What Happens When You Run 250 Miles for a Reason?

Nearly 250 miles in five days, then Snowdon on day six. Why would you put yourself through that? For Sam Smith, the reason came before the running. He wanted to support the people closest to him and raise awareness of Huntington’s disease through Hayley’s Hope. Sam joins Nick, Grant and Gemma for an honest conversation about ultra running, training around a full-time job and what happens when the motivation wears off. We get into his first marathon, a 100-mile race, the crew behind the challenge, fuelling, recovery and the temptation to judge every session by what someone else is doing. There’s plenty of running chat, but you don’t need to want to run 100 miles to take something from this one. Your 10K still counts. Your hard session is your hard session. And you don’t have to feel brilliant every day to keep showing up. What’s the challenge that would mean something to you? SUPPORT HAYLEY’S HOPE https://www.justgiving.com/page/samuel-smith-2 FOLLOW SAM Sam Smith: https://www.instagram.com/thenewforestgump/ FOLLOW THE HOSTS Nick Finch: https://www.instagram.com/getfitbynick/ Grant McDonald: https://www.instagram.com/coach\_grantmcdonald/ Gemma: https://www.instagram.com/gemmapaddy82/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Why run 250 miles? 00:40 Meet Sam Smith 01:44 The reason behind Hayley’s Hope 02:51 Breaking 250 miles into manageable pieces 04:03 Three bodybuilders meet an ultra runner 06:04 Commitment, nerves and the hard days 08:09 One hundred miles and the runner’s high 10:24 Music, switching off and race-day focus 13:59 The crew, the lows and the next small target 15:30 Your 10K still counts 17:39 From a first marathon to consistent training 22:27 Training around a full-time job 26:28 Pace, effort and the problem with comparison 29:32 Ironman versus a 100-mile run 34:56 Backyard ultras and the tunnel challenge 39:08 Could running become a career? 40:06 Fuel, gut training and the bonk 45:08 Crew support, sleep and recovery 49:48 The next challenge 52:52 What does it mean to perform well? 55:55 You don’t have to feel great every day 57:13 Where to follow Sam #UltraRunning #EnduranceTraining #PerformWellPodcast