Galloway hills, 45 miles and 5200 meters of ascent, are some of the most brutal terrain of any hills I know in the UK. No GPS allowed, and you must complete the event as a team of four….what an awesome concept.
In Episode 3 of the sprint series where Paul and James are exploring Confidence and Belief how we think is critical. Especially how we then channel that thinking. In this 13 minute blast Paul argues you can choose in which voices and messages you believe in. He tells us it is normal to have internal conversations and reminds listeners the voice we hear the most, BY A LONG WAY, is our very own.
The science of running (and other sports) is more complex than many people realise. It’s not just a case of lacing up your trainers and putting one foot in front of the other. The female body is not simply a smaller version of our male counterparts. Oh, and how the hell do we train in and around the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause anyway?
This article will outline some of the golden nuggets found in Roar by Dr. Stacy Sims.
Here’s Arjit sharing an inspiring story of an event he created.
“During the event I learnt that there is more to running than just follow the training plan or to get out of the bed and go for a run. I learnt to respect people’s time and personal limitations. Many times an assigned person didn’t turn up to the slot and I had to get out to fill the gap - twice during the week in the middle of the night. Instant reaction was to get frustrated though a perspective shift would suggest that it’s a slot for someone and it’s an event for me. “
Our athletes regularly push themselves out of their comfort zones. They eat suffering for breakfast, feast on making their dreams a reality for lunch, and dance with exceeding their potential late into the evening. Our athletes journey through emotional turmoil, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome to help surpass their perceived limitations.
Pyllon athletes run from their hearts.
These pods are about the ultra-life. Life being the operative word here. Running is part of life.
This blog is to help deepen learning of the Pyllon Ultra Podcast Sprint series and is a companion piece to the 1st episode.
A reminder: the pod sprint series is 5-6 short episodes focusing on a particular topic. The first sprints were on Thought Biases.
Here’s Arjit sharing an inspiring story of an event he created.
“During the event I learnt that there is more to running than just follow the training plan or to get out of the bed and go for a run. I learnt to respect people’s time and personal limitations. Many times an assigned person didn’t turn up to the slot and I had to get out to fill the gap - twice during the week in the middle of the night. Instant reaction was to get frustrated though a perspective shift would suggest that it’s a slot for someone and it’s an event for me. “
Our athletes regularly push themselves out of their comfort zones. They eat suffering for breakfast, feast on making their dreams a reality for lunch, and dance with exceeding their potential late into the evening. Our athletes journey through emotional turmoil, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome to help surpass their perceived limitations.
Pyllon athletes run from their hearts.
Endeavour has meant a lot to many people since the team first tackled a double WHW. Without realising it at the time, Endeavour became something much bigger than just a few friends tackling a bold running challenge. They had important conversations with friends and family, and were able to celebrate their sport in a much more positive way than doing well in races or winning events. Over the years they also forged lifelong friendships - especially when they ran 530 miles across Scotland in winter 2020. Endeavour came from the heart and still holds a special place for all those involved over the years.
Endeavour first started in 2018 as a project to go and break records in bold projects. And whilst that’s still a key part of our ‘why’ it’s also about building and celebrating our amazing ultra running community and doing what we can to improve the lives of others. So, as well as trying to set a Fastest Known Time on the double WHW, the teams will be trying to raise awareness of the benefits of exercise and raise money for the life-saving work of the British Heart Foundation.
Last year Jennifer successfully completed her first ultra, the Kintyre Way Ultra, after entering at the last minute. This year Jennifer entered the Speyside Way Ultra but really struggled to find the ideal training plan to suit her specific level of experience and race goals, so made the decision to join the Pyllon LITE coaching program in May.
There have been a number of positive changes at Pyllon recently as the team continues to help more runners take on bigger and bolder challenges.
International athletes Rob Turner, Grant MacDonald and Debbie Martin-Consani have all joined the Pyllon Coaching team.
We have launched new products to help more people get more from their training and racing: Pyllon LITE, which is a more cost effective option for athletes who do not need weekly contacts with a coach, and TRAX for athletes racing shorter distances, from 5K to marathon on trail, road and XC.
We have created a new Coaching arm for Pyllon, that will allow us to support athletes focused on shorter events, from 5K to marathon distance - on Trail, Road or XC. It’s called Pyllon TRAX and we are delighted to announce that Rob Turner will be joining the Pyllon Coaching team to lead our approach to supporting these athletes. We spoke to Rob to find out more about Pyllon TRAX and his own running background:
With all the uncertainty brought on by continued lockdowns and the call of adventure becoming louder by the day, we were super-excited to hear about Jo’s bold, personal challenge which she has been working on for some time. Jo is no stranger to the mountains and is no slouch off-trail, especially when it comes to letting loose on descents! So here’s what’s involved in this record attempt this weekend.
It’s been a really challenging time being locked down with the pandemic and having no opportunity to do the things we love in the places that we love. On Monday 26th April the lockdown is lifting in Scotland and we wanted to get back out there and take on something bold in some of Scotland’s wildest and most beautiful areas.
