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00:00:01
Alia Pike
291 Plays8 months ago
Listen to hear Michelle & community member Alia chat all about:
- trying to be more green in our running
- how its impossible to get lost while running in Salford
- barefoot running
- the Jordan Impact Marathon - running in the desert
and much more!
Follow Alia here
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Transcript
Introduction and Community Engagement
00:00:00
Speaker
Hi, Elia, thank you for joining us on the UK Run Chat podcast today. How are you? I am really well. Thank you so much for inviting me. It's great to be here. Yeah, we're trying to get just more of our community members on really chatting to us on the podcast. So really good that you've agreed to join us tonight because you've been, well, you've been engaging with UK Run Chat for quite a while, haven't you? Yes, yeah, I love it.
00:00:22
Speaker
The other day, someone asked on Twitter, what's your favorite fitness app? And and I said, it's Twitter, I find it so encouraging. And whenever I meet people who are runners, I said, you know, about UK Run Chat, it's great to ask questions. And it's just such a nice place. Yeah, I've hosted it a couple of times. And so it's really nice to also then be able to contribute to the podcast as well.
00:00:43
Speaker
Yeah, it's nice. It's always nice. And it's because we kind of see people like regularly tagging us in and you're one of those. And it's always nice to see familiar faces
Running Achievements and Challenges
00:00:51
Speaker
pop up. But there is always someone to kind of say, if you don't know something, there's always somebody with an answer, isn't there? It's so good.
00:00:58
Speaker
Yes, yeah. And I love the encouragement as well. And so we celebrate someone who's done their first run for 10 minutes about stopping and someone who's done 100 miles ultra. It's all brilliant and fantastic because it's all running and it's just a nice place to encourage people. Yeah. I know I've got a big smile on my face right now. Yeah. So tell us a bit about you then. How did you get into running? When did that all start?
00:01:25
Speaker
So that started back in 2008 and so I changed jobs and decided to quit my gym membership and thought I'll take up running, that's free activity and found it really difficult and hard but I persevered with it and then I joined a running community, there was a shop in my local town that
00:01:49
Speaker
had a free running group and so I joined with them and carried on running a bit and then we got places in a free 10k and I did that and just thought wow 10k is double figures and then kind of carried on from there and realized that 10k was six miles and that's not that far from 10 miles and it built up and built up and
00:02:09
Speaker
that yeah it's become quite a wonderful thing to do and I really enjoy it now. Yeah it really gathers momentum doesn't it? Do you still run with the group that you started with?
Marathon Experiences and Training Adjustments
00:02:20
Speaker
So occasionally the shops close and the new shop opened and they also have a little group and what's lovely is that sometimes I saw someone that managed a marathon and they were cheering other people and we kind of always wave to each other and still recognise each other from running even though we started you know over 10 years ago.
00:02:39
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, that's so nice. That's what I love about runners. We're always kind of not to one another, won't we, when we're out? Yeah, it's fab. So you mentioned Manchester Marathon there. You're local to Manchester, aren't you? Yeah. So I've ran Manchester four times, I think. I think. It's terrible. I can't remember. And sometimes I've also gone down and ran bits of the course. So last year I went down and ran sections of the course with a few different people.
00:03:07
Speaker
I ran for about 10 metres with some quite fast people. And that was as long as I could keep up with their pace. And then ran with a friend who I knew was doing it and ran about five, six miles with them. I did it another year. I ended up running about 20 miles with a friend. That was the Covid year and they'd trained and they'd been cancelled and trained again and been cancelled. And when it finally happened,
00:03:32
Speaker
they were done and I met them and thought I'd only run a few miles with them and then just stayed with them and we ended up doing about 20 miles with them. Oh, that's great. Yeah, and help them to kind of finish because I think they would have once, I think they would have stopped to auction them really about halfway and had enough by that point. So it was really nice saying, no, no, let's walk around the rest of this and let's get this finished. Yeah. Are you doing it this year coming up?
00:03:55
Speaker
No, no. So I took kind of a year off events while I was studying for my master's. So still doing running, but took a year off. And then I sort of really thinking this year about how to be a little bit more green with my running. So perhaps not to enter some of the big events, but also I really want to do more trail running. I really, really enjoy it.
00:04:18
Speaker
love being out in nature more so live in Salford which is a concrete jungle but I love being out in nature more and I find that trail racers are often sort of more plastic free so often your courage to carry your own water with you and
00:04:33
Speaker
So yeah so I'm trying to kind of not do too many events and then also to try and yeah increase my trail running really and I'd like to, I've gone up to 45 miles I'd really like to run further and see can I get into 50 maybe a bit further as well. Oh so would you do that as part of a race or is that the kind of thing you'd want to go off and do on your own do you think? I'm, well so a little bit both really.
00:04:58
Speaker
I would really love to see how far along the south downs I can run. So I grew up down the south coast and have run sections of the south downs. And I'd really quite like to see what could I do on my own, sort of alone, no time constraints or anything. But I'd know I'd have family that I could see sort of along the route.
Exploration and Trail Running
00:05:19
Speaker
But yeah, maybe also an event as well. So yeah, I'm not quite sure, but I think just also just enjoying running really and being out in nature a little bit more and kind of just the fun. I did a few years ago, did
00:05:35
Speaker
Oh, the trail marathon where I saw you. Oh yes, the Lancashire man. And I really loved going out and doing the training runs and I enjoyed the race. I actually realised I really enjoyed going out and exploring runs. And often I kind of drive pump the car and just do an out and back, but I learned a route and ran somewhere different. And so I quite want to do a little bit more of that and just going out and exploring.
00:06:00
Speaker
And there is a run up that way, the, I want to say pantheon. Oh, the panopticon. I quite fancy this, you know, it looks nice, isn't it? Yeah. So that looks really good. And either just on my own or as part of an event that looks quite good fun to do. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, that does look good fun. Yeah. You'll have to let me know if you're planning it, Ellie. I might welcome enjoying you. People who aren't local wonder what we're talking about.
00:06:26
Speaker
And so there are these sculptures around Lancashire that then you can run a route between them all. And there's also the new Great Manchester Ringway that an app's been created for. So that is a 200 mile, 200 miles? 200 miles, I think. Yeah. And so that's really tempting as well to kind of run sections of that. And some of that is in towns and cities, but lots of that is rural as well.
00:06:55
Speaker
I've got a friend who's done Manchester to Liverpool, they've run that a few times. And so I sort of think, well, that might be quite nice to run bits of that and bits of the trans cannot trail. You've got the canal as well that goes into Liverpool, haven't you? So yeah, so just lots of kind of different places that quite enjoy the idea of running along and seeing how far can I go? Yeah, that's always the thing. So how far can I run in the day if I had all day?
00:07:20
Speaker
Yeah, no, it's interesting, isn't it? I mean, what, what do you think you could do realistically with kind of the right fueling and how far do you think you could get? I definitely think I could do 50. So I've done, I've done two 40 mile ultra runs and one of them was hilly, one was flat. And the flat one, I definitely finished feeling strong and that I could run more. I did
00:07:43
Speaker
into your 24, which is five mile laps and you just keep running them. And I did 45 miles and was absolutely done by the time I finished that. But I do wonder as well about the fueling on that day that I ate loads of watermelon randomly. There was free watermelons, one of the aid stations. And I ate loads and loads of watermelon and I kind of think, oh, was that the best thing to do? That it was a really hot day and you saw this nice cold watermelon.
00:08:12
Speaker
But yeah, that I certainly think I feel like there's 50 miles in me. Yeah. And then there's something about, oh, can I do kind of 60 something? Because that's 100 kilometres. I don't know if there's much more beyond that.
00:08:28
Speaker
I don't know, but then equally, I hear about ultra runners, I'm 45 now, and I hear about ultra runners who are older than me that just clocking at hundreds of miles of things. And so it's exciting to think, you know, what could I do if, yeah, and if I trained a bit better and more consistently? I think that's my other plan for this year, to try and train more consistently.
00:08:51
Speaker
Yeah, okay. So what does training look like at the moment to you? Are you just kind of out there running for fun or are you like actually training for anything specific at the minute? And so I'm doing, having said to try and not do too many road races, my friend last year in March encouraged me to do the Hastings half marathon, which is down near where I'm originally from. And so I've entered it for this March. And so it's a half marathon.
00:09:15
Speaker
which I stand really flippant about, I'm like I can run a half marathon because I know I can do longer distances so I know I can run a half marathon but it is quite hilly so I am trying to incorporate hills and so I did hill reps this week
00:09:32
Speaker
Oh, I saw you tag us into that, actually. Yes, you did, didn't you? How were they? That's the second time in my life I realised that I've done hill reps as part of training. I just, yeah, it's not my thing. And it was really flat. Where I live is very flat. So that's the slope going out of a park. And
00:09:51
Speaker
But yeah, so you can do hill reps there. Otherwise, you know, sulphur's really quite flat. As you head out into bits and
Running Techniques and Gear
00:09:56
Speaker
minutes, it's quite flat. So you have to go hunting to try and find some hills. Yeah. My calves still ache a little bit.
00:10:06
Speaker
But I was really pleased because I thought, right, I'll commit to doing five hill reps and then we'll see where we end up. And yeah, I did more than that. And then, and then I got a little Strava crown. Yeah. So now I'm kind of tempted to go, Oh, I need to keep my Strava crown and do some more hill reps. But, but yeah, but it's, it's, it is good like trying to do slightly better training. I so do that. I do park runner, chase my husband around park run. Yeah. I count the speed work.
00:10:37
Speaker
I'd say the same actually. Why is it that they always seem to be right in front of us?
00:10:43
Speaker
sort of think, oh, I could do some proper speed work. And so there's a little, local to where I'm in Salford, there's a bit that we call the jelly bean. And it's about 800 metres. And it's sort of just a track around some meadows. And that sometimes I've seen on Saturday morning, children, as part of a little running group, doing laps of it. And I think, oh, yeah, they're really good. I could do run and rests around that. And
00:11:09
Speaker
But I generally prefer the long slow, just clocking up the miles, just going out, seeing sort of what route I do, where I end up, taking my time.
00:11:20
Speaker
That's what I like about running, that thing of sort of just enjoying seeing places and being out and having no agenda as to where I've got to go. And I am really fortunate that it's really hard to get lost where I live because the Hilton Hotels are really tall skyscraper building at the center of Manchester and the M60 is on the outside of Manchester.
00:11:45
Speaker
It's sort of, if I hit the M60 I know I need to turn around and go back in again and I can always find a way back towards a really tall building. And yet you're drawn to the trails still so. It's so much nicer. It's definitely softer on
00:12:04
Speaker
It does feel lighter when I'm running on softer trails. It feels lighter for my body. So if I'm running on kind of muddy surfaces and things, it's nice of that. But also the views. And so I see lots of your pictures where you run over on Winter Hill and things and it's just the views are lovely. It's so nice. I really like the whole thing of
00:12:27
Speaker
kind of getting caped in mud and being out in the rain and if you dress like the right way for it then you're going to be fine.
00:12:36
Speaker
And that, yeah, the bit of the uphill that you can walk and then coming downhill. And I certainly got better at my downhill running. That is one of the things that I practice. So years ago, I did, well, actually, I didn't finish it. I did after the July Snowdonia marathon. But I did really practice running downhill because that was a bit that I knew was going to be harder.
00:13:01
Speaker
And so I practiced that on there's a couple of parks in Manchester that actually have mountain bike trails in them. Oh, yeah. Yeah, little bits of that to practice running downhill on.
00:13:14
Speaker
Yeah, that's a really good idea, actually. So that really helped. Because of course, if you're running downhill, that's where you'll get the serious doms the day after if you haven't practiced that because it's a different muscle movement, isn't it? Yeah. And it's the confidence as well of sort of knowing that it's okay, I'm not going to fall over. And I mean, I did a walk once up
00:13:40
Speaker
trying to think where I was or somewhere and we met some fell runners as we were doing this walk and they ran up the hill and then they just ran so quickly back down it.
00:13:52
Speaker
And I often say the really quick people are so light on their feet and that little amount of time that they spend on their toes. And so you're less likely to slip because your foot placement is quick. And yeah, it's impressive to watch some people as they come down off the fails, off those steep hills and things on uneven terrain. It looks incredible.
00:14:16
Speaker
So yeah, I'm certainly not there, but I'm much better at coming downhill than I used to be and more confident at it. Yeah, one day maybe, they do almost kind of tend to throw themselves down the hill, don't they? Yeah.
00:14:32
Speaker
So you've, yeah, in fact, while we're talking about kind of getting muddy and stuff, you wear the five fingered shoes, don't you? I do, yes. Yeah. Do you run in those all the time? How do you find them? And so I've been running in them now for over 10 years, about 12 years, really. And I absolutely love them. Absolutely love them. I find them so comfortable. Don't get blisters, which really helps.
00:14:57
Speaker
And so, depending on the trail, I do running them sometimes on the trail. So I've done beachy head marathon, which is down on the south coast. It's kind of chalky cliffs. Lots of it is grass, a little bit is sort of pebbly trail, but it's not particularly technical. So not too many kind of big stones and things. So I've done that completely in my toe shoes. Whereas if it's really, yeah, technical, lots of lots of
00:15:24
Speaker
rocks and things then I do have a pair of trail shoes that I wear.
00:15:29
Speaker
But generally, if I can wear my toe shoes, I absolutely love them. And even on kind of pebbles and things, just get used to it. And occasionally I might land with the stone just to catch my big toe or something, but just keep going. And yeah, they're so comfy. They're so comfortable. I love them and wear them all the time. And I have pretty ones that I wear with dresses to parties and weddings as well.
00:15:55
Speaker
Oh, wow. So did that take a bit of kind of transition to get to actually run? Yeah, you know, when I were in them, for example, how did that how does that work? How do you kind of train yourself to run in them? Because it must be just feel quite different, because it is barefoot running, isn't it? Essentially, I guess it is. I mean, there's a long time ago now.
00:16:17
Speaker
I didn't really notice it particularly feeling that different kind of under my feet. But certainly that my cards really did eight those first few times after I'd ran in them. And yeah, when I first started to kind of do half an hour run around the block of things, when you get a pair and it does sort of give you advice about that gradually build up to wearing them. And I ran in them for a whole year.
00:16:42
Speaker
between them and trainers before I did my first marathon in them as well. And then I remember I met a podiatrist and a physiotherapist who were qualified in both areas. And I occasionally kept having problems with my calves and things. And she talked about, actually, you need to commit to one or the other because your feet are finding it quite hard to manage the differences.
00:17:10
Speaker
And then she also talked about how you should be able to move all your toes independently. And at the time I couldn't. And so I really committed to make the transition to just wearing the toe shoes. I can't move all my toes independently, but I can move my big toes now on their own.
00:17:25
Speaker
But what is interesting as well is that it's certainly, it has changed how I stand. And so when I'm sat down, I'm really flat footed and for a long time. So I used to wear orthotics inside my trainers because I was so flat footed, my legs would collapse inwards. Whereas now when I stand up, I naturally lift my arches up. And so that flat footedness doesn't really exist. And the
00:17:54
Speaker
that you sort of, well, is that the toe shoes? Is that just kind of me becoming more aware of my body as I've ran more? It's hard to know. Yeah, certainly I think that has has helped. But yeah, it was it was a slow process way back when I first started running in them. And I can remember sort of running them and then later on that day, my cars would really ache and you need to sort of get used to using your muscles and your feet slightly differently and muscles and your legs differently. But now, yeah, I love them. And
00:18:25
Speaker
that putting on a pair of trainers feels kind of quite clunky on my feet. Yeah, well, I mean, I guess I'd hazard to guess that the reason your feet are stronger is because you are using all the muscles there now, aren't you? All the little tiny ones that normally aren't awake when we're running normal trainers.
00:18:42
Speaker
Yeah. And there's, I think it was Radio 4 that did a little program about toe shoes and are they the best things since sliced bread? And they were talking particularly about for children, like the benefits of children and things. But yeah, I certainly think they've helped me. I really think that they've helped me to think more about how I run, particularly those first few years of when I was wearing them.
00:19:09
Speaker
that I really thought about what exercises do I do as well after I've done a run. I mean, I was quite good at actually kind of warming up, cooling down, doing some good stabilising exercises as well. And I'm trying to get better at that. That's one of my goals of this year, to try and be a bit better at doing those good exercises. Oh, you are good. That's something a lot of us think. And yeah, I think we need to do more of that, don't we?
00:19:35
Speaker
Yeah, so do you have kind of a general warm-up routine and cool-down routine that you'll do? What does that look like? So for warming up, there's just squats and leg raises and funny walking trying to kind of, yeah, sort of stretch my legs as I walk things. But for cooling down, anything that I run over 10 miles,
00:19:56
Speaker
I will really include at least a 10-minute walk and if I'm pushing up to 15 and plus miles to include a 20-minute walk. Years ago, it was the first time I went under 5 hours in a marathon, in that training that I did, I always walked the last mile of all of my long runs
00:20:17
Speaker
and it made such a difference to being able to like not ache so much as being able to run again later that week and I guess it's one of the things that I quite like about when I go running on the trails that often there's more walking included because it's undulating because there's hills because you know I want to stop and take photos of the views and things that I find then I don't necessarily ache as much as if I
00:20:40
Speaker
just kind of pushed and did sort of a flat two hours on the concrete, kind of trying to push to get under 10 miles, trying to push to get under two hours. But then, yeah, I'm gonna ache a little bit. But yeah, I really try and walk to include my cool down. And then I am now
00:20:57
Speaker
really trying to focus on including some more stretching exercises. So particularly just sitting on the floor at home and kind of the cushion on my lap, legs out straight in front of me and just leaning on the cushion so I'm gently stretching my handstrings. One of my favourite stretches is laying on the floor and my leg straight up against the wall. It's just a really nice comfortable stretch
00:21:21
Speaker
And as the stretches that are easy to kind of maintain in a comfortable position, so years ago I did a yoga class where we did sort of gentle yoga. And so using kind of cushions and things, so you're stretching your body. You're not having to sort of hold that position and kind of easing yourself into it, relaxing into the stretch. So trying to do more of that to hopefully, yeah.
00:21:47
Speaker
I guess hopefully to be able to run for longer, to look after my body for longer and to get back a little bit more flexibility.
00:21:55
Speaker
Yeah, I guess flexibility is key, isn't it, to keeping us going because we want to be doing this for a long time, right?
Injuries and Recovery
00:22:01
Speaker
And especially on trails, you'll know, because it's uneven, you might suddenly sort of almost fall or you'll sort of have to leap a little bit because there's a bigger puddle or something. And so you want to know that you've got that flexibility in your body that if you stretched your leg just a little bit longer, it would be able to hold that and you wouldn't kind of go, oh, that really ached and that hurt.
00:22:25
Speaker
Yeah it's so important isn't it? I take it you've not kind of dealt, have you dealt with any kind of major injuries over your running years or have you been lucky? So I had a non-running related injury that put me out of running back in 2010 and hit myself with a spade as you do and that I couldn't run for a long time because of that and it ended up having surgery with my ankle
00:22:50
Speaker
But that I think was the turning point that really made me realise how much I love running because I couldn't run and was missing it. And then I had a few years ago, Achilles, well, I think they call it Achilles tendinopathy now. Yeah, they've changed the name of it, haven't they? Yeah.
00:23:10
Speaker
and that that flared up a few years ago. Unfortunately, I was able to be with Salford University, do some rehab with them. They had a PhD student who was doing a study into Achilles pain and things, and so I was part of their study group.
Impact Marathon in Jordan: Travel and Reflection
00:23:27
Speaker
And it kind of, it sort of flares up occasionally as well. And so, um, and, and partly if I'm not consistent when we're running, so it's all to do with the load issue. And if you're not consistent, then it kind of, your Achilles are going, what are you doing? Why are you making me run? Yeah. And so, um, so yeah, that that's, yeah, fled a few times, but otherwise though, no. And I, I thankfully never had any knee issues.
00:23:52
Speaker
I had a bursitis and a neuroma in my foot a few years ago. And what was bizarre about that was that really, really hurt. And I took some time out of training and went to see podiatrists and things. And then almost as soon as they told me what it was, I never had the pain again. Oh, that's strange. Yeah, that's the weirdest thing. And because I generally worry that
00:24:22
Speaker
I don't have an injury, it's all in my head. There's nothing wrong. And those things about pain, about people who have injuries and then they still have pain after the injury is healed. And yeah, I sometimes worry that, oh gosh, what if I end up with pain from an injury that isn't really there? And so I worry that sometimes with these things in my head.
00:24:48
Speaker
But I have a lovely physiotherapist over in Stockport that I go and see who's really great and is a runner as well and so has kind of never said, no, don't run. But yeah, does always kind of looks at my whole body and looks at what could be the issue rather than sometimes when you go and say, oh, this hurts here. And they just look at that little area where it hurts. But yeah, I've so far been quite fortunate.
00:25:13
Speaker
hopefully that will continue and I think the more that I rest and do good warm-ups, cool-downs and stay flexible. Yeah they're going to help with that. Yeah oh well hopefully yeah so you've recently done a really big race haven't you in November tell us about that. So that was so well so thanks to UK Run Chat I won a competition
00:25:35
Speaker
a while ago to go to the impact marathon up on the Isle of Mull. So that was one of the competitions that UK Run Show runs and it was great to then go and take part in this marathon and I've then followed impact marathons ever since and they do a marathon out in Jordan and I kind of thought oh that looks amazing but you know that's I mean it's you know it's a cost it's a luxury to just kind of go holiday on my own
00:26:04
Speaker
But as I was coming to part way through studying my MA, I was like, oh, I want to do something to kind of celebrate finishing it. When anyone ever tells me they're going to Jordan, I'm really excited because the airport in Jordan is called Queen Aliyah Airport. Oh, that's so cool. Yeah, you had to go. So yeah, so I wanted to go. And then I've never been to a desert. And so Impact Marathon in Jordan have this great opportunity. You go for the week.
00:26:33
Speaker
but generally people go on their own. So sometimes people know each other, but actually often people just go on their own. So there are other people who are travelling on their own that you then meet together and then they plan the whole week for you and it ends with a marathon at the end. But it's also about how can you as a group of runners make a positive impact on the community and how as a group of runners could we go to Jordan and
00:26:59
Speaker
not just be tourists that take from the country, but also think about how can we give back to the country? How can we try and travel in a slightly more ethical way? And so we stayed in a local hotel that was really important. We stayed in a hotel that employed local people rather than perhaps one of the kind of big chain hotels. Actually, this is an independent hotel that employed local people. We ate in local independent restaurants rather than any of the sort of getting the chain restaurants and things.
00:27:29
Speaker
and that this year they partnered with the Invictus Games Foundation as well. Yeah, okay. And so it meant that there were some athletes who were some way connected to the Invictus Games Foundation. So some of them had been to the Invictus Games, which often people have heard of the Invictus Games, but the actual Games Foundation is much broader and looks at how can sport be used to support people who are
00:27:56
Speaker
being injured in the armed forces, either physically injured or through post-traumatic stress disorders or other mental health conditions. How can they use sport to support their recovery? It was amazing to then meet some of these Invictus Gaines people. We went and saw in Jordan where they do rehab with their military veterans. That was a brilliant extra part to the trip.
00:28:23
Speaker
We went to Green in the Desert, which is an amazing project in the desert.
00:28:30
Speaker
just like really kind of you think of it of kind of really really dry sandy stony sort of earth yeah over years they've been there for 10 years now their soil is as good as the soil that you and I have got in our back gardens it's incredible and how they've just used rain runoff from the road rainwater they've captured all the different ways to capture water
00:28:57
Speaker
to create this forest in a bit of desert, growing loads of fruit, vegetables. It's incredible. And so we got to see there and do a bit of planting. And so we helped plant some trees in the neighbour's garden, but then in years to come.
00:29:15
Speaker
There we then have a beautiful garden with really good lush soil. We did a little bit of potting up seeds and things and just kind of learn a bit about why it's so important because Jordan has real issues with water, construction issues with water. So it doesn't have the reservoirs like where you like to go running over where there are loads of reservoirs. Jordan doesn't have reservoirs like that. So yes, we got to see that. And then we headed into the Wadi Rum Desert, which is this red sand desert.
00:29:45
Speaker
It's down in the south of Jordan. Saudi Arabia is on one side of it, so it's border. And we went to stay there. So we stayed in sort of this sort of small little kind of bedouin, sort of tents and things in the desert. So you kind of, you sort of park up and then, because we traveled in coach, and then we all get taken out in little jeeps that then take us into the desert.
00:30:15
Speaker
and we did a little tour the first day and there's sort of touristy points and we climbed up on a rock and took some photos and there were other tourists there as well that came along and you could see other campsites and I was expecting the desert to be a bit more deserted.
00:30:33
Speaker
So it was quite odd sort of seeing these other people and literally we bumped into a man who I'd seen the day before in Petra where he'd been walking around Petra as a tourist and was telling me he's going into the desert and then we bumped into him the next day. But on the day of the marathon we didn't see anybody at all and we didn't see any other camps and it was just
00:31:01
Speaker
Oh, I run out of words to describe how special it was. I think that partly because of the people, so this group of people who'd spent the week together, we'd all got to know each other. We'd eaten together and trampled together and had done some gardening together. And so we'd all got to spend time with each other and hear each other's stories about why we were there wanting to run and be part of this sort of adventure together.
00:31:31
Speaker
And then we get up early in the morning and the marathon runners set off and a few people who were doing the half marathon kind of saw the way it was off and said goodbye and off we went.
00:31:42
Speaker
then the half marathon people kind of got themselves together and they got driven out to the halfway point and so they kind of drove past us and waved and then they then set off and you had all day. This marathon hasn't been timed. No. We've got all day to run and that the people near the front you know they ran I think the people who finished finished around about four hours
00:32:06
Speaker
Yeah, I took all day and my Strava data says that I was moving for about seven hours, 15 minutes, and for an extra hour and a half or something, I wasn't moving. I was just out in the desert enjoying it, looking at camel footprints, because that was all I saw, camel footprints. A couple of times I saw wild camels,
00:32:32
Speaker
It was just beautiful and I'm a Christian as well and there were points where I thought, I wonder if Jesus ever walked in this desert. I wonder if I'm stood where Jesus walked and just like just special moments like that.
00:32:48
Speaker
There's a picture of, and the photos I took of myself was eating baklava. And so the snacks that we ate, we had baklava, there were figs and there was conifer, which is the type of dessert for the area as well. And just, it was just really, really special and lovely. And one of the only marathons I've ever done where I really didn't want it to finish. Yeah. I mean, why wouldn't you take all day when you're there in that environment? It sounds wonderful.
00:33:20
Speaker
It really was. And the best thing is when you finish, the nearer to the back you finish, there are more people at the finish, and they make an archway for you to run under. So yes, the person who finished first, later on, they made a little archway for him to run through again. And then everyone gets to run through the finisher's tape as well. And so there's this fabric cloth that says impact marathon, and everyone gets to run through that as well. And so it's
00:33:45
Speaker
everyone gets to be celebrated as they finish, whether they did the half or the full marathon. It's just about kind of, when Nick who runs impact marathon says it's about treasure every every footstep and I think that was really truthful. It was just so special and yeah will always stay with me and I love, we then all travel back together as friends and you know we've gone on this adventure together and got to know each other and I still chat to some of the people
00:34:14
Speaker
We've got a little WhatsApp group and the lovely woman that I shared a room with called Cheryl. I still kind of send her messages and we chat. And so it's just really nice to have made those connections with people who all enjoy running. And that's the nice thing that that kind of common connection of running. Yeah. To then lead to other connections in other areas of your life. It does. It can bring such diverse people together, can't it? That's what I love about running. I find it so easy to chat to somebody when you're just running along and
00:34:43
Speaker
know what it is about the movement or the environment, but it just, yeah, it just kind of creates, like you say, a connection, doesn't it? Special.
00:34:53
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. Honestly, my face is so grinning from ear to ear. Every time I talk about my experience of running in the Wadi Rum desert, it was incredible. And it's lovely to do something positive with running. And it's great to run as hard or fast as you can and get a personal best.
Sustainability in Running
00:35:14
Speaker
Yeah but I love that that isn't all that running is about and that running can be about so many other things as well and that's that's kind of the nice thing about it is that it is I have friends who never ever do events or anything that the most they run is three four maybe five miles just but they just run every week and it's their kind of time and they really enjoy doing it
00:35:38
Speaker
And then people who do lots of events, people who pace events and things, just the whole mixture. And that's the great thing about running.
00:35:48
Speaker
Yeah, it is. And I think we've kind of come, we've come full circle again, because you're talking about being greener and you're running work, you're right at the beginning. And this experience sounds like it is all about just, you know, not taking from the environment, but giving back to it. So have you got plans to do more of that, then? What are you, what are you thinking? How are you gonna kind of fulfill that goal?
00:36:12
Speaker
It's a really good question. I think certainly it's made me think about what races do I enter? If I do any events, what do I enter? If I'm going to travel, how do I travel to places? But I also quite like the idea, the people who run and pick up rubbish as well. And yeah, so it's not sometimes like actually, I could maybe do a little bit of that when I'm out, particularly out on the trails, you know, kind of, you know, taking a little bag of me. But I just think that
00:36:42
Speaker
It's you're right that that whole trip has really made me want to think, how can I be more environmentally friendly? And the irony of flying all the way to Jordan to think about that. And I totally get that flying is a really bad environment.
00:36:58
Speaker
but to try and think, what things I could do to try and be greener, particularly about the little things, what do I eat and could I make my own sandwiches rather than taking
00:37:14
Speaker
single-use plastic items that are wrapped up actually. I could take a sandwich of me or I could make some kind of little cake thing and then take little individual ones rather than buying single-use plastic to fuel me when I'm out, particularly out on longer trail runs and things. So sometimes I think it's the little things that I can do.
00:37:33
Speaker
And that certainly, yeah, when it comes to clothing, I'm, I'm quite good at not sort of committed just before COVID for not buying any, any new items. And I'm really fortunate that my birthday and Christmas near each other. So then, yeah, each year I get a new stash of perhaps clothing as a present, but trying not to buy any new, any new stuff. And I'm sure you feel the same, Michelle, that you've probably got lots of race t-shirts that we've been given over time. Yeah, loads, so many.
00:38:01
Speaker
And just that things really do last. Take care of stuff. Your clothes will last. And so I've got two sports bras that I bought back in 2019 that I always wash in my laundry bag and I take care of. And they are doing really, really well.
00:38:18
Speaker
And yeah, if I take care of my kit and look after it, then it'll last longer. And whilst it's really nice to kind of look and see shiny new things and think, oh, shiny new race jacket. I don't need one. I've got some. They're absolutely fine. And so you're trying to be more mindful about, yeah, not to necessarily buy anything new and to try and think about, yeah, if I enter events, what events do I enter?
00:38:47
Speaker
And that yeah, that maybe what else? Yeah, could I do and and yeah, could kind of, you know, doing a little bit of litter picking while running be something that I could do as well. So yeah, try and think about how can I try and be a bit greener. Yeah, no, I think I think you're right. It is the little things we did do a podcast with the green runners actually, not too long ago. So do have a listen back if you haven't heard it, because they put forward some really, just some really surprising ideas about things that can make a difference that
00:39:15
Speaker
don't actually take too much effort from us. So the stuff we can all be doing. I was just thinking this morning, the shoes I wore for running, I think they must be a really old pair of speed cross. And they must be, they're definitely over 10 years old, but they're still going strong.
00:39:32
Speaker
Yeah. And I got some pair up stuff for my mum's trainers, in fact. Yeah. Because, you know, she wears her shoes in just in a certain place. And so actually, the rest of the shoe is fine, but they're just, you know, being worn in one place because of the shape of her feet. And so actually, I got some pair up stuff. And that, and I can't remember the guy's name, but he's based down in
00:40:00
Speaker
down near Seaford. Yeah it's Darren, Darren Evans, that was who we talked to on the podcast. Yeah and so hopefully one time when I'm down in Sussex, every time when I do a really nice route it goes past Seaford Golf Course I think oh I wonder if I've ever run past Darren here.
Quickfire Questions and Personal Preferences
00:40:18
Speaker
So, yeah, that, yeah, hope to try and meet up with him. Well, I think he's slightly quicker than me at running, but that that, yeah, it'd be nice to kind of meet with him in person and do a little run down the south to answer. He does organize him a backyard ultra, actually, if you will. Yeah. Oh, it's been fascinating chatting to you. And I do have a quick fire round of questions for you, if that's OK. Yes, yeah. So are you ready? I'm ready.
00:40:46
Speaker
Right. Let's go. Preferred running surface, road, trail, track. Definitely trail. Yeah. Morning or evening runs? Evening runs. Okay. Favourite post run snack? Oh, it's so difficult. It's so difficult.
00:41:04
Speaker
It's somewhere between crisps and some kind of potato-y thing. Oh, yeah, carbs, all the carbs. Yeah, and like warm, salty hash browns. Oh. Yeah, I did a marathon once with my friend and we stopped on the way home and I was like, oh, don't you know what I'm going to eat? And then I saw these warm, salty hash browns and yeah, they were really nice. Oh, yum.
00:41:26
Speaker
Music or no music on your runs? No music. So I sometimes listen to podcasts, but particularly from out on the trails, I like no music and just the chatter inside my head. Yeah, that can be fun too, can't it? What's on your podcast playlist? What do you like listening to? So your podcast, your co-run chat podcast, the Guilty Feminist podcast. I've been listening to the Ultra Sound System podcast.
00:41:55
Speaker
Which is quite funny because they talk about trail running things. At the end of the Ultra Sound System podcast they talk about what music to put on the Ultra Sound System. So there's a Spotify playlist and I'm never going to listen to it because I don't really like listening to music. I like the Guilty Feminist and I listen to some podcasts around youth work and youth ministry as well.
00:42:17
Speaker
cross-training activity of choice. Do you do any cross-training? Can I count cold water swimming? Of course. Yeah. Wow. Tell me a bit about that. I know we said quick fire, but it's not really about the swimming. So I got into cold water swimming. So I grew up by the seaside. So swam for years. I used to be a beach lifeguard of things. And then my friend did a bit of cold water swimming and eventually said, oh, let's go together. And we started, and that was in January a few years ago. So we really started in the cold water.
00:42:47
Speaker
And then, yeah, that I've kind of carried it on. So sometimes I swim in a local sort of water park near me. Sometimes I swim down at Sulphur Keys and then also head out to some wild reservoirs and other open spaces and do a little bit of swimming. And when it's, I say swimming, when it's really cold, it is dipping. But yeah, it is quite nice if I've done a long run at the weekend on Monday morning to go for a little dip before work and enjoy the cold water.
00:43:14
Speaker
Oh, lovely. Yeah, I'm tempted. I want to try it this year. But I'm going to wait until it warms up a bit before my first kind of attempt, because it would be silly to do it in February. Somewhere over near Winter Hill, coming off there, there's meant to be a little waterfall somewhere. Oh, yeah, there's a few. There's a few. Yeah, yeah. So yes, we could, yes, arrange a little dip. I have to come over. Yes. I have to be brave and get in. Yeah. If you could run anywhere in the world, where would it be?
00:43:44
Speaker
up in the Arctic. Oh, yeah, that must be amazing. That sense of nothingness and really, really cold and totally different environment. I think it'd be amazing to run there. Running pet peeve, do you have something that really knows you about running or races?
00:44:07
Speaker
Like lovingly, runners who don't wear any reflecting clothing, nothing bright, and just run in complete black. It's really hard as a, if I'm driving, it's really hard to spot them. If I'm out running, it can be hard to spot them as well. I just, yeah, please wear something reflective, wear something bright. You know, just, it's just really easy to do and can potentially could save your life really. Yeah. Yeah, it could, couldn't it? Yeah. So important, especially in winter. And preferred race distance.
00:44:37
Speaker
My preferred is 10 miles. It's really rare to find a 10 mile race. Yeah, not many of those about either. No, there's a lovely one over in Wishworth, which is just inside Yorkshire, kind of that direction. There's a lovely 10 mile trail race in the summer, and that's really nice, especially with a beautiful, really, really steep hill at mile nine. But yeah, that's a nice distance.
00:45:03
Speaker
Yeah, I think 10 miles is a really nice distance. It's double figures. Yeah. Yeah. Good, good distance to do. There's a nice one over here, actually, the Rubington Trail Challenge. If you could have one superpower to enhance your running, what would it be? To never ever ache. Never have any, none of those doms, no aching whatsoever. Just, yeah, never ache. Yeah. Well, maybe carry on with all that stretching and
00:45:29
Speaker
And hopefully I'll get there. Yeah, you're right. And last but not least, most unusual or memorable running encounter. So, oh gosh, try not to think toilet related ones. We've all got some of those. Oh gosh, that's a really good question. Unusual, I don't know. Yeah.
00:45:55
Speaker
I don't know. I think one of my most memorable was the first time I went under an hour in a 10K. That was a Wigan 10K.
00:46:06
Speaker
I just remember being so happy, thinking, no one here knows. No one here knows. I'm in the last few meters of running. I'm going to get under an hour and just think, oh my gosh, no one else knows. This is just me. And I think that reminded me a little bit as well of the times that I put on myself about certain distances. No one else cares. No one else is bothered. They're just my arbitrary times that I've created.
00:46:36
Speaker
But yeah, so it was kind of really special to get under that hour and I was so happy. But it also made me really realise, like everyone else, they're just clapping because I'm running and I've finished something. They don't care what time I've done. And so yeah, that was kind of quite a memorable moment. Yeah, that's nice, isn't it? I think we can be guilty of putting a bit too much pressure on ourselves sometimes, can't we? So I think that's a nice way to finish actually, just do your own thing, be you and enjoy yourself. Yeah.
00:47:07
Speaker
Yeah, well, thank you, Aliyah. It's been absolutely lovely chatting to you tonight. I really enjoyed finding out all about Jordan Marathon. Oh, well, thank you so much. It's really great. And I, yeah, I could talk for hours about running. There's so many more things to say, but yeah, it's been really, really enjoyable. Thank you so much. Yeah, well, thank you so much. I hope all of you out there listening have enjoyed the podcast too. Thank you.