In 2007, Paul Willan was a 26 year old overweight smoker when his boss encouraged him to join him in a daily lunchtime walk, which soon progressed into running. Once gasping for air at every lamppost, Paul is now a dedicated ultra runner, who trains 6 mornings a week.
Listen to hear how Paul:
– Overcame the initial challenges of going from walking to running.
– The moment when running stopped being a weight loss tool and started being an enjoyable hobby to him.
– Overtraining – recognising it, and coming back from it.
– Training for ultra marathons.
– Early morning running and motivation.
Listeen here:
Follow Paul on Instagram: @willanruns81
Show transcript:
00:00.00
ukrunchat
Hi Paul thank you so much for joining us on the Uk Run Chat Podcast it’s really good to have you on and would you like to introduce yourself a little bit tell our listeners a little bit about yourself.
00:11.85
Paul
My name’s Paul and I’m 42 from Bolton and and I’m ah I’m an avid runner and love running and got a daughter and a wife.
00:24.64
ukrunchat
Yeah, so you didn’t You didn’t use to be a runner though. Did you So how did how did that all start then tell us a bit about your story.
00:30.90
Paul
No well I was never I was never a a runner or anything active as a as a child um quite unfit to be honest and and it was only till. Around about 10007 and it was by chance really one of my co-workers just came up to me one day and said you fancy going for a walk. So yeah I said and we went maybe 1.
00:57.39
ukrunchat
Right.
01:05.83
Paul
One and a half mile something like that just to say how long it would take us and we we did that daily and then he then and he then ducked out because he he got the management position. What one of my other colleagues and 2 of my other colleagues actually went and.
01:17.48
ukrunchat
Right.
01:25.51
Paul
Asked if they could join so we kind of started a little bit of a walking club at dinner. So every dinner time we went out and built it up to four miles um or just over four miles in the hour and.
01:28.91
ukrunchat
Again.
01:43.56
ukrunchat
Yeah, about that’s like that’s a fair old pace that walking isn’t it. Yeah so exercise. Yeah.
01:45.22
Paul
And yeah, it was. It wasn’t it wasn’t hanging about and we were we were We were pushing it and my feet were sore and everything else was so because I wasn’t used to doing that kind of exercise to be honest.
01:55.54
ukrunchat
Um, has.
02:01.57
ukrunchat
Yes.
02:04.34
Paul
And at that time I could see I could see the weight was coming off. So I thought we we kind of we got to a point where we couldn’t do anymore anymore in the in the hour so
02:17.97
ukrunchat
Right.
02:22.49
Paul
We kind of said to ourselves. Well, what do we? What do we do now is the what? What’s next How do we fit more and so one of the one of the guys turned around and said well Don I try running one of them was already. He’d already had experience at running. He’d done it as ah as a kid and um. He was fairly experienced in it but he hadn’t done it for a while and me being me being a little bit overconfident in a way thinking I can walk four and a half four miles four and a half miles in the hour how how difficult is it to to run a mile so the next day we got our got our running km um, and we set out and I was surprised couldn’t even run to the next lamp post I was I was. Almost throwing up it was it was that much of ah of a shock and and we kind of stuck at it just did lamp post to lamppost worked when we needed to and 1 of the other and guys. Because they were more experienced they they were ahead of me and I always remember thinking why am I doing this? Um I’m I’m not enjoying this at the moment. Why am I doing it I you know felt like I was almost killing myself. You know it was I was.
03:44.21
ukrunchat
Yeah, and.
03:55.35
Paul
Ah, was determined to do it and determined to to not leave a more sort of duck out of it and then it was probably about that’s I’d say 6 monthsish. Um. We decided to have a bit of a competition so they the guys were more experienced. They do the longer route and we’d do the charter route. So um.
04:27.80
ukrunchat
So how far were you running at that point.
04:33.73
Paul
I’d probably say we got up to two and a half miles something like that.
04:36.29
ukrunchat
Yeah, so it was that without stopping them because going from throwing up between lamp posts to running two and a half miles what what was kind of the how did that work. How did you build up to that.
04:48.91
Paul
It was it was run walking and we kind of built it up and we’d run or try and run to the next lamp post and then we’d extend it to 2 lamp posts.
04:52.80
ukrunchat
Yeah, so.
05:08.38
Paul
And we’d we’d We’d build it up from there and then the um, the guy who came up with a competition or the you know the the challenge should we say.
05:21.53
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
05:27.33
Paul
And he just decided like right? we’ll we’ll do this competition I do the shorter route which was I’d say again about two and a half miles they do about three miles and something just clicked.
05:38.42
ukrunchat
Yeah.
05:46.64
Paul
And I’m not sure what it was whether it was just because of the the mental attitude because it was ah it was never competition. Yeah had also got some better trainers which.
05:53.91
ukrunchat
Yeah, you had a bit of motivation. There didn’t you again.
06:01.46
ukrunchat
Okay, yeah.
06:06.70
Paul
Does help um and we set off and I was at the back and and I can’t really describe it. It was It was almost like some some switch had been sort of flicked and.
06:25.19
Paul
Ah, found myself overtaking a couple of the people and it was then you it kind of thought to myself. Well actually I can’t do this So I’d spent so long previously thinking.
06:27.57
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
06:42.27
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
06:42.40
Paul
Can’t do this but I’m not giving up and it was the it was the the people ahead of me that were motivating me to carry on because I’m um I’m not 1 for giving up and I was ahead of them.
06:50.10
ukrunchat
Right.
07:02.21
Paul
Or ahead of a couple of people and they actually ah came and when we finished the race had actually finished before everyone else and oh they were doing a longer longer route but it felt like I’d had won that particular.
07:12.39
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
07:20.48
Paul
Competition. So from there I got the bug then.
07:23.73
ukrunchat
Okay, so yeah, so that’s yeah, that’s interesting actually that competition has inspired that.
07:30.38
Paul
Yeah, yeah, it was at first it was more it was more to do with the weight loss I could see I could see the weight coming off because I was I was around about 18 storm when I started and I was a smoker.
07:38.34
ukrunchat
Um, running yeah.
07:50.19
Paul
So the the healthier eating started the smoking stopped and yeah it was that it like I said it became at first it was about the weight loss but then it it just became about the running I started to enjoy it then it was it.
07:54.16
ukrunchat
Um, yes.
08:10.11
Paul
It was more of a bug than.
08:10.22
ukrunchat
Yeah, that’s when it really clicks I think isn’t it rather than because I I started running initially for weight loss actually and I didn’t really enjoy it funnily enough when I was running to kind of lose weight an inches. It was kind of a a chore but it’s.
08:18.49
Paul
Um, yeah.
08:28.30
ukrunchat
Think when you actually clicks and you think I’m enjoying this you kind of run for a different reason. Don’t you.
08:33.53
Paul
Yeah I think that’s I always advise I always advise people when they ask me make sure you enjoy it. You know, start off start off really slow. You know, really short distances but make sure you enjoy it and.
08:42.36
ukrunchat
Yes.
08:53.35
Paul
And make it into a habit and because we were going out every every lunchtime it became a habit as well and I found going out with 2 of the other guys and made it easier because.
09:01.80
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
09:13.70
Paul
I’d sometimes be sat at my desk thinking I don’t really want to want to go out today and then the guy next to me term as a we still look for it online at lunch and it be yeah, all right, go on. We go below. Yeah.
09:24.63
ukrunchat
Yeah, that accountability must have been so important at the start.
09:31.63
Paul
Yeah, it was. It’s It’s definitely definitely a motivator to to keep you going.
09:35.59
ukrunchat
Yeah, and how how were you physically when you started like in terms of did you have any kind of typical beginner injuries or anything or was everything did everything run smoothly there.
09:49.56
Paul
On the whole it went pretty smoothly and I think I must be quite robust in terms of me, you know me muscles and the way I’m built and I got the odd niggless mininies were.
09:52.30
ukrunchat
Yeah.
09:57.42
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
10:07.88
ukrunchat
Yeah.
10:08.78
Paul
Aching a little bit and primarily because I was overweight but on on the whole I think I was quite lucky in escaping the typical beginner’s injuries really I got I got a few shin splints and things like that. But.
10:20.85
ukrunchat
Um, yeah, that’s it. Um, yeah.
10:27.30
Paul
They seem to pass fairly quickly I just I just rested.
10:28.73
ukrunchat
Yeah, that was what I was kind of thinking about because that that is a typical beginner injury isn’t it shins splints. It does hamper a lot of people and it does put them off and but I guess maybe because you started you were doing walking for quite a while I guess that that does build you up as well. Doesn’t it.
10:44.88
Paul
Yeah, yeah, we built up the some of the muscle endurance from from from the walking but running is totally different as I found out.
10:51.27
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
10:57.27
ukrunchat
Yeah, so okay, so you’ve got the book from having competed against some of your fellow runners. So what? what’s next you know where where do you go from there.
11:09.47
Paul
We started doing longer distances during the lunch and and then I think we built it up to about five miles five mile route in the in in the lunch hour and then I started to look at. Racing and competitions. So if my first competition um or event I should say was 2008 a 10 k in birken head I did it for cancer research.
11:41.57
ukrunchat
Okay.
11:47.87
Paul
And I’d totally got the pacing wrong set out way too fast and it was a tool lap course and I don’t know on the like lapped courses because after the first lap you know what’s coming next and it it became a psychological battle then.
11:50.25
ukrunchat
Oh.
12:00.11
ukrunchat
You do? yeah.
12:07.33
Paul
But again I was determined I wasn’t going to not finish so I ended up doing that in 1556 and which I was I was over the moon with because i’d.
12:21.38
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
12:26.16
Paul
I’d built it up to ah I think I’ve got about an hour in training maybe a little bit more for the for 10 k and but yeah I was I was all over the moon with that one and then it was just again I got the buggie even more than and I just started to enter.
12:31.89
ukrunchat
Yes.
12:45.78
Paul
As many races as I possibly could and mainly 10 k’s for the first couple of years
12:49.84
ukrunchat
Yeah, yes.
12:55.13
ukrunchat
I think I think 10 k is quite a hard distance to get right? isn’t it.
12:59.14
Paul
Yeah, it is it is because yeah, it’s 1 of them. We kind of it’s easier to see it’s easy to set out too fast if you’re not careful. Yeah.
13:09.19
ukrunchat
It is yeah, have you got that suss now. Are you do you know what? you did ten K distance.
13:15.54
Paul
yeah yeah I think we’ve we’ve we’ve pretty much got that nailed down now as I seen to over the years me bodies seem to have got into a pacing it. It kind of knows what.
13:32.92
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
13:33.12
Paul
Piece I need to set out up to actually achieve the distance.
13:38.54
ukrunchat
Yeah I think that does come with a bit of experience doesn’t it. You do have to learn what feels hard and what feels impossible and it’s fine balance Sometimes yeah so your.
13:46.73
Paul
Yeah, it is definitely definitely.
13:55.44
ukrunchat
You’re doing some quiet longer distance aren’t you now so talk to us a bit about that. What are you.
14:02.13
Paul
Well at the moment and typical typical morning. Um, we’re doing about eight nine males um in a morning and I’ve done a 3 32 male
14:09.11
ukrunchat
Yes.
14:17.66
ukrunchat
Yeah.
14:18.39
Paul
Ultramarathons and fairly flat ones i’t um yet to I’m yet to go up on the up on the Hills and up on the fells with the with the ultars we thought we’d start off fairly fairly easy and ease ourselves into the.
14:29.93
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
14:38.40
Paul
The ultra distances. Um, and I’ve got a 50 mailer coming up. It is yeah so that’s him.
14:42.34
ukrunchat
Okay, so that’s the Manchester Liveerpool one isn’t it. Yeah, so that’s a nice flat one I think isn’t it. That’s yeah I’ve not done that one but red lots about it.
14:53.59
Paul
Yeah, it’s it’s kind of advised ah advertised as a beginner’s marathon and Ultra marathon. So it’s now some flat its starts off at to Soford and it.
14:57.98
ukrunchat
Yeah.
15:05.81
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
15:09.17
Paul
Follows the ah West Penine Trail I think is or the Trans Penine trail. Yeah yeah, and um, some of the ship canal. So it’s all fairly. It’s offro but it’s hard.
15:15.81
ukrunchat
It’s yeah the Trans Pen Nine isn’t it. Yeah yeah.
15:25.13
ukrunchat
Yes, yes, So how? what’s your training routine for that Then what kind of training you doing for it when is it when is it. It’s happening is it’s normally Easter isn’t it. Yeah yeah.
15:27.15
Paul
Ground.
15:36.60
Paul
Yeah, it’s good Friday Twenty ninth of March so at the moment our training at the moment is we’re building up the base um getting that pretty and even we get we sort of. Building that up as well maintaining it and we’re adding in back-to-back. Longer runs.
16:02.40
ukrunchat
Yeah, so what do? what do they look like what kind of distances are you doing on those.
16:07.71
Paul
Um, yesterday actually I did a twenty mile ah um and then what with what I’m looking at doing is on a Friday doing a thirteen fourteen mile on a Friday and then.
16:09.98
ukrunchat
Yeah.
16:25.32
Paul
Um, the Saturday maybe doing a fifteen mile and up and upwards. So it’s getting used to running on tired legs and just just getting the muscular endurance hollanding.
16:29.19
ukrunchat
Yeah, okay.
16:40.40
ukrunchat
Yeah, so you find in there’s much difference between training for the the 50 k or the fit as opposed to the 50 mileer doing anything different.
16:51.73
Paul
Um, um to be honest I’m not doing I’m not doing anything different really may I might add more back to back longer runs in for the for the thirty two mile the longest I did was a marathon.
17:00.16
ukrunchat
Yeah.
17:07.29
ukrunchat
Yeah.
17:09.26
Paul
Twenty Six mile was the longest I and I’m not sure I’m going to get up to a thirty mile run for the fifty mile and race or event and but we’ll see how it we’ll see how it goes.
17:24.14
ukrunchat
Yeah, it’s fit. It’s fiting it in isn’t it with ultra training. It’s how to it’s how to actually get all those miles on your legs and the time on your feet I mean how how do you fit it into your week then you run you run most mornings. Don’t you.
17:32.58
Paul
Yeah, yeah, I’m I’m up at four I’m out I’m out for 20 to 5 in the morning and do about an hour twenty running and then it’s.
17:43.56
ukrunchat
Yeah.
17:51.72
Paul
Back home and off off to work So that’s how I that’s how I fit it in into my routine I I’ve switched from evening running to morning running and that was ah that was a task in itself. But no.
18:06.26
ukrunchat
You better? Um I’m not a morning person. So I I applaud you for anybody who gets up early in the morning. Yeah super human.
18:10.78
Paul
Where I was never a morning person really for I probably say for months and months as I was thinking to miss often. Ah, really fancy getting up in the morning and actually running because for me, it was the perfect time because ah what I was finding in the evening there’d be too many excuses or problems cropping up and life gets in the way in the evening.
18:38.80
ukrunchat
Yeah.
18:44.11
ukrunchat
It does.
18:47.80
Paul
And the way of thinking was in the morning, especially that early in the morning. Nobody else is up nobody knows I’ve been out and it doesn’t affect family time but it never happened I’d always set me alarm and then.
18:55.26
ukrunchat
Um, yeah, yes.
19:06.51
Paul
I’d always switch it off and turn over and go back to sleep if it wasn’t ah it wasn’t until 2020 we got a new dog and.
19:21.12
ukrunchat
Um, right.
19:24.28
Paul
He was a he was a Graham he was an ex-raer so he’d never been in a in a home as ah as a pet before so he was a stickler for his routine and he was up at four o’clock howling every single morning. So i’d.
19:25.18
ukrunchat
Yes.
19:37.13
ukrunchat
Oh gosh right? okay.
19:43.28
Paul
Gone from wanting to get up at four o’clock in the morning and never been able to had gone from that to being forced to get up and I think it was a psychological thing because I was being forced to get up I was.
19:51.72
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
19:59.82
ukrunchat
Yeah.
20:00.12
Paul
Kind of resisting it in a way but that got me into the routine and I’d get hope take him out for a walk and then I’d be sat down then for but best part of 3 hours thinking
20:07.10
ukrunchat
I’ve seen.
20:15.78
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
20:19.38
Paul
Might as well might as well do something so I decided to go out for a run in the morning instead of the evening and it seemed to be working quite well to be honest and I kept seeing this I kept seeing this other runner run past me.
20:30.18
ukrunchat
Yeah.
20:37.50
Paul
And we’d would’d say him on and we’d acknowledge each other and it wasn’t until I saw him with one of my other friends who I follow on Straver and it was think just one saturday I saw him I saw him run past with.
20:54.66
ukrunchat
Yes.
20:57.28
Paul
With Emma and I then started started following him because I’ve always wondered who he was I’d always seen him and it was he was quite sort of peak me interest because he was always out so I started following him and. It turns out he’ is on a running streak. So he’s been he’s been running he’s yeah he’s been running over there for 4 years and and we kind of he message me on Strava and.
21:15.57
ukrunchat
Oh okay, so running every day.
21:33.88
Paul
For ages for months so I kind of resisted and meeting up because he he asked if he wanted to wanted to meet up and um, think to himself. How can we meet up because he’s not got me number and I didn’t want to put me number on Strava for everyone to see anyway.
21:45.41
ukrunchat
Yes, yeah.
21:52.74
Paul
Fast forwarder about couple of moments and I thought right? Okay, let’s let’s do it So a message then giving me number we arranged to meet top and we’ve been running together ever since.
22:07.38
ukrunchat
Oh wow, that’s brilliant.
22:10.92
Paul
Ah, 202021 we started running together in the November and and to be honest, he was the one who made me a lot more consistent than what I am now and than what than what was before sorry and.
22:24.20
ukrunchat
Yes, yes.
22:29.43
Paul
Is because I was meeting up with somebody. It was giving me that motivation to to get up and and get out it was. It was slightly faster than me so that.
22:36.49
ukrunchat
Yeah.
22:45.43
Paul
As well that gave me the motivation to keep up with him. Yeah, yeah, and we started out maybe going out 2 or 3 times a week and then it kind of naturally just progressed.
22:46.75
ukrunchat
Yeah, we know you like that competitive element. Yes, like.
23:05.41
Paul
To you know 3 times a week four times a week five times a week and now we’re running five days a week weekdays together in the morning and we kind of do our own thing at the weekends. Um.
23:14.66
ukrunchat
Yeah.
23:22.71
ukrunchat
Yeah, yeah, that’s that’s great to have somebody that you can kind of count on to be there, especially at that time of the morning that’s brilliant. Yeah what I find. Ah yeah.
23:24.50
Paul
So I’m running six days a week now
23:35.73
Paul
Yeahy it’s just weird though. It’s it seems to be both both times when I first started running and when I got a lot more consistent seemed to kind of almost happen by chance and it’s kind of it’s It’s amazing now.
23:45.63
ukrunchat
Yeah.
23:51.57
Paul
And it seems to work out that way.
23:51.76
ukrunchat
Yeah, yeah, because you you have had quite a long break from running in between haven’t you You know how? how did that kind of happen and how do you get back into it after that.
23:57.60
Paul
Um, yeah, ah.
24:06.67
Paul
2012 ah I found myself falling out of love with it and I think it was mainly because because I was prior to that I was getting I was getting really into it. But.
24:12.91
ukrunchat
Yeah.
24:24.20
Paul
I was I was Pb chasing every single run So every single run have to be faster than the last run and that was leading to overtraining I wasn’t enjoying it I was pushing myself too hard.
24:31.98
ukrunchat
Yeah.
24:43.32
Paul
Because I was I was thinking to to myself to be a faster runner. You’ve got to run fast and I wasn’t giving myself enough time to and recover and like I said I was I was overtrained in rail.
24:47.32
ukrunchat
Yeah.
24:58.40
ukrunchat
Yeah.
25:01.49
Paul
And I think it was my body’s way of just saying you need a rest but then a few months turned into six months turned into a year and then before you know it I’ve gained all my weight again and it beats.
25:03.64
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
25:16.58
ukrunchat
Right.
25:20.43
Paul
4 years down the line and at that at that point I kind of thought I wouldn’t run again because I’d ah I’d given away all me running gear and that yeah yeah, it was light I’ve I’ve had enough.
25:24.46
ukrunchat
Yes.
25:30.60
ukrunchat
A wowsy completely kind of cut yourself off from it then? yeah yeah.
25:40.21
Paul
And I gave it I gave everything away and I thought I’d never run again and then me me cousin message me and he said um I’ve moved back to balam. Do you fancy meeting up for a run or.
25:52.90
ukrunchat
Yeah.
26:00.10
Paul
You know, whatever a drink or whatever. So said, yeah, there’s quite fancy a run to be honest, so we met up and just went for a for a run around one of the local lakes and he mentioned. That he was. He’d been roped into doing the great North Run This was 2016 and I thought to myself quite quite fancy that so on the spur of the moment.
26:22.85
ukrunchat
Um, right? yeah.
26:37.52
Paul
Ah, got myself a charity place for for for the great and off run. So then that was the motivation.
26:37.57
ukrunchat
Yeah.
26:43.85
ukrunchat
So how how far ahead was this happening was it was it kind of a long way off or yeah.
26:49.19
Paul
I would say no it was in the same year and I would say we’d met up I think it was round about February March time and the great north run was in september.
27:04.96
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
27:08.80
Paul
So I had I had a few months to train and but not as long as ah as I would have liked and like I say it was just like a spare at the moment. Oh yeah, fancy fancy doing that so that’s where the motivation came.
27:12.24
ukrunchat
Um, in.
27:19.30
ukrunchat
Yes.
27:26.52
Paul
To get back into the running I did the great and off run in about 3 hours which I was I was disappointed with in a way because I I kept thinking back to where I was before.
27:33.25
ukrunchat
Yeah.
27:41.82
ukrunchat
Yeah, it’s easy to compare yourself isn’t it to? yeah yeah.
27:46.14
Paul
Yeah, yeah I was faster than this last time. Why Why can’t I do it again and not fracturing in that I’ve lost I’ve lost a lot of the fitness and I’d gained a lot of the weight back. Um and it just it just took off from there.
27:54.43
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
28:02.77
ukrunchat
Um, yes.
28:04.71
Paul
And again, the my cousin decided he was gonna become a member so he’d signed up for the for the three years of the great north run and so we we. We decided we’d do it together for the next three years so I got I got charity places. Um for the next for the following year I think I did that in. Um.
28:22.86
ukrunchat
Um, yes.
28:32.65
ukrunchat
Yes.
28:40.76
Paul
Two and a half hours I think I did it then and so I could see the improvement and again spurred me on a bit more and 20 think it was 2018. Oh didn’t find myself fit enough I’d kind of kind of slumped a little bit with me running in 2018 and so we didn’t do it together in 2018 and obviously 2020192020.
29:03.71
ukrunchat
Yes.
29:15.54
ukrunchat
It did. Yeah.
29:16.26
Paul
Um, covid hit so there was ah there was no greater north room then um, but then 21 22 23 and did it subsequent years and me. Think I’m 2023 sorry know 2022 and I got one forty six so yeah I was I was really tough with that. Yeah, really pleased. It’s fastest ever Half marathha.
29:43.99
ukrunchat
Um, our well done. Yeah.
29:50.30
ukrunchat
Yeah, that’s brilliant. It’s quite a tough one I’ve ave done it what I’ve done it 3 times but not for a long long time and and I just always remember that there’s like a hill kind of 10 miles in and it just seems to go up and up and up and up and up.
29:53.71
Paul
Me ask.
30:07.50
ukrunchat
Um, remember every time just cursing it. Um, yeah.
30:07.20
Paul
Yeah, it is It is quite. It is quite Hill but the the gradual Hills The the the the not short and sharp. They we go along for quite a long time. Yeah, and you can see you can see and that you can see it all in the distance as well. So.
30:15.72
ukrunchat
No, the no it never ends.
30:26.19
Paul
I Think that that adds to the psychological aspect of it because you know how far you’ve got to go.
30:31.89
ukrunchat
Yeah, yeah, know it’s ah it’s It’s obviously a very special event for you. Is it one. You’re going to keep doing. Yeah.
30:39.26
Paul
I’ve decided this year I’ll have a break from it. Try something, try something new because I’ve I’ve done it 6 times now. Yeah yeah, ah ah signed up myself for the the 3 year um
30:44.94
ukrunchat
Yeah, plus yeah, that’s a law.
30:56.10
Paul
Membership and so I’d done that for 3 years previous to that it was just just either the ballot or charity places but I decided this year I’ll try try something different I’ve not decided exactly what yet. But I’m sure i’ll.
31:14.70
ukrunchat
Yeah, we yeah, you’ve obviously got your bit your big race to to train for overea Rabbi you Yeah yeah.
31:14.41
Paul
Um, sure I’ll find something.
31:18.19
Paul
Yeah, yeah, I’m concentrating on that first and then and then see where see where it takes me but I’m I’m trying to get as many of the club races as I can in as well for burnon because I run for burned and road runners.
31:33.77
ukrunchat
Okay, yeah, but yeah, big club. Yeah, see them at lots of events.
31:37.94
Paul
Yeah, yeah, so I um I’m trying to I’m trying to get as many of the club championship races as they can I didn’t manage it this year so I think sorry I didn’t manage it last year this year is gonna be me me year I hope I’m hoping.
31:44.29
ukrunchat
Um, yes.
31:53.51
ukrunchat
Yeah, so have you’ve been doing like cross country and things with the club your cross countryunt re are you more on the road. Yeah.
32:02.73
Paul
A more road if I’m totally honest I did when I first joined 20202020 yeah 2021 I joined at the end of 2021 so 2022 um
32:19.88
Paul
Ah, did the cross country and I didn’t find it were for me to be honest I’m um up the further up the further road and staying clean.
32:25.81
ukrunchat
Um, no.
32:30.24
ukrunchat
Yeah, although I think the past weekends cross country is it was very the ground was very hard and frozen. So I think disappointing lack of mud think you might have been all right this weekend.
32:37.17
Paul
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah, but no I prefer up the further road Menise might tell you different place. It’s running in life but I prefer upper prefer running on the road.
32:48.15
ukrunchat
Yeah.
32:53.71
ukrunchat
So if you got your eye on any kind of other ultras after this next one you mentioned you’ve done the flat one so you you kind of look in at any hillier ones.
33:02.47
Paul
Yeah, um I quite fancy some more of the gbultra and ones maybe some of more of the the hilly ones. Um I’ve not decided quite yet which ones I want to do and but i’ve.
33:06.93
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
33:17.34
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
33:21.76
Paul
Ah, fancy at some point trying the the grand slam think it’s 4 or 5 of the fifty mile ultras I think they do one for the 51 for the hundred I’m not a hundred percent on that. But yeah, you it’s it’s doing.
33:23.23
ukrunchat
Okay, which which is what just yeah, explain what lies.
33:32.69
ukrunchat
Wow! yeah.
33:41.70
Paul
Think it’s 5 in the year and I don’t think I’m quite up to that level yet. But it’s something to something to aim for.
33:48.24
ukrunchat
Yeah I mean you certainly got that consistency haven’t you now. So.
33:54.79
Paul
Yeah, yeah, and it’s good that ah it’s It’s become a routine now. So that’s helps to keep the keep the motivation and the momentum going.
33:57.50
ukrunchat
Um, yeah, yeah.
34:06.11
ukrunchat
Yeah, and hopefully you can kind of now you you recognize those signs of overtraining as well. You can kind of keep that um you can keep an eye on that can’t you because you know what to what to look out for. Do you find yourself needing to plan in rest days now then.
34:21.71
Paul
Yeah I like to have at least one day off a week which tends to be either a Saturday or a Sunday depending on what I’m doing if I’m if I’m raising on the Sunday I’ll have the Saturday off if not I’ll run the Saturday and have Sunday off and I find that.
34:21.86
ukrunchat
So Avoid that. Um, yeah.
34:41.73
Paul
Helps the body to recover but it also helps mentally as well. It’s kind of like a reset button because it as much as I like running I do like on a Saturday hour or Sunday just being able to get up in the morning and make a drink and just.
34:43.40
ukrunchat
Um, yes, and yeah.
35:00.22
Paul
Sit down and chill.
35:01.19
ukrunchat
Yeah, yeah, it’s nice just to have a bit of a rest sometimes isn’t it.
35:05.81
Paul
Yeah, yeah, sometimes I’m sometimes I am itching to go out but I kind of rein it in a little bit and it enables me then to be motivated on the Monday to to get out.
35:10.29
ukrunchat
Yes.
35:23.10
ukrunchat
Yeah, um, yeah I Guess there’s always the dog knee talking. Yes, are you ever tempted to run with the dog or not come up. No I haven’t yeah ah.
35:26.32
Paul
Yeah, yeah, no to be honest, we’ve not. We’ve not got him anymore. No no, we we it didn’t work out for us. Um, so we fortunately we have to.
35:42.61
Paul
We have to give him back Unfortunately, the indeed Yeah he he wasn’t taking too kindly to me daughter. So yeah, it wasn’t wasn’t working out so we’ve not got. We’ve not got a dog anymore. But yeah, he’s.
35:44.77
ukrunchat
Yeah, ah, that’s shame.
35:49.30
ukrunchat
Oh I see yeah.
35:57.56
ukrunchat
Yeah, but now. But now you’re a morning runner Thanks to him. So.
36:02.37
Paul
Yeah, yeah, it’s thanks to him and and Alex yeah.
36:05.16
ukrunchat
Yeah, no, that’s brilliant. So just to finish talk because when when we first and messaged you you mentioned that you’ve done the leads liverpool canal haven’t you not as a kind of a a one in in 1 distance but you’ve done it over a few weekends haven’t you I mean even that’s. Quite a quite quiet. Feat isn’t it. Yeah.
36:24.33
Paul
Yeah, we did that in 2010 and it was it was one of the other cousins David he he used to come over ever so often and would go for would go for a run he he’s he’s not he hadn’t ran for. A while um and he used to run when he was younger and he used to come over every so often and which would we’d go out for a run and one day he just said I fancy they’re in some challenge.
37:02.52
Paul
And he came up with this leads Liverpool Canal and it was a hundred and twenty seven miles in Totalll and he decided he’d like to do it over five consecutive
37:10.40
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
37:19.87
ukrunchat
Yes.
37:21.18
Paul
Weekends so he got he got to he got to work organizing it all and I was really up for it because at that at that time I was I was really into into it into me running and we started off. On the first of April Twenty Twenty ten and we split it up into as and as near as we could marathon distances and his his wife was ah um, was the um.
37:51.17
ukrunchat
Yes.
37:58.77
Paul
Support in the car. So we we worked it out wherever we stopped would be unlike an access road. So it was easier easier to get to so we did that for 5 consecutive weekends and sort of starting were we.
37:58.86
ukrunchat
Yeah.
38:06.77
ukrunchat
Okay, yeah.
38:18.34
Paul
Where we left off the previous the previous week and and he was it was It was really enjoyable. We really enjoyed it and spending time together and doing what we we both loved it was He was really good. Yeah.
38:28.94
ukrunchat
Yeah, now that sounds brilliant. Yeah yeah, you have attempted to do the whole the whole thing in 1 go yeah.
38:38.28
Paul
I am I am maybe not yet and but I am I’ve I’ve cycled it in one go and that took about sixteen sixteen hours and but yeah I would I would like to run it in one go and I’m nowhere near that.
38:44.37
ukrunchat
Ah, yeah, Okay, yeah, yeah.
38:55.14
ukrunchat
Um, yeah.
38:57.21
Paul
Kind of level yet. But it’s again, it’s something to something to aim for.
39:00.79
ukrunchat
Yeah, absolutely yeah, yeah, my daughter has been she because we we live right near the canal. She’s been she she would like to cycle the whole thing. She’s so far done She did Liverpool to burka in one go.
39:15.24
Paul
Yeah, good.
39:18.23
ukrunchat
So yeah, she’s she’s doing all right? Yeah, so we’re getting there. But I think we’re yeah, we’re gonna do little bits with her until she feels confident enough to tackle the whole thing in maybe a weekend we were thinking. Yeah.
39:29.47
Paul
Yeah, yeah, yeah, build up build up slowly. We get there. Yeah.
39:35.24
ukrunchat
Yeah, definitely yeah oh well, it’s been absolutely lovely chatting to you Paul thanks so much your queen. Um, yeah, so are you on social media anywhere where our listeners can follow you and see what you’re up to.
39:40.21
Paul
No pump. Thank you for.
39:48.28
Paul
Yeah I’m on Instagram and Straver and so I’m on the straver is will and runs 81 sorry Instagram is willm runs 81 and straver is Paul Willen
39:58.19
ukrunchat
Yeah.
40:08.17
Paul
But the a is ah an at symbol. Yeah, but the links the links on on Instagram as well.
40:08.51
ukrunchat
I will. okay yeah, I love yeah yeah okay yeah we’ll pop will’ll pop the links in our show notes to the podcast as well. And yeah, so wish you all the very best with your upcoming ultra the manchester to Liverpool.
40:23.62
Paul
Thank you very much. Thank you.
40:26.62
ukrunchat
And yeah and all the very best.
