#13 Faye Johnson: Meet our very own Faye! Coaching, Competing, and Women in Running!

Meet our very own Faye Johnson!

Faye is a coach here at Maximum Mileage and she brings a unique set of skills and perspective, as well as a massive dose of just being ace!! We love Faye at MM and you will too!

We don't stop at Faye's personal journey. We take the conversation a step further and look at the importance of treating athletes holistically, understanding that the road to greatness involves a lot more than just physical training. Faye's insights as a female coach in the world of running brings a unique perspective on the importance of recognizing and addressing the different needs of male and female athletes, including the often overlooked issue of women's menstrual cycle in relation to training. 

Our chat with Faye doesn't end without touching on the sensitive issue of gender in outdoor activities. Faye talks about the unique challenges women face in male-dominated activities and the quest to find equipment designed for the female body. She wraps up the episode extending an invitation to listeners interested in coaching or consulting services. So, get ready for an insightful and inspiring ride into the world of running with Faye Johnson.

If you want Faye as your running coach then drop her a DM on Instagram @fayejohnsoncoaching or make an enquiry here... https://www.maximummileagecoaching.com/about-faye-johnson

Right, that's us done. If that was useful… share it. Stick it in your club WhatsApp, send it to that mate who's always getting injured three weeks before race day. You know the one ;)

If you want to go deeper on any of this, Nick puts out videos every week on YouTube, and the entire team of coaches are sharing helpful tips on their instagram channels... links below. And if you're thinking you actually need a proper plan and someone in your corner… we've got Guided Coaching from 97 quid a month, right up to full one-to-one coaching with the coach of your choice. Either way, maximummileagecoaching.com is where you want to be.

See you on the next one.

To work with us - https://join.maximummileagecoaching.com/home-page-9835

Nick's YT - youtube.com/channel/UCgdIPeN3bF7I7-tcspyFbVg/

Faye's IG - https://www.instagram.com/fayejohnsoncoaching/

Rachael's IG - https://www.instagram.com/rachforthelongrun/

Hannah's IG - https://www.instagram.com/coach_hannah_witt/

Matt's IG - https://www.instagram.com/ultracoachmatt/

Transcript

Faye's Running Journey and Achievements

Speaker 1 0:02

Hey, delighted to welcome you onto the podcast as a guest. What's that about?

Speaker 2 0:08

I know right.

Speaker 1 0:10

Indeed.

Speaker 2 0:11

Yes.

Speaker 1 0:12

I think, yeah, I'm absolutely excited actually about talking to you, about you and your running, and introducing you to all of our listeners and, potentially, people that we may coach or just want to listen to our jibba jabba.

Speaker 2 0:28

Yes, absolutely yeah.

Speaker 1 0:31

So yeah, Faye, welcome to the podcast. You are a coach with Maximal Mileage, so tell us a little bit about Faye. Before we talk about you running, I want to hear about Faye. You know who is Faye and what does Faye love to do and where's Faye from, and all of that good stuff.

Speaker 2 0:50

Oh, the question that leads to, where's Faye from? And often people go oh, here we go. Okay, so born a Scouser and then, before I was able to notice, I was whisked down south and yeah, no scous accident at all.

Speaker 2 1:16

No, so left the Wirral aged four, maybe younger, and then spent, yeah, moved to the Isle of and then the Isle of Wight to Somerset, and then Somerset to Bath, and then Bath to Wiltshire, corsham and then Corsham to New Zealand and then New Zealand to the Lake District and then back to Corsham and then South Wales.

Speaker 1 1:47

Which is quite interesting because I'm from South Wales, you pretty much live where I'm from and now I pretty much live where you're from, kind of, yeah, exactly A random twist of fate. I mean, I don't live in Liverpool, but I live in Corsham, which is where you've done a lot of your life.

Speaker 2 2:05

Yes, exactly, so it's funny how things work out, but yeah.

Speaker 1 2:11

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean you live in South Wales now and in the Montmartre area.

Speaker 2 2:22

Yeah, so yeah, south Wales has been home now for coming on eight years, which is, yeah, flown by. But, yeah, I absolutely love it here and it's just nice to have so much open space on the doorstep, which, you know, although most of the other places I've lived have had that, it's not been quite like this. There's something quite unique about the different parts of South Wales that you don't necessarily get anywhere else in England. I know people will say, oh, the Lake District, you know, and I'm like, yeah, get it, it's beautiful. But there's something special about Wales that, yeah, definitely so yeah, yeah.

Speaker 1 3:08

And you've got the Y Valley, you've got Offers Dyke, you've got the Beacons on your doorstep, the Black Mountains on your doorstep. You know, you've got some, especially for somebody with your skill set. When it comes to two running, which we'll talk about in a bit, that's just absolute heaven for you, isn't it?

Speaker 2 3:26

Absolutely, absolutely, and Wales is a big part of why I think, how my running became more and more significant really. So, yeah, it's been a big part of my love for the outdoors since I was in school really because I was only talking about this the other day we used to take regular school trips to South Wales. Being at school in the West Country, the closest place to get outdoors was South Wales, so we were often on a bus crossing the bridge to do something over here. So it's kind of been part of my life since I was quite young.

Speaker 1 4:03

So, yeah, it's funny they didn't do it in the opposite direction. When I was a kid we were like we were like if we got as far as Newport, he let us go himself. And then we picked it up and he said what about my gown? Probably not right. So it was like me and almost all of us were kind of running into thank-you dog, maybe I name it.

Speaker 2 4:36

We did a lot of workplace places and they'll be like, yeah, I hated swimming and she'd take any chance to. I'd be like, right, if you want me to run cross country, I'll go run cross country and often I'd be one of the only, if not a small handful of girls that would go out and run around the fields, but it was a damn sight better than the swimming pool.

Speaker 1 5:00

Yeah, you and me both on that. I mean I love swimming. But yeah, people keep asking me are you gonna do an Ironman anytime soon? Nope, I couldn't think of anything worse.

Speaker 2 5:11

Yeah, it's interesting because swimming is a bit of yeah, an odd one, because I experienced a pretty significant situation when I was younger which caused a phobia of swimming and as a result, I avoided it successfully from about the age of six to about the age of 18. And I had to do a life-saving element to my university entry, and so a very kind teacher of mine, nikki Teesdale, took me through basically from not being able to swim at all to being able to swim well, at least 10 lengths and complete the life-saving part of this entry course and, funnily enough, that kind of started me on that kind of actually I can swim and a whole other story. But I got into triathlon and completed a half Ironman yeah, you did, didn't you? So it kind of worked out and now I do like swimming, but I went about it in a yeah, it came about more through necessity rather than wanting to do it.

Speaker 1 6:31

So you got into swimming because you didn't like. You got into running because you didn't like swimming. Yes, yes, and how was it? Kind of? You know, because you know you're a running coach and your list of accolades for your running which again we'll talk about in a bit, you know it's pretty extensive. So how have you gone? You know what's been your journey with running, kind of how is it all kind of started? Because you know you didn't just go straight out and start you know smashing mountain races, did you?

Speaker 2 7:05

No, it started from a love of the mountains and a love of the outdoors, back again in school with a big rucksack and walking boots. It started with hiking and walking and then, you know, trips to the Pyrenees and Morocco Again big rucksack, hiking boots. There wasn't a bit of kind of fast packing in sight, you know, there wasn't a pair of trail shoes, but that's kind of where it started in my late teens. And then a lady that is now a very good friend that I met on this Pyrenees trip suggested to me hey, fay, there's this great run that goes along the Jurassic coast in Dorset. It's three marathons over three days.

Speaker 2 7:54

I've done it before. Do you fancy having a go and being I must have been 18, going on 19,. I was like, of course I do. So I signed up to this race, having probably run no more than a 10K race, and that was genuinely the first thing, the first kind of running distance off-road thing that I did, and I just hooked me and I did do myself no favours and I couldn't run for about six weeks afterwards because I was so underprepared.

Speaker 1 8:33

I was going to say I mean, that's the kind of event that I know a few pretty serious runners go and do and they're knackered after three days. So just go in sort of yeah, I'll go and have a go at that. Yeah, totally.

Speaker 2 8:47

And I think whether that's youth or stupidity, I'm not sure but I did that race and I just loved it. I just absolutely love the whole concept of being able to get yourself from one point to another under your own steam, and I just vividly remember being fuelled by 90% flatjack and then 10% flat coke.

Speaker 2 9:14

I think. But yeah, had an absolute blast and that was probably the first thing I did that really kickstarted that whole off-road distance running. And I didn't see it as racing, I saw it as a challenge to get from A to B. So in my head it was never a race at that point, it was a. Oh, let's see if I can push myself and see how far I can go. And that's kind of where it started, yeah, and where's it?

Speaker 1 9:46

gone to over the years. What have you achieved with your running? What are your the things you're most proud of with your running?

Speaker 2 9:59

I think it's funny because I started to see success in my running when I was living in New Zealand and people might say, oh well, it's quite a small pond, but it's not in the sense of you know, you've, obviously the island of New Zealand is quite small, but the athletes that are out there are incredible.

Speaker 1 10:23

And there's quite an amazing trail running history in New Zealand as well.

Speaker 2 10:25

Exactly, and I was kind of I was doing and you know, kind of half marathon was the kind of distance I focused on when I was out there Off-road half marathons and I was finding myself kind of finishing in the top three of these races and I was like, oh my God, this is. I just thought, oh, this is cool, I wonder what I need to do to kind of continue this. And that really started it. And then I then came back from New Zealand and I really hit triathlon very hard and so there was about three years where triathlon was my life and then I decided this is too time consuming and went back to just running. And that subsequently was when I moved to Wales as well. But I think it was kind of getting myself from that point where I thought, oh, this is going really well, to then just running with the team and just running with, I think, looking back on it, no pressure. And as I ran I found myself getting quicker and entering races because, like that first race I entered, I just wanted to see what I could do and how much I could challenge myself. And as a result of that, I think, if I think back, one of the first significant things that I achieved was it was an ultramarathon in 2017, I think it was or 2016, somewhere around there, and it was along the Gower in South Wales and it was, I think it was about 40 miles, something like that. And I came second in this ultra and I was like again thinking bloody hell, this is yeah. And again, I can't say to you that I did it with any sounds. I don't mean to sound this, to sound like I didn't try, because I did try, but I didn't go into it with any kind of I will win this or I will get a podium finish. I just wanted to see what I could do, so did that race and subsequently, over the next year or 18 months, I was doing races locally and kind of further afield in Wales and kind of finding myself over finishing in the top three or the top five.

From Triumph to Setback

Speaker 2 13:03

And the next significant one was probably when I did man vs Horse, which is quite an iconic Welsh crazy race where a large group of humans race against a large group of horses. And the first time I did it I came second. I was second lady and again, not yeah, it was just like I can't believe it and that I think around. That time was when I really started to think. Do you know what I mean? I started to think I want to do well, when I enter a race, I want to see if I can achieve that kind of at least top five or top three in a race, and man vs Horse is a prime example of so. That year I think it was 2017, I was second.

Speaker 2 14:04

I went back in 2018, I came third and then in 2019, I went and I came first lady and I was that yeah, that was. I was super chuffed. And 2019 was the year I refer back to it as the golden year Because that was the year of winning man vs Horse. I also came. I think I came in the top three of Winter Trail Half and then I also won the Winter no, the Night Trail race at Croyda, brennan. I won that, which is an Endura event. So I think it was as many laps as you could do, this 5K lap, as many times as you could in three hours, and I won that in 2019.

Speaker 2 14:57

And I also, going back to your original question, I suppose one of my biggest, if not my biggest kind of achievement has to be earning a Welsh Fest in 2019 in mountain running. So we were selected and then we raced the Snowden International race. So that's from the bottom of Snowden in Lamberis up the Lamberis path and then back down as quick as you can. And for me that was just. I just remember thinking I can't believe I've done that. I'm not even Welsh, I know yeah.

Speaker 2 15:35

But it's that thing where you go. Oh God, I feel like you know. There's this rule in athletics where, as long as you've lived somewhere for two years at least two years you qualify as that nationality. And I remember having the email sent to me beforehand by Welsh athletics basically saying are you happy to declare that you are no longer English and you are now Welsh? And I felt like I was doing some kind of. It was like bloody hell, this is very serious, isn't it? But yeah, I was like yeah, hell, yeah, I'm now Welsh, I'll sign that piece of paper for whatever it means.

Speaker 2 16:16

But yeah, so yeah, that year 2019 was particularly special because a number of different races just kind of fell into place. So for me actually, yes, because I got to that point with back to back successes, but he also getting to that point with no injuries and no, no, severe, you know nothing. I hadn't had a burnout, I hadn't got an injury, I was. It was just all good. And for me, I, yeah, I think maybe that came off the back of just not overthinking things and just doing it, because you love doing it and that's always been my ethos. You've got to love doing it because, at the end of the day, it's a hobby.

Speaker 1 17:06

It is. You know, whilst, whilst you know the people that we work with and you know ourselves as well, we're you know we want to do well in our races and you know we have coaches because and we are coaching people because those people want to do well in the races we're not trying to win the world championships.

Speaker 2 17:22

Exactly, and if you're not enjoying it, then you've got a question. So it's important to keep it in perspective and go. I love doing this and it's got to remain. It's got to remain that good thing in your life, definitely.

Speaker 1 17:37

Yeah, so 2019, your kind of marquee year, and then you know what came along? Yeah, the pandemic.

Speaker 2 17:50

Yeah.

Speaker 1 17:51

You've been affected by that, weren't you? You got COVID and tell us about what happened there and kind of what's been the journey since.

Speaker 2 18:02

Yeah, and fairly enough, in the March of 2020, I was in. I was in Mallorca preparing to do a race actually just as they called the actual panic of COVID and decided to shut the borders of Spain, and so the race got cancelled, and then we got flown back and basically came back from Mallorca and had what I think was my first bout of COVID. But obviously we didn't know, and I was ill, but not hugely ill for about a week, 10 days, and that was that. Ignorance was bliss. And then fast forward to November 2020, and I got COVID again. But what seemed bad at the time? Yes, it did seem bad, but to the point where I was really ill for about two or three weeks with all the usual symptoms. But then what happened was certain symptoms like fatigue, coughing and not being able to taste even Marmite and mustard went on for like six months. So fast forward to the spring of kind of 21, and I'm still carrying chronic fatigue. Until to this day, I can't taste Marmite properly and I basically got some people were like good.

Speaker 2 19:36

I know, but mustard, english mustard, I can just eat it out of the jar, but it's so strange because you like that, or no, because they can't taste it.

Speaker 1 19:46

You can't taste it at all.

Speaker 2 19:47

I can, but it tastes mild, really mild. So yeah, so 2021, we're going into the summer now I'm still really tired. I've managed to, so, let's say, from November. I then went on my first run, probably in January, and it was like 5K and it was almost walking pace, and then this just continued and it went on and it went on and I do some form of exercise and I've been knackered, and it just went on and I was running, but I was running slowly, I was running, and then I was going home and having a lie down and, yeah, probably until the end of last year, let's say October, november time, when we started to kind of shed some light on what was going on. But that's how long it took to really start to feel somewhere close to normal, and probably only really since earlier this year if I started to. Well, yeah, yeah, early this year I've started to feel a bit closer to my former self.

Speaker 1 21:12

Yeah, because when was it so for the people listening you? We met because you came to me seeking out my coaching services.

Speaker 2 21:25

Absolutely so. January I did that classic thing of oh my God, I need to sort myself out. New year, let's do something about this, this chronic fatigue, and sort myself out, get back to running like I used to. And I dropped your message, having been following you for about six months, thinking and then I thought maybe I get a running coach. And then I thought I don't need a running coach, for God's sake, faye, who do you think you are? You don't need a running coach. And then inquired with you and then toyed with it for about three weeks and thought can't justify this, can't justify this. And then I would genuinely say it's the best thing I've ever done in regards to helping get me back on track, giving me some kind of motivation and just seeing that session. You know, on training peaks and going, this is what you're doing today. But equally, if I'm not feeling up to it, knowing I can go right, nick, I'm not feeling up to this.

Speaker 1 22:29

Can we adapt it or can we change it, and that is fine as well, but having that reassurance that if you miss a session or you have to change a session, the world will not implode 100% and it's been so interesting seeing you just develop over the time we've been working together Because I am even though you are now a coach at Maximo and Mylige and I'll happily talk about that story in a bit still coaching you now with your running and to see you tickling times that you were doing in your hay day and running confidently and just enjoying it. You know, going back to that point about enjoying it, seeing you enjoying your running again, and you know getting excited about doing things, putting races on your calendar and stuff has just been a joy.

Speaker 2 23:26

Absolutely, and that was something that was missing. Before I got in touch with you, I'd completely lost that desire to do a race. I just thought I don't want to stand on a starting line because I genuinely thought I wouldn't get to the end. I'd got myself to a point where I thought I will not. What if I can't make the finish? What if I collapse halfway through, which sounds really melodramatic. But I'd got myself to such a point that I thought I don't trust my own body, which is weird for a runner, because you usually have some good understanding of what you are capable of, particularly if you've run over longer distances. You kind of understand what you are capable of doing. And I completely lost that. So it kind of made me think, actually, this you can do it again, but I don't think I could have done it on my own, if truth be told. So yeah, it's been, it's been a game changer.

Speaker 1 24:31

And it's just so. It's so interesting just to hear somebody who is, you know it is a running coach. You know you've been a running coach for ages and but it, you know, I have a coach. You know you have me coaching, coaching you, and I have somebody coaching me and I mean, in fact I think it was my coach, and then somebody coaches my coach In fact it's Sir Mo Farrah's ex coach coaches my coach.

Speaker 2 24:57

Okay.

Speaker 1 24:58

So you know all the best coaches have coaches is what is what I say? Because you can't do it on your own. I think that's the things that running is. It is not a thing, is not a solo sport. And if you can get you know help and have somebody working with you, then happy days.

Speaker 2 25:14

Oh, I totally agree. Yeah, you do spend quite well. If you're anything like me, again, ask anyone. I know that I tend to run alone a lot. I don't know if it makes me an anti social so and so, but for me it just works and I do stress out, I stress out, at the thought of going out with someone else, unless it's for.

Speaker 2 25:37

you know, it's a bit different if it's just like a, you know, a little outdoor mountain adventure. But if there's any more structure to it, then I'm like no, I'm doing this on my own, exactly.

Speaker 1 25:51

We did that in my old loop in the the beast of the beacons, didn't we?

Speaker 1 25:55

We did yeah, exactly, so yeah, so, folks, for those of you listening, the reason I decided I wanted Faye to come on board a maximum mileage was because she's just being a joy to work with and whilst, yes, I am coaching her, I, you know I just love her ethos around running and that's why I invited her over to be a coach of maximum mileage. And you know we talked about it and you thought about it and you know there was no rushing into it because you know we're going to make sure that it was. It was all right. It's a bit like getting married. I mean, you're basically my work wife now.

Speaker 2 26:38

Oh, that's so funny. You describe it like that. I probably thought about yeah, true, yeah.

Speaker 1 26:45

Although I didn't get down on one knee and ask you to be be my coach today. No be a coach of maximum mileage, that would have been funny.

Speaker 1 26:52

It would have been weird. That would have been weird. And so that brings me then, on to the question of you know. Now you are coaching and you've got, you know, you're off the mark with some, some great people that you're coaching, a couple of people you know, a couple of people that you don't know, in fact a few people that you don't know, and already starting to get some nice success coming through with those people. So what, what would you say, is your coaching ethos?

Speaker 2 27:28

I think more than anything and I covered this earlier I want people to enjoy it. Not every session is going to be fun. I appreciate that.

Supporting Consistent Training and Holistic Wellness

Speaker 2 27:40

And certainly not every type of session is going to be, you know, easy. But you want that person to get up in the morning, look at their training schedule and go. I'm looking forward to doing that. I'm looking forward to pushing myself, seeing what I can achieve, but equally, being there for them to support them if, for example, they don't hit the target or they don't complete the session. Because, like I said, it's not the end of the world, is it you miss? You miss a rep or you miss a a session, for whatever reason.

Speaker 2 28:18

It's not significant in the bigger picture, and I think we often say this and it is a bit cheesy, but you can keep. If you keep that consistency and you keep that routine, that's where the results come. And I think it's making sure people know you know, supporting them when it's good, obviously, but also supporting them when it doesn't work out quite as they hoped or wanted it to. And there's always tomorrow to try again and see what you can do and take from. Like we always say, there's something to learn from every session, whether it goes to plan or not.

Speaker 2 28:57

But yeah, more than anything, I want people to enjoy it and enjoy the process and want to do it, you know, and not be scared of asking me. You know, faye, can you change this session? Because I don't. I don't know if I, you know, I'm up for that, or you know, I'm very much one of those people that you know, the doors always open and I always want people to feel like they can ask any question, because no question is a silly question and yeah, I think it's about in supporting this is again something I'm really passionate about, but supporting people as a whole person we often talk about this, you know supporting people with their whole life. You know, because there's so many facets to someone and if you can support someone holistically, that's where you see success and I think that's that's really important.

Speaker 1 29:54

Yeah, 100%. Yeah, we work with the people who've got busy lives and kids and jobs and stressful stuff going on and you know, and yeah, okay, you need to maintain that consistency, but missing the odd session because you know work overran or you know you just had a shit day, although you know running does help with that, isn't going to make or break you in the grand scheme of things with you know all the hundreds of miles that we do.

Speaker 2 30:22

So exactly, and you don't want someone, you don't want the running to become one of the stress factors. You know we've got enough of that going on. You want that to be the thing that you can kind of go to and you know when you go running, that's your time, your space, your thing, a way for it's. You know you don't want it to become one of those stressors. So I think that's really important.

Speaker 1 30:48

Yeah, sorry, I pressed the wrong button on my laptop. Then One of the one of the questions I wanted to ask you, being a female coach, what? Because you know I'm male and whilst I'm very comfortable talking about things like periods and hormones and mental cycles and all of that sort of stuff, you you are a female coach first of all, but you also bring with you qualifications. You're doing stuff with a great set up called the well HQ and you've actually just written a fantastic article, which is on the maximum mileage blog, about training when you are going through your mental cycle, and if anybody's listening and want to go and read that, whether you're male or female, go and have a read of it. But how does that sort of then give you a unique perspective as a coach, being a female and with the skill set that you bring?

Speaker 2 31:46

Well, cool, that's a that's a big question.

Speaker 2 31:49

But I think, as a female coach, I suppose and I don't want a gender stereotype but we I personally, as a female love I just want to make people feel at ease and I'm happy to have a blinking good chat with someone before we decide.

Speaker 2 32:16

You know what we're going to do, or you know what, what, what they want to do with their training, or you know and I'm also one of those people that will talk about anything really and, like I said earlier, it's about the many different elements of life that contribute to someone literally just lacing up their trainers and getting out. And I think again that in recent times we're learning more and more, even as women, because this stuff has not been talked about, you know, but that the differences between men and women in sport, and you know, even down to you know the research that's been carried out and how, actually we don't necessarily know as much about ourselves as women and how we're performing and how we perform because of that lack of research into, into females. And I think we're all still learning because it's all still new.

Speaker 1 33:23

I just want to interject there because I think I've heard, you know, David Roche say this before on his podcast and some of the other running coaches here, and you mentioned about the lack of research and people were thinking what do you mean, lack of research? But I'm not kidding. If you pick up any scientific paper about running, you can almost pretty much guarantee that it is going to be a cohort of 25 year old male collegiate athletes.

Speaker 2 33:51

It's in fact, if I remember this correctly, 6% 6% of research is carried out on women.

Speaker 1 33:59

Wow 6%.

Gender in Outdoor Activities and Women's Issues

Speaker 2 34:01

That's horrible and that's pretty awful, and I'll be honest until I guess maybe I'm one of those people that's kind of gone through life slightly Blinkered to it. But equally I think I've been a woman in, I suppose, more male dominated kind of hobbies and things and you kind of forget it's very easy to forget as a woman sometimes that you're not one of the lads. If you do, you know particularly any any woman that takes part in outdoor activities or outdoor sports, or you tend to fall into a group with a bunch of guys. And I'm going back now. You know 15 years and I know things are different now but that kind of we kind of just become one of the gang, one of the lads and you don't, you don't think about the differences. And then as you get older, maybe as you get older, you start to think hang on a minute, that's made for a man. Well, that piece of kit does not fit me because it's made for a man.

Speaker 1 35:11

It's funny, yeah, rucksack.

Speaker 2 35:13

Prime example. You know I do not need to be carrying soft bottles on my boobs over miles and I know that sounds really silly. But you've got a bra run and then you've got your your like running vest on. Then you've got two bottles in there and let's say there's any kind of movement. Oh, hang on. You've got a t-shirt in there as well, maybe two t-shirts and you're just like bloody hell, this is a lot of stuff going on and it's just not comfy.

Speaker 1 35:47

It's funny. Actually I was talking to one of our, one of the athletes eye coach and she's she's eyeing up and running vest and for some reason I could have sworn that Solomon made women's fit vests, but I went on their website and it was all unisex.

Speaker 2 36:06

They used to do women's. I mean, I haven't bought a new running vest for a while. So I will say, and to be fair, both of my running vests are unisex and I'm wearing an extra small in both of them and they're both still slightly too big. And I mean I'm small but I'm not the smallest of female runners, as in you know, there are women out there that I see on the trails that are smaller than me. So it's tricky because kids just the start of it really, because you know it's come a long way, it has come a long way and some of the stuff you can get now but we will move seem to be going the. We seem to be going back again to the unisex world, whereas we had that period of time where we had women's kit and men's kit and now we're merging back to unisex kit, which isn't always the best thing, depending on your chosen activity or sport.

Speaker 2 37:10

Yeah, I just think, as a woman in running, you know, I just think it's important to talk about all elements of you as a human being and those things that impact your running.

Speaker 2 37:28

So, like you briefly covered talking about the menstrual cycle and how much that impacts your training and how it can be beneficial to do more intense training at the start of your cycle and then, you know, kind of decreasing the intensity come the end of the cycle when you're on your period, because you know you're tired and you're more susceptible to doms and you're not necessarily going to perform as well as you do at the start of your cycle.

Speaker 2 37:59

You know there's so many different parts and I only started looking at my own cycle after experiencing really bad panic attacks, and I mean we're going back eight or nine years. But I started tracking my cycle and you don't have to start tracking your cycle just because you want to get pregnant. It's a very useful tool for life and the people in your life, might I add, because you can kind of start to understand why you behave the way you do and why you do certain things at certain times of the month and why, if you go for a run, you know the day your period starts that you might feel a bit rubbish. Or if someone you know you've programmed a really intense speed session a few days before your period is due to arrive and you think I'm not hitting those, I'm not hitting those intervals, well, there's a reason for that, you know, because you're estrogen and your progesterone are low, and so you're not going to perform as well as you would.

Speaker 1 39:02

You know in the middle of your cycle.

Speaker 2 39:04

So there's lots of things to think about, and I always think it's worth taking the time to think about these things to get the best out of your training.

Coaching and Dream Race Lessons Learned

Speaker 1 39:12

Yeah, yeah, and I think you answered the question there what do you bring as a unique perspective? Whilst I know some of that stuff and I play some of that stuff to to my coaching, I think you know anybody listening who wants to. You know, work with somebody who knows that stuff really well, because I know, I know there are plenty of women I've worked with plenty of women that you really struggle around their cycles to understand a little bit about what they should and shouldn't be doing and listening to their body and yeah, and I think you certainly help them with that. Let's start to wrap up, but before we do, you've been on both sides of the coach athlete relationship. What have you? What do you think you've learned from being coached that you now play to your own coaching?

Speaker 2 40:09

Um, oh um, I don't I. I think for me, the biggest thing is learning from another person, because I always say and this has been in any any work that I've done I like to learn from other people because they've always got something else to bring to the table and there's. I always think two heads is better than one. So I think you can, you can learn so much and I just think it's good because it opens your eyes to other things and, like I said, I think everybody can benefit from having that support around their own running and it can help you to stay on track, because, for me personally, I'm very good at not staying on track and I'm very good and have been very good at, you know, over training, over training, under eating, thinking that you're invincible, thinking that you can, you know, live on six hours of sleep and then get up and run and then, funnily enough, covid taught me in a good or bad way that that's actually not a good thing. But yeah, I just think it gives you accountability and support and you learn something.

Speaker 1 41:38

Yeah. And so I go back to saying again we're all terrible at that. I'm terrible myself, I'm very good at it, and you're the same with your athletes Very good at keeping them accountable and everything. But yeah, we're shit with ourselves, aren't we?

Speaker 2 41:53

Absolutely. I'm terrible, I am my work. You ask anyone and they'll say oh yeah, faye, because you do that, and I'm like, I know, I know.

Speaker 1 42:05

Last couple of questions what is your dream race? I know you've got a couple of things in the calendar, but if you could stick one in your calendar that you're like no holes barred, no expense spared what would be the race that you'd put in your calendar?

Speaker 2 42:22

So, as we take this moment in time, I would and this could change, but let's take right now, here and now. It's the Pyrenees stage race, which is a 200 K race over seven days, and the best bit about this race is you get to stay in a hotel, eat and sleep and then go again. So there's none of this like camping or having to sleep on a bench. No, because this is why I like stage racing, where there's, you know, like a bed and a meal, and then I can get up in the morning, dress in fresh clothes and go again.

Speaker 1 43:01

So, for me, I love to do that.

Speaker 2 43:03

I am for me something that's multi day, because I think they're my favorite kind of races where you kind of have to push your endurance over day after day after day, and, yeah, in the mountains of Europe, because Europe, european mountains are like so varied and beautiful, and I just, I just yeah, and also anywhere abroad where I can fit in a holiday afterwards as well, is always good. So, yeah, I think that, as it is at the moment, that would be what I'd like to do.

Speaker 1 43:48

Very good. And the last question, which I usually ask at the beginning, but I've left it to last is what is your why? You know your your on day six of your 200 K stage race and you're a bit knackered and you're questioning yourself why the hell am I still doing this? Or it's early in the morning and you're like why the hell am I doing this? I've got to get out and do a session. What is your why?

Speaker 2 44:16

Oh God, I think the first thing, the biggest thing, is I'll feel better after I've done it, because I always do. And if there's a goal at the end of it which they usually is, I think, well, this is one, one more step towards that. But I do think overall, for me it's that I know because I usually train in the morning if I get up and do that session, I will feel so much better for the rest of the day and it just sets me on a better path for the rest of the day, hopefully making me a little bit more productive. But, yeah, it's, it's just the way I love to start a day and, yeah, kind of sorts me out before I have to deal with everything else that comes about.

Speaker 1 45:07

Um, faye, it's been lovely getting to know more about you and your running and your coaching and I can honestly say it's, so far in the three years I've been doing, maximum mileage. Getting you on board to join me has been the best decision I've made, and I say that from a perspective of you said it earlier two heads are better than one, and I say what I say to new athletes that have been coming on board to work with me is that you know, when I give my whole kind of spear there's actually you don't just get me, you kind of get Faye as well, whether that's directly or indirectly. You know whether one of my athletes you know gets to speak to you or not. You know meaning you're just being so good at bouncing off each other and you know what do you think about this?

Speaker 1 45:54

And I've got an athlete that's doing that, or you know whatever it might be, and it's been invaluable to me and I think that just makes maximum mileage as a coaching service just even better. And you know, likewise to the people that you're coaching, they don't just have you, they kind of have me as well.

Speaker 2 46:14

Absolutely.

Connect With Faye Johnson Coaching

Speaker 1 46:15

You know to an extent. So thank you for coming on board at maximum mileage and how. If somebody wanted to have you as their coach, what would they need to do? How would they find you? Where are you on social media and all that sort of stuff?

Speaker 2 46:34

So you can find me most prevalently on Instagram as Faye Johnson coaching. You can find me on the maximum mileage website and the blog, or you can drop me an email at faye at maximum mileage coachingcom.

Speaker 1 46:51

Very cool, Faye. Thank you so much. It's been lovely chatting with you.

Speaker 2 46:56

Thank you very much.

Speaker 1 46:56

I'll be chatting with you later anyway.

Speaker 2 46:58

Absolutely.

Speaker 1 47:00

Cheers Faye.

Speaker 2 47:01

Thank you.