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Episode #012 - Sophie Grace Holmes - Endurance Athlete & Fitness Coach
102 Plays2 years ago
Todays guest is Sophie Grace Holmes, she is a fitness coach, and endurance athlete living with Cystic Fibrosis, a life threatening condition affecting the lungs and other organs in the body which makes an already tough life, that extra bit harder.
In this episode, we discuss what it is like living with CF, the various challenges Sophie has overcome , surmounting many physical feats few people are capable of, including becoming the second woman ever to climb Kilimanjaro with CF, how she paddle boarded 80 Miles from the Bahamas to Florida without being eaten by a shark, how she handled being told she would likely not live past her teens, her approach to life’s obstacles, and her next big challenge which sees her tackling 36 marathons in 36 days.
Find out more about Sophie here:
Instagram/TikTok: @sophiegraceholmes
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Overview
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello and welcome back to Perspectives. Today's guest is Sophie Grace Holmes. She is a fitness coach and endurance athlete living with cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening condition affecting the lungs and other organs in the body which makes an already tough life that extra bit harder.
Sophie Grace Holmes' Early Life and Achievements
00:00:17
Speaker
In this episode, we discuss what it is like living with CF, the various challenges Sophie has overcome, surmounting many physical feats very few are capable of, including becoming the second woman ever to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with CF, how she paddleboarded 80 miles from the Bahamas to Florida without being eaten by a shark,
00:00:37
Speaker
how she handled being told she would not likely live past her teen years, her approach to life's obstacles and her next big challenge which sees her tackling 36 marathons in 36 days.
00:00:49
Speaker
This is a very, very cool episode. I really find Sophie's approach to life rather inspiring. She is one of these rare types of people who refuses to accept the narrative that has been painted for her, and for not only to her ability to adapt to the challenges CF presents, but also to thrive with it, I think we can really take a leaf out of her book and take a few lessons away from this one.
Living with Cystic Fibrosis
00:01:14
Speaker
So without further ado, Sophie Grace Holmes
00:01:21
Speaker
you
00:01:43
Speaker
So, Sophie Grace Holmes, I'm very excited to have you on here. Followed your account for a while now, and I think you're a bit of a super human, so welcome. I'm tricky so much. You are too current, as you've just discussed. I don't bounce on slopes.
00:01:58
Speaker
No, no as the cast would suggest. So I've struggled a little bit to know what to talk about with you because you've done so much just very cool stuff really. You've got a bit of a track record for
00:02:13
Speaker
for things that people only do once in a lifetime, but you seem to do something like that in each given month. So yeah, for anyone who doesn't know who you are, I like to start with a bit of an introduction about my guests and I'd like to hand it over to them so they can sort of best describe who they are and what they do. So yeah, can you just give us a bit of a background? Absolutely.
00:02:37
Speaker
Absolutely. I think the best place probably to start is at the beginning. So I was born with a life threatening disease called cystic fibrosis. And if you don't know what CF is, it, as I've said affects your lungs, but also affects other organs in your body, which I think sometimes people don't see. And it is an invisible illness. So, you know, for so many years, you know, I look well, but I wasn't one on the inside. I was diagnosed at four months old and my mum and dad, I describe it
00:03:06
Speaker
like bringing up a baby to die because they were told I wouldn't make 16 years old and I certainly wouldn't achieve anything in life and I would spend most of my life in the hospital maybe on oxygen but you know don't hope for anything more than that but obviously less did they know that I was much more determined and driven than that and I have had many setbacks
00:03:29
Speaker
which I'm sure we'll get into, but being honest, I wouldn't change the life I've been given. It has given me a lot of life in the years I have had and also I think kind of fast-tracked me into living and doing things, as you've said, that many people wouldn't be brave enough to do and so I'm grateful for that.
00:03:49
Speaker
and actually without the hardships and the things that have happened to me I certainly wouldn't be pacing the things that I am currently chasing so although cystic fibrosis is not comparable between people for me it has given me a lot of life and a lot of lessons but CS is hopefully the long run that's going to be something that people can live limitlessly with
00:04:15
Speaker
But for me, performing more in my recent years wasn't the case. And I've had to fight a lot just to be alive, let alone kind of do the things I've done. And I think take a lot for granted, really, as someone who doesn't have anything like a life-threatening condition, you kind of, you see these people on Instagram and social media, things like that, and you think, oh, yeah, cool. But you just, it's so hard to comprehend that living like that day to day and just not knowing what's around the corner.
00:04:44
Speaker
And I always think it's really incredible to see your outlook and the fact that you are just like, no, I just refuse to accept the narrative that's given to you. And I think for the vast majority of people that would have been just like game over straight away, I was the point of doing anything now because I've been given this kind of, and it's by a medical professional. So these are by people who ought to know and these are people you trust and
00:05:09
Speaker
You kind of, you take what they say is, you know, is gospel. It's like, okay,
Inspiration and Resilience
00:05:14
Speaker
if a doctor said it and a multiple doctors have said it, then it must be true. So to be able to kind of challenge that narrative and push through, I think is really quite something special.
00:05:26
Speaker
Is there anything you've you found that you've drawn upon to help you get through that? Is there any sort of standout moments to you that you think actually it was a maybe a quote I've heard you refer to a couple of quotes in the past or I've got one later on that I want to show you as well. But yeah, is there anything along those lines that you think have sort of been like a switching point moment for you?
00:05:48
Speaker
I would definitely, I've had plenty and I think, I think there's a few, especially when I was younger that I would explore. So the first one, obviously when I was in school growing up and I honestly, although I had my setbacks and I was on over 80 tablets a day, I honestly didn't believe that I had the condition that they were telling me because here I was 15 years old, 16 years old, running for County on track.
00:06:16
Speaker
you know, doing all these sports. And my measure at school was like, who can I beat pee in if I was at the top of pee? Obviously, I'm following. And I was, you know, I'm well, but well. And I was like, they must have called it wrong. I don't understand what's going on. And I think
00:06:30
Speaker
When I did Reach 16, they, the talk says, I think people, already people who have come across something would understand this. They have a way with words sometimes, and they went, so you've done well to Reach 16, but you're probably halfway through your last, like how does that make you feel? Because by then the age of six, I didn't see the people who see I've gone to 30, and I was a bit like, whoa, there ain't no room in here, like how can you suddenly throw these words around? Unfortunately, when I reached 19, I did become really unwell
00:06:59
Speaker
And they, you know, tried everything to get me better and things like that. And I remember sitting in my hospital room and the doctors sitting on the end of my bed going, well, nothing's working. And if you carry it at this rate, you've probably got two years. And I remember thinking like, wow, like they were never worth having fun of anticipated hearing. But thank God I did because
00:07:18
Speaker
For me, that moment in time was at the moment where I turned on and said, I actually don't represent the guys. And I want to be able to feel my ears doing the things that I love to do.
00:07:30
Speaker
and experiencing all that I had to offer. And so I sat there, drew up a little bucket list, despite obviously how well I was and, you know, getting out of bed and to have work. And I was like, that's it. If I want to improve my house, I need to learn how to do that. And I need to work with people that are going to help me. I need to change my career path. I need to do absolutely everything in my power.
00:07:52
Speaker
to be able to breathe and be able to live my life. And so that's exactly what
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and Personal Milestones
00:07:56
Speaker
I did. And with a 50% expulsion a year later, I went and summited Mount Kilimanjaro being the second CMA in the world to do that with CS. And I remember sitting at the top of Kilimanjaro being like,
00:08:11
Speaker
well they didn't believe I could do it so what else could I do and how else could I improve my health and I kind of since then things have spiraled and I've done all kinds of things and so it's that pivotal moment that many people would have seen or maybe given into or seen as a failure or like you know the unable to kind of move through that
00:08:31
Speaker
the life that I've experienced since then would never have happened and I think this is my perception of situations and how you react to things is so important and thankfully my younger me was able to see through that.
00:08:44
Speaker
It's always really interesting to see how much you can push the human body as well. There's some amazing people that have done some quite frankly absurd feats in their life. So you've got Ross Edgley who's swum around the UK. It was over a hundred days. He didn't set foot on land. Six hours on, six hours off swimming.
00:09:04
Speaker
And that just boggles my mind. You've got Jay Oldton did, he box jumped the height of Everest. You've got another guy, Tom Kemp, I think did it. And I think Ross Edgley did it as well, about rope climbing the height of Everest. And it's just, I think, the current guy as well. I can't remember what his name is, but he's known as the hardest geezer. He's running across Africa.
00:09:24
Speaker
It's just insane what you can do. I don't know if it's because social media didn't give you the exposure to those types of people before, but now it just seems like there's so many people doing things that I would never have believed to be, or even across my mind, as to being possible.
00:09:42
Speaker
in you know in your lifetime yet there's people doing it out here doing it every day there's you know you're you know a unique individual and that you've got this condition and you're pushing on and and doing all these challenges and there's so many other people that are doing these challenges as well but they don't have that condition and there's also people that would never even dream of being able to run a marathon let alone
00:10:05
Speaker
We'll get onto your latest challenge a bit later on, but yeah. It's quite incredible. I think I've heard people describe illnesses and events like this. Some people describe them as their superpower. And from what you've said before, you said you wouldn't have thought that you would be able to do the things you've done without that diagnosis. Would you describe it as a superpower or is that a bit too nice to call it a superpower?
00:10:32
Speaker
I think you can do it. And I think, again, it comes down to perception and because I think many people would be like, hang on a minute, you were born with a life-threatening disease that is not curable and yet you're grateful for it. And I think for me, like, you know, especially with the challenges I have done, I always look back and think the younger me would be so proud that I'm not giving up.
00:10:54
Speaker
despite nobody believing that I would ever be able to do anything with my life. And I think as well you have to use the situations you're in to your advantage and find a way through them because otherwise we'd never do anything in life. And granted like many people are like, oh God, here she goes again, like what are you going to do this time? But for me, I've got a few fears in life.
00:11:16
Speaker
And one of them is regret. And for me, like, there's a phrase, I can't remember who said it, but somebody said it, and they said, it's the excuses you make today that will be the regrets you have at the end of your line.
00:11:28
Speaker
And for me, like, I love being able to push myself and see what I can achieve mentally and physically. And I know that I would regret not leaning into that discomfort because of what you can get from that if I didn't just try and do these things that I deemed impossible. Because what's the point in life unless you're going to do something with it or you're going to do what you want to do with it, more importantly.
00:11:50
Speaker
me like I know that if I didn't do these things it would be a massive regret for me and I'd get to my deathbed and be like the life I could have had versus the life that I had and I think when I embark on deciding to do things I'm like would I regret not trying or would I regret not giving it
00:12:08
Speaker
my all because I think it's so easy to kind of stay in comfort whereas if you go into discomfort you really find out what you're made of, who you are, your capabilities and I think I also understand not many people or people don't want to do that but you miss out because of what you can then develop within your life and the experiences and the people you meet and my most favorite moments are by far my most uncomfortable such as climbing Kilimanjaro or
00:12:35
Speaker
doing other things I've done. I did a paddleboard race a couple of years ago, which was definitely by far the hardest thing I've ever done, partly because I'd never paddled in the ocean before and it was 80 miles across the Gulf Stream. But that day will never leave me. It was phenomenal on so many different levels. And I think it's what you make out of the situation that you're in. Because of course, I could have sat there and been like, well, I've got to see what's the point.
00:13:02
Speaker
then time goes by anyway, right? And so you either decide to make the most of the time you've gone, embrace it and enjoy it, or you sit back and look back and be like, well, I can't have done anything or I hadn't done anything I wanted to do because I was scared or whatever. So for me, if I'm fearful of something, it's also a sign that I should do it.
00:13:22
Speaker
Yeah.
Living Urgently and Pursuing Dreams
00:13:23
Speaker
There's a, there's a quote I think to do with the, the pain of regret is often greater than the pain of actually doing the thing you didn't want to do in the first place. I can't, I've just paraphrased that completely, but the Stoics have got an idea of this idea of the memento mori. And I think you get these calendars, which have basically got your life mapped out in weeks. So each week you can go and you can tick it off. And it's,
00:13:50
Speaker
I mean it's horrendous to look at because you realise the brevity of life when you have it displayed in front of you in a matter of weeks and you're filling in these boxes of the weeks of your life and you realise like holy shit I've done about 25% of my life already.
00:14:06
Speaker
and like there's not actually you know when I end up going into a bit of a rabbit hole when I look at that sort of thing realize I'm like I haven't achieved anything I wanted to do and things like that as well and I end up in a bit of a flap but you know it's those time is very very short and it does we always get to the end of the year and we go oh I don't know where the year's gone and it's just like a default thing as as humans especially as Brits where we're just like oh it's sort of same old same old I don't know where the year's gone again but
00:14:34
Speaker
From that moment, I've been trying to focus on my actually on a month by month basis, like I try not put stuff off too long. So, you know, I actually was looking at your account that's inspired me to do my first half marathon. So I've signed up. No way. Signed up for the bath half. And it was very much a sort of pop up on my Instagram. And I was like, yeah, go on, then I'll do it. Because I always say to myself each year, I'll do an event or I'll do a sporting event. Maybe I'll try for a marathon or something like that.
00:15:05
Speaker
And it gets kind of, you get to the middle of the year and you realize all the events are pretty much passed anyway by that point. So you got to wait until the next year and then the next year rolls around. You're like, oh, like I was going to sign up for that and you never do. And before you know it, you kind of, you've been promising yourself, you've, you're going to do an event for three, four years and you never do it. And you're like, oh,
00:15:25
Speaker
Where's the time gone? So I'm trying to just say yes to more things like that and just try it I'm a firm believer in just trying things first, you know at least once you can you know pushing yourself out of your comfort zone especially for me Something I've got very good at socially in approaching people whereas before it would be
00:15:46
Speaker
a case of, you know, I don't know what they might think of me, I don't want to just sort of bother that person, but now I go up and I have that conversation because you never know where it's going to lead. It's something I'm trying to do a bit more of in like a sporting sense and physical sense with things like challenges like that.
00:16:04
Speaker
I think so many people, it goes back to that really corny saying of missing 100% of the shots you never take, right? But if you don't approach people and you don't ask the question, you're never going to know what's happened. And that could be a question that changes your life or will come back to some point in your life and rear its head again. And you realize if you hadn't had that, you may not get these opportunities.
00:16:26
Speaker
Oh, definitely. I agree with that so much. I do believe in starting doors and making your own life. And like, you know, I do believe things that are meant to pass you by, but you also have to be open to opportunity and open those doors yourself. And pushing yourself out there to, as you've said, like meet people or do different challenges or have that conversation.
00:16:48
Speaker
Because I think, you know, a lot of the time where you can spend so much of our time being, oh, what if? Or, oh, I don't want to do that because it's, you know, it's uncomfortable. Or, as you've said, I don't want to bother that person. But, you know, by having that conversation, like, what are you going to miss out? And you're going to miss out more by not trying and not doing these things. Because you never know, you might find
00:17:09
Speaker
you do that half mass and you're like, oh, then maybe the half's not for me, but I'd love to go and race the 10K, or I'd love to go and try high rocks, or I'd love to go and do these things. It might open that door of like, putting yourself in a community. You know, there's loads of like run clubs around and stuff that I see. And this is why like, you know, I'm a firm believer of also price something once. Yeah. Or, you know, because you never know, like you might find something that you actually really know to do.
00:17:35
Speaker
And until you try, how are you supposed to know? And it's, I think, for you and nature to get stuck in the same routine year after year, week by week. And I think it is a really nice idea to sit down at the beginning of each month and be like, okay, well, aside from the things that I have to do, what do I want to also do this month? You know, it could be more than record a couple of more podcasts this month, or I want to book a race, or I want to, you know, do that.
00:18:04
Speaker
cooking lesson I wanted to do and I think
00:18:08
Speaker
making sure that you're doing that consciously is a really important thing because I've been so guilty of it in the past where life goes by you're like oh my goodness what have I done nothing which you have done something but I think as humans we like to kind of earmark the big things in life as the main event when actually some of the small things are also the main event because they're the things that bring you peace with the excitement and all of that and I think I've been massively guilty in the past where
00:18:37
Speaker
I'd only really recognise the big achievements because for me growing up I got told I'd never achieve anything in life. In which case the only things that matter are the things that people believed I'd never do.
00:18:47
Speaker
Yeah, it's the small wins that add up as well. I was speaking to another guest about this as well and about, you know, being present and in, uh, Andrew Daishio had on, said about enjoying the rewards. So it's not just about, it's not just about actually doing the thing, but it's about taking the time to acknowledge your efforts and the work that's gone into it. So all of the work that's led up, led you to where you are now, all of the training, all the nights where you didn't want to get out of bed.
00:19:13
Speaker
and you got out of bed all the nights where you didn't want to you just wanted to sort of sit on the sofa all the um for the whole weekend instead of going for your run it's those small wins really do add up and i think there's a war of attrition at the end of the day it's not if you just focus on the big ones then you're you're gonna you're only gonna find maybe four or five things that you've done that's gonna be really big whereas if you look at the a more granular level
00:19:38
Speaker
You can find four or five things every day that you think you've done really well. And the power of sort of compounding those into something big can really just help with your motivation, I think. Oh, definitely. And I think one of the biggest things also that that is.
00:19:54
Speaker
The main or the most important part of achieving a goal isn't actually the goal itself. It's the things you achieve before that. So it's the person that you've become, the discipline, as you've said, and all the things in between where you've had to put things in place to ensure that you've become the person that is able to achieve that goal. Because I think we put so much emphasis on, I want to go and run that marathon, you forget.
00:20:19
Speaker
you need to work backwards and actually for you to do that, you have to execute the plan, you have to do the nutrition, you have to get the recovery in and all these things. And to be that person, you actually have to go and change as a person, which is the most amazing part.
00:20:33
Speaker
I think it's fear of the unknown as well as what puts a lot of people off and if you're trying something new for the first time, if you're trying a challenge that not many people have tried before, you said for example your Kilimanjaro escapade where you were the second person, second one with cystic fibrosis to ever do that.
00:20:51
Speaker
Did you feel like that was the scale of the achievement? Did you feel like actually I've done something that few people have ever done before or were you just like yeah it was it was a hard challenge but you know it's nothing insurmountable?
00:21:06
Speaker
I think it's interesting because I was thinking about this recently, my mindset over the years, because I think there's so much power in naivety as well. Because back then I was like, well, I've got to go and do this challenge otherwise I'm going to die on, which is not realistic or real. But it's what saved me, right? So I was like, right, I'm going to go and do this challenge because I could be the second person in the world to see how to achieve it.
Evolving Mindset on Achievements
00:21:31
Speaker
And instead of recognizing the challenge, I got to the top and went, okay, cool.
00:21:37
Speaker
And I was guilty of that for quite a long time, doing numerous different challenges, whether it's running mountains, whatever it could be. And it was only until more recently where I sat back and I was like, a lot of people don't even do any of this stuff once. And I think especially because most of the stuff I've done was pretty social media, right? So it wasn't even out there.
00:22:00
Speaker
And I think now I would look back, like I did in Ultra Iron Man, self-supported 18 months ago. And I do look back and think, oh, that was a long day. That was a hard day, but I didn't give up. And especially because he was, yeah, it was well planned on my path and the 5K swim was done in the dark on my own with no legs apart because it was a poor planning path. But I wasn't going to be cut off by the fish that were following me because I actually couldn't bear the thought of getting out of the lake and being like,
00:22:29
Speaker
Well, I didn't make it because the fish, you know, um, and it was dark and I couldn't see a thing. Was that all Italy, was it? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it was phenomenal. And I think this is why I love to try and encourage people just to do something. It doesn't have to be to the scale that I do. I just.
00:22:48
Speaker
drive off of doing these things that are ridiculous in a way. But it could just be like, you know, I want to go and start around, go and run a kilometre down the road. That's amazing. And I think this is also the problem with social media where, you know, recognising that you don't have to do the big things. You could do the big things that are big to you and that's still amazing. It doesn't have to be comparable to anyone else's because also you're not starting on the same days. So me doing the challenge that I've got, this is, you know, 12 years deep.
00:23:18
Speaker
into doing this kind of stuff, you know, this isn't gone off one day and been like, you know what, I've started running three weeks ago and I want to go through this thing. And I think that's a really important thing to remind yourself of. And I think this challenge that I am training for is going to be by far the biggest thing I've ever attempted in my entire life, aside from on seeing or dying, which is also quite a big achievement in itself.
00:23:39
Speaker
Yeah, props for that one. Yeah. Yeah. Well done, Lee. I think it's really important to emphasize that because I think it's great talking about these amazing big things, but what is also amazing is people just trying stuff.
00:23:55
Speaker
No matter what it is. That's not in their comfort zone. Yeah, because I think especially people with CF there are still people out there and there's many people out there that aren't well and even just getting up out of bed is hard work. I think it's so easy to kind of get stuck in there. Well, that person's doing it and I'm not doing that. Or I can't do that. Or I couldn't imagine doing that. But I think it's about taking inspiration on your own need and own level to apply it to your own life to be like, what person do I want to become by doing these things?
00:24:24
Speaker
It's about, I think it's about, there's a difference between, so for example, people looking to you and be very inspired. Take the example of why I signed up for the half marathon because I saw your challenge attempt and I was like, okay, well, if you can do that with CF, no matter how deep you are into it with all the training you've done in the past, then I can at least give this a try.
00:24:49
Speaker
But once that initial kind of buzz and that motivation wears off, a lot of people, I think it's the Marines, I don't know, I think I'm quoting sort of Churchillian drift now. It's a principle where everything, no matter what it is, gets attributed to Churchill or someone incorrectly. But I think it was the Marines who basically said, you don't...
00:25:12
Speaker
you don't rise to the occasion you fall to the level of your training and so when that initial motivation wears off which i think a lot of people rely on this i don't have the motivation to do it you go onto youtube you can type in these motivational speakers and these videos which will pump you up and you're good for you know you're good for maybe a month and then
00:25:30
Speaker
it's not all or maybe less and then that starts to fizzle out a little bit and you kind of you look into things as to to well how do i keep going for this and i was discussing this with a another guest of mine who does iron man and she said gold setting is probably the most important thing at least for her because
00:25:52
Speaker
when you when you're going through your training and then when you get to the race and it's the hard stuff's happening you can look back and go actually I set out to achieve this and also my training has led me to the point where I know what's going to happen I know that this cramping is natural to happen at this point in the race because I've trained for it do you do you rely on discipline or do you use motivation obviously you've got quite a big motivator in that you you don't want to die but but
00:26:21
Speaker
But that aside, is there anything else beyond that that you rely on quite frequently, you think? I think the motivation discipline scenario is a really interesting one because
00:26:32
Speaker
I think, as you've said, motivation is something we can't rely on because after the initial buzz has gone, what it comes down to is you're actually executing the plan. You'll be able to achieve these things, but discipline breeds motivation. So if you become disciplined and stick to the sessions you've got to do, you're more likely to be motivated and the more disciplined that you can push yourself to be,
00:26:56
Speaker
then you're going to do what needs to be done because you understand that you're never going to achieve it otherwise. Well, you might, but it will happen a lot more. And I think the gas that you've just spoken to about probably mentioned that the training is the hard part. Obviously, this might not apply to me and my challenge because that's also going to be incredibly hard. But most of the time, if you can execute the training and you've got a good coach, the training plan will over exceed what you need to achieve that goal.
00:27:23
Speaker
and it all comes down to your mindset and how much you want to achieve it and understanding that you're not always going to love it, you're not always going to enjoy the training, but what you are going to get from it
00:27:34
Speaker
is the ability to know that you can do hard things. And I believe that if you do hard things consistently enough, life becomes easier. Whereas if you do easy things, life will always just be hard because you don't know how to handle situations. And I think this is the power of being able to do training and move is it actually helps you understand how to tackle what life throws at you because life is a rollercoaster. There's no one that I have met that has ever had a really easy life.
00:28:01
Speaker
And I think people I have also spoken to in the past have also said if the hard stuff didn't happen or the failures, which I don't really believe in failure either, don't happen, life doesn't change and if nothing changes then
00:28:17
Speaker
where where are you going to end up and I think life will also keep repeating the lessons until you decide to change something and so it's just this vicious circle so when it comes out of discipline and reservation of course it takes time to build up discipline but the quickest way to become confident in what you're doing is to do the things that you set out to do i.e find the training plan or wherever it could be surrounding whatever goal whether it's personal fitness work related like you can apply to everything and I think
00:28:45
Speaker
you know, we're all guilty of missing things or not doing it or not getting out of that brand. But this is why I love setting goals that are so big that they scare the hell out of me because it will scare me into doing this training. Like for example, obviously I've got an amazing coach for this marathon challenge that I'm doing. Obviously I broke my wrist. He looks good. And he was like, the longer you can run,
00:29:11
Speaker
you'll be fine. But from this day on, you cannot miss one kilometre of that training plan.
00:29:18
Speaker
because that's just otherwise it will be too hard and that is that. And whether he's done it to scare me, but I also believe that he's right. Being approached by myself, you have to put your body through what it needs to go through to be able to achieve the things. And I think more so mentally because the mental side of achieving challenges is one of the hardest things. And so if you can't push yourself to become disciplined mentally, then you are going to suffer a lot more.
00:29:45
Speaker
Yeah, Ross Sedgley talks quite a lot about it, about being getting comfortable, being uncomfortable, and I think discomfort is a scary place. No one likes to be uncomfortable. Humans are designed to be safe and warm, and Maslow's hierarchy of needs makes sure everything's met and we're all safe and all good. But it does take a great deal of courage, I think, to put yourself in a position where you know it's going to suck.
00:30:13
Speaker
and you anticipate it's going to suck, but you do it anyways. There is a principle I learned from Andrew Huberman, he's a neuroscientist at Stanford University, and he described an area of the brain called the ACC, I think it's called the anterior cingulate vortex. Sounds very fancy, but
00:30:33
Speaker
it's that that part of the brain is associated with like cognitive functions and things like it's associated with things like willpower and they found that when you do something that you you actively do something that you don't want to do you you can actually train that like a muscle you can train your willpower essentially so the more times that you put yourself in situations where you
00:30:57
Speaker
You don't want to do it, you have high anxiety levels leading up to it. Let's take the really popular one at the moment of ice baths or a cold shower where you hate it, it doesn't get any better each time, but you do it anyways. You can actually train that, that's consciously training your willpower and self-discipline to be able to do that.
00:31:19
Speaker
So it's interesting that you can actually train this sort of stuff. It's not something that's just, for some people it may be that it may come a bit more naturally to some other people, depending on what your motivations are, but you can actively go out of your way to be able to do that. And by doing that, you're strengthening that willpower and making you eventually do bigger and bigger things that you don't want to do.
00:31:44
Speaker
such as paddle boarding 80 miles across. You were quite literally throwing yourself in at the deep end with that one, weren't you? Yeah, there's been a running theme really for the last 10 years where I get offered challenge quite the last minute and I go, what's the lesson that's going to happen to me?
00:32:03
Speaker
I remember flying in Florida and then go to the Bahamas, being like, I am so jet lag. And tomorrow night, I need to go in a paddle ward, 80 miles back to Florida. And I think normally in this challenge, the winds behind you, the weather's not that bad. Like when we went over there, it was like glass water. It was absolutely beautiful. The night of the challenge, of course, under a lightning came in. And I remember leaving the shore being like, cool.
00:32:32
Speaker
How hard could it have been? There's a couple of really busy memories with that, where obviously with it you have a captain in a boat to follow with the GPS and say three reasons, because there's about 200 paddles, there's a few boats out there. And I remember getting to, I think it must have been about an hour and the cats have been like, you're doing so well, keep going.
00:32:50
Speaker
you've done three miles." I was like, that has just destroyed my entire song. That, because I am so tired and it was obviously so warm and the waves were so big and somebody had already been bitten by a shark and I was like, this is going to be by far the most mental light of my entire life. And it was and
00:33:10
Speaker
The other thing that really kind of plays on my mind is that when you do these kind of challenges and these experiences, you also have the opportunity to experience things that most people won't. So for example, obviously that in itself is a very niche thing, but within the whole experience, by the time the sun had come up, the storm had gone away, the waters were flat, and there was no land to be seen. So like we were in the middle of the ocean on a paddleboard surrounded by the sunrise.
00:33:36
Speaker
And I don't know many other circumstances where people would have been in that position, other than obviously if you're on a boat. But I remember just being like, although this is really hard and it's emotional and it's challenging every single part of my sanity, how phenomenal is it that by the time I get to the other end, which I will get to, I have these memories and these experiences and knowing that I can tackle things that are weird and wonderful and bizarre and amazing. And I think when you do these things, the only space you want to then want to do more
00:34:06
Speaker
Yeah, sort of getting that appetite for the more exciting. It sounds, I don't know, some people that might sound absolutely terrifying being in the middle of the ocean, like not having anything around you, but it also sounds like it came with a level of serenity almost, where it's kind of just you and, aside from the 200 other people, most of which probably didn't make it by that point, but yeah, that sort of being out there and taking that all in. And I think it's a good point actually,
00:34:38
Speaker
There's a lot of times we just kind of head down and get through stuff without actually taking, and it's this idea of being present, right? Taking in the sights around us. Even in the cold, you know, I went for a run the other day and it was peeing it down with rain. And actually it was probably the most fun I've ever had running recently as well, because I walked in absolutely drenched. And if I'd have looked at that and it would have been peeing down with rain beforehand, I would have been like,
00:35:05
Speaker
I really want to go and do that. But actually going out there, the, you know, it was a nice temperature. It was cool. Like don't often run the raid. And it's quite fun to be honest and just sort of taking in everything around me. It was, yeah, I already enjoyed the experience. And I think a lot of time people just kind of head down, bulldoze the way through, especially when it gets like harder challenges, but don't take the time to sort of appreciate what's going on around them. And actually that they are capable of doing that sort of thing.
00:35:35
Speaker
I think so. And I think it's something that I'm trying to be more conscious about. It's being present with the new emotion that you're
Experiencing and Understanding Emotions
00:35:41
Speaker
in. Not so that it takes over, but I think we're human and we experience all these different kinds of emotions for all kinds of different reasons. And I think you're getting to know yourself as well and knowing that
00:35:54
Speaker
You might be out in that rain doing that round and it's windy and it's maybe a bit cold. But you found fun in it, right? So it's about actually realising that the things that we perceive potentially to be not fun, you actually might enjoy. And I think we're so quick to put an emotional state onto something before we do it or experience it.
00:36:16
Speaker
Because I think some of the best, as I've said, times in the most happy explorations and the most memorable times have also been some of the strangest and hardest scenarios that I've faced myself in. And I think it's a huge reminder and I think even like this past weekend where I had two very long rounds,
00:36:34
Speaker
The first on the Saturday, I found myself in some strange mental setting for some unknown reason, but obviously I was like, well, I've got to do these disorders. And then the next day it was absolutely different. It still got up there and did it in less than six a.m. And afterwards I sat there and I was like, do you know what? It just shows that
00:36:53
Speaker
us as people can do these things. And I think it's really important to consistently put yourself into these uncomfortable positions that don't have to be extreme. It could just be going for a run in the rain because you actually realise actually what we are able to do and actually find joy in as well. Yeah, definitely. Do you ever get bored on these long runs?
00:37:17
Speaker
Yeah, but I think that's part of it, isn't it? We're not meant to always love them and find them fun. To be honest, the one that I did during the Saturday that ended up in a bit of a strange mindset, I quarries myself to the bakery at the end. I actually ran probably three kilometres further away to run the 3K back that I need to do to commit to the miles, just so that I can go to the bakery because the bakery was still a counter from my hands, but then obviously I walked by it.
00:37:41
Speaker
I think it's about finding the fun in it and actually understanding that being bored is okay. Because I think with social media and scrolling and all these kinds of things, we try then to turn our brains all the time and actually being bored is okay, even though it doesn't seem so fun. But not every part of life is fun. So for me, like learning to be bored, especially with the challenge of what coming up, I need to be really okay with that. So it probably did me some good.
00:38:06
Speaker
It's like delay gratification almost, isn't it? It's not just getting that short term stuff, which as you say, it's kind of being programmed into us now with these short hits of Dave Mean. And you see it even in things like films now as well. The duration of cut scenes and sort of action scenes, they tend to be so fast moving and that's sort of
00:38:29
Speaker
parallelized with the whole TikTok scrolling because most of the time you're only looking for a few seconds and so you actually see how much of a transition effect is happening on things like that entertain us on the wider scale so actually being able to you know not have that and it's a good point really about this sort of blind positivity that people think you must have with everything must be amazing
00:38:53
Speaker
even in all these challenges you must enjoy every second of it. It's not but it's it's kind of I think my friend calls it type 2 fun whereas it's not fun at the time and it's horrible but after the fact you feel so much better it's like doing a really hard work out of the gym or you know one way absolutely blown out your ass by the end of it but you know an hour later you're like actually I'm really proud of myself for getting through that
00:39:18
Speaker
Exactly. You literally get an eye on them. I couldn't say the better myself. And I think that's the thing, isn't it? It is so important to keep doing that touchy fun. You'd actually do the best on the phone in a way. You heard it here first. Noted.
00:39:38
Speaker
So I I said to you earlier I had a had a quote for you and I think it's kind of I Love a good quote on this podcast. I don't know about you But sometimes you just need a good quote to get through the day, but it was Confucius who said every man has two lives and the second starts when they realize they only have one and
00:40:00
Speaker
So that for me is kind of, when we go back to this idea of a memento mori and this, the brevity of life and things like that, that's when I go into panic mode and go actually, shit, there's not a lot of time actually left. And yeah, it kind of inspires you to kind of get on and look at doing things with a sense of urgency rather than sort of delaying it for a, for a later date. Um, so I'm trying to sort of work on, on getting better at that really.
00:40:31
Speaker
Yeah. And I think why not? Because I think this is where CS has given me the step up. It has made me do it early and by far earlier than maybe other people, right? Because I got told from a very young age, no, you're not going to do anything in life. And that made me go, all right, watch me. But I think
00:40:52
Speaker
You know, no one knows how long you're going to be here for, right? And I think it is so easy to get so busy in there. Oh yeah, but you know, I need to earn this amount of money. I need to have this amount of saving money to achieve all these different things. But it's like, well, that's perfectly fair and valid. But what else do you want to do that potentially you couldn't do in your 60? Like, you know, some of the challenges that I have done, of course, there'll be plenty of 60 of us that would be able to do it.
00:41:20
Speaker
I might not be able to. So how about doing the things that I want to do? No, if I can. Create the opportunity, find a way. Because I do believe we will have the opportunity to achieve the things we want to achieve. And some people will take longer, some people will take, you know, less time. Some people will have things that land at the right time. But I think we only have one shot. And I think, I can't remember who said it. But it's similar to what you've just said is basically, you know, we live
00:41:50
Speaker
like we're never going to die. So, you know, you deal with the things you want to do, but actually we only live once and so we could die any time. And it goes back to the fear of not putting yourself out there because you don't want to look silly or you don't want to be different to everybody else. But actually, you know,
00:42:13
Speaker
I'm very well now, for example, but in five years time, I might not be. And would I regret not doing the things I want to do now? I just was too scared to do them. Absolutely. And so, you know, this is why like I, every single year trying to, I try and do a big challenge or try and do something or learn something new because why not? I would love to learn a language at some point. Maybe that'll be in my 2025 goals. Yeah.
00:42:42
Speaker
And I would love to, you know, be able to inspire someone else to simply try and do something that potentially they'd never done or achieve something that no one else would have thought they would have achieved. And I think it's about believing in yourself so highly and so much that other people have no choice but to believe in you too. Yeah.
00:43:02
Speaker
Yeah, it's always, as you said before, about being naive enough to think you can do the impossible and just kind of giving it a shot anyways. And there's one about sort of shooting for the moon and if you miss anyways, you kind of, you hit somewhere nearby. Like, if you set the bar so unbelievably high,
00:43:21
Speaker
It doesn't matter if you actually get there, but the chances are you'll probably end up getting further ahead than you ever thought it was possible for you and probably for a lot of people around you as well. I think people will rely, as a society, I think if we do everything that everyone else wants us to do, if you actually look at
00:43:40
Speaker
the average person in i think the average person in america is like divorced overweight and less than 1k in the bank so actually if you look at what people want you to do as a society it's probably not the best trajectory for your life anyways like people want to fit in and sort of you know align into this mold because they don't want to stand out but actually everyone is so different anyways like the the the fundamental nature of human beings is that they are so different from each other like no two people the same um
00:44:10
Speaker
apart from identical twins, but even in identical twins. Even then though, you don't know, do you? The mindsets could be so different and the ones and things like that and I think you're right, the power lies in you being an individual and actually learning into that and being like, whatever happens, no one else can predict my next move, only I can. And actually, no one knows when, you know, they're going to be suddenly skyrocketed into
00:44:35
Speaker
you know, achieving something or success. So like, that's why you have to put those building blocks down and just be like, I keep going, it will be on the road to success however long that takes. I think there's a quote that says you could be working for 10 years and the last year is the year that you make it. But I think people are too afraid to ask a failure to not try again. But a failure is just feedback and it's learning and understanding what does work, what doesn't work and knowing that
00:45:04
Speaker
understanding the people's opinions of you actually does not matter. I think a lot of the internet likes to judge people, likes to troll people, but actually that is a pure perception of them as an individual person. And it's usually a reflection of them because they're not willing to put themselves out there to be vulnerable because I think there's a lot of power in being vulnerable.
00:45:27
Speaker
Yeah, I think it's the default mechanism for most people now, especially when they're giving you crap on social media is it's like it's easy for you to say that's kind of, well, it's all right for you because you're in this position or it's all right for you because you have this upbringing.
00:45:42
Speaker
But it's just, I think when you get people like that, it's more a reflection of their own insecurities and they're trying to project their insecurities onto you. And to be able to say it's actually almost always pity those people because you know it's just something that you've done has obviously generated something in them that's made them either regret not doing something
00:46:05
Speaker
or it's kind of shone the light on their own circumstance. We go, actually, well, you've had every opportunity to do something and do the things you wanted to do, but you haven't done it. And it kind of, I think it kind of guilt trips people almost. They kind of take it as a, you know, they're ashamed of themselves so then they have to lash out other people and try and bring them down to their level, which I think is, I think it's a defense mechanism a lot of the time when people do things like that.
00:46:32
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, I think so. But I think, for me, like, if I ever feel remotely triggered by anything, it's for me to look into that as to why. Like, what was caused that? It could be nothing to do with that, whatever that person done or said. But it's something that I need to work through so that that doesn't happen. Because I think, you know,
00:46:53
Speaker
We all growing up have had things as occurred to us in different forms and a lot of the time, and I know I've been guilty of it in the past, just bearing your head and being just like, right, we've got to get on with it. And I know that there's many things that I did because I thought it was the only way to survive.
00:47:11
Speaker
especially when it came down to my emotional state. Because for me, the pattern was I got too stressed, got emotional or got hurt by someone and I didn't live in hospital. And it was the pattern. And then I snitched off all the things that made that happen. But then by doing that, you then miss out on so many other things. Dude, therefore, once I'd realized this pattern, I was like, actually, it's really important to feel things as a human being and recognize emotion. And you're okay to be sitting in that emotion. It's also happened for a reason.
00:47:41
Speaker
because of things that have happened to you, because no one has gone through life without something going wrong or something being hard. And I think it's a really positive thing that people do now talk about this a bit more online. And, you know, for me, for example, the reason I got into all these endurance-based sports is because I thought, because I was no better educated that, thank God, in a way, it was the only way to save my own life.
00:48:09
Speaker
I wouldn't change that because I didn't experience phenomenal things, met some incredible people, and had conversations and opportunities that never would have happened. If I hadn't, I'd easily chase that. But I think the moon would chill me, it goes, yeah, I kind of sometimes miss that attitude a little bit because it's led to me to some amazing places and I'm sure it still will. But it's also being of the understanding that you don't have to bury yourself in to miss out on other parts of life and achieve these things.
00:48:39
Speaker
It's just being dealt a different hand really, isn't it? It's kind of, everyone's dealt a different hand completely and it doesn't make what the hand that someone else has dealt is any less important than yours. It's just how you process that and how you deal with it.
00:48:56
Speaker
how you deal with the hand that's been given to you and like for Europe you're a good example of not falling into the trap of believing everything that's been told and the you know sort of falling victim to a narrative that's been painted of you and you've been self-aware enough to be able to go actually you know I don't want this for myself I'm gonna try something and sort of prove other people wrong and not everyone is like that so it's obviously testament to your persona and your ability to be able to to be self-aware
00:49:25
Speaker
but it also means that you know other people can just just give it a go and see what happens really it's not what's the as you say what's the worst that can happen for you it's some things do have quite dire consequences but for other people if you don't have something that's like life-threatening then you've got even more reasons just try stuff because you don't have that that sort of um you know that sort of negative side of it as well well do you find
00:49:55
Speaker
Do you think that if you slowed down or stopped, are you worried about what might happen if you ever did that? Has it ever crossed your mind or is it just kind of you don't tend to really think about that sort of things? No, it's definitely something I have thought about for what if I sat down. I mean, it wouldn't be in my nature not to do any form of movement. I love it. It gives me so much.
00:50:19
Speaker
And actually last year was the first year in many years, I didn't trace a big goal. I just thought, you know what, I've done the Ultra Ironman. I'm just gonna raise this year, try and do what I wanna do. And what was interesting was the fact that my mindset is asked for that. Whether that's right or wrong, I don't know. But I know for me, I love being able to achieve things.
00:50:49
Speaker
And I've literally just not set out to do anything because I was like, I'm just going to give myself a year off. I'm going to do what I fancy. But having that lack of structure and that lack of goal really did impact me. And it doesn't have to mean that every single year I go and chase these huge things that are crazy. I think familiar is important to have some form of goal, whether it be fitness related, career related and all these things.
00:51:13
Speaker
because although obviously it did kind of impact my health a bit in terms of like, because I wasn't training in a structured way, of course, my health started a little bit, but it's a very different scenario now. I'm on a medication that does keep my health stable. I don't have to chase the big goals to say, like, have I chased them because I want to? And because I love being in that scenario of having the devil in your shoulder, being like, you could stop if you wanted. And having
00:51:36
Speaker
the opportunities to fight, to defy that and prove to yourself that you can do hard things and you can do things that most people wouldn't want to do. And so for me now, I do it for a completely different reason. That's the reason I started doing it, which is amazing.
00:51:53
Speaker
Yeah, the idea of reframing stuff is something I've worked on quite recently as well, especially with this, especially with the running, because I've not really been a runner. I've always been active, always been sporty, but I've never done any sort of endurance running.
00:52:09
Speaker
someone I heard it on a another podcast and I've tried implementing it and I had a friend out at the weekend actually kept saying it to me because I kept saying I have to do something and he said no you get to do something and I was like that's the reframing I've been trying to do is actually I don't have to run I don't have to go out in the cold I have to go out in the wet and it's not woe is me it's cold is fine I'm not gonna you know you're not gonna melt in the rain whatever but I
00:52:34
Speaker
actually just that simple switch of saying I don't it's not I have to it's I get to do it I have all my mental faculties I have I have all my limbs I've got I'm in good health I can run I can walk I can jog I can you know come to backflip but you know what I mean but just being able to do that whereas there's so many people
00:52:59
Speaker
That's just one thing. It's like, what's that? There's an old saying, it's like, what? A healthy person wants a thousand things, a sick person only wants one. Yeah. And it's quite true, really. It's like, okay, you notice it when you get, you know, you get a sore throat or you get under weather or you get a cold. The only thing you can think about is, oh, I wish I just didn't have a blocked nose or I didn't have a sore throat or something.
00:53:24
Speaker
Whereas when you're going around day-to-day, you just don't really appreciate that stuff at all. So I'm trying to work on reframing that. That is so good. And actually we must have been aligned because at the weekend I was also thinking in that way because obviously Brad were here, so I was like, that's why they're by. But I also have a chest infection which I've not had for a long time. Just, you know, everything always comes at once like this. See how Brad and you do stuff.
00:53:49
Speaker
And I was running and I was like, I don't remember the last time I had to run restless, as in like, gasping for air because I actually cannot breathe. It'd be like the old me really. And it really humbled me because I was like, you know what? The old me, they would have had the attitude if I get to firm room, I can still run even though it's only hard to breathe. I was like, you know what? I can't let that person down myself until like, I still get to go and do this stuff.
00:54:18
Speaker
And I bet you anything, if I couldn't do it, I'd want to do it. And that's always that vicious cycle. So I was also telling myself while I was stuttering my weekend, it might be a bit harder than I think it should be. And I might not be able to breathe, but I still get to do this. And I have lasting privilege of that, that I can still move my body in the way I want to move it.
00:54:36
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's, I want to get a guest on, I don't know if you heard of him, he's called Mark Ormerald and he is, he's a triple amputee. But I follow his social media and I think he was the second, he was only, he was the first amputee, triple amputee since the Second World War or something back in 2007. He was pronounced dead twice. He was an IED out in Afghanistan, I believe.
00:55:00
Speaker
and he's a motivational speaker now and he's he was in the news recently because someone stole his gym kit and it had all his prosthetics in so he was he was like i don't know you know why would you steal my legs sort of thing um but he's amazing like you follow his account and he is you know he's just just got an arm but he does jujitsu he swims he did the Invictus games
00:55:23
Speaker
and it's like you get it's just different levels to this game where you think you you think you're hard done by with a lot of stuff but then you meet people like yourself and then you get you know mark as well and it's like there's just so many different levels where you're like okay well i have
00:55:39
Speaker
all my faculties I haven't got anything you know any elements or anything like that but yeah I still sometimes can't bring myself to go and do a run or whatever and then you got you for example where you're like well okay I've only I've only got like 50% of my lung capacity but I still get to go out and run
00:55:54
Speaker
and then you get Mark who's got, well I've only got one arm but at least I still get to roll around on the mats and do jujitsu and it's bloody hell it's just, when you just realise that actually your problems are very very small in comparison to everyone else's and it doesn't make them any less valid and this kind of a point which I think social media does get carried away in that
00:56:13
Speaker
and you alluded to earlier where it's like you don't have to do an almighty goal that breaks records for it to be considered worth anything. It doesn't mean that your self-worth or your sense of worth should be any less for doing a couch to 5k for example.
00:56:30
Speaker
But it just goes to show there are different levels to this game where, you know, you can come up with every excuse under the sun, but there's someone out there who's probably had a very different deck of cards dealt to them. They've got it in, you know, in relative terms, they got it a lot worse than you. But they're still out there doing it and doing what they want to do. So, yeah, it's good to good to bear that in mind and realize there are people out there like, you know, are out there doing that sort of thing.
00:57:00
Speaker
definitely because I think it's too easy not to isn't it and get so stuck in your own mind. So in terms of all your achievements to date is there any standout ones for you? What's your what's your proudest achievement to date do you think? I think obviously Kilimanjaro is significant as I've said. One of the other ones that
00:57:23
Speaker
you know what, I know you're actually in a tough ending one, so you're going to meet that. I went and signed to the Mont Blanc a few years ago, and it was again like two weeks ago. And I think when we were on the drive up there, I actually sat there and for the first time ever, I was actually quite scared. I wasn't sure whether I'd be able to cope with it, because again, I wasn't particularly well at the time, altitude and all this stuff. And I remember just thinking like,
00:57:53
Speaker
You don't have to go and do this stuff. But I did go and do it, and it was phenomenal. If anyone likes to do climb mountains, it's one that I definitely do before Glaber will really get told of everything, because it was, you know, it was beautiful. We saw gears being dropped off in the helicopters to ski down, but it was so peaceful as well. Although I think it was definitely by far one of the hardest climbs I've ever done, just because it was very technical, like we had to rock climb
00:58:24
Speaker
over like rocks and ice and stuff and things like that. And I think to me that was very much a test of like, you know, you can bow, but I didn't bow. And it's something that to this day, like I am still really proud that I went out and did that thing that even I wasn't sure I could achieve.
00:58:45
Speaker
Yeah, that's awesome. It's nice to know you're human as well. I think people overlook that and that's the problem with social media a lot of the time is that you see the nice, the best bits. And to be honest, you're one of the few people I think who is a bit more authentic with it when you say, actually, I'm not having a very good day today and this is what's happened. But a lot of people aren't and it's just all sunshine and rainbows and you think,
00:59:11
Speaker
I think, hell, there's just never get any sort of sense of doubt or anything, but you have no idea, obviously, what goes on behind the scenes. You only get a little snapshot. So, yeah, thanks, sir. Thanks for sharing that one. And also, I think on that note, like, I think, you know, I'm hoping to be able to share a lot more vulnerability going into this challenge because, you know, it's going to be really difficult and I'm definitely going to cry a lot, I think.
00:59:39
Speaker
I think there's some it's always fun difficult because I see a lot of things now where it can go the other way as well where you see people being vulnerable and there's just something that isn't quite right with their vulnerabilities if that makes sense so as with anything now you you see
00:59:58
Speaker
You see, um, people being, you know, genuine on the face value. You see, I see a lot of these videos now on YouTube where people are giving, you know, gifts of kindness to people and they're, they're out giving money to people. And there's one particular guy he sort of, he asked people to, if they want like a toy handbag or something and he goes up to random people and it's got like a thousand dollars in it or something. And he's like, Oh yeah, like change your life sort of thing. But.
01:00:24
Speaker
This is something that just doesn't quite sit right with me in that because you know, actually they're not being It's not authentic. They're doing it for for views and ultimately they're doing it to make money and I think there's some people that can do that with the vulnerability aspect as well where
01:00:42
Speaker
gets thrown around a lot the word trauma gets thrown around a lot these days as well and you can kind of end up with people that are like oh yeah I'm being like my my most vulnerable self I'm being really whatever but you just know it's to kind of get the views so I think there is a fine line between the authenticity and vulnerability element but I'm not saying you're not authentic sorry I'll just make that explicitly clear I'm not talking about you in this instance but
01:01:08
Speaker
No, no, I realize that. But I think you're right. And I think obviously people do a few reviews versus being real, completely real about it. I mean, I look forward to seeing it. And I've been following along with your runs. I've got you on Strava now as well. Oh, I have to find you on Strava. See how you're getting on. Yeah. I'm going to be doing lots of running during that challenge. So if you fancy a run, you know where I'm going to be.
01:01:33
Speaker
Yeah, so I mean, if we can obviously, I mean, this leads us on to the next question really about, you know, the latest challenge, we haven't really talked about it yet. So can you tell us a little bit more about the latest challenge and perhaps if anyone wants to get involved and support you at how we might be able to do so?
01:01:47
Speaker
Oh, absolutely. So basically I'm challenging myself to run 36 marathons in 36 days.
Upcoming Challenge: 36 Marathons in 36 Days
01:01:55
Speaker
Starting with the London marathons and 21st of April finishing on the edge of the marathon. I will be sharing all my routes that have already been planned out on Strava. So if anyone does want to come and run.
01:02:06
Speaker
and entertain me, I'd be forever grateful. It's going to be by far the hardest thing I've ever done. I'm going to be fundraising as well for the CF Trust, obviously close to my heart, so I'm there for obvious reasons. But the reason behind the marathon challenge is because I actually want to do this when I turn 30, and for reference I'm better too, not 30, thanks.
01:02:26
Speaker
But it was locked down and it just wasn't something that could happen during that time. And it's never really kind of left my mind and I got used to London Marathon and I was doing the Edinburgh Marathon and I just literally thought, what have you done so far? And once that...
01:02:39
Speaker
thought it'd hit my head and I realised that I could do something that potential I've always wanted to do. I was like, well, what have I got to lose? Although I definitely also counted the days wrong and originally it was a 35 day challenge. And then my coach was like, just let you know, you're 36. So here we are. And it was a victory lap, you know, next door. Parade lap.
01:03:05
Speaker
And, you know, for me, it's something that I've wanted to do. It's something that most people would probably think was insane, which I do as well, as we're heading into a month away from simulation.
01:03:19
Speaker
And that's terrifying for me. I literally thought about it the other day and I was like, oh my goodness. But, you know, you have to push yourself into these things if you want to achieve big things. And it's going to be a fun, I wouldn't be experienced. But as I've said, like, I want as many people to join me as they want to. You don't have to run a marathon, you can run a 5K, you can run a level one. And I will be sharing all the routes as they're happening, but there also will be a live tracking available so you can see how we're getting on.
01:03:46
Speaker
as well, which will be quite fun. And the latest thing, which is one of the other drivers, is the Guinness World Records have been arrived and found that it can potentially be a web record or to be the first person or the actual title is, sorry, the most consecutive random run by
01:04:08
Speaker
someone with 65 versus being same or... Awesome. Do you know what they're standing is? Is there anything that has been done before? Or like, is there a record with a number of... No, so they say they're creating their records.
01:04:20
Speaker
That's awesome. So that again, it was been a year in the making. I pushed that for the last year. So to finally get that just in time, that was amazing. So it's all systems go with obviously evidencing and things like that. And so obviously a massive driving force. And I now have a noose here that my watch is going to fail me. So now that I'm running with two watches. So you're based the other day.
01:04:45
Speaker
Yeah. It's never ideal. It's like the runners dread, isn't it? The same with cycling, I think, when you get to the end of your eye. Yeah. I've done a bloody great ride today and then, oh, battery died or halfway through or you're like, yeah. Yeah. So I'm definitely going to be using two watches because for some unknown reason, which has done happen before, my Garmin keeps going telling me fails, as I go to say in a run. No, it's just, it's just, you're just doing too much. It's saying, you know, can't keep up with you.
01:05:12
Speaker
So do you have any, do you have any favorite snacks or anything? That might be an incentive to just, you see me, I'll try and run behind you with a, with a plate of cookies or something. Excellent news. Excellent. Anything. Honestly, anything you can find in the bakery or I do love salving the crisps as well. And I'm going to need the salt. So, you know, and to be honest, I wouldn't be, I don't think I'm going to be classy at that point. I think I'm just going to be like, I will keep me.
01:05:40
Speaker
you know awesome so yeah it's gonna be exciting no it sounds incredible i think um i don't have any doubt that you'll be able to do it you you've clearly demonstrated you've got a track record of being able to do very hard things very difficult things um so yeah every faith in in your ability to do that and yeah i'll try and yeah i'll have a look at the roots see if i can get down um maybe we can get a if anyone's listening we may be able to get a bit of a group together and and do a bit of a you know i'll get the foam finger out and
01:06:10
Speaker
Oh, yeah, definitely. I mean, there's going to be some in London as well. So there's also opportunity because I think London is quite a good outcome with people. Awesome. So if people want to follow along with your training and sort of keep up to date with your social media, where would they go? All the handles are just my name, Sophie Grosshomes. Sophie Grosshomes. Awesome. Simple. Nice one. Well, thank you very much. Awesome.
01:06:36
Speaker
Thank you, it's been an absolute pleasure. Yeah, I really enjoyed it. As I say, you've been someone I've been keen to get on for a while now and I just really love your approach and your outlook to life. You're very genuine with how it is and I think I've taken a lot away from this episode and some of your other stories that you've done in the past and other podcasts.
01:06:58
Speaker
I don't want to inflate your ego too much, otherwise you might not go through the door after the podcast. Awesome. Thanks so much for coming on.
01:07:35
Speaker
you