in the Republic of Ireland, we're in our level five, which means we've got a five kilometre travel and exercise radius. So I can't go too far. Yes, everybody's to work from home if they can, which has been the case this whole time for me. And, you know, non-essential shops are closed, that sort of thing. But
00:04:51
Speaker
as many people might have seen, I have bought a turbo trainer for the bike. I maybe shouldn't talk about cycling on this, but that is the one thing that has kept me going now through another lockdown. Yeah, cool. Okay. So you did, you went to, sorry, St Andrews. St Andrews, yeah. So why can we end up next to them? Was that for your masters?
Running Journey to First Half Marathon
00:05:16
Speaker
So I actually went back to Northern Ireland again for my masters and
00:05:21
Speaker
stayed at home, worked part time and studied for that. And then I went to Exeter to work for the Met Office and to do a bit of the GIS mapping work there. So I have a bit of a weather background. I like that side of physical geography. So I worked there, absolutely loved it there. And it was about two years in Exeter and it's such a great place. I'm sure there's plenty listening that are from there or
00:05:50
Speaker
I've been there and there's the lovely route from the key in Exeter that goes down to Exmouth or you can go like each side of the estuary there and I used to run and cycle along it and the weather was so good that we used to just cycle down to the beach in Exmouth after work and it's just a different way of life. I felt like I was on my holidays all the time. Yeah, the key's lovely. I ran there with my upstream too. Oh yeah, yeah.
00:06:19
Speaker
Matt kept me on my toes there doing sprints and the banana hills were our famous hill sprint night. They're good, good workouts. Yeah, Matt's been running the Exeter Club there. It's beginning three or four years now, I think that one. Yeah. I remember when I first heard about it, they had organized a Rhino run. This is how I first heard about it. It was on Twitter and I thought it was a thing like across all of Exeter, you know, like a huge, huge event.
00:06:49
Speaker
And I said to my friend Pip, who I just met through actually another running club that we had joined. And I said, I think there's this big thing happening. We're going to run around all these, there were rhinos. It was for like a charity event and they had these rhino statues all around Exeter. And so we, we rocked up there and there was maybe only about four or five others.
00:07:13
Speaker
And we didn't know if we were in the right place, but we did a really fun run taking photos and selfies with all of these cool rhino statues. And that's when we found the group and then stuck with them ever since that whole time. And yeah, great way to make friends in a new place for sure. And just see a bit more of like a new place that you're living. Yeah, definitely.
00:07:38
Speaker
So when did you start running then?
Training for Edinburgh Half Marathon
00:07:40
Speaker
Was that you knew? Have you always been sporty? I think about this quite a bit. When did I actually start? And during university was the first time I decided myself, I'm going to train for a half marathon. And that was my decision. Whereas before that, I did run before that. I remember at school, I joined the Harriers Club, so we were doing
00:08:07
Speaker
like cross country running around the hockey pitches and football fields. And I was the last one there and I always think people have these stories, they weren't into PE, they weren't into sports. I was into it. I just wasn't very good. So I'd always be at the back of that running group or I did play hockey, but I was at the sub on the B team.
00:08:34
Speaker
but I remember standing out in the snow and the hail waiting to be subbed onto the game. And like I was committed, but I just wasn't very good. Then I joined my mum and some others from our church. I actually started a running club and they were maybe training for 5Ks and different things. And I went along to this and I did not enjoy it, but I did keep going. I think my mum probably encouraged me to do it and I remember
00:09:03
Speaker
the guy that kind of led this club. I mean, it was just informal, but the guy who led it, I remember he would put his hand on your back and be like, come on and push you along. I'd get so angry. I'd be like, don't come near me. I didn't really want somebody telling me what to do. But my mum and I did Race for Life, the 5K. We did that together. I think one in Belfast.
00:09:29
Speaker
and one in Coleraine, our hometown. So we did those together. And then I remember doing a 10K with others from that group in Lisbon in Northern Ireland as well. And I remember that was the first time I just ran off by myself and met the others at the end and was like, oh, okay, I can actually do this. This was fun. But yeah, then going to uni, I was just raising money for a charity that was quite close to my family at the time and
00:09:58
Speaker
decided to do the Edinburgh half marathon. Yeah. Was that improvement then that you saw in the, you know, from the 5k to the 10k, you just said, you know, you met them at the end. Yeah. Was that what drove you to then think, well, I can do more of this. I can do half marathon. Yeah. I think there was a bit of a break in between those, but that 10k looking back, I probably didn't think at the time there was some big revelation. But when I think back to it,
00:10:26
Speaker
I can picture the moment where I was, I kind of set off by myself and was actually enjoying it and didn't have somebody else kind of pushing me along and I was able to do it. But those are kind of, I can picture myself doing that, but the whole thing is a bit of a vague memory. It was quite a long time ago. And so I feel like I have, in a way, I've always been running or always been doing something like that, but it wasn't until
00:10:56
Speaker
as I said, doing Edinburgh half, that that was my decision to actually train for it. I don't think, I don't really remember training for those 5K and 10Ks when I was younger. So the half marathon was definitely the first time of, okay, that's actually going a couple of times a week, which whenever you're at university and you're also drinking and out partying, I feel like that was an achievement to actually do that as well. How did you train for that?
00:11:25
Speaker
Yeah, I trained for that half. I do remember my plan. I think what I've always done is, and I can remember this, is with the weekend runs, the long runs, as long as I was increasing those, I would just kind of do whatever I wanted during the week. And back then I was not doing speed work. I wasn't doing intervals. I probably wasn't doing hill sprints, nothing like that. It was just a case of running.
00:11:54
Speaker
two or three times a week and increase in that long run. I don't really remember too much else apart from doing the laps around St Andrews and my flatmates either welcoming me back or thinking I was crazy for going out and doing this. But they've both ran half marathons since so I think the bug caught on.
00:12:21
Speaker
What's your, you mentioned the Edinburgh Race, have you got a favourite event you've ever done?
Love for Edinburgh Marathon
00:12:27
Speaker
Yeah, well, it actually does link in quite well because although that was the half, I carried on and did Edinburgh half two more times after that, so I've done it three times. And Edinburgh for me, I think is my favourite event because then I went back in 2018 and that was my first marathon because I thought I've done the half there.
00:12:48
Speaker
It's where I got my first sub 2R half marathon. And I just really wanted to go back to Edinburgh and just have that moment. So I absolutely love the marathon race there. And they changed the route I think that year in 2018 for the marathon. So you're doing a couple of miles in the city itself and then you're heading out along the coast and it
00:13:14
Speaker
is very flat which people don't think because you think of Arthur's seat in the hills but you're actually running out along the coast and yeah you've got bits where you're kind of on your own but it's so beautiful being there and I absolutely love it. Yeah I think Edinburgh in 2010 I remember that stretch of coast. Yeah. The weather has been
00:13:37
Speaker
good. It was cold, but the weather had been good for running and then all of a sudden that stretch of coast, the rain was coming out. Oh no. Mashing you straight in the face. It was, yeah. Oh goodness. It's a kind of laugh or cry moment. You just have to persevere. You never quite know whether you're going to get over there, but it's good fun.
00:14:02
Speaker
So have you got any, it's quite tricky really without events happening at the moment.
COVID-19's Effect on Racing Plans
00:14:08
Speaker
What are your goals and aims at the moment? No, this sounds, I should probably talk about some other races, but I had actually signed up to Edinburgh Marathon again this year. And that got, well, I had that in mind, Edinburgh Marathon, and I actually had Paris Half Marathon in March.
00:14:29
Speaker
And actually we went over there. It was a group. Um, so I run with a running group here in Dublin, Porterstown Panthers, and about 40 of us flew out to Paris in March and we were a bit unsure. It was just at the start of hearing about the pandemic and you know, we were a bit unsure, but we went out anyway. And of course the race got canceled and just the evening before, as we were about to pick up our race numbers. So that was a bit, um,
00:14:55
Speaker
devastating, but we knew horses for the best, but we had a good weekend. I was going to say, what did you do then? You were in Paris. Yeah, we started drinking wine and forgetting that we were going to run. But a group, most people did go and do their own half marathon. My boyfriend, Martin, was with us and the two of us just went for our own run the next day and took in some sights and yeah, just had a nice weekend. It then did rain the whole time as well. So
00:15:26
Speaker
wasn't amazing, but we did the best that we could in the situation. Good memories of before lockdown, at least. But both Paris Half and Edinburgh, Edinburgh's usually in May, the two of those both got postponed to the same weekend in September. So how typical, I probably would have just gone to Edinburgh.
00:15:54
Speaker
and done the marathon, but it turns out neither happened. And Edinburgh now has the virtual race. And the good thing about it is you can do it over a couple of days or whenever you want until the end of the year. So I'm hoping to do a marathon on the 5th of December. That's a few days just before my birthday. And I don't plan on doing it fast or go for the time I would have wanted to go for. I'm just going to try to get round.
00:16:22
Speaker
and do it just to have something to aim for. Yeah. As to how you plan now versus, you know, that first, that first half, I think you did in Edinburgh, how has that changed if it was going for an event?
Evolving Training Methods
00:16:37
Speaker
Oh yeah, it has changed so much. I've definitely learned a lot about running these past few years. I'm not, well, I do have a plan, but I'll write out my own plan.
00:16:51
Speaker
And again, still a similar way of making sure the weekend long runs increase. I would definitely give myself more time. So a lot of online training plans are maybe 12 weeks. I know to give myself more than that because you never know if you're going to get sick or you just want to repeat a week. So I'm conscious to give myself that time as well as the types of training during the week, uh, definitely incorporating more speed work, Hill sessions.
00:17:21
Speaker
understanding the importance of rest days and cross-training and building up that overall fitness rather than just running. Definitely important. And one thing that's really improved really in the past year or so is going to the gym and doing strength work as well. And I can feel a difference that definitely helps so much. So always learning, there's different sessions come along. I did a great,
00:17:50
Speaker
10K training plan there in August and pushed myself more than I've ever done before. Harder sessions that a few years ago I'd have thought, how could anybody do this? You know, you expect me to run at this pace for how long? But then you do it and you realize you can actually do these things. It's just a matter of pushing yourself. Yeah, brilliant. And like you mentioned earlier, you've been doing a lot of cycling as well, which I
00:18:22
Speaker
I'm allowed to talk about cycling on here.
Cycling Adventures
00:18:28
Speaker
I really do love cycling and actually got into that more when I was living in Exeter as well. And that's why I think somebody gave me a secondhand bike, just a cycle to work. And then I used the cycle to work scheme and got myself a road bike and actually
00:18:47
Speaker
It's one of those things as well about getting into sports and something I'm probably passionate about is women in sports. And my dad said to me, and I get on with my dad very well, but he said, why do you need a road bike? You know, would you not be fine getting a hybrid or, you know, something else? And I was like, no, I need the drop handlebars. I want to look like a pro and best decision I've ever made. I love getting out on the road bike and I took part in a few sportives and
00:19:17
Speaker
There was a race around Dartmoor and then another, I can't remember we did another one, but I remember that day in Dartmoor and it was absolutely chucking it down. And I, and you got a medal, like a gold medal if you finished in this time, silver in this time, bronze in this time, you just had to get finished in a certain time period. And I got a gold medal that day. I was like, where did this even come from? I just was, I think I didn't want to be out in the rain for any longer than I needed to. So it was just.
00:19:47
Speaker
absolutely going for it. And that was so much fun. And so I always remember that. And yeah, now just, oh, sorry. I'm really proud of that. Like you say, you, if you think that you, and you've been very honest about it, you said at school that you'd stand out in the snow, in the rain and in that weather.
00:20:06
Speaker
that Dartmoor gave you. You used to be standing there waiting for your turn, whereas when you were in it, you were going, right, whether you were having it. Yeah, exactly. I've waited for this moment. I'm finally doing it. Yeah. I think that also shows I'm more of a solo sport person than a team sport person. That's maybe a good thing to take from that too, at least in those with running and cycling. Yeah, you can just you can go and do it. You can push yourself.
00:20:36
Speaker
as much as it's nice to go out with somebody and there's the group running or group cycling, nothing beats just, right, I'm the one doing this, I'm the one choosing when I'm going out training, I know I can do it. It's definitely a good feeling. Headspace is the word that I use, that's good for me. I agree more. Definitely. So true.
Preferred Running Gear
00:21:01
Speaker
So what's your go-to accessory?
00:21:06
Speaker
Oh, um, I probably have, I'm trying to look around me right now thinking what do I use? Um, I guess, I guess for me, the main thing I have when I'm running, this is maybe a bit of a boring answer, but I am a, I do listen to music when I'm running and I got AirPods for Christmas a year or two ago and I love wearing them. So I don't have anything kind of hanging around me.
00:21:31
Speaker
and I put my tunes on. And that's probably the main thing. That's not very, I guess they are kind of high-tech in a way, but they're a bit normalized now. But I definitely have them and obviously wouldn't go out without my Garmin. But again, standard answer. You've got quite an interest in your stats, as you said. So what's on you,
00:21:57
Speaker
What tracks are on your own? Oh, I probably have such a embarrassing playlist and I have told people this on our UK Run Chat stories. I am a country music fan. So sometimes that gets me round. That makes me feel quite summery and that's party music as well. But my go to running track
00:22:26
Speaker
especially love it during a race is meatloaf bad out of hell because it's nine minutes long so you know you've got a good distance to cover in that time. I like being able to have words and songs so I'm not having dance music with a beat the whole time you can sing along but it does have a good rhythm to run to so that is one of my top tunes but then I'll also have some musicals
00:22:54
Speaker
I think I said about this recently too. The greatest showman soundtrack is so good for running to. Really motivational. It makes me just want to put my arms in the air. Me like jumping around and cheering. That's definitely good. Yeah. And I'm definitely more a music person than a podcast person, if you're going to ask me about that. I'm not too clued up on podcasts, even though I'm talking about one right now.
00:23:24
Speaker
They're good, I guess. I'd be more into an audiobook if I really wanted to do a long slow run for marathon training. But again, halfway through I'll be like, I'll just put my music on. Just need a beat. Yeah. Yeah. But if anyone's listening to this while they are running,
00:23:48
Speaker
Keep listening. Don't change the music. What's your favourite non-running hobby? Oh, and non-cycling as well. Probably shouldn't say that either. What else do I like to do?
Enjoyment of Reading
00:24:08
Speaker
I try another moment to actually get more into reading again, but I find it very hard this year with
00:24:16
Speaker
so much else going on, it's actually hard to just concentrate. But that's definitely something. And try to just zone out and relax with a good book. And that's probably the main thing. What else have I tried to do?
00:24:40
Speaker
Yeah, actually I did finish a book the other week. I read The Midnight Library by Matt Haig and I could not recommend it enough. I wanted a book that I could just escape into, forget about everything else that's going on right now and that book did it perfectly and it makes you think a lot about life and I was quite sad for it to be over and
00:25:04
Speaker
book I'm reading right now isn't just as captivating, I'll not say what it is, I feel bad, but I will par through, that's my plan for this afternoon. Did we ever not finish a book though? I do that, I'll read half and if it doesn't grab me I'll read it. I know I have done that before but I thought, I actually was talking to my friend about this this morning, I said
00:25:30
Speaker
I know life is too short. I could just stop reading this and move on, but I'm going to, I'm going to give it one more, one more go. I think that says a lot about your personality and what you told us. Yeah. Just one more chance. Yeah, you're going to give up. Yeah. Favorite book, favorite book, favorite film, favorite TV series?
Favorite TV Series
00:25:52
Speaker
Oh, well, favorite TV series, maybe just do this out of order is Orange is the New Black. Okay.
00:25:59
Speaker
best thing on Netflix ever. It's so good. It's made me laugh. It's made me cry. Made me happy. Made me angry. All of those things. It's so good. Yeah, definitely recommend that. Movie. Oh, I do like a good kind of chick flick.
00:26:27
Speaker
grown up at used to be, Titanic was my favourite film. I'm also just off the top of my head. We're nearly into the season. I love The Holiday, which is a Christmas film, but it always comes to mind as a favourite. Yeah, that's an annual film. I love it. Oh, yep. We were looking up some movies to watch over Halloween.
00:26:51
Speaker
yesterday and oh I'm not a scary movie person so I'd like to quickly get past Halloween and get to the Christmas films and book and oh you can tell I have not prepared for any of this so trying to think off the top my head I'm not sure about ever and I don't want to embarrass myself by saying something silly
00:27:19
Speaker
But recently, I think it actually was last year on holiday. I read just trying to think about a recent good book. Obviously, Matt Heig's book was amazing, but I read Dolly Alderton's Everything I Know About Love. And just as a relatable kind of female book, absolutely loved it. I'm not saying that's like a big classic.
00:27:43
Speaker
Something like that, but just off the top of my head, that's something I've really enjoyed recently. I'm hoping to get her first novel as well with my birthday and Christmas coming up, so fingers crossed. Cool, yeah. I'm the December birthday as well, lots of them. Oh yeah, best time of the year.
Quickfire Preferences
00:28:03
Speaker
Road or trail, Rach? Trail, even though I don't do it enough. Morning or evening, Rach.
00:28:12
Speaker
Mmm, evening. Music, yes or no? I think we already answered this. Yes, yes, yes. Smooth or crunchy peanut butter? I prefer smooth but I have to buy crunchy. I've been overruled. Dog or cats? Dogs. Tea or coffee? Coffee. Netflix or Prime? Netflix. Beer or wine? Wine.
00:28:43
Speaker
I don't like the next one. It's on the paper. Over or under? It's just hang it, hang it. Oh, I could totally do this wrong as well. Over? Over. Is over right? I don't know. Somebody help us. I probably do it wrong. Taper. Do you taper? Yes or no? Yes. Yeah. It's not fun. Funny though, it's funny on that. Some people don't. Yeah.
00:29:13
Speaker
Usually two or three weeks. Just depends, yep. Oh that's the end of me quickfire questions. Oh good, good. They weren't too bad. You survived.
00:29:27
Speaker
I just want to say a massive thank you from, you know, on behalf of everyone for the job that you do on Instagram stories.
Praise for Instagram Content
00:29:35
Speaker
You're brilliant. You're so good on camera and you just chuck out what you're doing and it's just very relatable and I enjoy following along. Thank you. Well, thank you. And I mean, I wouldn't be able to do it if people weren't sharing what they're doing as well, tagging us in their photos and videos. And I love seeing that too. And I get to see how people are
00:29:56
Speaker
progressing in their training and things they're achieving. So it's great fun. Cool.
Social Media Presence
00:30:01
Speaker
Thank you. Give us your Twitter and Instagram handle. I know that people can contact John. Oh, yeah. Give us yours as well. So it's Rachel 712, but the Rachel is spelt R A A C H E L because I thought whenever I was probably 15 or 16 that it was really cool to put two A's
00:30:26
Speaker
at the start of my name. And I haven't changed it since, but my name is actually just spelled Rachel, but I've thrown in an extra A to be cool. Cool. Very cool. Thank you, Rachel. Thank you. It's been lovely getting to know you. And thank you again. That's great. Thanks, Joe.