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Fell Running, Marathons & Mountain Biking; Founder of Element for Active Women - 018: Ruth Pickvance

Release Date: 02/09/2022

Trailblazing the Wales Coast Path in 2012 & other adventures - 020: Arry Cain

HeadRightOut

Arry Cain set off in March 2012 to run the equivalent of 40 marathons in 40 days along a brand new trail, the Wales Coast Path. She would become the first person to run around the perimeter of Wales, including the Wales Coast Path. and officially launched the opening of the Path in Cardiff Bay, as she ran her last mile of a gruelling 1027 miles on 5th May. Ten years on, Arry shares her determination, her difficulties and more about the doubters that she could even achieve such an immense challenge. The impact of some of those messages left a deep scar that was hard to heal, but here...

A Donkey, Children & Slow Ways; inspiring human-powered home travel: Hannah Engelkamp - 019

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Hannah Engelkamp talks about walking Wales with a spirited donkey, children, adventures and the pandemic. Her current passion is inspiring others to walk Slow Ways routes, a new network of direct paths, from settlement to settlement, across Great Britain. Hannah is a writer and editor with a background in adventure magazines and websites. In 2013 she travelled waywardly around the circumference of Wales, 1000 miles, with a characterful donkey called Chico as her companion. In 2015 she published ‘Seaside Donkey’, a book and a feature-length film of the same, detailing her...

Fell Running, Marathons & Mountain Biking; Founder of Element for Active Women - 018: Ruth Pickvance

HeadRightOut

Ruth shares her passion for the mountains, becoming an international fell running champion, fast marathons and how mountain bike orienteering has captured her interest aged 60. She is the founder of Element, offering active courses for women in Wales. In 2012, Ruth Pickvance, an adventurous, retired international fell running champion and super-fast marathon runner, left her well-paid head of faculty role at a Sixth Form College, to set up Element. The business offers women the opportunity to find confidence in outdoor pursuits such as Yoga for Runners, Beginning Fell Running and...

Truffles, Tribes & Tragedy; Healing Through World Foods & Adventures - 017: Sue Plastow

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After the sudden death of her husband, Sue Plastow and her family left their Italian truffle orchard to return to the UK. Less than 12 months later, she is finding her feet again with exciting plans ahead that involves outdoor adventures, good food and a space for women to walk and talk. Her children experienced a wonderfully feral upbringing of travel and freedom. Now it’s Sue’s turn to find adventures to honour her late husband’s memory. Her positivity and zest for life is infectious. While she is aware that she is still grieving, Sue knows that the only way forward is to...

A Do or Die Decision on Weight Loss; Discovering a New Life Outdoors - 016: Maria Roberts

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This is a compelling conversation between Zoe and Maria Roberts about transitioning from size 26 to size 10. Self-loathing and lacking in confidence, her family needed her. She knew that she would have to make changes. She had to start moving her body and change her lifestyle, despite attempting many unsuccessful diets from the age of ten. After her amazing 8 stone weight loss in her late forties, Maria has now discovered a new-found love for staying fit, being in the outdoors, cycling, canoeing and particularly going on mountain walks and challenges. Her most recent challenge,...

Miles, Mountains & Menopause: Getting My Life Back - 015: Jo Bradshaw

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As a business advisor who feared heights, Jo Bradshaw never would have dreamed that just a few years later she would summit Mount Everest and lead expeditions across the world. Having now reached six out of the seven highest peak summits, on each of the seven continents, Jo shares how her biggest challenge found her learning to manage the blended symptoms of grief, menopause and lockdown, and how new adventures have since been born. In her conversation with Zoe, she is so incredibly honest about how severely her perimenopause symptoms affected her and how HRT has been a total...

Van Life, Challenging Ageist Attitudes & Pro-ageing; Retire Adventurously & Positively - 014: Siobhan Daniels

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At 49, Siobhan Daniels travelled the world on a solo backpack. She’s seen herself through burn-out, ageism, and workplace bullying, while dealing with grief and menopause. Siobhan retired from the BBC after a 30-year career and is now living her best life. A fun and powerful chat with a woman who has endured much pain and tragedy. Encouraging us all as we grow older, she lives and travels the UK in her motorhome, championing pro-aging and happier than ever. She says, ‘you are never too old for adventure

Oceans Seven & 1111km Extreme Ultra-Triathlon; Strength, Meditation and Mindful Music - 013: Abhejali Bernardová

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Abhejali Bernardová is a midlife open-water swimmer, runner and ultra-triathlete. Using her mind to see her through the toughest land and ocean-based endurance events she discusses her deepest reasons for choosing challenge. This conversation is not just about sport, as the powerful methods of self-talk and managing the mind during endurance events are shared. The calm and positive approach to the episode allows you to consider and maybe improve the health, condition and mechanics of your own headspace.

Explore, Challenge and Observe: The Three Pillars of HeadRightOut - Solopisode - 012: Zoe Langley-Wathen

HeadRightOut

Zoe shares in more detail about the three pillars of HeadRightOut, EXPLORE, CHALLENGE, and OBSERVE. She talks about what they mean for her, for the podcast, and HeadRightOut as a business, plus what they mean for YOU. They have, after all been written with you in mind. Zoe knows she’s not alone in the way her brain operates and that there are billions of people, women in particular, who share the same fears and pain points as her. Zoe believes these pillars will speak to you, as they have for her.

The world needs an Adventure Revolution: and midlife women to organise it! - 011: Belinda Kirk

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With over 26 years of experience in leading expeditions, Belinda Kirk has witnessed the positive impact of undertaking outdoor challenges on mental health and wellbeing. She believes that now, more than ever, adventure should be the go-to for ALL age-groups. She shares the foundations of her ground-breaking book, Adventure Revolution and the importance of having a mindset that includes comfort zone stretching in order to grow in confidence, developing long-lasting self-efficacy, self-esteem and resilience.

More Episodes

In 2012, Ruth Pickvance, an adventurous, retired international fell running champion and super-fast marathon runner, left her well-paid head of faculty role at a Sixth Form College, to set up Element. The business offers women the opportunity to find confidence in outdoor pursuits such as Yoga for Runners, Beginning Fell Running and Mountain Biking for Beginners. At sixty years old, Ruth herself has discovered that she enjoys mountain bike orienteering, which marries her love of the outdoors with the joy of moving her body with less impact on her joints than perhaps those marathons of her forties had created.

Living in the beautiful Brecon Beacons, Ruth shares more about her involvement in local environmental projects and conservation, as well as offering some first-hand wisdom regarding facing our fears and stretching those comfort zones.

SHOW LINKS for RUTH PICKVANCE:

Website: https://element-active.co.uk/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elementactive/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RuthPickvance

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/elementactiveuk

***PLEASE VOTE FOR HEADRIGHTOUT IN THE SPORTS PODCAST AWARDS:***

In the Best Urban and Adventure Category

https://www.sportspodcastawards.com/categories/18

Where to find HeadRightOut and Zoe on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/HeadRightOut/

https://www.instagram.com/headrightout/

https://twitter.com/HeadRightOut

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-langley-wathen/

[email protected]

Music used in this episode:

This Minimal Technology by Coma-Media from Pixabay

Morning Garden - Acoustic Chill by Olexy from Pixabay

The Cradle of Your Soul by lemonmusicstudio from Pixabay -

Simple Piano Melody by ZakharValaha from Pixabay

Intro, outro and transitions - ‘Stay Strong’ by Caffeine Creek Band

SHOW NOTES:

Welcome to the episode 00:51
Request for votes in the Sports Podcast Awards - Best Urban and Adventure Category - currently ranked in third place - this is likely to change 01:17
Different format for episode due to mic problems when recording. Please let me know if you like the format or preferred HeadRightOut’s original style 02:27
What to expect in our conversation. 03:23
Where Zoe and Ruth first met and Ruth’s bio: International Mountain Runner, Former British Fell Champion, fast marathon runner, exploring nature and founder of Element 04:06
How Ruth came into racing, visiting the Lake District one Christmas around 1985 and making a spontaneous decision 06:20
How quickly Ruth became good at the sport and why it touched a chord with her 08:42
How old Ruth was when she started racing and where her deep-rooted love of the mountains stemmed from 09:33
Zoe talks about the Gold Hill 10 race in Shaftesbury, Dorset - the strength needed running uphill vs the fear of running downhill 10:41
Where the fear comes from and how it affects us when running downhill 11:42
How to let go and deal with the fear head on 13:10
Understanding resilience both personally for Ruth and in general 15:13
What is fear, to Ruth? Recognising negative cycles and what we need 18:36
About perimenopause symptoms for Zoe 21:19
When menopause kicked in for Ruth and how she handled it 22:44
Ruth’s love for swimming and other activities - cycling, running, strength work, land management, walking 24:35
Zoe hearing about positive impact of exercise from other women in perimenopause including Jo Moseley 26:05
Ruth’s recommendations to see a GP or specialist doctor in menopause and HRT if symptoms are debilitating 26:42
Zoe’s experience with some of the perimenopause symptoms 27:27
Ruth talks about bringing curiosity to fear in order to see fear differently 29:09
Digging deep when the doubts and thoughts of being hopeless creep in 31:32
Mountain biking for beginners with Element - Ruth shares what some of the participants have said about the two-day course 35:28
What Element offers to women coming on the workshops and courses 38:14
Ruth’s volunteer work with Stump Up for Trees, planting a million trees 42:50
Guardian articles and reviews, Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent and Kate Rawles 44:42
Talking about Ruth’s days racing and fell running in the UK and Europe 46:08
Types of sponsorship available and the preference to not be fully professional as an athlete 48:32
Ruth’s HeadRightOut Moment 50:40
Running marathons and choosing fell running over the Olympics 51:57
Where to find Ruth on her website and on social media 53:50
Laughing about talking for fifty minutes. Thanks from Zoe to Ruth 54:40
Zoe shares Ruth’s PB for her fast marathon. Subscribe to Ruth’s newsletter for Element 55:08
Lou Lloyd’s HeadRightOut Moment - wild camping solo in the Brecon Beacons and WWOOFING on a smallholding 57:00
Zoe taking a short break to deal with family things 59:44
Please let Zoe know what you thought of the episode format 1:00:10
Please vote for HeadRightOut in the Sports Podcast Awards 1:00:43
Thanks to the listeners, thanks to the guests and an invitation to plan and then step out of your comfort zone 1:00:55
HeadRightOut Hugs to all 1:01:39

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