Running Won't Save You

Our season finale features the incredible Siân Longthorpe.

Running has been an integral part of Siân’s life for the past 35 years. For many years, as a decent club runner, the focus was on training hard to race everything from 5Ks through to ultra marathons – both on the road and the trails – with a marathon PB of 2:35. However, since 2016, racing has largely taken a back seat, with running instead helping to navigate the particularly challenging process of transitioning from male to female. For the past four years, Siân has been a proud member of the ASICS...

This week we have the Northern Traverse course recording holding, tea drinking, Danby Wiske hating Damian Hall co-hosting a podcast that we had to record twice because Allie deleted the first set of files.

Find out what Damos best bits, worst bits and most babyish bits of the NT were, how he became both an unlikely fashion icon and a groundbreaking chef on the course plus when does and ultra just become a big walk? Allie has to issue YET ANOTHER public apology, there's some extremely exciting tea chat and we give out some last minute London...

What have poodles, umbrellas, VIP boxes and the sky falling in got in common? They are all things that Kirsty saw on her incredible run from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay on this year's Northern Traverse.

In this episode Kirsty talks about comparing events when you've done them more than once, and how to know when you're ready to take on these huge distances.

She also shares with us her newest endurance challenge - reading the Hardest Geezers book. There are some of your questions anwsered as well as the usual waffle - let...

This week Allie is joined by Holly straight off her incredible second place at The Speed Project - we talk about the highs and lows, the blood, sweat, tears and people telling you wrong distances.

Theres a great 15 mins section at the end where we have all the hosts on for the first time ever, as Damian and Kirsty celebrate completions, wins and records set at the 200-mile Northern Traverse. What a bunch of overachievers eh?

The Running Won't Save You podcast is proudly sponsored by XMiles - get 10% off all web orders using the...

Thie weeks podcast is a bit different, and some might find it distressing from the start.

Please jump straight to the interview at about 10 mins in if you don't want to hear about Allie's struggles with depression over the last few days.

The main feature today is a brilliant interview between professional frenemies Damian Hall and John Kelly. They discuss what made the Barkley so hard this year and ask the question can you compare Barkleys, Spines or Tors? They also talk about what comparison means to JK who comes up with some very wise...

There is discussion about mental health crisis and suicidal ideation from the start.

This week Allie is re-joined by podcast fave Kirsty Reade who has once again 'done the research' and has a whole host of interesting stuff to share. You can expect chat about Bullshit Comparisons (the excellent book by Andrew Brookes) Josie Perry's top tips for not comparing yourself to others and why our sense of perspective is totally fucked.

It's a proper banger of an episode. Recommended today are the Billy Monger Comic relief documentary The Race is On (iPlayer), and The...

Brace yourself! (that's a super funny joke about this week's pod....)

This week is a Holly Stables special where we talk about all things Speed Project before she jogs off into the sunset via some horrendous roads, deserts and bitey things.

This episode has some ace questions for you lot plus a brilliant conversation about what we shall call Inspiring Comparison - the stuff that lifts us up and keeps us pushing in a super positive way. To keep up to SPEED with Hollys fun adventure you can follow @thespeedproject @rushbynature and search Make Running...

Damos back! And he's fresh of a 40-mile race that he DIDN'T win....so we have a great opportunity to talk about who DID win, and how an elite athlete see's comparison and competition.

Huge congrats to Ellis Davis and big ups to Limitless Trails for their excellent events.

There's a good chat on comparable races actually ARE when there are so many variables, and we answer a couple of listener questions and talk about the incoming Northern Traverse and how that feels different to Damos FKT.

The Running Won't Save You podcast...

Podcast favourite Kirsty Reade is back as my co-host and it doesn't disappoint!

This week we're talking about why Kirsty didn't actually want to cover comparison as a topic - and what that has made her find out about herself, why thinking "I'm onto you" is a sign your in the comparison trap, and how upward social comparison may make you a better runner.

We also ask how can we make comparison bring out the best in us as opposed to the worst in us and find out why Kirsty is once again taking on...

Welcome back dear listener! It's time for season two - and this season theme is COMPARISON!

I'm joined by my co-host and coach Holly Stables (AKA the hot woman on the treadmill) for a quick catch up to find out why she's wearing a ski suit in the gym, what she's been up to since the last time we chatted and to go through whether Comparison can ever be a good thing (we think it can).

We also answer - or try and answer - some of your questions and give you a bit of...

It's the end of season special, and I have only gone and got the King of Consistency, The Master of Change Brad Stulburg on to talk to me about sustainable excellence and the mindset stuff that takes people from bang average to sort of OK at running.

We cover everything from tragic optimism to activation energy and discuss the differences between consistency, motivation and action and ask is discipline really a dirty word?

I loved this interview and want to thank you all for your amazing questions - let us know what you think by...

And now...the end is near. It's the last 'normal' episode of Season 1!

In this episode myself and Damian talk about how to be consistenctly green (spoiler - you can't), how much fun we had in the Village Green and also talk about Damos move from INOV8 to NNormal.

We have a final update from Gemma (or is it) we review the best jokes of the pod and we announce what our new theme for season two will be - and it's a great one!

Please send us your questions and conundrums and...

We are thrilled to be joined by not one but SEVEN of the female Spine competitors on this episode as they drop in to tell us what consistency meant to them on and before their races.

In addition, Allie and Kirsty chat about the genius of Oliver Burkeman, what really went on in those Spine checkpoints and why you really should Stay on the Bus.

Please send us your questions and conundrums and let us know what you think about consistency via our Instagram (@runningwontsaveyoupod) or on email runningwontsaveyou@gmail.com. We would also love...

This week we have a correspondence and coaching special - a little catch up on the questions that you have been sending through to the pod for the wonderful Holly. There is some absolute coaching gold in here, so make sure you save this one and send it everywhere as we cover everything from heart rate to RPE to why we get mega sad after big races. We also have an update from our own experiment Gemma on how her consistency project is progressing and a little reminder to come and see the both of us at the National...

It's Spine week! Basically, this is like Christmas for Damian, so we've done a little Spine preview for you, detailing the runners and riders for the 2025 edition plus we talk about the value of consistency during a 268-mile race. We answer a couple of your questions, debated the "8 year" rule, plus we reveal who out incredibly special end of season interviewee is.

Please get your questions for Brad Stulberg in ASAP via email or Instagram and we would also love you to leave us a review wherever you get your pods.

Running Won't Save You...

Happy New Year! Strap in, this ones a good one - and please don't talk to us about new years resolutions.

This week Kirsty and I tackle the quagmire around motivation vs discipline, routine and consistency and try to work out how to make running more like Duolingo because we all love Duolingo right? There are some really interesting questions and comments from the listeners and we share why the language you use around your training is as important as your training itself and how doing the basics well will change the game.

We've also...

Welcome to episode four with Allie and Holly!

This installment brings with it a super-duper exclusive announcement about Holly's next challenge and it's a HUUUUGE one, plus its Christmas, so we have approximately zero Christmas content for you.

There's a catch up with our experiment Gemma, and update on what Lemmy the dog has been eating this week (it's disgusting) and a rather good conversation about Comparison - when it's useful and when it's not and what you can do to help yourself to not be such a prick to yourself. We also have some...

On this weeks episode Allie is joined by Damian Hall - you say consistency, he he says consistant TEA. LOLZ.

There's quite a lot of chat about Allie's recent outing on the Winter Downs 200, and Damo's experience of crewing her (he's been offered counselling) but we're staying relevant here and chatting about how to maintain a consistent pace and why it's important to do the basics well on these long, long efforts. We've also got some great questions from you guys - keep them coming please - and Damo offers us his take on what consistency means...

Episode two is here and I'm thrilled to be rejoined by one of the best - it’s Kirsty Reade!

Kirsty’s take on consistency is just fucking brilliant and, in this episode, we talk about the importance of showing up, being a “B” grade student and why is impossible to be consistent AND hot every goal. We’ve got some great advice from super ultra endurance machine Lucy Gossage, a catch up with The Experiment Gemma, we discuss apps vs coaches and how buying a set of Lego may well change your life.

Word of the wee...

Welcome one and all - episode one is here and it's a belter - if you like people catching up because they haven't seen each other for a bit and talking about poo. Allie and Holly are at the helm for episode one, discussing everything from job changes to coaching chemistry and laying the foundation for the theme of the season which is CONSISTENCY.

In this episode you get to meet our real-life experiment Gemma and hear what consistency means to both Allie and Holly - and you might be surprised by what they have to say.<...

Most decent podcasts have an introduction episode. Here’s mine. It’s awful. You’re welcome