5 Miles Easy

This week we’re joined by 24 year old World Record Holder, Imo Boddy, just a few weeks after finishing her mind blowing 3 Peaks challenge. On 21st May, Imo dipped into the Welsh sea after running 680km and climbing over 10,000m of elevation in just 6 days 5 hours and 43 minutes, breaking a 45 year old record for the fastest female to run the UK Three Peaks in the process. Despite being just 24, Imo is no stranger to ultra challenges and also holds the record for the youngest female to have run the length of the UK, from John O’Groats to Lands End.We find out what Imo’s prep for the challenge looked like, how she got through the toughest moments and how she recovered after pushing her body to its limits. We also hear about the importance of a supportive team and the power of believing in yourself.If you’re enjoying our conversations, please do us a big favour and leave us a rating on Spotify/Apple. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube: @5mileseasy.A big thanks to our sponsor for this episode:VELOFORTE: if you’re looking for a natural way to fuel your training with real ingredients, no artificial nasties and no compromise on taste, Veloforte is for you. Veloforte has an incredible range of kitchen crafted bars, shakes and chews to power your performance and provide an optimal balance of essential ingredients to look after your overall wellness. Head to veloforte.com to check out the full range and use code 5MILES for 30% off.

In this week's episode, Steph and Rose catch up and share training insights from the last few weeks. With just 8 weeks to go until the Paris Olympics, Rose is out in Font Romeu on an altitude camp and shares why she's there, what training she has been doing and how it's been going so far. Meanwhile, Steph is taking a considerable step down in distance, from ultras to 5k training. She's been working hard on the track in London to re-find her fast legs. She shares what training she's been doing to increase her speed as well as some top tips for tackling tough track sessions. If you’re enjoying our conversations, please do us a big favour and leave us a rating on Spotify/Apple. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube: @5mileseasy.A big thanks to our sponsor for this episode:VELOFORTE: if you’re looking for a natural way to fuel your training with real ingredients, no artificial nasties and no compromise on taste, Veloforte is for you. Veloforte has an incredible range of kitchen crafted bars, shakes and chews to power your performance and provide an optimal balance of essential ingredients to look after your overall wellness. Head to veloforte.com to check out the full range and use code 5MILES for 30% off.

In this episode we are live at Wild Goat Festival where we were incredibly lucky to talk to a legend in the sport, Paula Radcliffe.Paula shares the journey that led her to breaking the women's marathon world record in 2003 in a time of 2:15:25, which was held for 16 years. We hear what she believes set her apart from her competitors, how she kept her mind so strong and the importance of perspective and enjoying what you do.Follow Paula on Instagram: @paula_radcliffeIf you’re enjoying our conversations, please do us a big favour and leave us a rating on Spotify/Apple. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube: @5mileseasy.A big thanks to our sponsors for this episode:VELOFORTE: if you’re looking for a natural way to fuel your training with real ingredients, no artificial nasties and no compromise on taste, Veloforte is for you. Veloforte has an incredible range of kitchen crafted bars, shakes and chews to power your performance and provide an optimal balance of essential ingredients to look after your overall wellness. Head to veloforte.com to check out the full range and use code 5MILES for 30% off.SOAR: If you are after ultra light, breathable and minimalist design with maximum performance running kit, check out SOAR’s collection at soarrunning.comPB Rewards - if you’ve run a verified PB between 1/3/24-31/5/24 then you can claim £50 Soar credit: https://www.soarrunning.com/blogs/news/soar-women-spring-pb-reward

Intrigued by the Marathon des Sables? Imagine running it 5 times over… This week, we are joined by someone who is doing pretty much that. We catch up with broadcaster, entrepreneur and running fanatic, Spencer Matthews ahead of his record breaking challenge which will see him run 30 marathons in 30 days through the 45 degree Jordanian desert.Spencer is no stranger to ultra endurance events, having already completed the Marathon des Sables and The Jungle Ultra, but on July 29th, Spencer will set off from the Wadi Rum desert to complete a mind-blowing five times the distance - yes, 5 x Marathon des Sables, back to back. If successful, he will earn himself a spot in the Guinness book of World Records, but more importantly aims to raise as much as possible for charities across the UK as part of Global’s Make Some Noise. We catch up with Spencer to find out how a life of alcohol and drug abuse eventually led him to discover running, what drives him to push his physical boundaries and how he’s preparing physically and mentally for 30 in 30.  Make Some Noise Global’s Make Some Noise provides much needed funding to many charities who are facing growing waiting lists and unprecedented demand for their services, whilst facing increased costs and a downturn in donations.  Donating £30 – £1 for every marathon – could mean a vital support session for a pre-school child with a physical disability from a dedicated specialist worker.  To donate £30, text SPENCER30 to 70766. 100% of your donation will go to Global’s Make Some Noise. Follow Spencer and Global’s Make Some NoiseIG: @spencermatthews and @globals_make_some_noiseStrava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/130623442?oq=Spencer%20MatthewsIf you’re enjoying our conversations, please do us a big favour and leave us a rating on Spotify/Apple. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube: @5mileseasy.A big thanks to our sponsors for this episode:VELOFORTE: if you’re looking for a natural way to fuel your training with real ingredients, no artificial nasties and no compromise on taste, Veloforte is for you. Veloforte has an incredible range of kitchen crafted bars, shakes and chews to power your performance and provide an optimal balance of essential ingredients to look after your overall wellness. Head to veloforte.com to check out the full range and use code 5MILES for 30% off.SOAR: If you are after ultra light, breathable and minimalist design with maximum performance running kit, check out SOAR’s collection at soarrunning.comPB Rewards - if you’ve run a verified PB between 1/3/24-31/5/24 then you can claim £50 Soar credit: https://www.soarrunning.com/blogs/news/soar-women-spring-pb-reward

How closely are our brains and bodies linked? How much of our mindset can we change? How can we overcome negative thoughts during a session or race?Kaz Williams is a performance psychologist, running coach, speaker and ultra runner. Kaz is founder of Mettle, whose purpose is to provide coaching plans, mental strategies and support to make you the best trail and ultra runner you can be.Kaz shares why it is so important to work on your psychology when it comes to getting the most out of yourself physically. We hear the common challenges athletes face, as well as tips to combat pre race nerves, improve mental toughness and why visualisation is such a powerful tool.Follow Kaz on instagram: @mountainkazIf you’re enjoying our conversations, please do us a big favour and leave us a rating on Spotify/Apple. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube: @5mileseasy.A big thanks to our sponsors for this episode:VELOFORTE: if you’re looking for a natural way to fuel your training with real ingredients, no artificial nasties and no compromise on taste, Veloforte is for you. Veloforte has an incredible range of kitchen crafted bars, shakes and chews to power your performance and provide an optimal balance of essential ingredients to look after your overall wellness. Head to veloforte.com to check out the full range and use code 5MILES for 30% off.SOAR: If you are after ultra light, breathable and minimalist design with maximum performance running kit, check out SOAR’s collection at soarrunning.comPB Rewards - if you’ve run a verified PB between 1/3/24-31/5/24 then you can claim £50 Soar credit: https://www.soarrunning.com/blogs/news/soar-women-spring-pb-reward

Not every journey to the top is the same and Georgia Bell is living proof. Georgia is setting her sights of qualifying for the Paris Olympics, but just 5 years ago she had quit running entirely. Despite some very good performances as a junior, injury prevented Georgia from taking her running career forward and instead, she took a job in cyber security. However, it was lockdown got Georgia re-lacing up her trainers and eventually led her to getting back in contact with her old track coach. Since then, Georgia’s performances on the track have skyrocketed and earlier this year she signed a professional contract with Nike. Georgia shares how she now trains consistently and injury free with the guidance, support and mentorship from Trevor Painter and Jenny Meadows. She also discusses how she was balancing training and racing with working full time, and the contrast to now experiencing living as a full time athlete.Follow Georgia Bell on Instagram: @georgiabelltheduathleteIf you’re enjoying our conversations, please do us a big favour and leave us a rating on Spotify/Apple. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube: @5mileseasy.A big thanks to our sponsors for this episode:VELOFORTE: if you’re looking for a natural way to fuel your training with real ingredients, no artificial nasties and no compromise on taste, Veloforte is for you. Veloforte has an incredible range of kitchen crafted bars, shakes and chews to power your performance and provide an optimal balance of essential ingredients to look after your overall wellness. Head to veloforte.com to check out the full range and use code 5MILES for 30% off.SOAR: If you are after ultra light, breathable and minimalist design with maximum performance running kit, check out SOAR’s collection at soarrunning.comPB Rewards - if you’ve run a verified PB between 1/3/24-31/5/24 then you can claim £50 Soar credit: https://www.soarrunning.com/blogs/news/soar-women-spring-pb-reward

Every body is different, including our hormones. Yet so often, women are following the same training plans or being coached in the same way as men. We find out from Dr Georgie Bruinvels, research scientist and co-creator of FitrWoman, why we should be taking a much more individual approach and paying more attention to our hormones to inform our training - and by doing so, how female athletes can use the menstrual cycle to improve their performance, whether that's on the track, in endurance events or in the gym. Dr Georgie also talks us through why and how we should be monitoring our iron levels for optimal health and performance. This is such an important topic for both men and women to understand and Dr Georgie is an absolute expert. We learned an incredible amount in just this hour interview and we're both excited to implement some changes into our own training. Follow Dr Georgie Bruinvels on Instagram: @georgiebruinvels If you’re enjoying our conversations, please do us a big favour and leave us a rating on Spotify/Apple. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube: @5mileseasy.A big thanks to our sponsors for this episode:VELOFORTE: if you’re looking for a natural way to fuel your training with real ingredients, no artificial nasties and no compromise on taste, Veloforte is for you. Veloforte has an incredible range of kitchen crafted bars, shakes and chews to power your performance and provide an optimal balance of essential ingredients to look after your overall wellness. Head to veloforte.com to check out the full range and use code 5MILES for 30% off.SOAR: If you are after ultra light, breathable and minimalist design with maximum performance running kit, check out SOAR’s collection at soarrunning.comPB Rewards - if you’ve run a verified PB between 1/3/24-31/5/24 then you can claim £50 Soar credit: https://www.soarrunning.com/blogs/news/soar-women-spring-pb-reward

Rose is going to the Olympics!There has been a lot going on behind the scenes over the last few months, and in this episode Rose opens up on her journey to being selected, some bumps along the way and how she dealt with it all. Rose also reveals how she was finally told she is going to Paris!With 14 weeks to go, we get some insight into what Rose's training block will look like vs previous marathon builds, as well as some exciting goals for the race itself.If you’re enjoying our conversations, please do us a big favour and leave us a rating on Spotify/Apple. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube: @5mileseasy.

Sticking with the ultra marathon theme, in this episode we are joined by Team GB ultra runner and Hoka athlete, Carla Molinaro. This is Carla's second time joining 5 Miles Easy (see episode 3), but we have lots to catch up on!Carla continued on her 2023 success and is now 50k World Champion! She then went onto finish an incredible 5th place at Two Oceans Marathon and has some big goals ahead of her for Comrades and beyond. We hear all about Carla's race experiences, her goals for the upcoming Comrades Marathon, as well as some very useful tips and tricks when it comes to nutrition, S&C and training for the ultra marathon distance.Follow Carla on Instagram: @carlamolinaroIf you’re enjoying our conversations, please do us a big favour and leave us a rating on Spotify/Apple. You can also follow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube: @5mileseasy.A big thanks to our sponsor for this episode:VELOFORTE: if you’re looking for a natural way to fuel your training with real ingredients, no artificial nasties and no compromise on taste, Veloforte is for you. Veloforte has an incredible range of kitchen crafted bars, shakes and chews to power your performance and provide an optimal balance of essential ingredients to look after your overall wellness. Head to veloforte.com to check out the full range and use code 5MILES for 30% off.