Welcome to episode 270 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Holly is actually in St Lucia this week, but we pre-recorded so you don’t have to worry about missing her lovely voice. We have an update on the whole plumbing situation, which we know you must be very worried about. This leads into some nasty poo chat, so be warned.

But the main event in this episode, is our October cover star, Lavina Mehta MBE. We talk to her about her book, The Feel Good Fix, and her mission to encourage everyone to move a little more – in fact, for just 11 minutes a day through something she calls ‘exercise snacking’, which we really like the sound of. We talk squats while the kettle boils, calf raises on zoom calls, and perimenopause when you least expect it.

We come back afterwards to talk about marathon recovery, specifically about lung function. It has occurred to me that running long distances can really affect my asthmatic lungs, and my spot of google research has underlined this.

If you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you, our gorgeous Pod Squad, to meet up, chat about running, TV, books, menopause, and anything else you like. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! To get access to Discord, all you need to do is head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.

· Pick up Lavina’s book The Feel Good Fix

· Also check out Maaree’s lovely range of bras, specifically the Empower in a beautiful pink, from which they’re donating 10% of the profits to Coppafeel

• Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%
• Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!
• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 269 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Apols to all for a slightly scatalogical start to the pod, but I’m a tiny bit traumatised by my plumbing (not a euphemism), so you’ll have to bear with.

Eventually I get into my race report – I ran the Trail Escape Bristol to Bath marathon at the weekend and I have a LOT of thoughts about it. It was absolutely brilliant!

One thing I fail to mention in my report is a podsquadder I met at the finish line – so a quick shout out to the lovely Rosie, thank you for coming to say hello. She was a total hero who had signed up to the event, had become ill, and decided to volunteer for it instead – the best kind of person.

And Holly is off on her travels next week, on a very exciting trip indeed. She talks about training with Olympians and bikini-shopping. We’ll find out more in a couple of pods’ time.

Before I forget, do please vote for us in the Running Industry Awards – there are lots of categories and lots of brilliant people to vote for, including us, so it’s worth hopping on to the site to register your vote for everyone you love (not just us). But if you *did* find yourself there and wanted to vote for us, we would be thrilled, honoured, and would hug you all. (um, that’s the Running Industry Awards, link in the show notes, or just a swift google should bring up the page, google fans).

• PLEASE vote for us in the Running Industry Awards
• I ran the Trail Escape Bristol to Bath. Sign up for next year!
• Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%
• Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!
• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 268 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

I’ve come back from the Circuit of Bath, which is organised by Bath homelessness charity Julian House. This was 20 miles circumnavigating the city, taking in all the beautiful sights, and let this be a lesson to us all: 20 miles at a slow trot is WAY easier than 13 miles in a race!

But speaking of races, we get on to our 2026 goals – what on EARTH is Hol going to do? That’s the question on everyone’s lips.

I talk about a couple of bizarre perimenopausal symptoms that I’ve been experiencing, one of which has completely blown my mind as I would never have realised it was anything to do with menopause without deciding to google it. Ugh. Please let me know your weirdest menopausal symptoms.

If you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you, our gorgeous Pod Squad, to meet up, chat about running, TV, books, menopause, and anything else you like. You also get to come along to our Live Pods (we've got one next week)! To get access to Discord, all you need to do is head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.

· I ran the Circuit of Bath for Julian House

· I’m also going to be running the Trail Escape Bristol to Bath

• Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%
• Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!
• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 267 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Today we’re talking about university life, and how it has changed from when we were there. We talk about empty nesting, and the heartache as well as the small blessings that it affords. Lots of love to all of you going through this right now.

Hol has been doing a sterling job at the Take the Baton conference interviewing the legendary Kathrine Switzer and getting lots of behind the scenes knowledge about that day in Boston.

We get back on to the thorny subject of when we stop our Garmins / Strava when we’re racing – do let us know your thoughts. What I’m trying to say is that I feel like I’m somehow cheating if I stop before the finish line, but also that I want to show off about the distance – so if I stop at 26.2 but run 27.2, did that final mile even count?

If you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you, our gorgeous Pod Squad, to meet up, chat about running, TV, books, menopause, and anything else you like. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! To get access to Discord, all you need to do is head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.

· I’m going to be running the Circuit of Bath for Julian House

· I’m also going to be running the Trail Escape Bristol to Bath

• Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%
• Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!
• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 266 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

We are debriefing our half marathon at Westonbirt with Relish Running. I’d started my race weekend on the wrong foot, by going to a beer festival the night before, which might have had a slight impact on my performance.

We talk about that and all our little mishaps en route to the start line. But from that slightly ropey start, we’re then on to the race itself, how we had prepared for it (very differently) and how it felt along the way. Hol fesses up about her actual race goal.

Also – big question: do you stop your watch when you reach the end of the race, or when your watch tells you you’ve run the distance? Big old controversy ahead here!

If you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you, our gorgeous Pod Squad, to meet up, chat about running, TV, books, menopause, and anything else you like. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! To get access to Discord, all you need to do is head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.

· Get your tickets to the Get the Baton conference, so you can witness Holly chatting to the legendary Kathrine Switzer on 13th September

· Check out the races on offer from Relish Running

· I’m going to be running the Circuit of Bath for Julian House

· I’m also going to be running the Trail Escape Bristol to Bath

• Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%
• Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!
• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 265 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

We need to discuss a lot of things this episode cos we’ve not seen each other for a fortnight and we’ve missed each other! So, obviously, we begin with some silly stuff about Joe Wicks.

And then we’re on to holidays, festivals, awful toilets, dog-sitting, and the correct way to eat a Jaffa cake.

We eventually move on to the race that we’re doing this weekend – the Westonbirt Half with Relish Running. Neither of us feel fully prepared, but we are determined to have a good time. Race report next episode!

If you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you, our gorgeous Pod Squad, to meet up, chat about running, TV, books, menopause, and anything else you like. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! To get access to Discord, all you need to do is head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.

And one last thing! Holly is interviewing the legendary Kathrine Switzer at the Take the Baton conference just outside of Oxford on 13th September. It’s an not to be missed event, and there are only a few tickets left. Grab yours from 261clubuk.co.uk or follow the link in the show notes.

• Check out Relish Running for more gorgeous races in the south west, with very well stocked aid stations.
• Get your tickets to the Get the Baton conference, so you can witness Holly chatting to the legendary Kathrine Switzer on 13th September
• Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%
• Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!
• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 264 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

We’re prepping for our September races with a healthy chunk of maranoia and shoe concerns.

We perk ourselves up with a chat with two-time Winter Olympian Aimee Fuller, our September cover star. Aimee started skiing at the age of 4, before moving into motocross and then Snowboarding. She says she’s not an adrenaline junkie, but we beg to differ! She talks about how she got into running by using it as a way to clear her head when she was travelling, and what happened when she decided to run her very first marathon.

We come back after our chat with Aimee to talk about two huge things: toenails and marathons. My toenail has decided to escape to the great sock draw in the sky, and I am slightly traumatised as a result. Hol tries to make me feel better about it but nothing’s working until I get distracted by trying to pin her down on which marathon she’s going to run next.

If you aren’t a patron yet do join us on Patreon for just £2 a month, through which you can join Discord, our forum just for you, to meet up, chat about running, TV, books, menopause, and anything else you like. You also get to come along to our Live Pods! To get access to Discord, all you need to do is head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month.

• Discover the New Balance FuelCell Rebel v5 at SportsShoes
• Get hold of Aimee’s cover issue of Women’s Running
• Pick up Aimee’s book here
• Get your tickets to the Get the Baton conference, so you can witness Holly chatting to the legendary Kathrine Switzer on 13th September
• Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%
• Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!
• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 263 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

We start off quite sedately talking about training stresses, and adjusting our running when it’s just not going well. But we quickly move into unchartered waters with a chat with Mari from Maaree bras. She talks to us about how to tell if our bra fits us, and why it’s so important for runners to be wearing the correct fitting bra. And then she shakes our worlds by measuring us for bras over video call (no boobs were flashed in the making of this podcast). We were so looking forward to this, and were rewarded with some very unexpected numbers.

We then come back afterwards to talk about a surprising and very exciting email I received before I went on holiday, and a parcel I received as a result. I don’t want to give too much away, but in the interests of hopefully dissuading our parents from listening, the initial email was from Lovehoney, the sexual wellness company, and it was something to do with hydration. And if that doesn’t pique your interest, nothing will.

Lovely extra bits

• Get your rocks off (and stay hydrated) at the very lovely Lovehoney
• Get your boobs supported at the equally lovely Maaree
• Get your tickets to the Get the Baton conference, so you can witness Holly chatting to the legendary Kathrine Switzer on 13th September
• Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you can save 50%
• Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!
• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.