Find Your Feet Podcast

Photo Credit: Julia Lisboa Juliana Lisboa has one of the most impressive CV’s I have ever seen. Having completed a Bachelor of Biological Sciences, Masters of Nutrition & Dietetics, Post-Graduate in Sports Nutrition and now completing a Bachelor of Psychology; I trusted Juliana would be able to give us an educated perspective on how we can navigate our individual nutritional needs for optimal well-being. Juliana certainly lived up to my expectations as we covered a broad range of nutritional topics. My personal take home from this discussion is to bring more awareness to my food choices and why I am choosing to nourish my body with certain foods and not others. Am I doing it because subconsciously I’m following the nutritional advice of someone else, or because it actually fuels my body to optimal health and wellness? I recognize that everyone is different. I find discussing nutrition is hugely sensitive and perhaps I tip-toed around the edge of many topics. I was nervous because I knew that Juliana advocates for an inclusive approach to nutrition, whilst for me personally I tend to lean towards a more plant-based diet for my own wellness. However, irrespective of where we individually sit on the nutritional spectrum, what I gleaned from this podcast is that I need to ensure I have a deep ability to listen to my body and not just be subconsciously following the rules established by others. I hope to host a follow-up podcast with Juliana delving more into why we have such an emotional attachment to nutrition. Main Points: • Holistic approach to nutritional choices • Nutritional requirements are different even within sports. E.g. Someone training for Cross fit has different nutritional needs than an endurance runner. • Building a strong nutritional ‘base’ and then tweaking elements for increasing personal performance • Circulating misinformed concepts can lead to an oversaturation of available information that well-intentioned individuals can feel completely overwhelmed by. • Gut Health: - Understanding your personal microbiome through testing - as another helpful element to improving your health. Everything is connected and the information is incorporated into the bigger picture of your holistic health. - Our current knowledge about gut biome - Stress on gut health • Common nutritional pitfalls for athletes • Advice for starting your own unique diet - Look at what is currently working and not working in your life - Assess your values and goals – what do you want to get out of life and how do you want to feel? - If your values and goals collide, allow yourself the time to evaluate your values and how you could adjust the expression of those values to better align with your goals. • Nutritional deficiencies - The body doesn’t recognise when exercise is simply for leisure and not trying to run away from danger. Therefore, it can always find the energy to ‘train.’ Even if it is depleted of nutrients. - Iron - Zinc - Omega-3 and Omega-6: Ideally a 1:1 ratio. The average Australian diet has a 1:20 ratio! • Diet’s relationship to inflammation, muscle recovery/injuries, gut and stress.

I planned to take a different approach to this topic, but it naturally evolved into this conversation that I am incredibly excited to share with you. The process of creating podcasts is, in some ways, very similar to the journey we take in preparing for and executing adventures. We will only ever reach a certain level of preparedness, so learning how to manage our expectations, define success and checking in with reality becomes increasingly important. If we do not take the time to recognise what success means to us and understand why we value the adventure, and even when we are physically strong enough, our fears and doubts can overcome our positive psychology to derail our performance. This conversation will be incredibly useful to anyone interested in adventures, embarking on an upcoming race, or simply wanting to get the most out of their physical passions. It is also strongly relevant to individuals who are currently following my training programs, preparing for the Ultra Trail Australia or if you are the supporter of a loved one who is embarking on something wild. I hope you enjoy this episode and let me, or the team at Find Your Feet know if you would like any further help towards your preparations for races or missions. Here are some extra resources I would highly recommend you check out: • The earlier podcasts I did with Clive Stack - #03 Driven by Emotions and #11 Listening to Your Emotions • #07 Psychology of Potential with Sports Psychologist Jeremy Adams • #10 Reflections on my UTA100 Experience in 2017 • Also, and just for fun, the video from Dale and I on our epic mission on Federation Peak. Main Points • Define YOUR ‘success’ • Define YOUR ‘readiness’ • Setting expectations and intentions • Purpose of fear – Show you what is meaningful and also that you really care • Missions – Why they are important – Just start… but also when to not do a mission • ‘What If’ Scenarios • Check- in with realism • Get out of your own shoes - Imagine how others are feeling - Elite athletes but don’t experience any less ‘holes’, just get out of them quicker • Make it FUN! • Race Day - Support Crews - Setting your ½ way mark at 75% - Music? - Bubble Mode

DISCLAIMER: The following podcast could contain triggering content for anyone currently experiencing an eating disorder or disordered eating behaviour. Please contact the Butterfly Foundation Support Helpline on 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) if you become aware of any distressing symptoms. Over 1 million Australians (about 1 in 20) currently have a clinically diagnosed eating disorder, and approximately 10% of Australians (15% for females) will have an eating disorder at some point in their life. I was shocked to find out these statistics from Juliette Thomson, the resident psychologist at The Butterfly Foundation. The conversation today dives deeper into the unspoken reality of eating disorders - from my own personal experience and the perspective of a clinical professional. I facilitated this conversation, wanting to open a window of understanding on the development of eating disorders and how we can best identify and support loved ones who may be grappling with this mental illness. As it happened, this podcast taught me far more about the complexities of identifying and understanding this highly prevalent mental illness. Juliette and the Butterfly Foundation, passionately advocate that everyone’s experiences with eating disorders are different. There are also some shocking statistics regarding eating disorders that are worth being aware of​ For example, on average, Anorexia affects an individual for around 7 years! However, for some the experience can extend for decades whilst for others this could be only two years. I hope this conversation can assimilate with the Butterfly Foundation’s mission of being a catalyst for change and increase the awareness of eating disorders in our society. Certainly,​ there are high-risk groups, but anyone and everyone can be affected by an eating disorder. I strongly urge you to reach out to the services of the Butterfly Foundation should you wish for additional support.

Charlotte Durif and Josh Larson are a professional climbing couple who crossed my radar through Find Your Feet in Tasmania on the third leg of their A World Less Travelled Tour. They didn’t have much spare time in Tasmania but I knew I needed to have this phenomenal duo on the podcast. Once you hear their story, you will see why. Their combined sporting achievements are nothing short of incredible. Just to name a few; Josh achieved 3rd Place at the USA Bouldering Nationals in 2015 and Charlotte was the World Champion Climber in 2014, placed 3rd overall at the World Championship in 2016, and was World Champion 5 times in Lead Youth between 2004 and 2009! It became apparent to me that Charlotte and Josh’s determination extended beyond their personal love for climbing. Throughout their climbing careers, both Charlotte and Josh have actively helped to strengthen the world of climbing on a global level. Their passion to continue this work (as well as the seriously cool idea of climbing for a living!) became their motivation to embark on their epic world tour to 18 different countries.

“If there was one element I could retain in my training and I had to get rid of all the others, the one element I would retain is hills.” Main Points - Recap of Hanny's epic mission to Federation Peak - Why run hills? The importance of hill training for injury prevention - How hill training can actually reduce the likelihood common running injuries such as ITB syndrome and Achilles injuries. - Uphill and Downhill Running Techniques -- Cadence -- Stair Running -- Technical Trails - Advice for improving our psychological approach to hills - Glute Activation for injury prevention – tips for strengthening our deep gluteal muscles. - How to start hill training - Hanny’s advice for hill training without hills - The importance of nutrition for uphill and downhill running – caffeine = life saver Trail runners have to accept that the ground isn’t always flat and on almost every run we will encounter some kind of hill. So, what happens now? Behind every step that we take when we hit the trails or brave the bush lands is an intricate series of energy ‘ins & outs’. The alterations in surfaces and slopes change the way our muscles need to respond. Sometimes they will be contracting strongly to propel us forward and other times they will be eccentrically contracting to slow us down. Sometimes gravity will be working in our favour, and sometimes completely against us. Therefore, it is important to begin thinking about the way you catch, create and utilize the energy that you have available to you. This might be the difference between having enough energy to think clearly to the end of your run, and bonking out before you have truly reached your peak performance. I get a lot of questions regarding how to incorporate hill training into race preparations – especially for those looking to compete in the UTA. I hope this podcast can answer some of these questions and help to bring a greater feeling of confidence and efficiency to your running practise. I have a plethora of free resources available online, so take some time to explore all the links below if this topic interests you Videos Hanny’s Federation Peak Mission - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32pgo3YRGR0 Podcast Recommendations Find Your Feet Podcast Episode #19 Base Training Podcast – http://www.hannyallston.com.au/base-training.html Find Your Feet Podcast Episode #15 UTMB with Brook Martin – http://www.hannyallston.com.au/brook-martin.html Blog Posts Training for Mountains without Hills- http://www.hannyallston.com.au/blog/training-for-mountains-without-hills Uphill & Downhill Running Technique – http://www.hannyallston.com.au/blog/uphill-downhill-running-technique Hanny Allston Website – www.hannyallston.com.au Blog - www.hannyallston.com.au/blog/ Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/hanny.allston/ Hanny Allston Training Resources Guidebook – http://www.hannyallston.com.au/trail-running-guidebook.html UTA Training Packages - http://www.hannyallston.com.au/ultra-trail-australia.html Contact Me – hanny@findyourfeet.com.au Find Your Feet Retail Store – www.findyourfeet.com.au

Amy Heague and Kerryann Hayes are the co-founders of Australia’s only adventure lifestyle magazine for women –Travel, Play, Live. They have introduced a new female voice into the outdoor media and community, aiming to empower women from all walks of life to dream big, challenge themselves & expand their horizons through their unique adventures. I wanted to have this discussion with these two incredibly down to earth women because I strongly connect with their shared ethos for assisting women via the adventure, travel and tourism space. Their messages align so strongly with my own endeavours through Find Your Feet and personally with questioning our current beliefs around beauty, prescriptive fitness and food. I hope this podcast exposes a deeper, more intimate understanding of another way for us women to find our feet. But we didn’t forget about our male listeners! I know you will find this conversation just as insightful and inspiring too and, from my experience, I believe that it can often take two to tango in this adventure space. As we discussed in this episode, behind many strong women is a strong man! I will take home a reinspired belief from this conversation that adventure stays with us through all seasons of life; but can show up in different ways as we ourselves grow and change. We don’t need to pigeonhole adventure to just being off the grid hiking trips. It could be, as Kez describes for herself, a sunrise horseback ride with a few girlfriends and being roped into a painting class even though you do not see yourself as a creative. We agreed that when we are playing outdoors, we reconnect with our authentic selves in the ‘non-commercial’ use of this word. Each experience can invigorate our creativity, vibrancy and vitality. As we discussed in this podcast, I believe that it is important to recognise our unique values and then to let our actions come into alignment with those values. These two women and I collectively understand this is easier said than done, but Amy shared an amazing quote with us, which speaks to this: "When a woman lives by her principles, 99% of her decisions are already made." Main Points - Fear – Women finding confidence and support to be outdoors by themselves. We acknowledged a genuine collective fear of being alone in the wilderness and the influence media has had on exaggerating the insecurity for women. Also, fear is merely something that you need to work through, rather than turning away from it. - Redefining balance for you – ‘moving in and out of seasons’ instead of holding yourself accountable to have everything all the time. - Self–compassion – Supporting yourself through different seasons of your life and recognising the importance of taking time to reflectively pause. - What it looked like for Amy and Kez to start their Travel. Play. Live publication and their journey so far in the shark pond of publishing. - The pursuit of excellence – knowing why you compete and who you are without competition. Social Media Links Website - http://www.travelplaylive.com.au Women’s Adventure Grant - http://www.travelplaylive.com.au/grants-apply Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/travelplaylive/ Instagram - @travelplaylive

Today I am sitting back down with Darryl Griffiths, founder of Shotz Sports Nutrition and author of Sweat.Think.Go Faster to ask him all the questions our community were still curious to understand. Darryl is known as a pioneer in sports nutrition and if you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll have seen we've frequently showcased Darryl's knowledge through our recent Q&A session, guest blogs on nutrition and hydration and our previous podcast together. Darryl has worked with hundred of athletes and an impressive amount of the world’s best in a variety of sports including: Ironmen and women; triathletes; cyclists; runners; paralympians; and motocross athletes. I am so excited to bring you this discussion we endeavoured to keep clear, simple and based on scientifically supported research to assist your own research and understanding of sports nutrition and hydration. I hope you enjoy this discussion! Take Home Points: - We cannot expect to perform to the same level in differing temperature conditions. We are all unique and some will perform best in hotter conditions and others in cooler climates. - We’ll never replace our losses from endurance/high exertion sports whilst performing so we need to figure out how much we can tolerate to bridge the losses as best as possible. - Multi-Day Events: Being consistent in our fuelling and hydration not just whilst competing. - We can have clear urine and still be dehydrated – we could just be passing clear water. - Knowledge of how our body’s work empowers us to make the right nutrition/hydration choices for ourselves and avoid buying into marketing hypes and fads. - Regardless of exercise, our bodies need 2000- 2300mg a day of sodium (Don't fear sodium when you're an active, healthy person!) - Carbohydrates are not created equal, we need to be aware of the difference between naturally occurring sugars (glucose) and refined, processed sugars, such as sucrose.

As we journey through life we encounter such a vast array of people from so many walks of life. I met Chris Price at Find Your Feet here in Hobart a few months ago and after a short discussion, I knew he had insights and stories that needed to be shared. I wanted to go for a run with him and show him more of our backyard. After a recent sea change for Chris and his family to Tasmania from the bustling city of Melbourne, in this podcast we connect over our mutual love of the mountains, trails and perspective on performance. Throughout his own sporting career in stair running and co-founding Stair Running Australia in Melbourne, Chris’ balanced and humble approach to his sporting endeavours whilst achieving impressive results on an international level, is completely inspiring to me. I was eager to discuss: - His 4-year racing career in stair running - His psychological approach to overcoming pain - How he manages pressure - Co-founding Stair Running Australia and managing this as a volunteer for eight years, - How he is negotiating his transition to trail running whilst balancing being a father - His approach to training and recovery - And whether he had any new insights for me on how to keep my old (haha) body happy ☺ Topics Covered - Stair Running as a sport and competing in it as an athlete - Chris’ Training Philosophy - Stressors (The 5 Stressors) - Whole Body Vibration Therapy for warm-up and recovery - Bounded and unbounded hydration - Chris’ sports nutrition evolution – stair running vs. trail running. - Training is about planning the recovery not the hard sessions I hope you enjoy listening to this episode!

Navigating the seemingly endless sources of information on sports nutrition & hydration can be overwhelming, but I believe there are only a few basic principles everybody must know. In this podcast I sit down with my colleague and friend Jess, to troubleshoot the major nutrition/hydration challenges I see amongst athletes and how to ensure you do not fall into the same traps! I put a focused approach on race nutrition and what nutritional disruptions cause cramping, vomiting and diarrhoea on race day. So this podcast would be really beneficial for anyone following my Ultra Trail Australia Training Programs. Like all of my podcasts focused on enhancing athletic performance, I believe the knowledge I share is beneficial and applicable to anyone of any age who is looking to play wilder. Irrespective of what ‘lifestyle,’ nutrition, or school of thought you may follow. Take Home Points - SODIUM – replace it! - GLUCOSE – consume it! - ELECTROLYTES – life saving! - The functions of our body are all interrelated - Hydration is not just about drinking water. We need to be replacing the electrolytes and salt lost through sweating - Refuel the brain with glucose and we refuel the body - Sports Nutrition is for everyone and every age - even firefighters! - Sometimes we need to exercise caution when generalised nutritional information is presented to us when we are playing wilder. I hope you enjoy listening to this one!

There is something really magical about this conversation with Jayn and Yeti. This discussion is a gentle, relaxed insight into their aspirations, approach to training and general relationship as they participate in the senior categories at trail & ultra distance events. What really inspires me is the way that they continue to strive to be both the best versions of themselves and the best partner that they can be to each other. Frequently they work together as a team, other times they strive toward their own dream. However, like two halves make a whole, they unite to kick some amazing goals. I loved this low-key insight into the lives of athleticism in latter age and a life-long relationship. I hope you do too. Take Home Points: • How we could define ‘success’ as an aging athlete • Recognising the amazing inclusive community that the sport of trail running has for all ages. • We all share similar emotional experiences in sport regardless of age and ability • We are never too old to set goals and improve our performance • Regardless of age we should all be able to call ourselves athletes and ride the highs and lows that come with being an athlete, and the lessons it provides.

I have decided to create this podcast series based upon my newly released Ultra Trail Australia Training Programs and Trail Running Guidebook. Whilst each episode targets athletes using these resources, they should provide informative listening for all athletes or individuals keen to embark on a more active lifestyle. A new episode will be released monthly on Thursdays up until the Ultra Trail Australia event hosted in May 2018! My aim with this series is to support your unique journey, playing to the start line and beyond! Throughout the duration of this series I will be talking with Jess- my friend, colleague and fellow trail runner – specifically with tips to tackle the most common challenges I see amongst the athletes I work with or have trained alongside. I will be sharing stories from my own experiences and busting myths about nutrition & hydration, overtraining and holistic health. I would strongly recommend (if you haven’t already) listening to #17 The Psychological Foundations of Performance. Establishing a clear understanding of why we want to strive for our peak performance is crucial for sustainable training. Are our motives internally or externally driven? Are we nurturing all areas of holistic health whilst working towards our goals? These are important questions that we need to address to reduce the risk of epic burnouts, injury through overtraining and building our sense of self. So, base training! It is the first aspect of physical training that I have included in the guidebook and for very good reason. The term ‘base training’ feels like a bit of an overkill signpost as to what I am suggesting to build your fitness foundations. Take Home Points: - Periodising training is crucial: In order to improve, we do not have to push our bodies to the limits every training session - Playing in the base training phase for a longer period of time will help lower our risk of stress injuries and overtraining - Athletes can reach 80-90% of their maximum ability just from base training alone - Identifying some of the various symptoms of overtraining that we might be overlooking - Base training is the perfect place to come back to for recovery, and sustainable exercising “I have no doubt that someone could get off the couch now and in 6 months time, run 100km. But it’s to the expense at what that is going to do in the long term – and that’s physically and psychologically. I think you can have a much better experience if you try and pick goals in keeping with where you are at and you allow yourself to just enjoy the beauty of base training.” ​

Jason Sauer is an Australian bobsledding and paraskeleton Paralympian. Learning to drive a bobsled just two months after having a double-leg amputation at age 39. He currently ranks 15th in the world as a Paralympic bobsledder. His achievements to date include 12th place at the Oberhof World Cup in January 2017 and 14th place at the World Championships at St.Moritz in February 2017. Jason was confronted with a ski culture world of drug and alcohol use at age 16, observing it as a way to gain social acceptance. Up until an experience on Christmas Day in 2010 that ultimately took his legs, Jason battled for years between drug abuse and sobriety; A dangerous feedback loop that Jason now dedicates time to helping others achieve sustainable sobriety. “If I’m really honest with my self…nothing surpasses the joy of helping others.” Jason’s story takes us through to some dark places and we would like to put a disclaimer on this podcast that explicit adult themed topics are discussed. But we are sharing Jason’s story because he is a man that was faced with a choice to let his physical circumstances define the limits of his existence, or to use the gifts passion and love he still possessed, to create an extraordinary life for himself. We are grateful he went with the later option! Take home points I got: • Sport can heal. If you truly love what you do and your sport, then do it! No strings attached! If it makes you feel like a better person then be a better person. • Using faith and spirituality to paint a more holistic and complex picture of your future. I guess this is about being open to greater possibilities than just what your mind can think of. Lends itself to ‘dream big!’ • If sport gives us joy, then we need to stop always thinking about ‘how can I be better?’ or ‘how can I not get injured?’ but rather, 'how can I love this into my old age?’. I feel this slight shift in thinking might make it easier for us to be more playful, more compassionate and potentially a better athletic version of us into our older years too. • The challenges regarding the commercialisation of sport and self-centric approach many elite athletes have to take to reach the top of their game • Helping others can be the biggest single driver for us. • If you enjoy it, just enjoy it.

In this podcast, we go deep into the psychology and foundations of sustainable training, trying to uncover some of the important truths associated with mastering our crafts, be them play or performance. We delve into: - The humble beginnings of Hanny Allston - Hanny’s writing process for her new trail running guidebook and training resources - How Hanny developed her style of coaching and ethos - Extra-ordinary benefits of taking time to develop a strong sense of self - Sustainable training mindsets

"Every daily thing became as hard as climbing a mountain and it was hard to think about a future with me in it.” Coming into connection with Ben through the Find Your Feet store, I was really inspired by his genuine honesty, kindness and willingness to share his struggles with mental illnesses. He harnessed those experiences to help others. It became apparent to me that he had a story that needed to be shared. Ben Hirst is an incredibly passionate trail and ultra runner, father, husband, Speak Up Stay Chatty! Ambassador. He is the founder of ‘Run for Mental Health’ a grassroots initiative that meets weekly on Mt Wellington for a social run. This podcast is a raw conversation about the real struggles of substance dependency and the devastating effects it can have on our lives. It can make us feel incredibly alone and hopeless, but in this conversation we are able to recognise the importance of standing up in the midst of your own struggles, in actually helping yourself by helping others; even when you do not have the answers yet yourself. There is a healing power in saying and hearing the words “me too.” I know this from my own experience through opening the retail store ‘Find Your Feet’ during a time that I myself, was trying to find my feet. This podcast delves into: The misunderstood prevalence of mental illnesses in our communities Reaching out to social support networks for help The mental health benefits of running/physical activity Accepting ourselves when we do not have all the answers Find Your Feet is also proud to have supported Ben on his first UTA journey as well as his road running challenge across the length of Tasmania. Both of which were endeavours of his to promote the importance of speaking up about struggling with mental illnesses. We are so inspired by Ben’s social media accounts. If you loved this podcast check out his instagram @run_for_mental_health_ and Facebook

I've had the pleasure of knowing our next podcast guest, Brook Martin, for a number of years now. A couple of months ago, Brook ran the Ultra Trail Mont Blanc. A 171km race with 10,000m+ elevation gain - basically the Olympics of the trail running and ultra running world. We discuss her experiences at this mammoth race in detail and her recount of the event is both insightful and laugh-out-loud funny - "in the middle of it all... at one point I just thought…you had no idea at all!" If you've never dabbled in the trail running world then this podcast may have you considering it! Brook describes in a beautiful way her take on why she runs these distances, "the unknown, that’s the aspect of ultra-running that I love. Nobody, I don’t think the best guy or girl in the world or the last back-of-the-packer... nobody ever knows how it’s going to unfold. And that’s the really exciting, and also very scary thing, of standing on a start line…I love the opportunity and the potential of that moment." Brook is a bubbly and bright person and anyone that has met her will describe her as an infectiously happy person. We talk in depth about the mental side of UTMB and running in general and I feel everyone will take something away from this part of the discussion. What I really enjoyed was when she said, "I don’t think that you can do an ultra and not have some points where you’re going to struggle mentally. If you never struggle mentally then potentially you’re not running fast enough because you should be feeling bad at some point. That is how it is. It’s a race! I think what the good guys have learned is how to shorten the period of how bad it goes, control the losses at that point." This podcast delves into: *Pressure, both internal and external *Finding something you’re passionate about *Preparation and training details *UTMB: nutrition & hydration, mental strength, reflections *Diet and managing injuries *Brook’s view on the purpose of running *The importance of constantly learning, reflecting and adapting "You can’t love the glory moment without loving all the other bits in between. Which is really the vast majority of it! Everyone only sees the tiny tip of the iceberg, they don’t see the whole bit under the water." Spoiler alert - the advice at the very end is something I think we can all take away from this podcast. We hope you enjoy this conversation!