Everyday Runners

EDR #93 /Run Clubbing/Judith Kampen, founder of Leiden Run Club: Run, Connect, Coffee

Run clubs have grown rapidly over the past few years. It seems every city has one. Leiden is no different. There is another running boom happening which means runners are increasingly diverse. Athletics clubs are not appealing to everyone. Park Run, which happens on Saturdays, are also not always convenient. Run clubs offer a different vibe. 
I’m guessing many run clubs emerged in the post-Covid era and have capitalised on the popularity of running during covid - when it was one of the easiest and safest forms of exercise to continue practicing. 
Run clubs are loosely structured social running groups. They are inclusive and don’t come with any upfront costs for participants. Those who join them, might have specific running goals, or they might not. They might come from elsewhere or they might be locals. They are often utlised for the access and opportunities they create for people to get to know a new city and make new connections. 
I talk about these themes and more with Judith Kampen, founder of the Leiden Run Club. 
Relevant Links: 
Leiden Run Club
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com
Support the Podcast via Buy me a Coffee
Music by Jeroen Rondeel of Cymbaline 

EDR #92 /Coaching/Grete Koens: "There is always something more than just what the heart rate monitor tells me."

Grete Koens is a coach with a wealth of experience and knowledge. She coaches with passion and respect for her athletes and she brings out the best in them. 
It was a pleasure for me to speak with Grete - I felt I learned a lot from both a runner's perspective and also as someone who coaches other runners. 
Her enjoyment of coaching and the way she relates to her athletes is inspiring - to say the least. 
I won't say more. 
I hope you enjoy this episode. 
Relevant Links: 
Valley Running Team
Grete Koens
Usual Relevant 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
Music by Jeroen Rondeel of Cymbaline 

EDR #91: /Cross Country/Amina Maatoug: “You’re just constantly busy doing something: uphill, downhill, twists, turns, some sand, some gravel. You’re just being entertained.”

A few weeks ago, Amina hadn’t even qualified for the European Cross Country Championships held in Lagoa on 14th December. Then, in her first European Cross as a senior, she finished an incredible sixth. As usual, Amina raced an incredibly smart race and continued to move up through the field throughout the race. And, of course, Amina finished in her typically joyous and smiling fashion. 
In this episode, we discuss Amina’s performances at the Warandeloop in Tilburg and the European Cross Country championships, her own somewhat self-directed training and how she perceives cross country racing as a kind of field or space in which to ‘play running’. Amina speaks of how the constant built-in difficulties of the courses, whether it be the terrain or their shape, help her to see it as a challenge and keep her mind off only the running. 
But before heading over to the interview, just a few notes: 
Thank you to all who have listened to episodes throughout the year and those who have given the podcast a rating. Thanks to those who have supported the podcast through Buy Me A Coffee. And of course, a massive thank you to all of the athletes, runners and researchers who have shared their time and thoughts on the podcasts. 
If you would like to support the show, you know what to do. 
Until next time, doi doi. 
*Portrait from a cropped photo by Erik van Leeuwen
Relevant 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
Music by Jeroen Rondeel of Cymbaline 

EDR #90 /This Running Life/Noah Schutte After Valencia: Getting his 2:13 Marathon Diploma, Sharing the Pacing and Some Observations about Notable Performances in Valencia

This episode features EDR Podcast regular and Leiden Legend, Noah Schutte who recently did his second marathon and first in Valencia where he earned his Marathon Diploma with a very respectable 2:13. We had this conversation at my place over a cup of rooibos tea and we kept it loose and unstructured. One of the things I took away from the conversation was the way Noah speaks about his very open goals for his marathon: ‘i wanted to see if my legs could maintain a high pace for 42km’. It seems he had very little preconception about the pace he would run at or his target time. He also shares his thoughts on sharing the pacing during a race - always a favourite theme of mine - and we discuss some of the notable performances from the day. Anyway, that’s all from me for now. I hope you enjoy this episode and I’ll be back next week with another one.
Relevant 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
Music by Jeroen Rondeel of Cymbaline 

EDR #89: /This Running Life/Pre-Valencia Chat with Emma Houchell: Unhinged Running; Racing regrets and Half-Marathon-pace during a Marathon Build

Hey All, 
This episode features a conversation with Emma Houchell of Leiden Atletiek. 
Emma's about to do the Valencia marathon so we had a chat about her training and how it has differed from her previous marathon builds. 
We talked about enjoying the quiet life off Strava and what her life-time running goals might be.
This is a loosely structured conversation and Emma also posed some questions to me. So, yes, I also shared my 'regrets' and a pre-retirement goal(s). 
 
Relevant 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
Music by Jeroen Rondeel of Cymbaline 

EDR #88 /EDR Coaching/Nienke Pannekoek Digs Running (in NL)

Hello and welcome to Episode 88 of Everyday Runners podcast. I’m Andy Fuller - the host of this podcast and a co-founder of Reading Sideways Press. This podcast explores the practices, methods and cultures of running by interviewing everyday runners, high performing athletes and researchers with a social science or humanities background. 
***
This is indeed a special episode for me as it features a conversation with an athlete I’m coaching: Nienke Pannekoek of Warmond here in South Holland.
I met Nienke about 12 months ago and during our first conversation, she mentioned two things: first that she was looking for a running community here in Leiden and two, that she was deadset on breaking 3 hours for the marathon. Nienke had had a great time running in South Africa, where she had lived for several years, and was yet to find her running mojo back here in NL. In short, we got along well and I entrusted myself - but most importantly, Nienke trust me, to help her find her running people here in Leiden as well as to work with her towards the sub-3 goal in Valencia. 
One of my first tasks that I set myself was to dilute the pressure regarding the sub-3 marathon goal. I wanted to broaden Nienke’s self-perception as a runner. Nienke built up her consistency and her enjoyment of running in South Holland through finding new routes, finding some running-buddies whom she connected with and finding the right tier of races that could fit in with her family life and work schedule. I wanted Nienke as much as possible to run in her own way and making sure it suited her. 
Nienke thus also became my first official EDR Coaching client - although I detest the word ‘client’ when talking about a friend. So, let’s just say she has become the OG of the EDR OG’s. 
I now have a compact group of  runner/athletes who I am guiding through their training. My goals for my runners is basically to establish their consistency, diversify their running practice, and then work towards varying goals - whatever they may actually be. When an athlete tells me, ‘this is my goal - i.e. such and such minutes.’ I generally reply to say, ‘that’s a great and very worthy goal.’ But, in the usual running-cliched manner, I start to unpack that goal and we work through all of the various layers to that goal. This can be summarised as thinking about the ‘journey’. This is a metaphor I’m okay with: running is a process of navigating through shifting terrain. 
If you are interested in having me as your coach, don't hesitate to get in touch. 
***
Relevant 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
Music by Jeroen Rondeel of Cymbaline 

EDR #87 /Athlete Profile/Tara Palm: The Longevity of the Long Distance Runner

This episode features an interview with Tara Palm, an Australian athlete, based in Adelaide. 
She recently represented Australia in the marathon at the World Championships in Tokyo. 
For context, Tara has been racing competitively since the 1990s, so, she has seen a lot of changes in the sport. And, also, awesome for her, she is still churning out some great times and is looking forward to performing well in some upcoming marathons in 2026. 
Her PBs include: 32:14 for the 10km; 1:10 for the half-marathon and 2:32 for the full marathon. 
So, in this conversation, we discuss her longevity as an athlete, heat training, racing hard despite difficult conditions and the pleasures of running in the beautiful city of Adelaide. 
Tara is also a frequent visitor to the Netherlands and I’ve got my fingers crossed that she’ll make it sooner or later to NL for a race.
Anyway, that’s all for the now. 
If you enjoy this podcast, please consider giving it a review on Spotify or making a contribution via the Buy Me a Coffee Platform. 
Until next time, doei doei
***
Relevant 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
Music by Jeroen Rondeel of Cymbaline 

EDR: #86 /Athlete Profiles/ Gianluca Assorgia & Lucas Nieuweboer: Amsterdam, altitude training, racing strategies, coaching relationships.

This episode features a conversation with two top athletes of the Netherlands, Gianluca Assorgia and Lucas Nieuweboer. Gianluca, with a time of 2:12 came second in the recent Amsterdam Marathon and Lucas had a slightly more difficult day, with a time of just under the 2:16 mark. Gianluca finished second in the Dutch championship and Lucas was eighth. Gianluca had initially planned the Berlin Marathon to be his main goal but owing to the heat, he switched his priority to competing for a medal in Amsterdam. Lucas, a former winner of the Halve van Egmond, had an interrupted preparation and perhaps has put this marathon away as a good preparation for another marathon where he can perform at his best. 
The interview was recorded the day after the Amsterdam marathon, so, although it has been a little while since that day, I find it too difficult to produce more than one episode per week. I think this interview still holds its relevance though for the way they speak of their training programs, relationships with their coaches and of course their tactics going into races. 
I enjoyed being at the marathon that day because I got to watch the Dutch athletes competing for their national marathon title. The Amsterdam marathon is the one marathon per year that I always plan on watching live, rather than participating in. 
This makes me think of the weekend’s incredible New York Marathon. I normally wouldn’t have watched it, but owing to the race being on HBO, I was able to watch a replay. This race again confirmed my thoughts: to make marathons more exciting as a spectacle, the courses need to be hilly and there needs to be no pacers. Both the women’s and men’s races were tense and exciting owing to the tactics that played out. While pacers don’t necessarily preclude interesting race strategies, their absence does enable a greater opportunity for games of cat and mouse between the athletes. I’m hoping that the time-trial mode of marathon racing can somehow slowly whither away. This mode of racing may have come from the advent of carbon fibre plated shoes and the awesomeness of Kipchoge and Kiptum. But with Kiptum’s death and Kipchoge no being at the pointy end of races, the sport can be attractive for its racing spectacularity. And, to be honest, there have been some great races: Sifan Hassan’s performances in her debut marathon and the Paris Olympics, the Tokyo world championship marathons; Lokedi versus Obiri in the Boston Marathon and then of course, both races on the weekend. So yeah, I’m not the only person to be saying this about marathons, but yeah, give me a tight race over a fast time any time. 
Anyway, if you are new to this podcast, please consider giving it a rating on Spotify. It does help the podcast to do better on Spotify. 
If you feel the podcast to be something of value, please consider supporting my efforts through the Buy Me A Coffee Platform: the link is in the show notes. Thank you to supporters of the podcast: Jochem, Bob, Dominic, Nesrine, Levi, Joao, Gianluca and the original Bob. 
Relevant 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
Music by Jeroen Rondeel of Cymbaline 

EDR #85 /Amsterdam Review/Anne Luijten and Frank Futselaar on their tense race moments, being a citizen as well as an athlete, and minimal preparation

Hello and welcome back to Everyday Runners podcast. In this episode Frank Futselaar (first time on EDR) and Anne Luijten (regular) share their experiences of the Amsterdam Marathon. Frank had some annoying calf-troubles and couldn't quite get what he wanted out of the race. Anne won the Dutch championship despite having a very short and interrupted recovery period after the World Championships. 
Frank also spoke about his time working as a cultural anthropologist where he worked with Kenyan athletes and explored what it means to be both an athlete and citizen. He also shared some hilarious anecdotes about those tense moments leading up the race and how he seeks to stay focused on the race. 

EDR #84.1. /Racing/ Andy vs Joao: Executing and Creativity

Yo!
This episode is a conversation between Joao Seixas and myself, Andy Fuller. 
I ask him about his upcoming marathon in Amsterdam. He asks me about how things went in my half-marathon in Eindhoven. 
We talk about 'executing a plan' and 'being creative during a race'. 
I talk about my coaching practice. 
And that's about it. Friday bonus episode. Enjoy!
***
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
Music by Jeroen Rondeel of Cymbaline