Everyday Runners

#8 Athlete Profile - Maaike van Gelder, 2:35 in Rotterdam

In this episode I talk with Maaike van Gelder, an athlete based at Phoenix Athletics Club in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Maaike recently earned a time of 2:35 in the 2024 Rotterdam Marathon, where she finished as the third Dutch woman. 
I talk with Maaike about her race (of course) and how she has recently changed to a new coach who uses the Verheul method. 
This was a very enjoyable conversation and I appreciate very much Maaike's willingness to share her stories about the race and her running trajectory. I like her relaxed, yet structured approach to her training. Maaike also mentions how she improvised, at times, for her long-runs. 
Towards the end of the episode, there is some brief talk about our shoe preferences. I decided not to delete it because, we are not 'reviewing' the shoes, but more so talking about how they make us feel. 
Good times. 
Relevant Links: 
Maaike van Gelder: Instagram
Verheul Method
AV Phoenix
#nojingle #noadvertisements

#7 Trail Running and Vlogging in Ireland: Interview with Ciarán Ryan

Welcome to Episode #7 of Everyday Runners. 
This episode is in two parts: the first is a segment I'm calling 'Random Running Questions', in which Joao and I ask each other some questions about our experiences as runners. 
The second part is an interview with Dr Ciarán Ryan of the Dundalk Institute of Technology in Ireland. During this interview we discuss the attraction to mountain or fell running, ideas related to post-sport and how vloggers (YouTubers) recreate the sensations of mountain running. Moreover, Ryan also tells how they use storytelling tropes to capture audiences and draw them into their narratives. We also discuss the tensions between the communitarian aspect of mountain/trail running and the competitive nature of vlogging and racing. 
Relevant links: 
Dr Ciarán Ryan, profile page
Mud, sweat and Cameras, article
Dave Barry's YouTube channel, Film My Trail Run 
Irish Mountain Running Association 

#6 Running without a Watch - Interview with Lauri Palsa

"If it didn't happen on Strava, it didn't happen", some runners say. Some others though are opting out of wearable technologies. GPS and trackable devices have become normal for so many of us dedicated runners. On the other hand, some folks are using running as a means to separate themselves from yet another layering of technology in their everyday lives. Thus, I was curious to speak with Lauri Palsa (University of Jyvaskyla in Finland) about his co-authored article (with Pekka Mertala) titled 'Free Running'. 
 
Relevant Links: 
Lauri Palsa, personal website
Mertala & Palsa, "Running Free: recreational runners' reasons for non-use of digital sports technology", Sport and Society (2023)
Lasse Viren, 1972, 10,000m, Munich Olympics
on Instagram: @everydayrunnersleiden

#5 Sustainable Marathons: Interview with Dr Geoffery Z. Kohe

This episode is an interview with Dr Geoffery Z Kohe of the University of Kent in the UK. We discuss the sustainability of city-based marathons through drawing on Kohe’s recent article - co-authored with Niki Koutrou - on the Athens marathon. I also asked him about the ideas of ‘legacy’ in regards to mass sporting events and what role they can play in fostering an ‘urban commons’. 
Relevant Links:
Engso
Global Sustainable Sport – Driving sustainability through sport
About Us (sportpositivesummit.com)
Environmental sustainability - I Trust Sport
BASIS | The British Association for Sustainable Sport
Full article: Sustainability, the Athens Marathon and Greece’s sport event sector: lessons of resilience, social innovation and the urban commons (tandfonline.com)

Into the Landscape: Interview with Dani O'Sullivan

This episode is a conversation with Dani O’Sullivan, a Leiden-based runner and friend of mine. I was curious to talk with Dani about her running practice, because of the sheer pleasure she finds in running: she’s always exuding positive vibes. 
In this conversation, she talks about one of her favourite places for running, the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen. It is a bit of a mouthful, but it is an incredibly pleasant place. It is a reserve roughly near the city of Haarlem which helps to purify the water that is used for the surrounding areas. The area is closed off to both cyclists and dogs. Birds and animals are abundant. It feels ‘natural’: but, of course, it is not really ‘natural’; it is a highly man-managed landscape. Nonetheless, running in this landscape is a great contrast with running through residential areas and along bike paths in heavily urbanised areas of the province of South Holland. 
One of the things that really struck me about this conversation with Dani was how she talks about how her running is important for her in ‘getting to know a place’. Running is a means to explore a new territory: it provides a means for ‘being with’ new landscapes and with the non-human: animals, birds or plants. She describes beautifully the sensations of being away from others and experiencing changing moments in the day and, of course, the weather. 
I welcome your feedback on this podcast. What are some issues or ideas related to running that you think I could explore? Who do you think I could interview? Please feel free to get in touch via readingsidewayspress@gmail.com 

Rotterdam Marathon Review with Dominic Bersee

Andy Fuller and Dominic Bersee chat with each other about their marathon preparation and their performances in the Rotterdam marathon. Although Dominic got much closer to achieving his goal and Andy didn't realise his, they're both pretty chipper and take the positives out of their preparation and the race itself. Good times. 
#no adds #nojingle

Rotterdam Marathon Preview: oh the naivete

In this episode, recorded while driving to Rotterdam to pick up our bib numbers on Friday 12th April, Joao and I (Andy) reflect on our training for the Marathon and forecast what we think we will do during the race. 
We are so positive, optimistic and so confident in ourselves of performing well. Will we ever learn? Even though we have messed up so many races in the past, we both think, somehow, this time, things will be easier and we'll do it better. 

Introduction to Everyday Runners

Hello, my name is Andy Fuller and I’m a runner, living in Leiden, The Netherlands. 
I’m a co-founder of Reading Sideways Press and this is a podcast I’m doing with friends and fellow runners, about running. 
This is the first episode of Everyday Runners: a podcast about the feelings, the things, the ways and the methods of running. 
In this episode I talk with one of my running buddies, Joao Seixas, who also lives in Leiden. We give general introductions to ourselves and what running means to us. 
I hope you enjoy the show.