Everyday Runners

EDR #32: “Running blind”, interview with with Jess MacBeth and Ben Powis

“For many runners, habitually traversing the same route time and time again is central to the experience of running. More than a series of points on a map, running routes are lived social places made meaningful through repeated cognitive and corporeal interactions with the physical environment (Allen-Collinson and Hockey 2015; Hockey 2006). As Baxter (2021, 141) argues ‘the relationship between running and place is two-way. The sites of running shape the meanings of the activity, but runners are also actively engaged in defining the meanings of the sites themselves’. In this context, the running route is a place-event which is sensorially lived, developed and refined over time and unique to each runner. Yet, for visually impaired (VI) runners, the route has additional significance: James, a VI runner, states: “I need to know the route because I need to know if the curb is out of line or pavement sticking up because I can’t see it underneath my eyes. So, I’ll be scanning to take in that information and store it. I know where tree trunks are starting to come out through the ground and stuff like that . . . I’m always very observant of everything in front of me; trying to map it out, you know. Are there any branches on the floor? Any potholes? People? Dogs? And I just try and map it all in my brain as I run and kind of have it running in my head . . . I could subconsciously tell you where every crack on the pavement is.” 
This is a passage from a recent article by Ben Powis and Jess MacBeth: ‘Running blind: the sensory practices of Visually Impaired runners’, published in Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health in 2023. 
What does it mean to run with a visual impairment? How do VI runners navigate their environment using sound, smell, feel and touch? How do the senses inform VI and sighted practices of running? These are some of the questions I discuss with the authors of this paper - Jess MacBeth, of University of Central Lancashire  and Ben Powis of Bournemouth University. 
By way of introduction: Jess is a Senior Lecturer in Sports Studies. She teaches the sociology of sport and physical education, with a particular interest in equity and equality issues experienced by disabled people and women. Her research expertise lies specifically in visually impaired sport and her work has contributed to debates surrounding classification in disability sport.
Dr Ben Powis is a Senior Lecturer (Sport) in the Department of Sport and Event Management at Bournemouth University. His research interests build upon this field of inquiry and include the sociology of disability sport, visually impaired peoples’ experiences of sport and physical activity and investigating the significance of sensuous sporting experiences.
I’d like to thank both Jess and Ben for their time and sharing their research through the podcast. So, without further chitter chatter from myself, here is the interview and I hope you enjoy it.
 
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

EDR #31: "The best laid (marathon) plans...": Joao and Andy humour each other over their Autumn Marathon performances

This week’s episode has been a bit slow in coming. I’ve been suffering a little from post-marathon lethargy and confusion as I try and compute my race. So it is. 
But, nonetheless, this episode features the fellow Everyday Runners - or EDR, as I might abbreviate it to - OG, Joao Seixas. When we did the very first episodes of the podcast, we were full of optimism about how our Rotterdam marathons might go. Now, we have both done two autumn marathons: Joao the Berlin classic, and myself the less-famous Eindhoven marathon. Separate from my own performance, I have to say, I rate it very highly as a well-organised, mid-size marathon. I would recommend it to marathoners in the Netherlands or Belgium who might want to avoid the intensity of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. 
These conversations are pretty much unscripted. Although we had briefly talked about our own performances prior to the recording, we tried to keep it as candid as possible. I haven’t edited much out. 
If you’re listening to this before doing the Amsterdam Marathon on the weekend: I wish you the best of luck. And to enjoy it as much as possible. I will be going to watch, because I feel a little drawn to it. Even though interacting with friends and fellow runners is hard during the race, I always get a buzz out of the positive running vibes. 
A little note: during the first half of the episode, there is an occasional pinging noise. This is the sound Joao’s telephone makes every time he utters a running-cliche. The first part of this episode features me asking Joao questions about his Berlin performance, then at about minute 25, it switches to myself talking about Eindhoven. These recordings were made on different days. There’s just a quick transition between them in which we greet each other for a second time. 
Okay: that’s all for this introduction. I hope you enjoy the conversation between Joao and myself. 
Doi doi 
 
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

EDR #30.1 “The biggest factor in you having a great race, is your own patience”: Niels talks with Andy about his Eindhoven marathon preparation

This episode is based around Niels Esmeijer asking questions about my training and preparation for the Eindhoven Marathon on Sunday 13th October, 2024. 
 
Doing this episode is a means to hold myself accountable to how I think I’m feeling now and how I’m aiming to do this race. Niels is one of the persons who I have been in a dialogue with throughout my training, so, he is not totally unfamiliar with how I’ve been going. 
 
I’ve got three main goals for this race. The first is to race it well; to enjoy it and to get a PB. By racing it well, I mean, being patient until deep into the race. Enjoyment is clear enough: but yes, I guess it means, ‘being in the moment’. For a PB: well, my last three marathons have been 2:36, 2:35 and 2:37. So, setting off at a pace of 3:40 per kilometre is, I believe, something I’m capable of. I’m sticking messages and my splits to my gels so that they can provide me with visual reminders of what I need to do to race well. 
 
Running seems like an individual sport. But I think that is overstated. I know I’ve got to this point in my marathon block thanks to Joji Mori, Neils Esmeijer, the Leiden Atletiek crew, led by Bram Wassenaar and Han Kulker and two of my local besties Joao and Leon. 
 
As I record this, Leiden is having perfect autumn conditions. I’m convinced that this is the most beautiful season in the Netherlands. We’re being enveloped in so-called Dutch light: the sun shining through the low-dark clouds, the light being reflected off the water-scapes. Showers come and go quickly; storms seem to brew, only not to break out. Running in autumn can be mightily unpleasant at times, but, it can also provide the most stable and perfect conditions. I hope this weather holds until Sunday afternoon. But, whatever the case, the conditions are part of the race. 
 
Anyway, without much more from me, before there is more from me talking with Niels; I’ll sign off. Thanks for listening and I hope that there is something in this following discussion to keep you coming back, at a later point for another episode. 
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

EDR #30: Autumn Marathon Season: with Niels Esmeijer: "Being a part of something bigger"

This episode, and the next, features a conversation between Niels Esmeijer and myself. Niels is the coach atMTFU, and he is also frequent pacer for athletes to reach their sub-2:30 marathon goals. His own PB is 2:25. Interestingly, he says that he races well when pacing others. But yes, as we keep saying, ‘times are only part of the story’. But, I guess, times are important for getting a ballpark idea about from which ‘running perspective’ one is coming from. 
In this episode we discuss some of the pitfalls of doing a world major marathon in comparison to a smaller, local race; we discuss mileage versus efficacy and how to make sure you’re organised on race day. 
Themes discussed:
Berlin: a spontaneous marathon?
Pacing athletes and racing strategy
Chaos in the last hour before the race and climbing fences 
Problematic aid stations; hard plastic cups on the course
World major marathons or local marathons and races?
First time races: is it better to start smaller and ‘control the controllables’
Pre-race routine: doing it with friends or alone? 
Practicing the race day experience: know what works for you
High mileage training: diminishing returns? 
Running and life balance: life happens, but roll with it
“winning has a lot of definitions”
Mileage vs efficacy: mileage is important but it is not the be all and end all 
*Photo used in episode image by Bjorn Paree @runoutofhell
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

#29 "Sometimes running is simply a matter of taste", conversation with science writer and runner, Mariska van Sprundel

Welcome to Episode 29 of Everyday Runners, I’m Andy Fuller. It’s still raining. I’m in the final stages for my Eindhoven marathon preparation. Some of you may have done Berlin. Others may be doing Amsterdam or Melbourne. Autumn is well and truly here. 
Everyday Runners reached a minor milestone last week with the 3000th download. Just as in running, numbers don’t tell the whole story. I’ve had some very nice feedback from friends and fellow-runners who have told me that they have listened to and enjoyed a particular episode. 
Also, on Saturday 28th, we held a running and drawing workshop at Garage art gallery in Rotterdam. This was a Reading Sideways Press event and it was a lot of fun to do some loopscholing, run technique exercises in an art gallery space. We then followed up with talking about running, bodies, movements. And of course, we then turned to drawing and talking about pens and pencils. The two activities melded into each other. 
This episode features an interview with Mariska van Sprundel, a runner and science writer based in Utrecht. Mariska is the author of “Running Smart: How Science Can Improve Your Endurance and Performance”, or in Dutch, “Alles wat je wilt weten over hardlopen”. The book was translated by Danny Guinan, with funding from the Dutch Foundation for Literature. How cool that money was available for this. I first read the book way back in 2022 and I found it unusual as a running book for it was written in a cool-headed, unhyped manner. Mariska not only encourages us to be skeptical about many running hypes, but also to maintain our critical lens when engaging with science: there is always more to explore and one piece of research won’t provide, a single, all-time, forever-true answer. 
I asked Mariska about: running shoes, running bodies, fatigue, injuries, therapy and strategies on how not to quit a race, when you feel like doing so. We also discussed her upcoming book on mental strategies in running, to be published by Volt next year. 
Finally, if you are new to this podcast, please smash the review button on Spotify; share it with your friends and multiply it via your social media - if you like. 
That’s all from me. 
Until next time, doi doi-
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Episode Overview
MvS as Science Writer;  Runner; Bunny keeper
Motivation for Running
Festival vibe of running in NL
Shoes: how they matter
don’t believe the hype
Bodies and running
“but that doesn’t mean that you can’t run if you have another body type”
Are East African athletes ‘naturally’ good at running? 
Gender and running
“you have to find a balance between finding a decent sports bra and being able to breathe”
taboo breaking
Do runners live longer? 
But the thing is, is it running, or are there are other sports which could make us so healthy?
Where injuries happen
The virtues of beetroot juice
Running therapy
The rhythm of running
Being addicted to running? 
How the book came to be translated into English
What are you writing about now? 
forthcoming book/mental challenges of running and racing
performance vs joy
Positive or instructional self-talk 
On not quitting
Relevant Links: 
Mariska van Sprundel, website & Instagram 
***
KWF fundraising for Eindhoven Marathon: KWF
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

#28 Anne Luijten, Olympic Marathon Review, “I was just really happy that I succeeded; that I made it”

Hello and welcome to Episode 28 of Everyday Runners, I’m Andy Fuller, host of the podcast and a co-founder of Reading Sideways Press. 
This episode features an interview with Anne Luijten, a Dutch Olympic marathoner. Anne was also featured on Episode 12, where I spoke with her about qualifying for the Olympics and her running trajectory up until this point. So, it was only logical for me to invite her back on Everyday Runners so that we could discuss how her Olympics went. 
Anne is definitely one of my favourite athletes - since before I met her, or before she qualified for the Olympics. I love the progress she has made as an athlete and how she is able to get the most out of her performance on race days. I like the minimum-of-fuss attitude Anne carries with her. 
I cut out some of the small talk we were having before the start of the interview proper, so the recorded conversation starts with Anne and myself talking about a little niggle she is currently having. 
I want to thank Anne for being on the show and for sharing her experiences.
Thank you to everyone who has been listening to the show. I always appreciate comments, feedback, thoughts from listeners/runners who have listened to the podcast. 
Until next time --
*Photo courtesy of Anne Luijten 

#27.1 Joji: "I'm free to be an asshole in this limited, sporting context of a race"

Hello and welcome to episode 27.1, I’m Andy Fuller, the host of Everyday Runners and a co-founder of Reading Sideways Press. 
Firstly: I want to acknowledge the very nice conversations I have had with a few people about this podcast. It does mean a lot and it keeps me focused on staying steady with this project. 
Secondly, there is a link in this week’s show notes for my fundraising for the KWF. If you are inclined to make a donation, I thank you kindly. 
Lastly, I’ll be doing the Dam tot Dam on Sunday. This is a 16km race from Amsterdam to Zaandam. It’s the final preparatory race for me in my build up to the Eindhoven marathon which takes place on the 13th October. 
Anyway, this second part to the conversation with Joji Mori contains some pretty clear and pertinent insights into Joji’s take on running. He talks about his competitive nature; being an administrator and making the club more open and accessible for a greater range of participants, and finally, his thoughts on ‘how to make running better’ as a global sport. 
That’s enough from me. 
Until next time, doi doi! 
 
Topics Covered: 
On becoming an administrator: Creating spaces and environments
Who has access to running? 
Walking
Beetroot, superfood
Joji Mode
Table Tennis
Playing within the rules of the sport, but not losing one’s competitive edge
Sifan Hassan’s finish
Favourite place to run in Melbourne
Daft Punk
Nerding it up on classical music
How to make running better? 
 
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https://acties.kwf.nl/fundraisers/andyfuller/eindhoven-2024 

#27 Joji Mori - “My legs did all of the work, but it wouldn’t have occurred without Neil’s guidance”

All of these episodes I’m doing, I guess, are personal. They represent my interest in running. This interest has been fostered through conversations with friends, other runners, athletes, coaches, and non-runners. I’m trying to pick up on threads of conversation and take them further; speak to a specialist or speak to someone who may have something specific to say about her or his own running career. 
This episode is with a dear friend of mine: Joji Mori. After getting to know him and joining the club where he was based, he effectively became my coach, even though a guy called Neil Ryan, who is mentioned in this conversation, was the official coach. Joji and I lived close to each other so it was very easy for us to go on runs together. We did a lot of slow runs along the Yarra River from Richmond to Kew, Studley Park and beyond. We came up with the term ‘slowji’; which is a run, which is done at a very slow pace, generally in between tempo sessions. It is a combination of his name ‘Joji’ and the word ‘slow’. With the club, we would do Bush Reps: a series of 1km reps in a bushy, naturey park, just by the river. On Sundays, we’d drive out to Ferny Creek or to Lysterfield. Joji would sometimes drive in a straight line, while he balanced a coffee, a donut, or his phone and Spotify play list while driving. 
With him as my coach, he brought my times down across all of my distances; from 5km to marathon. But almost needless to say, that is barely part of the story. While running with Joji, he taught me much of the local Melbourne lore of running; sharing stories about other runners and what to do and not to do. One of the things he first drilled into me was to not be obsessed by the marathon distance. Joji, of course, has his own take on how to train and prepare for races. He nutted out a time of 2:26 in the 2013 Melbourne Marathon, in the pre-Super Shoe era. Even though he has his preferred methods, I have also realised that he is not particularly dogmatic in his approach to running. Joji always emphasises to me though, the importance is consistency, sticking to a plan, and following what works for you as an athlete and how it relates to one’s family life. 
I have decided to break this episode into two parts, since the original conversation went for more than one and a half hours and honestly I didn’t feel like deleting much of it. So, the second part will be published on Thursday. 
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has been listening and also those who have smashed one of the rating stars on the Spotify. 
Also, included at the bottom of the show notes, is a link to the fundraising page I have started for the KWF, which is the Koningin Wilhelmina Fonds voor de Nederlandse Kankerbestrijding, which is the primary Dutch body which conducts research to combat cancer. If you would like to donate, I thank you very much. 
Relevant Links: 
 
Richmond Harriers
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https://acties.kwf.nl/fundraisers/andyfuller/eindhoven-2024  
Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com 

#26 Amina Maatoug: On 'Maatoug Mode', running for Leiden Atletiek, Duke University and (now) University of Washington

Halo!
Amina Maatoug, who has recently moved to the University of Washington, as a student athlete, is one of the most popular athletes of Leiden Atletiek. She is renowned for her game face and fast finishes in which she generally picks off whoever is in front of her. Amina won the Dutch short track 800m in 2022 and, over the last few years has been based in the US: first at Duke University and now in Washington. 
In this conversation, I talk with Amina about her running mentors, her training programs, her recovery from injury and how she manages to keep running fun and light, despite the pressures on performing well. Amina also shared her deep admiration for Muhammad Ali and how he stood by his principles in the face of much institutional hostility. 
It was a lot of fun talking with Amina. Sure enough, it was a thrill to see her back in Leiden and tearing up the track over the summer break, which has now come to an abrupt, windy and rainy end. We wish Amina the best for the coming cross country season and for more good times at her new base. 
Fijne dat je luistert, ik ben Andy Fuller, en de dag is Dinsdag tien September. Everyday Runners is een podcast van Reading Sideways Press. 
doi doi!
Episode Outline: 
On Harry Potter
Who is Amina Maatoug? 
Transition from Leiden to Duke
The hills of Leiden
Consulting with her Dad over possible race times
Transition from Duke to Washington
Getting to know her new coach
Recovering from injury
Favourite running routes in Leiden
Upcoming Plans
Reflections on injury
On Muhammad Ali
On Faith Kipyegon

#25 "When I did my first marathon, I was addicted", conversation with Imo Muller, founder of Hardloopnetwork and the BIG10

Imo Muller is a 2:25 marathoner, founder of Hardloopnetwork and the BIG10 and all-round running mover and shaker. I invited him to be on the show as I wanted to get a better idea about his projects and what is own running story is. Imo is not short on energy or running ambition. He knows the lay of the land well and what is attractive for runners in the Netherlands. 
During our conversation, I talk with Imo about Dutch running culture, the popularity of running here, the legendary-ness of the incredible Sifan Hassan, the Rotterdam-Amsterdam marathon running conundrum and racing strategies, amongst other matters. 
I hope that you enjoy this episode. If you do, smash the review button, spam your friends, write a letter, call someone on the telephone, or put a message into a pneumatic tube and send it on its way.
Run both wildly and with care, for both yourself and not for the kudos; for glory and for just for the sake of it.  
Until next time, doi doi
 
Episode Outline: 
Training for the Amsterdam Marathon 
PB: 2:25 in Amsterdam in 2015, in the pre-carbon era 
Who is Imo Muller? 
hardloopnetwork.nl, Run Bites
Running as an easily accessible sport
Waiting to do a marathon until age 30
“When I did my first marathon, I was addicted.” 
Marathons as a highlight of the year
Fooding and Carbon Plated Shoes
Indie Runner and the BIG10
The Olympics from a Dutch perspective
Sifan Hassan 
Dutch marathons: Amsterdam vs Rotterdam 
The Noise of Rotterdam 
The virtue of quiet spaces during a marathon 
Well-organised Dutch races
Bram Wassenaar: make sure that you will keep training
Racing strategies
Winning the Apeldoorn marathon 
 
Relevant Links: 
https://www.instagram.com/imomuller/
https://www.indierunner.nl/big10/
https://hardloopnetwerk.nl
runbites.nl 
 
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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press
Strava: Andy Fuller
Instagram: Everyday Runners Leiden
Twitter/X: @readingsideways
Email: everydayrunnerspodcast@gmail.com