Two Average Runners

This week, the UK is in a heatwave, and Huw (from Texas) is unimpressed. We get into how to actually use the heat to your advantage with heat training, plus tips for surviving it,  and answer a listener question on the same. Alice has moved house, which sent us down a rabbit hole on what to look for in a place to live when running is a deciding factor. She also tells the story of her solo 5K attempt after the real one didn't happen. We get into what getting older means for your speed, and Huw gives us a preview of Western States this weekend: why it could be one of the fastest on record, and what Molly Seidel's move to trails means.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

This week, Huw rocks up to his Harvard Business School reunion, and barely anyone recognises him. Alice dives into the history of Comrades, and why it's called the greatest human race - by the end of it, we commit to running it together in 2027! Huw's sister, Nia, set out to walk a marathon in the Brecon Beacons for Alzheimer's UK in memory of their dad, and Strava makes her an ultramarathoner. And following our chat last week about weight loss and performance, a listener sent in a video of a cyclist who did the same race heavier, with more muscle - interesting results. Link in the show notes on YouTube.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

This week, £750, a tube strike, and a thunderstorm later, Alice has her MRI results. Huw walks us through Western States and the Golden Ticket races, for anyone who's wondered what the fuss is about. We share our top strength exercises (Bulgarian split squats are still the worst). And we close on a listener email about whether we all over-fear the marathon,  and the grand piano that's meant to land on your back at 32K.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

This week, Alice is recording with a full flu, having already run 30K on no sleep 3 days before, convinced it was just hay fever. We get into when to push through running sick and when to stay home. Plus Ozempic and what it might mean for runners. And because we recorded on Global Running Day, we end with @gingerwithagopro - a Cape Town runner who stopped during an epic storm to help a stranger in a wheelchair, and ended up changing his life. Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runnersChapters00:00 Introduction and Personal Updates02:55 Reflections on Running and Life Changes05:56 Excitement in San Antonio: Spurs and Community Vibes09:01 Training Challenges and Personal Struggles12:01 Health Concerns and Decision-Making in Running14:58 Coping Mechanisms: Running as Therapy18:01 Community and Connection Through Running20:48 Mindset and Nutrition in Running23:59 Cross-Training and Alternatives to Running27:46 Injury and Adaptation: The Journey of Recovery29:41 Listener Engagement: Exploring Weight and Performance30:56 The Weight Debate: Health vs. Performance32:32 Ozempic and Running: A Complicated Relationship36:15 Nutrition and Performance: The Importance of Fueling40:46 The Risks of Weight Loss Drugs in Athletics44:58 Community and Connection: The Power of Running50:57 Inspiring Stories: Running for a Cause

This week, things get a little vulnerable. We talk about the good and bad of running; what it gives us, what it costs us, and when it starts to become a crutch. Alice shares more about what she thinks has really been going wrong in her marathons. Huw quit 75 Hard on day 72 to eat birthday cake with his family. Alice came home at 2 am after drinks with her cousins; her Garmin told her she was dying, but she went for her long run anyway. Also, she has three park runs coming up in three weekends and is absolutely dreading every single one of them.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

Huw is in London, so we're finally recording in the same room. Alice shares what she thinks keeps going wrong at the same point in every marathon, and what she's started working on to fix it. Huw plans a 20-mile run all over London past Goldman Sachs, the bars and clubs from his banking days. We get into track etiquette: people running the wrong direction, men with their shirts off, and the ones who suddenly decide they want to race you mid-interval. Then the episode lands on Alice's partner, who once ran Comrades in brand new shoes, ended up in intensive care, and threw his medal into the sea. It turned up in a stranger's Airbnb years later.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

This week, we go down a few rabbit holes. We discuss the mind-blowing Cocodona 250 performance by Rachel Entrekin, a woman who beat everyone, including the men, on 19 minutes of sleep. Alice gives Huw a full running tour of London ahead of his visit this week. We answer a listener's question about post-race chest phlegm, which turns out to be more common than you'd think. And we get into carbon shoes;  how much is too much, and how many races do they actually last? Also, Huw shares how he ran his first-ever marathon unplanned, at night, fueled only by nuts and water. Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

Post-marathon, two camps form in Alice's house. Dale's done with the whole thing for now, Alice is already plotting what's next. We get into the blues that follow a big race, and both share how we feel in the days after. Alice's mum has been asking whether she could ever just run without a goal or a purpose attached, and we have a proper go at answering it. Plus, what motivates each of us right now: Alice is chasing performance and how fast she can really be; Huw's been captured by a 250-mile trail race and the mental game of long ultras. A lot of it comes back to where you don't know how you'll hold up until you're deep in it. There's also backyard ultras (Huw's hunting for one and we even floated hosting our own), cross-training (how to pick it, what works, what doesn't), and a listener's question on getting back into exercise after a long break. And Huw's son spent several hours on his balance bike this weekend, powered entirely by free popsicles. Very ultra motivated.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

Alice made it to London (PB and all), and this week we unpack the lot. A weekend that rewrote the record books in a watershed moment for the sport. A young man running 33 marathons with a 25kg fridge on his back, for a cause that's deeply personal. The Paris marathon handing everyone a collapsible cup and a hosepipe and calling it a water station. And Alice's dad paddling to Robben Island at nearly 77,  because apparently that's how her family spends a bank holiday Monday. Underneath it all, a conversation about belief, and what happens when someone shows you a thing is possible.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

We had listeners asking how Alice got on at the London Marathon last weekend. We record on a Monday, and our episodes come out a week later, so here's a quick bonus preview on how Alice did straight from this week's recording. The full debrief episode drops next week Tuesday.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

We had so much fun recording this episode. Alice is one week from London, and the stress fracture scare is mostly behind her. Alice's mum wants to know why you'd bother running at all the week before a marathon, so it led to a proper chat about the taper. Huw talks about spending his weekend doing the Hippie Hill Challenge, which crazily starts at 4:20 am. We also answer a listener's question about our biggest running achievements and failures and the lessons we have (or have not!) learned.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

This week, things got a little messy before London. Is Alice experiencing maranoia, or are her stress fractures back? This episode features being bitten by a dog on the way to a session run, and we answer listener questions about whether having a running coach is worth the investment, plus how we make and meet our running friends.  Huw is moved to tears again! This time by Rory McIlroy and Wout van Aert. Plus loads more fun topics!Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runners

This week, Alice shares how her tune-up half-marathon went: her Nomio experiment, race kit, and why she may or may not have come third. We get into race day, gels, and pre-race breakfast. We also answer a listener's question about juggling big races when your partner doesn't run. Then, somehow, with a Welshman and a South African on the mics, it was inevitable that the subject would turn to the great game of Rugby, and what it was like growing up in very proud Rugby-playing nations. We ended up talking about rugby for quite a while. And we learnt someone else also cried all the way through Project Hail Mary, which Huw is very pleased about.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runnersChapters00:00 Easter Reflections and Weekly Scores02:57 Training Updates and Race Preparations05:52 Race Day Experience and Nutrition Strategies08:48 Mental Strategies for Endurance Running11:57 The Nomeo Experiment and Performance Insights21:38 Managing Nausea During Races22:59 Choosing the Right Gels for Performance24:33 Race Preparation and Nutrition Strategy27:44 Mental Readiness and Tapering for the Marathon28:11 The Cultural Significance of Rugby29:32 Personal Rugby Memories and Experiences34:30 Rugby as a Unifying Force in South Africa44:00 Cultural Pride in Sports50:59 The Connection Between Sports and Personal Identity01:00:12 Balancing Family Life and Athletic Pursuits

This week, we respond to our first non-family listener comment. She asked us to share the weird running experiments we try on ourselves. So we did. We also get into Alice's ongoing sock crisis, returning from a stress fracture, some strides Huw is doing, and has warned everyone not to try. Huw shares how the podcast started on the first anniversary of his father's passing. Plus a lot more fun topics.Also, Huw's mum follows him on Strava and has never given him a single kudos.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runnersChapters00:00 Welcome and Weekly Ratings02:58 Running Experiences and Upcoming Races06:06 Work-Life Balance and Procrastination09:02 Stress Fractures and Running Trends11:47 Listener Engagement and Running Experiments15:01 Pre-Race Preparations and Gear Selection21:33 The Importance of Socks in Running25:11 Toenail Troubles and Tips27:43 Trail Running Challenges29:48 Experimenting with Trail Shoes30:54 Incorporating Strength Training39:41 Navigating Injury Recovery41:57 Building Back from Injury46:12 The Importance of Patience in Recovery51:04 Seasons of Running and Life58:01 Reflections on Family and Heritage

This week, we discuss the big running goal we are each working towards and the why behind doing so, given we are two average runners who aren’t elite or getting paid to do this!Alice shares her journey recovering from stress fractures and her aspiration to run a sub-3-hour marathon. Huw shares his plans to move back to the UK and his interest in attempting the Paddy Buckley Round, a challenging trail run in Snowdonia.We also discovered we both cried watching a movie this past week, and share the lessons we are taking from it in both running and non-running life. Finally, we answer a spicy listener question regarding societal perceptions of gender in sports. Plus more fun topics.Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runnersChapters00:00 Weekly Check-In: Training and Life Scores02:58 Home Alone: Finding Joy in Solitude05:57 Movies and Reflections: Immersive Experiences08:58 Setting Goals: Adventures in Trail Running12:01 The Challenge of Unstructured Goals14:58 Breaking Away from Corporate Races17:53 Exploring the Beauty of Wales: Hiking Adventures20:52 Embarking on New Adventures21:21 The Beacons Way 100 Race Experience23:13 Alice's Marathon Journey and Challenges24:37 The Allure of the Sub-Three Marathon26:25 Injury Setbacks and Future Goals27:43 The Competitive Spirit in Running31:39 Why Marathons? The Appeal of Long-Distance Running34:36 The Journey of Improvement in Running36:57 Exploring New Challenges in Running41:24 Pacing Challenges and Race Experiences43:07 Inspiration from Film: I Swear47:14 Existential Themes in Project Hail Mary51:17 Overcoming Doubt and Taking Action55:04 Listener Questions: Gender Assumptions in Running

We talked about how we fell in love with running as a lifestyle, the childhood experiences that play a role in this exciting yet not so exciting journey, and how it affects our lives and work. Plus other great topics!Contact usEmail: [email protected]: @huwjedwards @dralicepenn @two.average.runnersChapters00:00 Introduction to Running and Life02:47 Perspectives on Running and Achievement05:54 Cultural Differences in Sports and Exercise08:59 Early Experiences with Running and Fitness11:52 The Social Aspect of Running14:57 Discipline and Consistency in Running18:00 Motivation and Mastery in Running21:05 The Role of Running in Personal Life23:52 Finding Balance Between Work and Personal Goals27:05 The Journey of Mastery in Running30:22 The Allure of Social Media and Consumerism32:56 Nutrition and Performance: The Science of Supplements37:07 Consistency in Training: The Key to Improvement39:40 Identifying Weaknesses: The Role of Coaching41:01 Patterns of Behavior: Learning from Past Mistakes46:14 The Ego and Commitment: Pushing Through Challenges50:28 The Mental Game: Managing Expectations on Race Day55:51 Future Conversations: Exploring Personal Stories and Lessons