Welcome to episode 308 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.
In this episode, one of us has been making big life choices, while the other one has been questioning her life choices. Namely, an ultra that I have to run in 30-degree heat. I say 24 – it’s crept up a bit! Ugh. I’ve got a touch of ultra maranoia, do please help me with my worries! Can I wear headphones? Should I talk to fellow runners? What sort of water bottles do I need? I also have an update from Spine Man, before we launch into a conversation with the ever-wonderful Jo Pavey! We have an Olympian in the house!
Jo Pavey As we’re approaching the start of the Commonwealth Games, we thought this was an excellent time to chat to Jo, and find out more about her memories of her Games. We also talk to her about England Athletics, of which she is an ambassador – to find out more about membership of EA for solo runners. Something we can all do now, without joining a club, if we don’t want to.
We come back afterwards to address some emails we have had in as a result of our chat about coils and HRT.
If you’re fond of this pod, you are going to LOVE Women’s Running Magazine, and right now if you subscribe, you’ll make a hefty saving as per usual AND you’ll get a free gift of 3 Freyja resistance bands to help you get hench this summer. Go to womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad to treat yourself this July. That’s womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad.
Links Get free resistance bands with Women’s Running womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad Find out more about Crunch and Kate Percy Pick up a copy of Enerjoy (with a 15% Women’s Running discount with the code WRPOD15) Sign up to a place on the SheRaces race on 5th July – lots of distances and options available, including walking! 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.
Ep 1. The Strength Project: why do we need to strength train?
2026/07/01 | 37 mins.
Welcome to the first episode in a new limited podcast series from the makers of The Women’s Running Podcast. This is the Strength Project. I’m Esther, and she’s Holly, and we are here to help! We all know that we should be strength training these days, but it’s so confusing figuring out where to start. So we’ve put together a series designed to cut through the jargon, answer your questions AND get you fitter and stronger as a result. The two of us will be here every week on a Tuesday, assisted by the gorgeous Kate, our resident PT and strength coach who can answer all the questions we can’t. If you have any more questions, or you’d just like to drop us a line, we would love to hear from you at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk But for now, we’re on to the first episode, in which we deliberate over the most important question of all – why do we need to strength train? We speak to Kate at the end of the episode to ask how often we should be strength training, and what exercises add up to a good workout? The homework exercise for this week is the press-up. We talk through the correct form for this move, with lots of different variations, starting with a very accessible press-up. This week, let’s try doing 3 sets of 10 press-ups. And that’s it! For more strength training content, go to womensrunning.co.uk, for simple workout videos, search for Women’s Running youtube, AND if you’re interested in all-round fitness, go to womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad to find out all about our brilliant magazine.
Links Check out our Youtube for all the workouts you need for your Strong Girl Summer! Get an exclusive saving on our magazine subcription with womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ep 307. The Double, and Kate Percy
2026/06/26 | 1h 33 mins.
Welcome to episode 307 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.
Elevation woes We start with a maths lesson, because of course I don’t know my metric from my imperial, and please don’t hate me if I’ve made you think that an ultra is easy peasy because I haven’t worked out the difference between feet and metres.
Kate Percy As a little treat for you, we’ve got Kate Percy on the pod – much needed after Hol’s little episode last week! Kate Percy reinvented herself as a cook with a focus on energy for athletes about 20 years ago, and over the years has written brilliant recipe books perfect for runners. Her latest book, Enerjoy for active families, is one that helps families eat well at the busiest of times. She talks to us about that, her history with running, what she wishes runners knew about fuelling, and her new charity Crunch.
The Double We come back afterwards to discuss The Double – that is, the news that the London Marathon will be running over two days in 2027. There are good points and bad, and we’re here for it all! Let us know your thoughts on this on wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk
If you’re fond of this pod, you are going to LOVE Women’s Running Magazine. Go to womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad for a special treat for June – and you’ll get 3 issues for a fiver.
Links Get 3 issues of Women’s Running for a fiver with womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad Find out more about Crunch and Kate Percy Pick up a copy of Enerjoy (with a 15% Women’s Running discount with the code WRPOD15) Sign up to a place on the SheRaces race on 5th July – lots of distances and options available, including walking! 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.
Ep 306. Long runs, bad teeth & hard hen parties
2026/06/19 | 1h 9 mins.
Welcome to episode 306 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.
Long run Today we’re talking about squeezing in the long run at the wrong time, for which I’m suffering and want all your sympathy (and none of your judgement). We also talk about some running adjacent medical topics: visits to the dentist as a perimenopausal woman, and how traumatic that is. And visits to the optician and how Hol is entering a whole new world of vision. We also have a lovely little controversy to chat about, which is a great one for Hol right now. Tell us your thoughts: would you make your entire bridal party run a half marathon?
Join us If you’re fond of this pod, you are going to LOVE Women’s Running Magazine. Go to womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad for a special treat for June – and you’ll get 3 issues for a fiver. That’s womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad.
Links Get 3 issues of Women’s Running for a fiver with womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad Sign up to a place on the SheRaces race on 5th July – lots of distances and options available, including walking! 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.
Ep 305. Illness and Global Running Day
2026/06/12 | 1h 10 mins.
Welcome to episode 305 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.
Gut issues Hol is in the trenches – we speak to her after a very unpleasant food-related illness. Don’t worry, she’s fine! But it’s definitely affected her training this week… I, on the other hand, have been an absolute hero, I don’t mind saying, camping in the rain AND bashing out a long run. Then we get on to the stuff that makes us rage, amongst which is the forced fun of Global Running Day. Plus a bit more rage about women’s health and the lack of knowledge around it all…
Get the mag for cheap! If you’re fond of this pod, you are going to LOVE Women’s Running Magazine. Go to womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad for a special treat for June – and you’ll get 3 issues for a fiver. That’s womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad.
Links Get 3 issues of Women’s Running for a fiver with womensrunning.co.uk/podsquad Sign up to a place on the SheRaces race on 5th July – lots of distances and options available, including walking! 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.
Running is the one thing that we all like talking about. Every week on the award winning Women’s Running podcast, we talk all things running, women, health and fitness with our own brand of happy, irreverent chat. Esther and Holly talk through their training highs and lows, and all the bits and pieces in-between. Every so often, we invite an expert to join us to help us figure out the confusing worlds of training, recovery, nutrition, health and more. And sometimes we get to talk to an incredible woman from the world of running, from Anna McNuff to Paula Radcliffe, Susie Chan to Nicky Spinks. So why do we do it? Because we realised that most of the running podcasts we listened to were full of blokes waffling on about quads and cadence (and we realised that we can do that perfectly well ourselves, thank you very much). Right here, we talk about all the things that affect us when we step out the door: sexism, hormones, menopause, food, pelvic floors, relationships, mental health, seagull attacks and wild weeing. But. BUT. We will also talk about races, PBs, shoes, training, starting running, enjoying running, finding the fun. And quads and cadence. This is the Women’s Running podcast, and it’s for women who love to run. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
South Africa