Choose to Endure Podcast Introduction, with Host Richard Gleave

Episode 1. Intro to the podcast.  What the heck is it about, anyways!?

• Who am I?

Hello and welcome to Episode Number 1 of the all new Choose to Endure Ultra Running Podcast, with me…your host, Richard Gleave.  It’s taken a short while, mostly because I’m technically challenged, but I’m super excited to be kicking this off today with you.  A little bit about me: I reside in the The livable forest a.k.a Kingwood, Texas, on the NE outskirts of Houston (shout out to the local trail group, the Kingwood Trail Runners), but I’m originally from a town called Macclesfield (Macc for short) over in England and I go back to visit my mum a few times each year.  I have been running slow marathons and subsequently ultra marathons since 2015 - I’ve done everything from 50k up through 200+ miles and I do run both here in the US and over in the UK, but every race is different and I still have so much to learn from all the people out there…and there are So many incredible folks who have been involved in and around this uplifting sport for so long - I cant wait to get out there and get talking to them.

• So Richard, what is this podcast about?

Ultra running - well, very slow ultra running, to be specific :)....It’s about finding commonality and reveling in the shared hardships of competing in this sport.  It’s about celebrating the wins and losses when you’re out there so long.  It’s about growth and challenging yourself.  It’s about learning how to push beyond what you think you could do.  It’s about creating an opportunity to harness the collective power of the knowledge and experience that the slower end of the competition bring to the table and passing it forwards to others, in the hope that someone else might benefit; which I’m a big fan of and I think is definitely representative of the large Ultra community.

• Why did you decide to make it?

As with all the best ideas, this one started with a conversation over beers in the pub!  There's a lot of focus on the front of the pack (rightly so, this folks are just phenomenal And deserve all the kudos they get), but there are so many uplifting everyday runners out there that make a conscious decision to try some ridiculously long and difficult races for a variety of reasons and are out there getting it done - or not and I think when you get into that a bit more it makes for some really compelling content.   Ultimately, from a selfish perspective, I want learn whatever it is you all know!  I mean, I’m not an expert…how are you all doing this stuff!?  Becky - (cowboy 200) ran first ultra week before - Marine Corps Marathon - then toes line at 200 mile event with no GPS route and little idea of what that distance entailed, but started!  How she wasn’t absolutely cracking it right before the gun went off there, I don’t know - maybe she was..maybe she needs to come on the show and tell us - haha!  That’s why I decided to start this podcast, for amazing stories and insights like that.

• Who would it be for?

Predominantly, I’d imagine middle-to-back of the pack runners who are non-elite (like me!) People with regular lives, families, work commitments but who navigate their way through all of that and come out of the other side with epic tales of success and failure at some massive events.   Perhaps people looking for a little bit of inspiration or motivation - people that want to find a community to relate to if they don’t have the opportunity to connect with others directly in their location, say a group or something, for whatever reason.  Not everyone has access to a running group, but we still want to feel like we’re part of something bigger and that there are relatable folks out there sharing their experiences, going through exactly the same struggles as them and available in a FB group (coming soon) might be really useful.

• What sort of topics should we expect?   

As with anything, this might change and who knows where it could end up down the line, but I suppose out of the gate, I would envision sharing stories, inspirations, motivations, interviews, race reviews, gear reviews, training challenges, coaches corner, news, events, successes, failure and fears, along with insights into supporting cast for these ultras (Sports therapy, Nutrition, Race Directing - if and how they are facing the UTMB challenge and what makes them/their races unique - if/how they are tailored to or accessible by slower runners - more of a journey event, not so much an actual race.  Having recently had the opportunity to be part of a crew/pace some miles at Moab 240, I’d love to get more understanding of that from those that have spent many hours doing it + volunteering viewpoints etc) -  just generally delving into the feeling of what it's like to be at the tail end of the ultra runner universe

I hope that. Gives you a bit of a flavor of what I anticipate this podcast could ultimately become and the kind of information I’d love to share with you.  Tho sone will be a little shorter than I hope most will be - we’ll shoot for probably 45 mins or so as a sweet spot, I think and once I get the recording and editing down, hopefully we will get to a weekly cadence for releasing new episodes.  Just so we’re clear - No, I haven’t done this before…and Yes, I do hope to get better at it as we go - but I will take help, if anyone is willing!

So as we crest the proverbial hill of this introductory chapter, just remember that every ultra runner's journey is marked by the highs of personal peaks and the lows of challenging valleys. We've set our course today by mapping the terrain of what lies ahead in our series: we’re after the sweat, the strategy, the soul of ultra running for us non-elites. I hope you’ll choose to join me for the miles ahead, as we delve deeper into the trails less traveled by us, the slower majority, the REAL endurance athletes! Thank you for toeing THIS starting line — now let's run the miles and the moments, together.   Make sure to hit subscribe and tune in next time as we approach the next aid station. Until then, remember to:  Run Long and Run Strong!