Welcome to episode 244 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Marathon training

We are joined, from start to finish, by Jordan, as this is our penultimate episode before the London Marathon, and we have every fear known to woman. Jordan, as you’ll know by now, is from Coopah, the training app, and she has been supporting us through this marathon training block.

Last long runs

First things first, we talk about the last long runs we had completed – we’d been bags of nerves beforehand, so now it’s time to unpick them and see how we did.

Goals

We then get on to our goals: what do we actually want to achieve at this marathon? Is it the time, or something different? We also talk about all the last minute prep we’ve not considered yet – the carb loading, the hydration, and how on earth we’re going to cope on the day without having lunch. Please join us in a group hug before we run the big race! And if you’re running too, and you’re in London, do come to the Expo on Saturday 26th April, as me and Hol will be joining Jordan on stage to chat pre-race nerves and to pick up a few confidence tricks (and some more hugs).

Discord

Before I forget to say, come and join the gang on Discord for chats, support and new running friends. To find your way on to Discord, join us over on Patreon. You can now join our official Inner Circle for just £6 to shape what we talk about. Go to patreon.com/womensrunnning to find out more.

Lovely extra bits

This episode is sponsored by Coopah. Coopah are offering all pod squadders a 2-week free trial of their app and then giving 20% off their standard annual subscription price. Just download the Coopah app and use the code WOMENSRUNNING when you sign up. Or visit coopah.com/womensrunning where you can find all of these details.

We picked up our lovely hotel rooms through Marathon Tours: you can pick up hotel rooms for the Marathon here: TCS London Marathon 2025 | Marathon Tours & Travel UK

• Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you’ll save 50%
• Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!
• Follow Shakira on Instagram
• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 243 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Last long runs

In this episode, we talk about freaking out ahead of our last long runs, which are staring us in the face. Have we run long enough? Are these mental demons going to disappear? Should we be aiming to go all out? Or should we be aiming to feel comfortable at the end?

Come and see us!

We also talk about an event we’re holding before the Bath Half in 2026. We’d love to see you there! Tickets are just £10 and you can get them here. It’ll be a live pod and a great way to meet lots of friendly runners before running the Half.

Shakira chat

We’re joined by a special guest, Shakira Akabusi, who is an expert on women’s health and fitness. Among other things, we have lots of chat about pelvic floor exercises, and training to our cycles.

We come back after to talk about uncomfortable things that happen on a run – Hol has a grim story to tell. As ever, do please share your thoughts and experiences over on Discord.

To find your way on to Discord, join us over on Patreon. You can now join our official Inner Circle for just £6 to shape what we talk about. Go to patreon.com/womensrunnning to find out more.

Lovely extra bits

This episode is sponsored by Coopah. Coopah are offering all pod squadders a 2-week free trial of their app and then giving 20% off their standard annual subscription price. Just download the Coopah app and use the code WOMENSRUNNING when you sign up. Or visit coopah.com/womensrunning where you can find all of these details.

We picked up our lovely hotel rooms through Marathon Tours: you can pick up hotel rooms for the Marathon here: TCS London Marathon 2025 | Marathon Tours & Travel UK

• Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you’ll save 50%
• Get tickets to our live event ahead of the Bath Half 2026!
• Follow Shakira on Instagram
• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 242 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Maranoia

As we get closer to Marathon Day, our maranoia has reached epic proportions. We talk about comparing ourselves to other runners on social media, about not matching our training plans, and about the fear of the last long runs.

We have Jordan with us today, thankfully, so after 20 minutes of pure waffle, she stands in as Agony Aunt to give us a much-needed dose of reality in the face of our raging maranoia. Have we done enough mileage? Have we actually run enough? Have we eaten the things we should have eaten? Have we rested enough? We talk about logistics, we talk about crying, and the wobbles we have about those last long runs.

Finish line proposals

After we chat to Jordan, we are back to talk about another controversy – and we would love to hear your thoughts. This isn’t Lisbon this time, this is the practice of finish line proposals. What do you think?! Email us as ever at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk.

Do come and see us at the London Marathon Expo on Sat April 26th at 10:15am: you'll hear our live pod up close and personal, it’ll be lovely to see you.

And before we forget to mention it, come on to Patreon NOW cos changes are afoot. You can now join our official Inner Circle for just £6 to shape what we talk about, and to hear about the Big Exciting Thing that we’re doing in March 2026 first. And from there, jump into Discord to talk about it all with a bunch of lovely women. It’s ace! Go to patreon.com/womensrunnning to find out more.

Lovely extra bits

This episode is sponsored by Coopah. Coopah are offering all pod squadders a 2-week free trial of their app and then giving 20% off their standard annual subscription price. Download the Coopah app and use the code WOMENSRUNNING when you sign up. Or visit coopah.com/womensrunning.

We picked up our lovely hotel rooms through Marathon Tours: you can pick up hotel rooms for the Marathon here: TCS London Marathon 2025 | Marathon Tours & Travel UK. Do also check them out if you’re eyeing up one of the other marathon majors.@marathontours_uk on Instagram

·      Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you’ll save 50%

• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Download a FREE mini mag to help you run 5K! Go to womensrunning.co.uk/run
• Buy a Pod Squad t-shirt!
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 241 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Blisters

We begin this normally controversy-free podcast to talk to you all about blisters – specifically Holly’s blister on her big toe, which is so enormous it has defied the experience of actual medics. So bit of a trigger warning, cos there’s a lot of gross foot content ahoy.

Lisbon Half

Plus, we’ve got more on the Lisbon Half from a couple of listeners who also had negative experiences at the Super Half. Do please get in touch with your experience of either this or other races that should be doing better – they’ll only get better if we hold them to account, right? Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with your thoughts.

Inner Circle on Patreon

And before we forget to mention it, come on to Patreon NOW cos changes are afoot. From this week, you can join our official Inner Circle for just £6 to shape what we talk about, and to hear about the Big Exciting Thing that we’re doing in March 2026 first. And from there, jump into Discord to talk about it all with a bunch of lovely women who support each other and our running. It’s ace! Go to patreon.com/womensrunnning to find out more.

Lovely extra bits

This episode is sponsored by Coopah. Coopah are offering all pod squadders a 2-week free trial of their app and then giving 20% off their standard annual subscription price. Just download the Coopah app and use the code WOMENSRUNNING when you sign up. Or visit coopah.com/womensrunning where you can find all of these details.

We picked up our lovely hotel rooms through Marathon Tours: you can pick up hotel rooms for the Marathon here: TCS London Marathon 2025 | Marathon Tours & Travel UK

Do also check them out if you’re eyeing up one of the other marathon majors.@marathontours_uk on Instagram

·      Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you’ll save 50%

• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Download a FREE mini mag to help you run 5K! Go to womensrunning.co.uk/run
• Buy a Pod Squad t-shirt!
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 240 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Bath Half

It’s the week after the Bath Half and we have had lots of thoughts, not least about the roast we celebrated with afterwards. After a bit of nonsense about Holly’s verbal diarrhea on whatsapp voicenotes (which I really think is the Podcast Moment of the Year).

We talk to Jordan about our race day experiences at the Bath Half – no spoilers but there is a LOT to discuss; from the race village to the run itself, how we’ve recovered since, and how drunk we got in the pub. As I say: lots to discuss.

Lisbon controversy

And then on to a HUGE controversy which we dive into, which is all about the experiences of runners at the Lisbon Half. Listen in for big gasp moments, and let us know your thoughts and experiences if you were there too! Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk

Before I forget to mention it, did you know about our Discord channel? This is an exclusive forum for you, our gorgeous Pod Squad, to meet up, chat about running, TV, books, menopause, and anything else you like. To get a ton of support from new friends just like you, all you need to do is head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month. It’s worth every penny.

Lovely extra bits

This episode is sponsored by Coopah. Coopah are offering all pod squadders a 2-week free trial of their app and then giving 20% off their standard annual subscription price. Just download the Coopah app and use the code WOMENSRUNNING when you sign up. Or visit coopah.com/womensrunning where you can find all of these details.

We picked up our lovely hotel rooms through Marathon Tours: you can pick up hotel rooms for the Marathon here: TCS London Marathon 2025 | Marathon Tours & Travel UK

Do also check them out if you’re eyeing up one of the other marathon majors.@marathontours_uk on Instagram

·      Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you’ll save 50%

• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Download a FREE mini mag to help you run 5K! Go to womensrunning.co.uk/run
• Buy a Pod Squad t-shirt!
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 239 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Jeans and pastries

We start with the hottest topic in the running calendar – the sorts of jeans we like to wear. And then straight on to Croissant-gate, obviously, as that hasn’t been cleared up yet.

Marathon training

Then we’re getting into some running chat, don’t hate us for this, you have to give us a bit of leeway, because, just in case you hadn’t noticed, we’re training for a marathon here. And a quick shout out to Marathon Tours who have organised our hotel rooms the night before – if you’re running and you’ve not got a place to stay yet, go to marathontours.com for all the info.

Join us on Discord!

Before I forget to mention it, did you know about our Discord channel? This is an exclusive forum for you, our gorgeous Pod Squad, to meet up, chat about running, TV, books, menopause, and anything else you like. To get a ton of support from new friends just like you, all you need to do is head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month. It’s worth every penny.

Lovely extra bits

This episode is sponsored by Coopah. Coopah are offering all pod squadders a 2-week free trial of their app and then giving 20% off their standard annual subscription price. Just download the Coopah app and use the code WOMENSRUNNING when you sign up. Or visit coopah.com/womensrunning where you can find all of these details.

We picked up our lovely hotel rooms through Marathon Tours: check out their event calendar for some run-travel inspo.

you can pick up hotel rooms for the Marathon here: TCS London Marathon 2025 | Marathon Tours & Travel UK. Do also check them out if you’re eyeing up one of the other marathon majors.@marathontours_uk on Instagram

·      Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you’ll save 50%

• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Download a FREE mini mag to help you run 5K! Go to womensrunning.co.uk/run
• Buy a Pod Squad t-shirt!
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the final episode of our Start to Run podcast series. As part of the Women’s Running podcast, we’ve been sharing these special episodes every Monday to help you get yourself moving, and you can find all episodes out now wherever you get your podcasts. Whether you’re a newbie or an old hand, welcome to the gang – let’s get back to basics, cut through the crap and make running simple again.

Do I need to race as a runner?

This week, we’re talking about races and, first off, it goes without saying that you absolutely don’t need to be a race-day diva if that’s not what floats your boat. We both find them a fantastic motivator and a good opportunity to put our training to the test, but if you don’t like them then definitely don’t force yourself.

How to find the right race for you

That being said, there are SO many races out there that you’re bound to find something that you do enjoy. We share our top tips for finding what’s right, along with the key things we’re looking out for before booking.

How do I prepare for race day?

Finally, we dig through the kit that we keep in our race day bags. Esther’s got plenty of advice for travel, accommodation and keeping warm on the start line, while my advice mainly revolves around avoiding thrush. 

Thanks for joining us on the Start to Run journey, and massive luck with your running going forwards. Please share this series with a pal if you know anyone who’s considering lacing up their trainers for the first time, and we would LOVE you to rate and review us if you’ve enjoyed this series. If you haven’t, maybe just bitch about it to your mum or something because we’re very sensitive souls.

If you want more support with your running, join our Patreon where you can chat to other runners just like you. From total beginners to everyday experts, we’ve got a properly diverse group chat going where you can ask any burning questions, show support and feel the love. Head to patreon.com/womensrunning to subscribe now.

And make sure to subscribe to Women’s Running magazine this March and you’ll get 50% off. Just head to womensrunning.co.uk/podoffer or hit the link in the show notes.

We’ve also got a little email series to give you extra support too – weekly emails checking in and sharing some top tips. Sign up for these here: womensrunning.co.uk/beginners/learn-to-run-5k/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 238 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Croissant-gate

We begin with the most important debate currently rocking our world: whether croissants are sweet or savoury, and I have a horrible feeling that I might have to admit defeat, which really annoys me.

Vintage marathons

We’ve also got an update on our new section, which we’re going to call Vintage Marathons: we’ve got a bit more flavour to add to the experience of running a marathon in 1984.

Injuries

In the middle, we have a check-in with Jordan from Coopah about injuries, and how to stick to the training plan without tipping yourself over the edge.

Fancy dress

We come back afterwards, with more chat about the fancy dress that people wear when they run a marathon. And a bit of fangirling at the amazing women that ran the Tokyo marathon, including Paula Radcliffe, Helen Thorn – friend of the pod, and Adele Roberts – who, spoiler alert, will be our April cover star.

Bloody men

Then some angry stuff at the end about men weeing in public – we need to know your thoughts. Do email at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk

Before I forget to mention it, did you know about our Discord channel? This is an exclusive forum for you, our gorgeous Pod Squad, to meet up, chat about running, TV, books, menopause, and anything else you like. To get a ton of support from new friends just like you, all you need to do is head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month. It’s worth every penny.

Lovely extra bits

This episode is sponsored by Coopah. Coopah are offering all pod squadders a 2-week free trial of their app and then giving 20% off their standard annual subscription price. Just download the Coopah app and use the code WOMENSRUNNING when you sign up. Or visit coopah.com/womensrunning where you can find all of these details.

·      Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you’ll save 50%

• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Download a FREE mini mag to help you run 5K! Go to womensrunning.co.uk/run
• Buy a Pod Squad t-shirt!
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to the Start to Run podcast series. As part of the Women’s Running podcast, we’re sharing these special episodes every Monday to help you get yourself moving, and you can find the first 7 episodes now wherever you get your podcasts. Whether you’re a newbie or an old hand, welcome to the gang – let’s get back to basics, cut through the crap and make running simple again.

How do I manage my running around my period?

This week, we run through the basics of our cycles. What does the 28-day cycle look like? And how should we be approaching our training in the different phases? Spoiler alert: it’s pretty subjective, as long as we’re arming ourselves with the right info.

Endometriosis, PCOS and RED-S

We also cover some of the conditions that might need a bit of extra consideration when it comes to your training. Endo, PCOS and RED-S girlies, we’re looking at you. 

Lovely extras

If you want more support with your running, join our Patreon where you can chat to other runners just like you. From total beginners to everyday experts, we’ve got a properly diverse group chat going where you can ask any burning questions, show support and feel the love. Head to patreon.com/womensrunning to subscribe now.

And make sure to subscribe to Women’s Running magazine this February and you’ll get 50% off PLUS a free 5K beginner running guide. Just head to womensrunning.co.uk/podoffer or hit the link in the show notes.

We’ve also got a little email series to give you extra support too – weekly emails checking in and sharing some top tips. Sign up for these here: womensrunning.co.uk/beginners/learn-to-run-5k/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to episode 237 of the Women’s Running podcast. I’m your host Esther Newman and she’s your other host Holly Taylor. On this podcast we talk about health, politics, stuff on TV and what we ate last night. Occasionally, we talk about running.

Coopah, the running app

This episode is sponsored by Coopah. Coopah are offering all pod squadders a 2-week free trial of their app and then giving 20% off their standard annual subscription price. Just download the Coopah app and use the code WOMENSRUNNING when you sign up. Or visit coopah.com/womensrunning where you can find all of these details.

Niggles

Running update first: In a bit of a shocker, Holly has been trying NOT to run. She’s picked up a little niggly feeling in her leg and is trying to be sensible with her mileage. We talk about how running has been affecting us physically – turns out feet is a big issue, and also cold hands; happily we have some lovely tips from you lot on the latter.

1984 marathon

And then I bring on my mum (virtually speaking) for a back to the future segment about training for and running the London Marathon in 1984. We want to do more of these, so give us a shout if you are someone who’s run a marathon many decades ago, or you know someone who has. Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk

Patreon!

Before I forget to mention it, did you know about our Discord channel? This is an exclusive forum for you, our gorgeous Pod Squad, to meet up, chat about running, TV, books, menopause, and anything else you like. To get a ton of support from new friends just like you, all you need to do is head to patreon.com/womensrunning and join us for just £2 a month. It’s worth every penny.

Lovely extra bits

This episode is sponsored by Coopah. Coopah are offering all pod squadders a 2-week free trial of their app and then giving 20% off their standard annual subscription price. Just download the Coopah app and use the code WOMENSRUNNING when you sign up. Or visit coopah.com/womensrunning where you can find all of these details.

·      Subscribe to Women’s Running – and you’ll save 50%

• Setting up your own podcast? Try Zencastr – we’ve been using it for ages and LOVE IT
• Download a FREE mini mag to help you run 5K! Go to womensrunning.co.uk/run
• Buy a Pod Squad t-shirt!
• Do join us on Patreon so you can come and chat in our new Pod Squad community on Discord! Go to patreon.co.uk/womensrunning
• Email us at wrpodcast@anthem.co.uk with any questions or running stories

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to the Start to Run podcast series. As part of the Women’s Running podcast, we’re sharing these special episodes every Monday to help you get yourself moving, and you can find the first 7 episodes now wherever you get your podcasts. Whether you’re a newbie or an old hand, welcome to the gang – let’s get back to basics, cut through the crap and make running simple again.

What do I eat before and after a run?

This week, we’re talking the basics of nutrition. We share all the things we wish we hadn’t had to work out for ourselves, including the best pre-run breakfasts, how long to wait for everything to digest and how much protein we need to be eating afterwards.

How much water do I need to drink before a run?

We also cover some hydration basics. When do we need to be taking water out on the run with us? What on earth are electrolytes and how do we make sure we’re getting enough of them? It’s all going on today.

Here’s the handy nutrition guide written by an expert that we mention a few times in the episode: https://www.womensrunning.co.uk/health/nutrition/nutrition-for-beginner-runners/

Lovely extras

If you want more support with your running, join our Patreon where you can chat to other runners just like you. From total beginners to everyday experts, we’ve got a properly diverse group chat going where you can ask any burning questions, show support and feel the love. Head to patreon.com/womensrunning to subscribe now.

And make sure to subscribe to Women’s Running magazine this February and you’ll get 50% off PLUS a free 5K beginner running guide. Just head to womensrunning.co.uk/podoffer or hit the link in the show notes.

We’ve also got a little email series to give you extra support too – weekly emails checking in and sharing some top tips. Sign up for these here: womensrunning.co.uk/beginners/learn-to-run-5k/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.