Everyday Runners

EDR #2.13 /This Running Life/ Pieter-Christaan van Oranje en Daan Hoek

This episode features an interview with Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje and Daan Hoek, both of Leiden Atletiek. The two are long-time running buddies, who got to know each other when PC joined Leiden Atletiek to train under Bram Wassenaar. This is a very lightly edited episode as I wanted to let the episode be a clear representation of how the conversation unfolded. The three of us share our thoughts on how running has changed over the years, PC tells us of his running story and his experiences with various running coaches. He also mentions what might actually go wrong while changing shoes during a marathon. Daan Hoek, a high level steeple chaser back in the good old days, has been a consistent training partner with PC in his marathon builds. Daan also tells us what the Rotterdam Marathon was like way back in the 1980s. So yeah, I had a very enjoyable time talking with PC and Daan and, I think this conversation turned out well. I hope you enjoy it. 
Thank you to Bob, Gianluca and Joao for supporting this podcast via Buy Me a Coffee. Their support helps to cover some of the costs required to keep this podcast afloat. 
Thank you to Jeroen Rondeel for the music - specifically composed - for this podcast. Jeroen is the founder of the band, Cymbaline. 
Until next time, doi doi! 
Links: 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Support the Podcast via Buy Me a Coffee
 

EDR 2.12 /On the Rise/ Akshaay Swaminathan

Askhaay Swaminathan is a young athlete on the rise and is based at Leiden Atletiek. He's only be running for two years and is still working out his favourite distances: but he's already got a time of 2:01 for the 800m and has performed well in many youth competitions. 
In this conversation we talk about how he started running and how he manages his time between his schoolwork and training. We also talk cooking, as it turns out, it is also one of Askhaay's hobbies. 
If you would like to support the show, please click on this link. All supporters will be acknowledged in future episodes. This kind of support helps me to keep the show free from advertisements and to cover running costs. 
Thanks again to Jeroen Rondeel for the beautiful intro music which he specifically composed for this podcast. 
Links: 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Support the Podcast via Buy Me a Coffee
 

EDR #2.11 /Running Media/: Annemerel de Jongh: running writer and podcaster

Annemerel de Jongh's life story is inextricably linked to her life as a runner. She is the author of three books on running, runs a popular running blog and of course is active on Instagram as an influencer. Annemerel is also the host of a (Dutch language) podcast, Have a Good Run, in which she shares her stories of her preparation for the upcoming Rotterdam Marathon with EDR regular, Anne Luijten. 
I also provide a brief update regarding my Rotterdam-marathon build, which has had a nasty interruption thanks to a poorly timed virus. 
The beautiful music at the beginning of this is episode is by Jeroen Rondeel (of Cymbaline). The music was specifically composed for this podcast: so, a massive thanks to Jeroen. 
If you are interested in supporting this podcast, as a sign of appreciation, you can do so via the Buy Me a Coffee platform. 
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Links: 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Support the Podcast: Buy Me a Coffee

EDR #2.10 /Race Review/ Anne Luijten on her CPC and Rotterdam Build

Anne Luijten reflects on her CPC, which didn't really go to plan. Even pros have bad days. But no problem. The marathon waits for no-one and Anne is taking stock and preparing for Rotterdam, which is happening in a little under a month. Anne also asks Andy about his training and what his approach was for the CPC. They also discuss Anne's podcast with Annemerel de Jongh, Have a Good Run. 
Thank you to the recent supporters of the podcast: Joao, Bob and Gianluca. If you would like to show your support for this podcast, please click on the Buy Me a Coffee link below. 
I hope your running and training is going well. 
Doi doi :) 
 
Links: 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Support the Podcast: Buy Me a Coffee

EDR #2.9 /Running Plus/ The Waye of the Plogger: interview with Paul Waye of Haarlem, elite-level plogger

How much rubbish do you see when you go for a run? Red Bull cans, cigarette packets, CapriSun packages, beer bottles, cigarette butts, coffee cups and lids litter our footpaths and urban spaces. Most of the time we leave them on the ground and wait for someone else to tidy things up. 
Paul Waye, he of the Banana Suit and the aluminium-can mini-skirt, is a runner and someone who picks up rubbish on his runs. Of course there is a Swedish word for this practice: to plog. Paul, an Englishman in Haarlem, has gone-pro with his plogging over recent months, and in this interview he shares his process of transitioning from everyday runner to absolute legendary plogger with an indefatiguable appetite for cleaning up the Dutch landscape. 
Soon, he'll be undertaking the Twelf Steden Plog - where he will run to the twelve regional capitals of the Netherlands - throughout the month of May. He's most likely to be passing close to where you live, so, if you see him, give him a shout out, but more importantly, help him out through picking up a piece of rubbish. 
Thank you to Joao Seixas, Bob van Hesse and Gianluca Bonaccorso for supporting this podcast via the Buy Me a Coffee platform. You can do it too. These contributions help cover the costs of running the podcast. All contributors will be acknowledged in a future episode (or episodes). 
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Links: 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Support the Podcast: Buy Me a Coffee
 
 

EDR #2.8 /Athlete Profile/ Max Polak: "I had no clue. I just did it. It was just sport."

Hey! Max Polak, from Papendrecht, went to the US when he was 20 to pursue his running career: running at both Boise State University and Miami University. After a few ups and downs he is now back in the Netherlands and getting stronger in the half-marathon while also putting in some solid performances on the track. Max trains under Bram Wassenaar at Leiden Atletiek. 
We recorded this interview while Max was at a training camp in Portugal, in the lead up to the CPC Half-Marathon in Den Haag. Max was very candid about what running means to him and how he has used running as a means to further his education and explore new opportunities. He tells of his racing tactics and what motivates him. He's recently also been having some very nice battles with Everyday Runner regular, Dominic Bersee. 
This episode opens with a 'listener question' regarding what to do in case of having a long-term injury. I briefly share my thoughts. 
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Links: 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Support the Podcast via Buy Me a Coffee

EDR #2.7 /Athlete Profile/ Lysanne Wilkens, 2:38 on debut and on doing running her own way

Hey, hello! In this episode, Lysanne Wilkens, a freelance journalist and photographer based in Utrecht, joins EDR for a conversation about her running and running life. Lysanne, unexpectedly (for herself) ran 2:38 in the Taipei marathon last year while travelling throughout Asia. Lysanne crossed the finish line looking as if she could have kept going for another lap of the course. So, in this conversation we talk about her running background and her approach to running in general: part of which is to make sure that it fits well into her own schedule and that she has a great degree of agency over her training. 
In the first segment of this episode, I respond to a question from Emma, a fellow Leiden-based runner, about 'hilly marathon majors'. In short, I express my ambivalence over 'world marathon majors', while loving the idea of hilly marathons - from a spectators point of view. I'm yet to do one, and while not really deliberately avoiding them, I'm also not really going out of my way to do one. :) 
If you would like to ask a question or for us (yes, there will be a co-host, soon!) please send your thoughts via email or a DM on IG. 
As always: i hope you're enjoying your running. Until next time. Doi doi. 
Links: 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Support the Podcast:  Patreon 

EDR #2.6 /Running Media/ Brady Threlfall of Inside Running Podcast

Yo! Hello! Brady Threlfall loves a good yarn. He's the founder of Inside Running Podcast which has become, probably, the most respected running podcast in Australia. Brady (and his numerous co-hosts, but mainly Croker and Moose) have churned out 381 episodes in a row since 2017. Talk about streaks. Brady also has some pretty handy PBs to his name: 14:10 in the 5km and 2:19 in the mara. 
I loved having this conversation with Brady. He's a ripping bloke who speaks genuinely, passionately and has decades of experience in long-distance running. There's a lot of running podcasts out there (mine being just another one), but IRP always has something new and insightful to add. 
Topics/themes/issues we covered included:
running during Covid
training in regional Victoria
doing handicap races (and winning the Stawell Gift);
the origins of Inside Running Podcast
the drama over the selection of the Australian women's representatives at the Paris Olympics
Steve Moneghetti and the Ballarat Marathon
the awesomeness of Sifan Hassan (impossible to do an episode without mentioning her)
Links: 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Subscription:  Patreon 
 

EDR #2.5: Live in Schoorl: "Don't let your watch hold you back."

Yo! Welcome to Schoorl! In this episode, EDR regular Niels Esmeijer and a few of us Pink Hippos discuss our experiences of a training camp we recently had in Schoorl. Conditions were perfect: nice and cool, no rain and no wind. We didn't even have to fly far to get there. Yes, it wasn't at altitude. But it was a very pleasant time outside of normal routines where we could about running, running and a bit about the rules of Padel and the virtues of air-fryers (and different kinds of coffee-makers). 
We share our experiences as runners and what it feels like when we know that others are faster and how that plays on our minds. Are we too hard on ourselves perhaps? 
I was a little greedy and the conversation was at different points focused on the Schoorl 10km (9th Feb), so Niels generously shared his thoughts. My favourite was: 'don't let your watch hold you back'. He expressed how need to focus on how we are feeling rather than being freaked out by whatever our watch is saying. The race is a time to cut loose and break the shackles. I find it hard to do too much forecasting before the race, but I'm looking forward to it. 
If you're new to the podcast, please give it a rating :) And, if you're feeling like this podcast is bringing you some kind of value, you're welcome to head on over to the Patreon page (link below). 
Until next time, doi doi - 
(Accompanying photo by Niels Esmeijer)
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Subscription:  Patreon 

EDR #2.4: Addicted to running? How and why we become addicted to running with Toomas Gross

Hey! We runners often talk about being 'addicted to running'. Sometimes this feels like a bit of an exaggeration: but probably it's true. Running gives us a dopamine hit. We gain 'tolerance' for it, which means we need more for the same hit and then we suffer from withdrawal symptoms when we can't get a score. I discussed this matter of 'running addiction' with Toomas Gross, a social-cultural anthropologist based at the University of Helsinki in Finland. I also spoke with Toomas about what running 'looks like' in Estonia (where he lives) and Finland (where he works). 
 
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Links: 
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Subscription:  Patreon 
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