Polly Farrington: Runner, because walking takes too long

My name is Polly and in the daytime hours I work as a Management Consultant in the city, most other hours I am running, cycling and generally baffling anyone who can’t understand why someone would get up at 5am to go on a pre-work run.

1. I started running 18 months ago and never looked back

2. I run because walking takes too long? I don’t really have a particular reason for running around, I quite like Scott Jurek’s mantra ‘sometimes you just do things’, that’s probably why I started. Shoe-wise I have moved through Brooks and Asics and now wear a rather snappy pair of black/pink/lime Mizuno Wave Rider 16s

3. The last run I did was around 6 miles on Sunday. I had set out with my mum and sister on an 11 miler but after about 30 minutes the weather got a bit apocalyptic and I had dressed very over-optimistically. I turned back to avoid catching pneumonia but the others soldiered on.

4. My favourite bit of kit that I wear both running and cycling is my Rapha wind jacket. Its crazy light, keeps out the wind and looks great. It’s not cheap but on a cost per wear basis I’ve got it down to fractions of pennies.

5. I'm currently training for the Ealing Half, and have just completed the London Duathlon

6. I always try to listen to the Marathon Talk podcast on my long run, and then I tend to just save music for races or particularly painful speed sessions. I like knowing I don’t have to rely on music to get through the distance and being able to pay attention to your breathing makes pacing decisions much easier.

7. I run with the Ealing Eagles and try to always make it down to their interval sessions on a Thursday.

8. I'm currently obsessed with all things Duathlon. I love cycling (I was cycling before I was running) and training for the London Duathlon allowed me to combine my two great loves.

9. I'm bringing mountain running to this blog, and throwing it down on the table. I recently read Moire O'Sullivan’s ‘Mud Sweat and Tears’, and there is nothing more hardcore than being able to run up and down mountains.

10. I'm currently having issues trying to fit everything I want to do into the week. Bernard’s watch anyone?

11. I’m not a big inspirational quote kinda gal, but Jens Voigt’s ‘Shut Up Legs’ (see photo below) seemed to do the job pretty well during the last couple of bike laps and the final 5k of the London Duathlon.

Polly is on twitter and writes a blog about all things cycling and duathloning.  Go forth and be inspired.

Mrs B: Estonian Runner, cyclist and Mum.

I originally met Mrs B on twitter because she was also running the Paris marathon - same one as me.  Then I met her in real life last weekend at Write This Run, whilst standing in line for some hamburgers.  She's exceedingly dedicated and can lift some serious weights. Over to you, Liina! 

Online I’m called MrsB and I blog at Mind over Matter. I am originally from Estonia but I studied in the US and then lived in Australia for 6 years before moving to London 7 years ago with my Aussie husband. I have two sons (8&4) and a job in web publishing. I used to be a cyclist in Australia but the streets of London scare me so I ended up becoming a runner instead.

1.  I started running about 3 years ago and it’s helped me through PND and given me a strong new identity.

2.  I run because it’s my quiet me-time away from the kids and because it makes me feel like a badass.

3.  The last run I did was two days ago and I ran 10km. It was my second run after my first marathon and it actually felt surprisingly nice (and short!).

4.  My current favorite piece of kit is my bright green Paris marathon finisher’s t-shirt. I suspect next week my favorite piece of kit will be my very first Garmin sports watch that I’m getting for my birthday.

5.  I’m currently recovering from the marathon and not training for anything that’s in the near future. I am doing a little 10k birthday race this weekend, but my main focus in the next months will be on Run to the Beat and Royal Parks half marathons in September and October.

6.  I used to listen to music a lot when I ran – Robyn, LaRoux, Brittney Spears, Carly Rae Jepsen – anything with a good beat, embarrassing otherwise or not. These days I just listen to the birds singing or the cars driving by because on my last run with music I got so carried away that I didn’t pay attention to tree roots and face planted to the ground.

7.  In addition to running I go to Crossfit twice a week, it makes my legs and my core strong, it makes me a faster runner and it’s a lot of fun.

8.  Running has hugely changed the way I eat. I used to get hypoglycemic attacks when running so I gave up sugar. I used to get GI issues on long runs so I gave up gluten. Now that I’ve figured out what fuel my body runs best on, running is nothing but pure joy.  When I carbo load, it’s rice and sweet potatoes all the way. I highly recommend it, carbo loading does not have to mean bread and pasta.

9.  I’m currently obsessed with my running technique and maybe giving a go at running in ‘barefoot’ running shoes. First step is to get some professional guidance on it.
10.  Finally, here’s my inspiration quote. When I’m having a tough run OR when I’m having a good run, it reminds me that I’m doing what I’m meant to be doing :)