Still Running Strong

Still Running Strong
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Running

Welcome to Still Running Strong — a new podcast for midlife women who love ultra running and trail running. Not the elites, not the podium finishers — the mid-pack, the back-of-the-packers, the ones who are just there for the love of it. In this taster episode, hosts Becky and Dawn introduce themselves, share the (slightly smelly) story of how they met at an ultra race in Greece, and talk about why midlife might just be the strongest chapter yet — even while their bodies are changing shape around them. Expect honest conversations about perimenopause and menopause from lived experience (not medical advice — they're very clear on that), the friendships that ultra running builds, and why this podcast is for absolutely anyone who runs, walks, or ultra-walks their way through a race. In This Episode ●      Who Becky and Dawn are, and what “mid-pack” really means ●      How they met — a running retreat kitchen in the Lakes, and an unforgettable moment in a tent in Greece ●      Why midlife is a new chapter, not a decline ●      What listeners can expect from the show: real stories, practical tips, and guests with their own journeys to tell ●      Why this isn't a professional advice podcast — just two women sharing what's worked for them Connect With Us Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates on new episodes, and get in touch if you've got a story to share — we'd love to have you as a guest.   Still Running Strong is for general interest and entertainment only. We share our own personal experiences, not professional medical, nutritional, or training advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your training, diet, or health.

  1. 3d ago ·  Video

    Winter Running When You'd Rather Stay in Bed

    Email us Cold, dark, pouring rain and a run on the plan. If your first instinct is to negotiate with the duvet, you are not broken, you are human. We get real about what winter does to motivation, why "just be disciplined" is rarely helpful, and how tiny changes can make the difference between going out and giving up. We also share some honest life stuff from the running trenches. Dawn is dealing with a long-term ankle injury and the gut punch of being told ultra running may be off the table, at least for now. We talk about identity, grief, and protecting your future mobility, plus the trap endurance runners fall into: normalising pain until it becomes background noise. Then we're joined by our brilliant friend Lepha, fresh off the Maverick Jurassic Coast 100k, her first 100k and a huge milestone after a serious ankle fracture on Snowdon earlier in the year. We chat recovery without rushing, cancelling races to respect healing timelines, using a simple traffic-light journal to track progress, and adapting training through perimenopause and HRT. If you love trail running, ultra running, strength training, and practical sports psychology, there is loads here to take into your own winter. Join our Still Running Strong Winter Miles challenge: share your winter running, walking, or hiking moments on Instagram, tag us, and use #SRSWinterMiles. If this helped, please subscribe, share with a running mate, and leave us a review so more people can find the podcast. This episode is sponsored by Her Ultra, a documentary following eight women as they take on a 250km multi-stage race in Lapland, Finland. Watch it now on Amazon and YouTube. @riverplacefilms Get In Touch Got a story about a trail friendship, or a question for us? We'd love to hear it — email us at stillrunningstrong@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.    Still Running Strong is for general interest and entertainment only. We share our own personal experiences, not professional medical, nutritional, or training advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your training, diet, or health.

  2. Oct 30 ·  Video

    Running in the Dark: How to Beat the Night-Time Nerves (and How to Feel Safer)

    Email us We kick off season two with a proper catch-up on training highs and injury lows, plus a look at what storms and standout performances reveal about the sport right now. Then we get practical and psychological about running in the dark, from mandatory kit like foil blankets to a mindset framework that helps you build confidence safely. • Becky’s Achilles and knee flare-up plus a reset with physio and new coaches  • Strength training that is slow, controlled and running-specific plus early signs of stronger legs  • Dawn’s Maverick race comeback then an ankle setback and uncertain next steps  • Storm cancellations, OM going ahead, and Wendy Dodds completing her 50th OM  • Backyard ultra world championships, Sarah Perry’s huge mileage, and the question of why so few women reach selection  • Why runners under-practise night sections even when races guarantee darkness  • Kit check on foil blankets and why carrying one on training runs can matter  • Women’s safety initiatives and local group runs that make after-dark training feel safer  • Mindset tools for fear: identify the fear, assess risk, then build confidence with graded exposure  • Race strategies for the night: buddying up, using race groups, and practising night fuelling Give us a follow and a like and tell your friends about the podcast. Get In Touch Got a story about a trail friendship, or a question for us? We'd love to hear it — email us at stillrunningstrong@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.    Still Running Strong is for general interest and entertainment only. We share our own personal experiences, not professional medical, nutritional, or training advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your training, diet, or health.

  3. Sep 30

    A Conversation with Kristin Tegtmeier Higgins, Director of Her Ultra: Women, Adventure and the Power of the Trails

    Email us This episode is sponsored by Her Ultra. A Conversation with Kristin Tegtmeier Higgins, Director of Her Ultra: Women, Adventure and the Power of the Trails We sit down with film director Kristin Tegtmeier Higgins to talk about Her Ultra, the documentary following eight women taking on a 250km multi-stage race in Lapland — and why the stories of “ordinary” runners can be every bit as compelling as those of elite athletes. Kristin takes us behind the scenes of making the film: following the women through months of training, capturing a multi-stage race in remote terrain, building trust, and filming vulnerable moments without turning someone’s pain into spectacle. But this conversation goes far beyond filmmaking. We talk about what these adventures can give women — time for themselves, identity, confidence, friendship and a sense of possibility. We also ask why midlife women remain so underrepresented by running brands when they have the time, enthusiasm and buying power to be such an important part of the sport. Kristin also speaks movingly about her own relationship with running and how the trails helped her through the devastating loss of her sister and, later, the end of her marriage. Today, she describes running as a safe space — and simply “a really good friend.” In this episode: • How discovering a multi-stage race online eventually inspired Her Ultra • How months of Zoom training built the story long before the women reached the start line • What it takes to film a multi-stage ultramarathon across remote Lapland • Why Kristin wanted to tell the stories of relatable runners rather than elite athletes • What these races can give women: time, identity, confidence and friendship • Why running brands should be paying more attention to midlife women • The responsibility of filming people at their most vulnerable • How trail running helped Kristin navigate grief and major life changes • What running means to Kristin now: a safe space and a “really good friend” WATCH HER ULTRA We’d genuinely love you to watch Her Ultra. You don’t have to be an ultrarunner — or even dream of running 250km — to get something from this film. It’s warm, funny and moving, and follows eight ordinary women taking on something pretty extraordinary. At its heart, it’s about adventure, friendship and discovering what we might be capable of. 🎬 Watch Her Ultra on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eNsporhLKgA 🎬 Watch Her Ultra on Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/B0FH8P3GT8 🌐 Visit the official Her Ultra website: https://www.herultra.com/ Get In Touch Got a story about a trail friendship, or a question for us? We'd love to hear it — email us at stillrunningstrong@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.    Still Running Strong is for general interest and entertainment only. We share our own personal experiences, not professional medical, nutritional, or training advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your training, diet, or health.

  4. Sep 23

    DNF Does Not Mean Failure

    Email us Three letters can undo months of training if we let them: DNF. We’ve both seen how “did not finish” gets translated into something far harsher, and today we slow it right down and tell the truth about what those letters can and cannot mean in ultra running and trail running. We start with the real-world choices that sit behind a result, like Dawn dropping down to a shorter race distance to protect an ankle and keep her long-term running intact. Becky shares what it’s like to return to a structured training plan with more speed work, drills, and strength training focused on Achilles resilience, plus the recovery basics that actually move the needle: sleep, routine, and not trying to be a hero when you’re run down. Then we get into the heart of the mindset work. A DNF doesn’t tell you whether you ran 10 miles or 90, whether you were injured, hypothermic, timed out, underfuelled, or simply having a terrible day. We talk about that moment when the thought “I could stop” appears, why safety and navigation change the stakes in long races, and how to use a physical reset and a mental reset before making a decision you might regret. You’ll also hear why we love the idea of getting curious rather than judgemental when you debrief a DNF, so you can learn and come back stronger. If this resonates, subscribe, share the episode with a running friend, and leave us a review. What’s your DNF or DNS story, and what did it teach you? Get In Touch Got a story about a trail friendship, or a question for us? We'd love to hear it — email us at stillrunningstrong@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.    Still Running Strong is for general interest and entertainment only. We share our own personal experiences, not professional medical, nutritional, or training advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your training, diet, or health.

  5. Sep 14

    Post-Race Blues? Why we feel so low after a big race.

    Email us Most of us have enjoyed the elation of finishing a race and breaking across the finish line, and that euphoria can last minutes, hours, sometimes a couple of days. But sometimes we can unexpectedly feel low a few days later. We have both felt that post-race emotional drop, and we want to say it out loud: it is common, it is human, and it deserves as much attention as sore legs and tired feet. We dig into what sits underneath “post-race blues” in trail running and ultra running. Yes, there can be a chemical comedown, but we think the bigger story is the full-body aftermath: disrupted sleep, lingering pain, dehydration, decision fatigue and the sudden disappearance of a goal that has organised your life for months. When training, kit planning, travel logistics and race-day focus vanish overnight, the mind can feel like it has lost its scaffolding. We talk about learning to sit with those feelings without turning them into a brutal performance review, and without chasing the next high just to stop the discomfort. Then we get practical. We share simple emotional recovery planning that actually works, from setting up comforting food and a clean bed to protecting proper rest and connection in the days after a race. We also switch into detective mode on a wider issue: why ordinary midlife women are still so hard to spot in mainstream trail running advertising, and what that absence says about belonging and visibility in our sport. If any of this rings true, hit play, then come back and tell us your post-race ritual. Subscribe, share with a running friend, and leave us a review so more mid-pack stories find their people. Get In Touch Got a story about a trail friendship, or a question for us? We'd love to hear it — email us at stillrunningstrong@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.    Still Running Strong is for general interest and entertainment only. We share our own personal experiences, not professional medical, nutritional, or training advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your training, diet, or health.

  6. Sep 9

    The Amazing Disappearing Women — Midlife, Identity & the Need to Run

    Email us You cross a finish line after an ultra and everyone expects a euphoric rush. But what if you feel proud and relieved, yet also a bit flat, sore, and quietly confused about why you ever signed up? That question sparks a proper, honest chat between us, Becky and Dawn, about what really keeps runners running when the sport is hard, time-consuming, and sometimes downright miserable in the moment.  We share the most resonant reasons we heard back from our community: running as freedom, headspace, mental health support, time alone, time in nature, and the simplest possible way to feel like yourself again. We also explore curiosity and challenge, from wanting to see what lies beyond marathon distance to the satisfaction of training towards something that matters. If you love trail running, ultra running, or just getting out the door when life is busy, you will recognise the mix of grit and joy that sits underneath it all.  Then we widen the lens to midlife. Perimenopause and menopause can shift energy, mood, confidence, and how we feel in our bodies, and we talk about how running can anchor identity at a time when women often feel less visible. We get into the practical side too: mindset, strength and conditioning, sleep, hydration, nutrition, recovery, coaching, and why small improvements across many areas can compound into real progress. Finally, we kick off a light-hearted investigation into representation in trail running marketing, and ask why midlife women seem to disappear from adverts unless they are elite athletes.  If any of this hits home, listen now, share it with a running friend, and then subscribe, leave a review, and tell us what keeps you running and what goal you refuse to write off. Get In Touch Got a story about a trail friendship, or a question for us? We'd love to hear it — email us at stillrunningstrong@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.    Still Running Strong is for general interest and entertainment only. We share our own personal experiences, not professional medical, nutritional, or training advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your training, diet, or health.

  7. Sep 2

    Courage Becky! Finishing UTMB OCC

    Email us You can do everything right and still have a moment where you want to cry on the side of a mountain. Becky has just finished UTMB OCC in Chamonix, and we sit down while it’s still raw: the heat, the technical trail, the constant concentration, and the strange mix of pride and exhaustion that hits when you finally stop moving. We also talk about what it felt like having people track the race live, sending messages, and willing her to the finish from back home. We get practical about what actually moved the needle on race day. Becky shares how she built a pacing buffer around the cut-offs, why she rehearsed her aid station routine, and how a short, deliberate reset can save your race when your brain is fried. We also dig into fuelling for mountain ultra running: eating little and often, using carbs in drink, and accepting that what looks perfect on paper can be hard to swallow when you’re hiking steep climbs. Then comes the stuff you cannot ignore: kit choices and the consequences. Becky’s shoe decision made the descents miserable, and we unpick the lessons around lacing, slippage, socks, and why you must test what you plan to race in. We finish with the magic of Chamonix, the crowds shouting your name, and one word that carried Becky forward when it got dark: courage. If you’re training for a trail race, planning your first ultra, or dreaming of a UTMB start line, come and learn with us. Subscribe, share the episode with a running mate, and leave us a review so more people can find Still Running Strong. Get In Touch Got a story about a trail friendship, or a question for us? We'd love to hear it — email us at stillrunningstrong@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.    Still Running Strong is for general interest and entertainment only. We share our own personal experiences, not professional medical, nutritional, or training advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your training, diet, or health.

  8. Aug 26

    Chasing The OCC Finish Line - the real logistics of a mountain ultra in midlife

    Email us Chamonix is buzzing and Becky is right in the middle of it, number collected, tracker ready, and a 62k UTMB mountain ultra on the horizon. We talk about what it’s like when the town itself becomes the venue: runners drifting through the streets, crowds clapping people home, and that moment where you suddenly feel the weight of what you’re about to do. From there we zoom out to something that matters far beyond one race: sponsorship and representation in trail running. Why do brands pour attention into elites while midlife mid-pack runners quietly carry the sport for decades? Becky shares a jaw-dropping stat about how few people are in her age bracket, and we dig into what “aspirational marketing” misses when it forgets who is actually showing up, training, buying kit, and still running strong. We also get practical and specific about race logistics: registration quirks, the surprise of no kit check, LiveTrail tracking, and the temptation to let an app’s predicted finish time get in your head. Becky sticks with the low-tech option (laminated cards) and walks through travel to the Swiss start, wave starts, and how cut-off times really work. Dawn brings in the other side of endurance life too: training while dealing with family stress, nervous system load, and a simple idea for stress management that might help when life is already full. If you enjoy honest conversations about ultra running, UTMB, Chamonix, masters running, and what it really takes to get to a start line, subscribe and share this with a friend. What’s the one part of race week that always messes with your head the most? Get In Touch Got a story about a trail friendship, or a question for us? We'd love to hear it — email us at stillrunningstrong@gmail.com, or find us on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.    Still Running Strong is for general interest and entertainment only. We share our own personal experiences, not professional medical, nutritional, or training advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your training, diet, or health.

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About

Welcome to Still Running Strong — a new podcast for midlife women who love ultra running and trail running. Not the elites, not the podium finishers — the mid-pack, the back-of-the-packers, the ones who are just there for the love of it. In this taster episode, hosts Becky and Dawn introduce themselves, share the (slightly smelly) story of how they met at an ultra race in Greece, and talk about why midlife might just be the strongest chapter yet — even while their bodies are changing shape around them. Expect honest conversations about perimenopause and menopause from lived experience (not medical advice — they're very clear on that), the friendships that ultra running builds, and why this podcast is for absolutely anyone who runs, walks, or ultra-walks their way through a race. In This Episode ●      Who Becky and Dawn are, and what “mid-pack” really means ●      How they met — a running retreat kitchen in the Lakes, and an unforgettable moment in a tent in Greece ●      Why midlife is a new chapter, not a decline ●      What listeners can expect from the show: real stories, practical tips, and guests with their own journeys to tell ●      Why this isn't a professional advice podcast — just two women sharing what's worked for them Connect With Us Follow us on Instagram and Facebook for updates on new episodes, and get in touch if you've got a story to share — we'd love to have you as a guest.   Still Running Strong is for general interest and entertainment only. We share our own personal experiences, not professional medical, nutritional, or training advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making changes to your training, diet, or health.

Information

  • Creator
    Still Running Strong
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Still Running Strong
  • Show Website
    Still Running Strong

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