Sarah, can you tell us about your love of the outdoors?
I just love being outside really! I find sitting about really boring, even if I’m busy and have things to do, I find I start to get twitchy and need to get outside to energise myself and clear my head – it just makes me feel so much better. Over time though it’s evolved into something much more than just a love of being outdoors – I’ve seen such an abundance of wildlife, sunsets, landscapes, history – I’d never have experienced those things from an armchair. I’ve come to realise that life is about experiences, and my ‘fix’ comes from the outdoors. Many of the people I’ve met along the way have influenced my love of the outdoors, and I love the lifestyle that comes with it.

What part does running play in this?
That’s kind of hard for me to define, because I do lots of other things, like climbing, skiing, biking, sometimes walking, and like those things, running is just a part of my life. That said, I do a lot more running that any of the other things these days, and it’s allowed me to explore many corners of the globe that I’ve travelled to – there aren’t many things you can do alone, anywhere, just by slipping on a pair of running shoes, and I suppose that is one of the best things about running – you can enjoy the outdoors, at whatever level you are capable of, anywhere. 

You’ve taken on some real challenges lately, including planning for the incredible Breo Hero 700 mile challenge! How would you describe such experiences?
The 700 miler, Running North, is actually on hold for the moment – during the Coast to Coast (which was 200 miles or so…), Laraine and I realised lots of things, and the main one was that we just weren’t ready for such a big undertaking – what really swung it was the realisation that Scotland isn’t all sunsets, wildlife and scenery, even in summer, it’s a really harsh environment. So, to better prepare ourselves, we’re running a series of long-distance routes to allow us to hone vital elements like kit, clothing, what we eat and what we use for sleeping! Aside from that Laraine ended up with extreme plantar fasciitis in both feet, and I was offered a full-time research post, so logistically, it would have been put on hold anyway.

How seriously do you take nutrition?
Because I do so much yoga, I’ve become a true advocate of being balanced, and I definitely take a balanced approach toward what I eat – every day I load up with fruit and veg in the form of green smoothies and salads, and eat very little refined or processed food – I guess most people would say I’m a super healthy eater, and I do notice a difference if I’ve had to eat food that I view as not so nutrient dense. For example, if I’ve been on the hill for a couple of days and had to carry all my food, it’s generally dried or there’s lots of sugar and salt added, and that sort of food makes me lethargic. I make a lot of my own food from scratch when I can – houmous, pates, birchers etc are good for packing lots of good stuff in. But, I generally have a bit of a naughty, mischievous nature and this definitely applies to what I eat – I love sweeties, cheeses and craft beers – however, I do believe the good balances out the treats! I drink gallons of water, and Yogi teas are a favourite, but I have to admit, without a good strong espresso first thing, very little happens!

What running fuel tips would you pass, particularly for long days in the hills?
I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask for a solid answer on this, because I tend to go for long periods on the hill without refuelling, and instead load up before, when I get home, on rest days etc. There’s different schools of thought on what the best approach is – some think it’s better to train the body to operate on little food, and other believe in eating as often as possible. For me, I struggle with eating while doing intense activity, but I think 100 calorie boosts are good and easy for the body to manage while on the go. With hydration, again, I am not so good, and probably could learn a better approach – I think this could be down to spending so much time running in the Alps, where I carried nothing more than ID and a few quid, because it was always possible to get a sip of water from one of the many, many water troughs that are dotted all along Alpine trails – I even had a sip of glacier water once! In Scotland, I do carry a small bottle of water in my waist pack, but could definitely carry more. I like the Nakd bars and nibbles – they are light to carry and offer a good, nutrient dense, energy boost. I think it’s wise to always carry some food and water for any runs over 10km, especially so if going into the hills. However, fuel is such a personal thing, trial and error is the key to learning what works, as every runner is completely different.

What is your favourite pre-run and post-run fuel?
Before a run, I just try to eat as much as I can but allow myself plenty of time, say a couple of hours, to digest. I now have a good idea of what my body needs, but that’s just come with experience. I generally eat a lot of fruit, veg and proteins before running – sometimes I have carbs, but usually, these are reserved for treat/rest days! I’m a caffeine fiend, and struggle to operate until I’ve had a good strong espresso, followed by a green tea!  Oh – loads of water also!

Post run – I eat what my body tells me it wants, but my favourite thing after a long day on the hill is a gourmet burger with a craft beer! Even better – in the sun!

Where does your boundless enthusiasm come from?
Coffee! Just kidding. It’s just the way I am – I probably have too much energy, and am easily bored, but it feeds my thirst for knowledge and I love that I am one of those people who always wants more, wants to learn more and wants to experience more.  I would hate to be a couch potato! That said, there’s plenty of times I’ve totally burnt myself out, and spent a few days in bed catching up on sleep. As I get older, I’m learning we all have limits!

How did your support from @Breofficial @sealskinz and @SkiAscent come about?
With all these things, social media plays a big part and that’s effectively the common dominator for all the companies and brands I’ve worked with – it can be hard to maintain a social media presence, and mine definitely ebbs and flows! But that’s really where all these connections come from, and most people I know who work with brands have built their relationships in the same way. I’ve been involved with Breo for a long time now, and I hope I continue to be for a long time to come – they have been a great company to work with, and I’ve really enjoyed being part of what they do. Sealskinz has been a more recent connection, and that came via one of the media representatives who I’d spent a bit of time with a few years ago doing some Gore Tex things.  SkiAscent – I helped set up the company, but for various reasons, I’m no longer involved. I suppose that’s the downside of these things, not every connection you make will be the right one for you, and when it becomes a full-time job in itself, it can loose it’s gloss! For the most part though, I’ve been really lucky and I work with other companies and brands too who allow me to dip in and out of things, as and when I have the time.

How do you find blogging?
I’ve always loved writing, and I actually took a minor in Journalism when I was doing my undergrad degree, but I lost touch with it for a while when I focused on being an ‘artist’, and screen printing, photography and design took over. Then I moved to Aviemore and took a temporary post with Wilderness Scotland – part of my role was to mange the blog, and I got some really great feedback for the blogs I was writing – I think one of my wild camping posts is still one of their most popular blogs! I realised that I enjoyed blogging, it was a lot less pressurised than I found traditional journalism to be, and the style fitted my approach to writing. I contributed to a few other blogs, and then started my own. Recently though, I’ve been eyeballs deep in writing my Ph.D thesis and academic research papers, so it’s been hard to keep up to date with my own blog – it’s probably become a bit of a photo blog to be honest, but I’m ok with that, and I always think it’s good to step away from things so you can find the joy in them once again.

Sarah’s blog is A Squirrel Goes Touring btw

You overcame Lyme Disease – could you tell us a little about your battle?
It’s very hard to communicate just how awful Lyme disease can become, there was a period of time, for me, when things got so bad I couldn’t get out of bed, and that was a really bad experience. I was also living on my own at that point, and it was quite scary not knowing if I would be able to get help if I needed it urgently. Prior to that I’d had quite a bad initial reaction to the tick bite, but it wasn’t until the bite flared up again and quite literally started growing out of my leg that I seen a doctor. I was lucky that I was living in an area where the doctors are familiar with Lyme, and are happy to treat it asap – I know that in some areas there are doctors who aren’t quite so clued up on, and perhaps aren’t even aware it exists.

Unfortunately though I got the antibiotics after the disease had started to get into my system. Of course, I didn’t know this and assumed the treatment would sort me out in a couple of weeks and I very foolishly keep active when I should have been resting. My early symptoms – fevers, racing heart, cold/flu and fatigue got so bad that I was ordered, by the doctor, to do nothing more than walk to my local corner store if it was critical for me to do so! At the same time, I started my Ph.D, so I couldn’t really sit around for long. Eventually my symptoms got so bad that I was having heart and muscle problems, I was always exhausted and stressed, but the worst thing was the brain fog – especially since I was doing research and really needed to be on the ball! Things came to a head after a trip to Vancouver, I wasn’t myself for the duration of my trip, but on the ten-hour flight home I had a really bad reaction to some blue cheese I’d eaten the nice previous, I don’t know if this was related to having Lyme or not, but it’s not something that had happened before. I literally thought I was going to die, it was awful – I don’t know how I got through boarder control at Heathrow and have no idea how I got through the flight back up to Scotland.

It took a couple of weeks to get over that, and I then went winter climbing in the Cairngorms for a couple of weeks. This was the last nail in the coffin and I was unable to get out of bed for about a month following. This made me realise I had to do something radical to get a normal life again.  Antibiotics just weren’t working, and I was living in an area where the doctors just didn’t want to help – I was continuously told that I was stressed because I was doing a Ph.D, and that I should find ways to relax! As a yoga teacher, I was well aware of ways to manage stress, and I found this both frustrating and angering.  Regardless, it was quite clear the doctors were not prepared to help me. So, I explored lots of things, and I found that diet and probiotics were the two things that started to made a difference. I started climbing again, and then running to get fit for climbing, I thought that running would send me on a downward spiral of exhaustion again, but it did the opposite and really seemed to help me get well again – perhaps it was all the sunshine! Now, I still have to be really careful that I don’t overdo, I get tried really easily, am susceptible to colds, and have lasting heart, lung and muscle problems, but a good diet and plenty of sleep seems to have been my saving grace!

That is some story Sarah and I can identify with a lot of it, having contracted Lymes myself.

Who and where do you draw your inspiration you?
Being in nature, of course. I also love the sun, snow, mountains, water – it’s usually quite hard to get all four at the same time! In terms of people, I think people who work hard to overcome hurdles, whatever they may be, are very inspirational – anyone with a positive, optimistic outlook on life I suppose. I really hate being around negativity, I find it drains me and zaps my energy, and I try to avoid neurotic people who should probably do a bit more yoga or something! I like to keep things simple and be happy with what I’ve got – I’m not interested in awards or achievements, and I draw inspiration from anyone or anything that has the same ethos as me.

What’s on your bucket list?
I don’t actually have one – my personality is such that I really am quite unpredictable and hard to pin down, I get an idea in my head and either go off and do it, or get bored waiting for it to happen! When I was younger, I was desperate to explore every corner of the globe, but that’s faded as I’ve gotten older. I’d love to spend a bit more time in Norway – my current dream is to buy a boat and live on it for a bit, touring the coastline and skiing further north of the country. I’d love to spend some time above the Arctic Circle, it’s an area that’s always fascinated me – I love the culture, the clothing (my first degree was in Textiles) and the people – I guess that would take in a lot of Siberia and Alaska as well.

Other than that, I’m very much enjoying being in the Highlands of Scotland at the moment and am struggling to find a reason to leave as there’s so much to do here – my next stop is Orkney. For the winter, I’m hoping to build on my very, very basic ski touring skills and spend lots of time in the Scottish hills on ski, doing a bit of hut-to-hut touring, bothy style!

Lastly, what is your running mantra?
I have a few:

– anything is better than nothing,

– just do it, and;

– good things happen when you wear the right shoes.

Fantastic stuff Sarah! Thank you so much for this interview. Your enthusiasm for life experiences is infectious believe me. Can’t wait to hear more about your future adventures  #ThisGirlCan

Jeff

What did you do with your time before running?
I always liked to keep fit.  Having trained as a dancer from a young age, through to University (I did a Dance performance degree), my focus was always on fitness for health rather than just to look good. Mainly I did strength and core work, and particularly enjoyed classes involving weights and TRX. Running was something I shied away from, and certainly not something I was ever keen on doing

What made you decide on a marathon as your first running event?
My Uncle was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease a number of years ago.  Having watched his rapid decline and the effect it has had on the family, I always felt helpless, which is very difficult when you are so close to someone suffering.  He was very fortunate to receive a Deep Brain stimulation operation in 2011, which has certainly improved his quality of life tremendously, but still the disease is debilitating.  I wanted to personally do something to help find a cure for this awful disease.  I was so bad at running, 10 minutes was a stretch for me, and this was common knowledge amongst all my peers and family.  One thing I knew people would donate towards would be me running a Marathon, particularly one as iconic as London. I entered VLM2014 in the April of 2013.  In the October I discovered I had a place.  I don’t know if I believe in fate, but given how difficult it is to get a place, I like to think it happened for a reason.

Family & friends are clearly important to you – how has your Uncle inspired you?
My Uncle is, and always has been, an incredible man.  Growing up he was the life and soul of the party. Generous, kind, funny, you could not ask for a better Uncle, or person to look up to. He is my Dad’s best friend and therefore I was very fortunate growing up with him as such a huge part of my life. The effect this disease has on someone is impossible to describe, it would take hours, and there are so many side effects that many won’t be aware of. John has always maintained his sense of humour throughout his diagnoses and decline caused by the disease. He makes jokes about it, he will not be beaten by it, and his strength in the face of something he ultimately has no control over is impossible not to be inspired by.

I would love to say I would have the same attitude if faced with similar, but I truly think it takes a very rare character to deal with something like this the way he has. Whenever I feel I cannot be bothered to do a training session, I think of the fact he doesn’t get to make that decision. He never gets to choose whether to run or not, that decision was made for him, and this makes me so grateful for the simple fact I can do it whenever I want to.

Who or what else inspires you?
I am inspired by so many for so many reasons. My family have all got such strong morals and close bond that every day I want to do them proud. In running terms, I think its common to look up to faster and more experienced runners as I am always striving to do better, go further, run faster.

In truth, I think I am often more inspired by those people who take longer to cover the same distance and never give up. It’s hard to say that without sounding patronising, but I find it so inspiring watching those final runners who easily could have given up when they know they are at the back of the field of a big race, hardly anyone around to cheer them in. That takes true guts and commitment. A good friend I met on a running site was unfortunately plagued with injury last year and missed out on doing her first marathon (Brighton) in 2014. She completed it this year, basically two years of training to complete that one race. It was possibly my proudest moment, watching someone so determined to achieve their goal no matter what efforts it took.

Now you’ve just completed the London 2 Brighton Challenge 100km.  How was it?
Tough! I went with a very different strategy to my usual ‘pace yourself and keep something in the tank’ on road marathons. My aim was to get as many miles under my belt whilst feeling good, knowing there would be low points further down the line.

The first 40km I got done in a relatively quick time and I felt amazing. Then my ITB issues flared up and to be honest it was touch and go for a while whether I would finish or not. I think a few friends who saw me on route expected me to have to drop given my awkward walk/shuffle. BUT, I was determined not to give in, and got a second wind when the knee eased off a bit.

The second half of my race was much slower – I could have pushed harder as fuelling had gone well and I otherwise felt strong, but I would then have risked pulling up entirely, and that was just not an option. The final hill over The Downs during the last 10km of the race was really tough. It’s a relentless climb and seems near impossible when you’ve already covered such a huge distance. You reach a checkpoint at the 88km mark and in front of you is this massive hill you’ve been heading towards for miles. But once you get to the top, the views are absolutely stunning and absolutely worth the pain.

Finishing was very emotional, I felt overwhelmed and I have to say I’m so proud of myself. This time two years ago I hadn’t even done my first race yet (British 10km in July in prep for London Marathon). To have completed 10 times that distance just doesn’t seem to have sunk in. It was the hardest thing I have ever done – but absolutely wonderful. I loved it!

Is most of your training goal or enjoyment driven?
Having started out very much hating every second of running, I was purely focused on the goal ahead – raise as much money for charity and get through the marathon.  In the process I fell in love with running, and got a little race addicted. I think this is common when you first start improving, or certainly seems to be the case with the people I speak to. I find races are good as it gives me a goal, and something to strive towards. My training is always more diverse with the need for sprint intervals, hill repeats etc. But I am definitely more focused on enjoyment now, and a huge run in a park with no real idea of how far I am going to run or for how long is a great way to explore beautiful places. There is so much to see, and running is a great way of doing that.

So you’re not one for @stravawankers then?
Hahahaha! I think I have managed to avoid that tag. To be honest, it’s easy to get carried away with obsessing over pace, and beating segments etc. Because my training has been so focused and tailored to my goals, I haven’t been able to get distracted by those things thankfully – I can appreciate why people do. I also think whilst I would never even consider logging a walk around a shopping centre for instance, if it makes people more aware of their fitness and health, then that’s only a good thing. But no, I certainly wont be logging myself mowing the lawn any time soon!

How do you get through the emotional and physical battles on such endurance events?
The mental side is the biggest challenge. I know I have the fitness for it now. The work for races tends to come before, and as long as I work hard and eat right, the only worry is injury. Seeing a physio regularly has been a great way of keeping my body at its best.  I do rehab exercises before I am even injured, because I know my weak areas and don’t want to find a problem too late and be out for weeks trying to fix it.

But mentally it is tougher. It is also tougher the longer you are out there for. Sprinting a 10km tends to hurt from start to end, but you know its over relatively quickly. An endurance event tends to just slowly get tougher, and so much time in your own head, you do end up questioning everything. It’s a constant battle of ‘can I do this, I could just stop, ouch is that a niggle or a real injury, my goodness I can’t do it, what was I thinking’. I think I put too much pressure on myself sometimes because I am raising money for charity for this event, which means I always panic that I will let people down, and that can easily put you in a negative state of mind. But equally it’s an extra push when I am suffering and considering giving up. That combined with the knowledge that every time I have thought I won’t make it, I have, I think mentally I am stubborn enough to make it.  There’s a lot to be said for being stubborn (a family trait I have picked up!)

Haha! You’re clearly driven by challenges – what others are on your bucket list?
My bucket list tends to have two new things added every time I tick one off!  There are a few races I am desperate to do – Comrades, Marathon Des Sables, New York Marathon, Race to the Stones. There are so many beautiful places to run now I am keen to explore a bit more.  I also have a Skydive to do soon – this is something I am so excited about.  To be honest if someone came to me with a challenge I would probably say yes before even considering what it was – I love testing myself.  Any ideas?

How about Amalfi Coast Trail – or a Lost Worlds Racing event?

That is some bucket list Lana! What lessons would you pass on to fellow runners?
Don’t go too fast when you start – it’s so easily done. Go slower and cover more distance then slowly build up pace. Also, it hurts. I know so many people who told me it wasn’t getting easier, even though their stats showed they’d gone faster or further. It doesn’t get easier, you just get faster I think is the saying. Also switch it up a bit. Always going out and covering the same route and same distance at the same pace gets monotonous. Explore new places, add in hills, do some sprint sections. All of this helps improve your running, but even if you’re not looking to improve, it keeps it exciting and interesting.

What’s the best running advice you’ve ever been given?
Turn off your watch.  I went through a stage where I hit a rut and panicked every time my pace wasn’t quite the same as normal. This also happened during a race recently, and the second I stopped looking at pace I felt far calmer. My second half without the watch ended up exactly the same pace as my first half with the watch – it showed me you must trust your body, don’t rely on technology as it can get the better of you!

Very true. What has the running community given you?
Without it I don’t know if I would have made it to my first marathon. The support and advice is incredible, and chatting with such a diverse selection of people, all different levels of achievements and goals, makes it much easier to be confident in yourself and your own abilities. I honestly feel a sense of belonging within the community, but it also gives me accountability knowing others look up to me (regardless of whether I believe they should or not) – I can now give newcomers the advice and support I was given when I started.

What would you say to anyone thinking about taking up jogging/running?
DO it. You probably won’t like it at first, I didn’t. But stick with it and you will find a new joy, a new way to explore, and a great way to keep fit. You’ll also find an amazing community to be a part of!

In three words, describe your running story.

Unexpected. Determined. Euphoric.

Lana thank you so much for sharing your story. What you’ve achieved so far is incredible and shows how we can surpass our expectations when we have a cause. Can’t wait to hear how you get on with your skydive!  #ThisGirlCan

p.s. Lana’s favourite post-run food is not as healthy as her usual clean diet. But then that’s the beauty of running

If you’re inspired by Lana’s story and want to get more active, visit BBC ‘Get Involved’

Jeff