Cheeky Run Club

Meet your heroes: Jess Stenson

• Phoebe Pincus & Anna Coldham • Season 6 • Episode 3

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Happy Monday everyone!

Hold on to your cheeky hats because you're about to be blown away by today’s guest.

We interviewed the wonderful Jess Stenson: 3 x Olympian, 3 x Commonwealth medalist, and one of the best marathon runners this country has produced. 

We talked about how to get through tough patches in a race, changing attitudes to the ideal 'runners body', career highs and lows, how she re-found her love for running in motherhood, and so much more. 

Thank you Pillar Performance for making this episode possible. 

LINKS:

  • Try Pillar’s Creatine supplement and get 15% off with our code ‘CHEEKY’ at checkout!
  • Listen to the info on Creatine's impact on your gut that Phoebe speaks about here
  • Check out Jess’ Instagram and Blog.

Follow us wherever you get your podcasts + Instagram, Tiktok, Phoebe's Strava + Anna's Strava, and join our Strava community 🩵

Music produced by Hugh Raper. Logo design by Michael Cotellessa. Podcast edited by Kiara Martin.

Phoebe audio 2:

Cheeky Run Club

Anna audio 2:

recognizes that every

Phoebe audio 2:

that every day. We live, work, and run on Aboriginal land. This episode is sponsored by Pillow Performance and their new creatine monohydrate powder. Welcome to Cheeky Run Welcome to Cheeky Run Club, the social running podcast, and community for your everyday amateur runner. Hello, Emma. Hello, Phoebe And hello listeners. Hey, we are so excited to. Say that we got to interview one of our absolute running and life. I, Justin,

Anna audio 2:

Stenson.

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we literally just had such an interesting chat about everything from her running journey to how she stays strong when races get hard through to the best running advice she's ever been given. We can't wait to share with you all so you can enjoy it too. Yeah, I think that might be a cheeky life highlight for us. Yeah, just life.

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in general, not just joking.

Phoebe audio 2:

Just kidding. We, we literally, oh, I shouldn't say we. I feel like I really embarrass myself at the end'cause I'm like thanking Jess and I really get caught up in it all and I end up being like. And we just think you're so amazing. She's told me like, who are these? No, she was, she was so nice. she was so nice. But first, as always, we're going to kick it off with our notable runs of the week. Anna, I wanna hear about your best run this week. Mine was on Saturday morning. This weather in Melbourne.

Anna audio 2:

has been

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I know. Insane. What's going on? It's so good. Yeah.

Anna audio 2:

Oh.

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Uh, anyway, on Saturday it was one of my friends Richo, it was his birthday and he organized such a wholesome birthday morning. he planned a run at nine and then for everyone else, if they didn't want to go for a run come for breakfast at 10. Yeah. And then go off to the footy for the afternoon. Have fun. And Dave and I had got to his house and it At nine. Yeah. Like 9 0 1. And it was just him and his brother.

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And we were

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The run.

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no one is going for a run.

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so we're like, oh, whatever. And then it's actually, it's so different to the, so these are not running friends. These are, I was gonna say normal friends. Yeah. Just normal friends.

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regular friends.

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Yeah. And then, so 10 minutes, 15 minutes later, five other people showed up for the run. And it's, so the star difference between, when you are organized normally to go on a run with running friends. Yeah. you organized the time and you meet, you're there. Yeah. Everyone's there at that time. Yeah. Or you're getting hardcore judged. Yeah. Or everyone's already left kind of thing. Yeah. We were mo in a 10 past Oh really?

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past

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And because it was just like, oh, well, we're just, yeah. This. Yeah. True. It's because like if you're getting breakfast, you wouldn't need to be there at 9 0 1 on the dot. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. It's so strange. Anyway, we went for a run, which was so nice. We went on the Ong River, which shout out to anyone who lives in the. West of Melbourne. Okay. It's so nice. Is it? Yeah, you should definitely, it would be really good for a long run. Really? Yeah. And then came back and then he'd already started cooking this huge shuck sugar in his Ella pan. Yum. Like cooked all the veggies and everything. And then gluten free. Yeah. And then everyone, wow. and he'd like chopped up all this fruit and like

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pre-made like

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all these coffee. there would've been like 25 of us or something. Wow. Or just having this breakfast picnic in his backyard.

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Wow. It was,

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It was, it was such a nice morning. We ended up being there. Everyone was late to the footy. We ended up being there until 1:00 PM or something. Really? So, so nice and wholesome. Oh, that is so nice. What was your best run? Well, I feel like mine's not gonna sound as exciting compared to yours now.'cause mine is also Saturday morning and I was gonna say mine is like. Dream run like, but then you said a lot of those things I was like, oh, that actually sounds pretty good. But as in, if I could plan my dream run on a weekend, it would involve not having to get up at the crack of dawn. being able to have time to eat some fruit and have a cup of tea. Yeah. Set out and then have beautiful weather run by a body of water of some sort. Yeah. Finish with a swim and some good breakfast. Yeah. And so we were away. Yeah, we were away for Sean's birthday. For my boyfriend's birthday. down the peninsula. Happy birthday Sean. And we just have such a nice run actually. It's just this perfect weather we've been having, which is still sunny, not too cold, but cold enough that running feels quite easy, relatively. And then the swim afterwards, I was just like, I. This is just the nicest, there's no nicer feeling. I'm convinced. Yeah. Went to a cafe, ordered my favorite drink combo of, actually I had tea, I had hot lemon water and I had a smoothie,

Anna audio 2:

Oh my gosh.

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which some might say is too much. Others might say is just right out. I love that you got three. Yeah. I couldn't help myself'cause I was quite thirsty and so I wanted a smoothie to refresh me. Yeah. But I also knew that it was cold and that I would get cold, so I wanted some hot drinks as well. Yeah. tell me about your worst run or running related activity. Mine, I was just saying to you off air, it's, it's hard when you don't run heats to have a worst run sometimes because

Anna audio 2:

tough, every

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it is tough run is great. but my worst running related experience is. A shout out to cafes in general. Okay. I'm not sure where this has gone. I, as you know, I've been trying to sort of, relax on the caffeine as of way, so I've been having quite a lot of decaf coffees, which sometimes they're nice and you can barely taste the difference. Other times they are honestly so bad. I, I'm not a coffee snob in any way. Yeah. I love. International roast. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Glen 43 whatever. Instant coffee, kind of. Yeah. Yeah. some cafes, decaf is honestly so bad. Really so bitter and just even so much worse than decaf instant coffee and I don't know what they're doing or Yeah, what is the difference? But I feel like cafe should. Be accommodating to people who like to taste the coffee. Yeah. Don't want the caffeine. And I I genuinely reckon they would just get it in and not try it for themselves because they're like, oh, well I don't drink decaf, so it doesn't matter. I reckon if you're a cafe owner or something, I reckon try your decaf and see if it actually tastes. See, are you proud of what you're putting out in the world? What, not to name and shame, but are there some cafes that do it really well? Yes. Tall timber in,

Anna audio 2:

Perran

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Is really, really good for their decaf coffee. I'll give them a shout. Okay, nice. Yeah. Yeah. Everywhere else is bad. Oh, that's such a shame. Anyway, anyone in Melbourne, if you have had decaf coffee. and it's been good. Let me know where, because I will go. Yeah, yeah. Okay, what is your worst run of running related activity this week? Okay, this one might not be allowed, so you tell me. I'm preempting. Okay. This is such a bad attitude, especially'cause we've just interviewed Jessie Jess, who has the best attitude ever, but I'm preempting that I'm gonna have a bad race this weekend. Oh.

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my God.

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Because, oh my gosh, I just, I did a session, a little session on Monday. Yeah. And I, the session was 2K tempo and then 10 by 300 with a 100 meter jog. And in the tempo, I honestly could not run and anywhere near the pace that in my head I thought I might be running this weekend. Yeah, yeah. I actually This just is way too hard. Mm. And I was like, why am I, and I know last week I was like, it's not always about getting a pb, but I'm like, why am I doing this race? I feel so unfit. I feel like I'm just gonna be running around a track for however many laps it is. resenting. I really need a, I need a reframe. Yeah.

Anna audio 2:

I mean.

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tempo also shouldn't be your race pace. Like Yeah. Do you feel like it shouldn't be that anyway? No, but that that was the point. It felt so hard. It felt so hard. Right, right. Right. Yeah. I was doing, yeah, a pace that felt really, really hard, even though it was actually still slower than race pace. I mean, you had just, it's two days after long run. It's a day sooner than you normally do your sessions. Mm-hmm. And you are by yourself and sometimes you just don't feel good sometimes. Sometimes you just don't feel good. Yeah. Sundays a new day. It's five days later. You'll be right. I'll be right. Jess had some good, um, embrace the challenge. Embrace the challenge. Yeah. We'll, spoiler for everyone there. I know. that maybe, hopefully that won't, my goal is that that won't be my worst run next week. Yeah. Yeah. I like that. Nice. All right, so today's interview, as we spoke about in the intro, is probably one of our favorite chat. Since starting Cheeky, we have the privilege and pleasure of Interviewing none other than Jess Stenson. This intro was actually kind of hard to write because she so much of the running community across multiple generations. Other than just her sporting accolades, she's so present in the running communities and at Fun Run in Adelaide and across the rest of Australia. She lets her audience in on her training racing experience through her blog and social media, as well as her generosity with her time and all the interviews she. She does, including today's. Yeah. that's such a good example of it is we literally sent a message to her on Instagram being like, she'll probably never see this or respond and then she responded straight away being like, yeah, of course. I'm happy to jump on. yeah, Jess is a lot of things, I mean. It Goes without saying. She's one of Australia's best ever distance runners. She's run professionally for over 10 years. She's a triple Commonwealth games medalist. She's been to three Olympics, including she finished 12th in Paris last year. She's a mother to billion Ellie physiotherapist, rider coach, an all round legend. Really. She's just an incredible human being who is so generous with her time. And we hope you love this conversation as much as we did. Here is Jess. Nice. Nice.

Anna audio 2:

Nice, nice.

Phoebe audio 2:

Hello Jess and welcome to the Cheeky Podcast.

Jess vid & audio 2:

Hello. Hey, Anna and Phoebe.

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So we like to start at the very beginning. Tell us about your earliest memories of running.

Jess vid & audio 2:

My earliest memories are at primary school in Maror, which is in the southeast of South Australia. we had an annual cross country event there. School actually had a, a pine forest sort of bordering it, and it was very soft dirt. So cross country was tough. It was. For little kids. I don't know,

Phoebe audio 2:

It was probably only 800 meters or so. Yeah, it was hard work. So

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So

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I kind of, my early memories of getting very nervous and not really wanting to do it, but then once gun fired and I was out there. I loved that sort of rush of adrenaline and pushing myself and, crossing the finish line, which was always between a couple of footy goal posts.

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and

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I always had the old school video camera out, and so we still sometimes go back and watch the videos. They're very insane. I've actually, I feel like it came up. I've watched a video. This is so weird on Instagram before. Yeah. Okay. That makes me feel better. You, I think it's you and your sister at the Sydney 2000 Olympics or something. Yeah. Yeah. That would've been, I think I shared a video from when I was about year three. Martin used to sell, kids' clothes and I was always wearing some bright outfit. I think bright green shorts and red and white stripes. Yeah. Very different to the athletic wedding.

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days.

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Yeah. Were you, were you really good at running even as a small child doing cross country? I.

Anna audio 2:

We.

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my races,

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When I was reception or right through primary school and high school as well. So I guess I

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was

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able

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to

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find a, and just, yeah, I dunno, had an endurance, um, there that was, I was born.

Jess vid & audio 2:

with, but the sprint races, I'd get flogged. So yeah, I was very much, a long distance runner from the get go.

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And then what was your, relationship with running, like in early adulthood? Growing up in the country, netball and football, basketball, there were so many great opportunities. We had a lot of really passionate coaches and a lot of the kids in particularly friendship groups, just

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and breathed sports.

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my relationship was really

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from a young

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age watching that.

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play and

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spend the whole

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Weekend at

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whichever venue,

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football and all the weekend. So we travel up to an

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hour and a half to,

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to get to that

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hour location and Wow. Kids run around, watch on play. And then we always knew

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you know, the particular playground at say Keith or Panola had the

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lolly

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shop. Yeah.

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just

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so much fun as.

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growing up,

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being surrounded by sport, running. Uh, mom and dad did bra. I think that dad had some average knees and they probably vic

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didn't have the opportunities

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run like, so I didn't grow up around parents who were going up to fun runs or going for a run in the morning. And I probably, my relationship with it early on was, um, a, because I found it really.

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nerve wracking. So the stress that

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The leader to

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the lead up to events,

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a through primary school, high school almost meant that I'd pull out.

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the day beforehand. But then, as I said. Once I got out there, I actually

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Loved the feeling it

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gave

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me. Obviously it hurt. I always pushed my really hard, but when I crossed each line,

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I

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was just

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on cloud nine and then opportunities started to open up to

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going to stage

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for cross country

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athletic

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And then by year 10 I had the opportunity to

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travel.

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France. So I

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Think it was where running

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could take

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could be. Mm.

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sort of

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kept me in it.

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it. Um,

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Even though I felt a lot of it wasn't until I was

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and started specifically

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training

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for

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running that my nerves started

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to calm

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because I

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line up feeling

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well prepared.

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and sort of

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trusted that I could

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try it.

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Yeah. What was it that, I mean it surprises me to hear that you used to be so nervous'cause you come across now so calm and stoic and so much perspective. Like, what was it that helped you move past those nerves? Was it just feeling like you were more prepared yeah, I think so. I, I think my first marathon

Anna audio 2:

and that was probably the

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calmest, I.

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been in my whole run.

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history

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Wow. My coach Adam,

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He never actually coached him to a marathon. He was all pretty new, but he was reaching out to

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the likes of Chris Wardlaw, Sean Cre,

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Steve ti to get advice and so I knew that my program had the input of a lot of the grades. Yeah, I just, I loved the training and I had nothing to do. It was just, this is an opportunity. There's nothing to lose. So even there are so many.

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unknowns in a

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marathons.

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Yeah, my first one in the go area in 2012. I was just so excited

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And

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when I was out there I was like, okay, I found my feet. Really, it wasn't until I found Marathon running that I just felt at home. so it was in that first marathon that you mid race, decided that this is what you wanna do? Yeah, probably.

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by 8 35

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I was like, maybe I don't wanna do this anymore. I don't think I'll ever do this again. But because that, opened the doors to

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run

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in the,

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the London

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Olympics, that just

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changed.

Jess vid & audio 2:

the trajectory of my career.

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Yeah.

Jess vid & audio 2:

I'd been working, think,

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Full time

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as a

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physio and didn't really see running

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as a

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realistic career prospect. It was

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something that I'd do on

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decided

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yeah. So it, it was the marathon event that actually made you really

Anna audio 2:

believe.

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in, in where I could

Phoebe audio 2:

good running. Oh, wow. so since you made that transition into becoming a professional runner, how has that relationship with running changed for you, if at all? So In 2012, It all could really quickly that your marathon, getting that first ever call up to say, made an Australian team. And, I headed off to a,

Anna audio 2:

like

Phoebe audio 2:

holy camp,

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bridge.

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think it was a couple of weeks before the actual Olympics and I really loved the team environment. Just soaked it all up. He

Anna audio 2:

competed.

Phoebe audio 2:

I was, I didn't really know what to bet. I ran a pretty similar time but it was on, so I, I came away feeling pretty satisfied. And then when I got home, I think because it all happened so quickly and had been I dream of mine, I.

Anna audio 2:

pretty flat, a long time, um,

Phoebe audio 2:

Not really wanting to get up and go for the day. It was, I dunno how long period lasted before I'm thinking,

Anna audio 2:

weeks. I

Phoebe audio 2:

Hmm. I didn't have any goals. Be London. I was probably exhausted. But I think that on that time as, as a really tough one because thought I wanna go to another Olympic.

Anna audio 2:

that four years

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah. Yeah. I was.

Anna audio 2:

battling a little bit work out what I wanted because I had

Phoebe audio 2:

Career as well. And I think qualifying for the Olympics, um, opened up

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at the

Phoebe audio 2:

Door Sports Institute and I had a sports psychologist and I was able to sit down and consolidate the whole experience, set some new goals and, and move on from that from. Think it wasn't until

Anna audio 2:

2014

Phoebe audio 2:

and

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2015

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started to really work out, um, the night of, of running. I had, yeah, up and down patches there. I remember

Anna audio 2:

11 even thinking I needed to change interview, seeing

Phoebe audio 2:

a people around me, you know, like cutting back on.

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on their intake.

Phoebe audio 2:

Half marathon trip I went on, and so I remembering

Anna audio 2:

for some of those

Phoebe audio 2:

really took the enjoyment out. Mm. It took quite a while to trust that the training was was priority.

Anna audio 2:

and, and.

Phoebe audio 2:

Certainly, I think early years was tough times. Yeah. So since, since getting over those early years, because it's your job, have you found it hard to maintain the love of running?

Jess vid & audio 2:

Yeah, I feel like the 2014 Commonwealth Games was a bit of a breakthrough year and winning a medal there. I, I came back just with so much excitement and motivation and then in 2015 I moved to Melbourne for the year and, um, my goal was to qualify for the Rio Olympics and I was, doing the Melbourne Marathon later in the year. So I just, I really enjoyed that opportunity training, with different. Squads and experiencing some new running routes. I loved going up to Ferny on a Sunday. Uh, it was tough, but it was good. And yeah, so I really enjoyed that year of running. And then by the end of 2016, I'd had an injury that year. it was starting to get a bit tougher, but 2017 ended up being. A really special year as well. I did the London Marathon early in the year and then went to the world champs midyear and prior to that did my first ever St. Mar's training camp. And that is, it's oh, one of my favorite places in the world, St. Mar's. I really enjoyed that whole experience and fortunately have been able to head back there a few times since. I just love it and the hardest thing is holding you back from running more because there are so many different. to explore and it's just a really clean, picturesque part of the world. So, yeah, 20 17, 20 18 the Commonwealth Games were on home soil. And by the end of that year,'cause I went on to do the Gold Coast Marathon in July and then the Toronto Marathon at the end of the year, I was absolutely exhausted. Like I really. I need a, a decent break from running here, I think physically and mentally. So I think I'd just gradually been, draining my energy stores and then that was draining my motivation. So my relationship with running started to, to drop off again. throughout that year, in 2019, I fell pregnant with Billy and that year. Oh, nine months of minimal running really just, uh, made me hungry for it. Again, I came back after giving birth with a completely new perspective on life and the role that running was playing in my life. I think training had been, becoming a grind and as I said, I was feeling pretty empty, but with this new energy and just desire to get back out and have a bit of time where I could just. Think to myself or hang out with my training partners and chat. I feel like since becoming a mom, I've had a really big shift in perspective, in a positive way, and it's had a, a, favorable impact on my running.

Phoebe audio 2:

just to circle back to something you said before that, I think would be really interesting to even amateur runners, I mean, you were talking about how you are looking at the different behaviors of the people running around you and their attitudes towards food and training and so on, and you had to sort of learn to, not listen to some of that. how did you learn to focus more on and what, you found useful and kind of dial down the noise about, you know, other people, their attitudes towards food or whatever that looks like.

Jess vid & audio 2:

Yeah, I, I think it was just through experiencing it. you can have really good mentors around you and people telling you things that are logical, but it wasn't until I experienced the energy crash and the. poor performances, uh, that I learnt no fueling is a priority and, just being stronger and and healthier is the way to go. So I think again, pregnancy and, becoming a mom really improved. that for me too, because when you are growing a baby, you're obviously thinking, what do I need to get in to support this baby? And it's not about you anymore. And. Again, through breastfeeding, I had such a high appetite and I'm prioritizing my baby, but also thinking I need to stay healthy and and strong to be, you know, to be able to do what I need to do as a mom. So I've never really thought twice about what I'm eating or my physique since becoming a mom. So that's, Billy's five now. So it is just been so refreshing, never jumping on scales or. Any of that. I wouldn't have a clue what I weigh these days, and it's just such a weight off the shoulders and I dunno why. Yeah. I dunno why I felt that way in my younger running years because certainly my coach. Has never been one to say you need to look a particular way, to be a good runner. I think it was just a few things I'd heard, you know, when commentators are, talking about you during a race and, just passing comments that people make. Just made me think I needed to look a particular way to excel as a marathon runner. But

Phoebe audio 2:

yeah. do you think there's been a bit of a cultural shift around that over the past few years anyway? Yeah.

Jess vid & audio 2:

So I'm talking, 15 years ago now, and I do think a lot of education, has improved in that I think people who support athletes, their coaches and, and healthcare professionals, Yeah, just really pushing for, the healthier, the better. And, and it's about getting as much, quality fuel into you as, as you can. And it's, whatever you need to do to get the most out of your sessions. It's not about, yeah, trying to

Anna audio 2:

Create

Jess vid & audio 2:

sort of physique that's, that's not right for you.

Phoebe audio 2:

The last few weeks we've been talking about pillar performance. Is creatine supplement, which you have been taking for a few months now. Yes. I have already spoken about how I think it's been really helping my recovery and my strength, but this week I actually learned something new about creatine, which I didn't know before, even though we did a whole episode on creatine about how it helps your gut. Have you heard about this? No, I haven't. Yeah. Well, I was listening to a pod with Stacey Sims, who some listeners might have heard of before. She's an absolute world. Leading expert in women's performance and health. But basically she was on this podcast and she was kind of proselytizing that all women should be using creatine. And she was talking about how good it is for your gut, which I didn't know, which is great. And then she started specifically talking about running and my ears really pricked up. So something she said, which I didn't know, is that women are way more susceptible to gastrointestinal issues when we run, particularly at certain times in our cycle. So overall, she said it's a five to one ratio of women to men who have GI issues and we run, which is crazy. And she said, a lot of GI issues and we run. Come down to the integrity of our mucosal lining in our gut, and it turns out that creatine, one of its main functions is that it actually helps restore and regenerate and maintain this mucosal lining. Yeah, so she was talking about these studies they have where they can see that creatine improves gastro gastrointestinal Distress for runners. So I feel like, I mean, if you're not already taking creatine, then he's your Yeah. He's the no to take it. Yeah. that is amazing. Mm. thank you so much to Pillar performance for sponsoring this week's episode and supplying us with the creatine goods pillar. Have given us a discount code to use on your first order. Please use the code Cheeky at checkout. so getting on to your professional life as a runner, and I know the Olympic marathons are generally speaking the, pinnacle of the sport. Obviously it's a long way to go until la what's exciting you at the moment or what's making you get up in the morning?

Jess vid & audio 2:

Probably not so much long, long term goals, but my shorter term goals. So after Tokyo in Feb, I came away, oh, was it early March? Yeah. I can't even remember now. Maybe late Feb.

Phoebe audio 2:

the year,

Jess vid & audio 2:

Around that time. It was obviously every marathon's tough and for a little while there you're like, oof. Don't need to do one of those for a little while now. But then as time goes on, you get excited about the next opportunity. And I, I felt like there was still room or still areas, for development and growth, which motivates me. I really just want to. To get the most out of myself and hopefully be able to look back one day and think I, I got it all right on that one day when, the course and conditions were all favorable and feel like I, I got that result that's reflective of, you know, my best results. So that's probably what's motivating me at the moment, just to try and see what time is possible. I obviously love representing Australia as well, and that's. Been a focus of mine, for most of my career is prioritizing those championship events. But I'm pretty excited to try and, target some fast, fast marathons over the next little while and, and get my half marathon time down, as well, so that marathon pace doesn't feel quite as hard

Phoebe audio 2:

hard. Yeah. I'm in. You've had, I mean, you've hadn't continued to have such an illustrious career. I'm interested, looking back, can you pinpoint any breakthrough moments for you and then in retrospect, what do you think it was that helped maybe set you up for that breakout?

Jess vid & audio 2:

Well, I think the 2014 Commonwealth Games was a breakout because I'd had an injury in the lead up and my preparation was so different. I was doing. Boxing, elliptical, rowing, ergo a lot of cross training. It was a second metatarsal bone stress injury and certainly I, I got back to running, via anti-gravity treadmill and then real running or land running and then headed over to Glasgow. And I still remember a, a little training run the day before the race with my coach. I was doing some drills and strides. I'm like, oh, I think I can still feel it. I was quite nervous. And then when I got out there. I felt good and just kept feeling better. And then, when I sort of ran a PB and, and won the bronze medal, I just realized that day showed me that there's, there are so many different ways to prepare for a marathon. Until then, I'd been quite rigid in, in my preparations and what I thought I had to do. So that definitely opened me up to. A new way of preparing for marathons and, got me excited about the future. And then probably the 2017 World Championships was another breakthrough, just, finishing in the top 10 there. I'd, I'd sort of felt like I'd been able to really put myself in the race. It was the first time I wasn't going into it, just thinking I'm gonna run my own race and. I actually put myself in the front pack and tried to hold on. And then the 22 Commonwealth Games was definitely a moment that it just felt like everything came together on the day and, and crossing the line was a, a feeling that it's really hard to describe, but I was so happy.

Anna audio 2:

Yeah,

Phoebe audio 2:

Oh, that, the footage from that race is so cool. Yeah, it's so good. on that note, can you tell us, out of all of those things, what's been your personal career highlight? Like what are you most proud of?

Jess vid & audio 2:

I think as I said, that 22 Commonwealth Games experience was I was really proud crossing the line there and I got to celebrate with, my husband, Dylan and Billy, my mother-in-law was there and, and friends, my coach, My dad had been having some treatment, so mom and dad were home and I, I saw them on the TV in an interview afterwards and just got really emotional. so I was proud of that result. But the Paris Olympics, my whole family was there, my mom and dad, my brother and sister. And so that was a career highlight for me. Crossing the line after. What had been a pretty chaotic buildup and just seeing them all there. It was like, oh, we, we got there. We did it. Let's celebrate.

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah, I can. I was, I was riding alongside you crazily on a, um, one of those electric bikes, FaceTiming my whole family. And we're like, I was like, it's,

Anna audio 2:

Jess.

Phoebe audio 2:

yes, it was actually, it was so fun. But, what were the, just with the lead up to Paris and the drama around selection and everything, what were your feelings when you first crossed a line?

Jess vid & audio 2:

It's, I wasn't thinking about the selection, drama in the race. It's weird. Somehow I'd been able to. Put that in a box and put it somewhere else. And even now it's so hazy, the details. It's almost like, you know, when you go through some experiences, your brain kind of forgets it. I feel like that's what hap happened. It's all a bit of a blur, but I remember. You know, it was very, tough at the time, when I was racing. I just remember being so happy to be out there and really feeling like I just found that zone. I, I was just in the moment. I loved the atmosphere. There were so many technicalities, to think about on the course that you really had to just take each five kilometer segment at a time and then. Coming into that home straight, there was so much noise and it was all, it was pretty spectacular that finishing, um, sort of arch and so just running as hard as I could under that. And again, not really knowing if I was what to think of the result, but just wondering where the other girls were. So turning around and just sharing that experience with them. And then it wasn't until I was having an interview with Jen that. My family started yelling out in the distance. And, so yeah, I wouldn't say it was relief. I, I would say it was more just, I was so in the moment, I was just taking each thing as it as it came. It wasn't until months later that I really started to reflect on it.

Anna audio 2:

it.

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah. What were you feeling or like what was going through your head during that race, I can't remember, I, maybe it was 22 or 25 Ks in and like you and Jen were leading the pack, sort of up one of the hills. were you

Jess vid & audio 2:

Uh,

Phoebe audio 2:

at that moment?

Anna audio 2:

I

Jess vid & audio 2:

I remember feeling pretty daunted when there was the moment where I could have been in the lead up That first hill I'd been in St. Mars and the hills were, I felt like that was my strength, the uphills, and, and I had said to my husband at one point, imagine if I was really strong on the uphill in Paris, and I found myself. there with the fleet, like, what would I do? And then we never really talked about it further. And so when it happened in the race, I was like, oh, do I just drop back and tuck in and hide or do I keep my rhythm? And I, in that split second moment was like, no, keep your rhythm knowing that these girls would be strong at the end, I was like, I just have to run my own race here. But I expected them to sort of come with me and I didn't wanna look back. I. I just, yeah, panicked a little bit, but had to just take myself to another place and, and then I think we had a flatter section. They passed me, and then again, it's sort of halfway it happened and Jen came up beside me and I felt so comforted having her there. And we'd actually talked, on the train for a Montpelier up to. Paris about, you know, if we saw each other out there to, we wanted to work together and, and so we had that plan that we were going to, try and work as a team. And then it just all played out

Anna audio 2:

Yeah.

Jess vid & audio 2:

as you, as you dream it might. And it was really cool to share that together.

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah. I genuinely reckon that was one of the best moments of the Olympics. It was so good. We were so good. We had a, like a watch, cheeky watch party back in, Melbourne as well. There would've been 150 people in the room. And I just remember everyone screaming, like, I mean, the whole race. Your whole race was incredible. Yeah. you said something in there about when it got hard and you sort of had to go to another place, and I'm interested to unpack more about the races that don't go so well. Could you maybe tell us about a race that really didn't go to plan and how you handled that?

Jess vid & audio 2:

there are two that come to mind. So one was at the beginning of 2014, I did NAGOYA again and I'd had gastro, before or food poisoning. I think it was, I remember the, the Monday before the race and just was really crook and I couldn't really start eating again until it was. I was on the plane and was carb loading, and I remember being able to get quite a few carbs in, but 25 Ks into the race, I was so, so empty. And I got, I got to the finish line, it was fine. but a couple of weeks later I got a bone stress injury and that just taught me. How important nutrition is and that stress on your body and, and it just, yeah, it doesn't end well. And then in 2018, the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. I went into that thinking I'd had my best preparation ever. But then I don't know what it was. My fueling wasn't great on the day. I actually, I hadn't been sleeping that well in the lead up to the race. And looking back now. Knowing what I know, I think I'd probably overcooked it a bit. My prep and, and maybe hadn't quite mailed the taper given it was hot and humid and for the final seven Ks there, they were the hardest seven Ks I've ever, ever raced. I, felt so empty and had to get to the finish line because there were so many people out there supporting me. and. I felt so unwell, for a while after that race, but was it just, it taught me how, how deep I can dig if I have to. I just, left that race thinking, okay, when you think you are going to stop and your body's gonna shut down, you, you can keep going sometimes, obviously there are times when you can't, but it just taught me my limits a little bit more. at least mentally.

Phoebe audio 2:

Are there any tactics or things you try to go through when obviously in any marathon, the inev inevitable is that at some point it's going to hurt. do you do anything to get through those times?

Jess vid & audio 2:

So before the race, I'll usually try to work out where I think it's going to be tough, whether it's Sort of 25 and the 35, they're typically sort of harder points, 25 more mental.'cause you've still got a long way to go, but the fatigue might be starting to trickle in. or if there's a particular heel or just a boring section. And I'll think of some strategies, before the race that I might use when I get to those points. Or if I've got people supporting me, I might be like, can you go there and there please?

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah.

Jess vid & audio 2:

But when I'm in the moment, sometimes those strategies don't work for me. I like to have things that I can immediately go to, and if that's not doing it for me, I have to do something else. And it might be as simple as if there's someone in front of me just concentrating on their, their feet hitting the ground. Or it might be just picking objects ahead and going, I've just gotta get there. It might be. Counting or singing a song in my head, I really like to visualize as well. So in most races at some point, so for example, that hill, at the Olympics when I was feeling a bit daunted, I, I did think back to Raco cross country and I was thinking of that video, you know, the little kids taking off up the hill and how like free I felt, when we got to this Section of the cross country course. So. I don't know, if that would work for everyone, but I certainly like to picture parts of my prep or other races. It's amazing. it doesn't matter how many marathons you've done, I, I can clearly remember parts of each marathon. And so I sometimes go to like the 20 5K mark of, let's say Toronto, and think, how, how was I feeling there and how does that compare?

Phoebe audio 2:

do you ever have, something we've spoken about a little bit is negative self-talk. do you ever have negative self-talk or it sounds like it's also positive.

Jess vid & audio 2:

Yeah, there, there is. probably it's more oh my gosh, what if I pulled out here? And I, I, I get a bit scared. It's not I'm going to, it's like, what if I like needed to, and then I have to quickly snap out of that because. If I start getting anxious, you know, your breathing, can get restricted. And so it's not generally like talking myself down, it's just panicking about what if something were to happen and you have to quickly distract yourself with something more positive.

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah. Yeah. Going back to the school cross country.

Jess vid & audio 2:

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah. you sort of talk about Yeah. Like getting through those tough times. How do you, in training more so, listen to your body and know, how to not push yourself too hard or like are there any specific signs that you pay attention to?

Jess vid & audio 2:

it's funny, prior to becoming a mom, we used to do the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday session model. And I just thought that was the only way really. And so you are backing up quite quickly. Um, session after session and speed work was always something that I found really hard and Adam would put something on my, specific paces on my program and I just think, oh, there's no way I'm going to hit those. But since Covid, we switched to the Tuesday, Friday session model and I feel like that works so much better for me. And my sessions are longer and they play more to my strengths. And, yeah, I, I just feel like I've learn to listen to my body a lot more since going through pregnancy and that postpartum period because there's no.

Anna audio 2:

no,

Jess vid & audio 2:

There's no recipe you can follow. Everyone's experience is so different there. You have to be adaptable and flexible, and you also don't have as much time to think about whether a session went well or, or not. You just, you just move on to the next thing. Your mind's busy with logistics and, and when I do get out to run, it's, it's like, oh, okay. I'm out the door. Like, let's enjoy this. Let's make the most of it. Adam will give me paces, and I'm like, okay, bring it on. I, it's just a completely different, approach and I, and I don't know whether it's partly because of the footwear these days as well, you feel bouncier and, and faster in them. And maybe it's because I am fueling better. I, I love the people I'm training with, and as I said, just it's, I see it as a privilege to be able to get out and run as, as opposed to a grind, which it was becoming, back in. 2018, I, I didn't appreciate how cool it is to be able to just get out and run.

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah, that that sounds like all the ingredients for some great runs, good people, good shoes.

Anna audio 2:

Yeah.

Jess vid & audio 2:

I know. Good. Like Adelaide scenes we're in autumn at the moment, so it's getting a bit cooler, but it's just so pretty out there. All the colorful leaves on the streets. I love it.

Phoebe audio 2:

it's so nice. So I mean, that's amazing that you've been able to learn to listen to your body a little bit more through that process. What does good recovery look like for you now considering you're a mom, professional runner, you have so much on your plate, how do you prioritize that and what does it look like?

Jess vid & audio 2:

Yeah. So for me, I think three really important recovery strategies. sleep, which isn't so easy to control as a parent. Nutrition and, mobility work. So of all the recovery strategies, they're the three that I really emphasize. cause you can't always put your feet up and I've never been one to rest during the day. But night sleep, we go to bed pretty early'cause um, we might be up for one to two hours in the night with Ellie. she's. Yeah, sleeping still questionable at the moment, but, at least getting to bed early. it, it means that if you're up for an hour or two, you're still getting enough total sleep. and just creating a good sleep environment. Really dark room, not looking at, you know, your phone just before you go to bed. Not having caffeine in the second half of the day. Really trying to set myself up for good sleep and then nutrition. Yeah, I, I just really addressing the protein post session and carbs and then carbs pre-session, really doing everything I, I can do there to help kickstart that. tissue replenishment healing process and then mobility work. I didn't discover Alice Beque Pilates or the full runner up until, I was pregnant with Ellie, so, oh no. Actually during Covid we did a bit. But I really started, creating a, a routine of it, in 2023. And it has been so good for my running, having go-to mobility exercises I can do and just that regular Pilates. And it can be so flexible. I can join, you know, Jan and Sinead and, and people online, for a class or if I'm not available, I can jump on and do an on demand session and I can't always get to the gym. But having. The one to two Pilates sessions a week and those mobility exercises. I think that's, it's, it doesn't sound like recovery as such, but I think it's just built such a stronger base, for me, which has made a big difference.

Phoebe audio 2:

yeah. I mean the mobility as well as the Pilates, those are, they're so good. Even just the 10 minute ones, I feel like you feel like. A different person after, like

Jess vid & audio 2:

yeah, for sure.

Phoebe audio 2:

move.

Jess vid & audio 2:

And I love it pre-race. Now you travel, you're feeling a bit stiff, and they're just my favorite go-to exercises. And I try to get a massage every fortnight as well, but I now, if I, I can't get a massage, I just feel empowered because I've got these tools as well to like, help me feel freer.

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah. Yeah. That's amazing. one of the things we wanted to chat about is, I'm really keen to get your perspective on the shift that you've seen in running over the years. what do you think has driven the real, change in growth of amateur running culture over the last couple of years?

Jess vid & audio 2:

I do think when team sports weren't available for a period there, some people just dabbled with running and, and got the bug. So that 20 20, 20 21 period, I think helped to kickstart it. Now I think it's, you know, when something becomes popular, it almost just snowballs. So many people are talking about it and there are the apps. There's really cool gear. Now, like the running appar, like active wear is, is such high quality and, and really nice. I think people are time poor more than ever at the moment with, you know, the economic climate we're in and yeah, just the, the cost of everything is high and so people are working hard, they're juggling a lot and running. You can head out the door and get so much bang for your bike in 20, 30 minutes. It's hard to know how much is me in the phase of life I'm in right now and the people I'm around versus what's actually a broader change. But I think these fun runs that are selling out, there's that FOMO feeling. People are panicking. They're like, I need to get in. And that just. Yeah. Has the effect of, um, making it even more popular, I think. And people are learning how to put on really good events and really capturing what, what people want. So there are so many factors, but I love it. I'm so happy that I'm a part of this era where, people are loving running.'cause certainly when I got into it, it was quite different.

Anna audio 2:

fine.

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah. It must even be like amazing. In Adelaide I mean we had, Izzy Hume on the pod a few weeks ago, but in the runners, one group in

Jess vid & audio 2:

Yeah. Yeah.

Phoebe audio 2:

that. Park probably going from just a few runners, like every now and then to all of a sudden there's hundreds of people there. Yeah.

Jess vid & audio 2:

and that's so cool. I was running with Jacob Cox and Fraser Darcy, who were both with Runners One this morning and we were just talking about that, how cool that Runners one started something that has, you know, helped to fuel the boom, but also just um, been there when there's this high appetite. For it and Vic Park's beautiful. And you see sort of the sunrise and all these people out running. It's awesome. And then I've even got friends I went to school with who have never had an interest in running. Um, uh, one of the girls, Emma, who listens to your podcast actually shout out to Emma. She, she's just signed up for six K at Great Ocean Road and has literally just started running

Phoebe audio 2:

Wow.

Jess vid & audio 2:

It just, yeah, I love it. She's asking me questions about various like things and what top to wear in the winter? I just love it.

Phoebe audio 2:

it. Yeah. There's something, it's, so I feel we've both spoken about there's something so nice about seeing friends or people that have never run before then getting into it and you, you falling in love with it and Yeah. And you can kind of firsthand seeing them fall in love with running Yeah. And

Jess vid & audio 2:

Yeah.

Phoebe audio 2:

realizing all of the reasons why you've always loved to run.

Jess vid & audio 2:

And you are like, you're talking my language. And then they, you start getting screenshots of garment uploads and

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah. Yeah. we've got a couple more quick fire questions to finish off.

Jess vid & audio 2:

not always good at quickfire answers. I'll do my best to keep it brief.

Phoebe audio 2:

We'll set a time. neither that are we. It's true. what is your favorite core running memory?

Jess vid & audio 2:

yeah, that's hard. to be honest, it would've been one of my runs in St. Mar's that. You just feel so alive and. The lakes are crystal clear and you get the reflection of the snow cap mountains. I think probably one of my runs with Elsie Wellings and Susan Crummins back in 2017 when I was seeing it for the first time. I just remember being on such a high, so yeah, runs in St. Mar's.

Phoebe audio 2:

Wow. Sounds like they might need a business trip to s

Jess vid & audio 2:

Do it.

Phoebe audio 2:

If you could pick three people to go and run with, who would they be? Where would you run and why?

Jess vid & audio 2:

this is a bit of an unusual answer, but I'm going like futuristic. If I could run with Dylan, Billy and Ellie, that would be really

Phoebe audio 2:

oh

Jess vid & audio 2:

Like a whole family run. It won't be for a while, but I just, the thought of running with my kids, that excites me.

Anna audio 2:

Yeah.

Phoebe audio 2:

Wow. That's a great answer. Yeah. Tell us some running advice that's really stuck with you.

Jess vid & audio 2:

yeah, a couple that just jumped to mind straight away. So Chris Wardlaw, who coached Steve Monti, he's one of the greats, he, was my team manager in 2011 for a world cross country chance. And I just remember we had this little thing we'd say to each other. It was just embrace a challenge. And it's always stuck with me. It's just. Yeah, it's gonna be challenge, bring it on, embrace it. And I, I just love those, three little words together. But if I think back to my first ever National Cross in the year two thousands, I was. 12, 13 or something. my team coach Granville Wood, I remember we were walking the course the day beforehand and I was so nervous. And it was at Yara Band and there was some ups and downs, and we were at the top of this hill and he's like, you just have to let go down the hill. He's like, so many runners hold back, but just let your body flow and belt down that hill. And I remember in the race just. Thinking that the whole time and for my whole career, whenever I am running downhill, I think of Granville saying, just let go. And it honestly, it is something you see people sort of lean backwards and put all this stress through their quads kind of holding back down the hill. And certainly if you let go, you feel a lot of impact. But if you can try and absorb that shock, still it, it can make a big difference.

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah. Yeah. I love that. okay. One, one last question. So firstly, just wanted to say thank you for writing the most amazing pieces on your blogs and continuing to do so because it's so cool to get, insight into what it's like. training as a professional runner and also your experiences at races, being a mom and that kind of thing. but I just wanted to ask, why did you start and why do you do it today?

Jess vid & audio 2:

It's a good question. I don't even know. I think before the 2014 Glasgow games, Matt Axford, someone in my running squad, he's really good with that digital design, and I think he created it for me. And we were running competitions. So there was a competition, at the Glasgow Games. I think it was about the difference between the male and the female winning times or something, and you want a pair of shoes. And so it sort of started as a way just to, engage a little bit more. And then I think I'd always been doing some writing in the background and I probably uploaded a few Pieces that I'd written and then it became. Part of i'd, obviously I'd run a marathon, I'd have all of these thoughts about it, and I loved just writing them down when they were still pretty raw and reflecting on that marathon. And then I was sharing a few of them with the Running Moms Australia group, even though I wasn't a mom, I just had this connection with them. And so then I started putting them up and it just became a bit of a, a thing I did. I was going to write a reflection anyway, so I might as well tidy it up a bit. And put it up there and, and, the website over time has become something more that you can offer your partners and that is like your sponsors. And, yeah, I actually haven't written anything for a while though. I don't, I didn't write one after Tokyo. Things have been a bit busy, so I hope I get back to doing some more writing soon.

Phoebe audio 2:

Refreshing. Every day

Jess vid & audio 2:

Yeah, I, I put a few things in notes in my phone and never actually wrote it up formally, but, yeah, I will try to continue that when I can, because I think it's a really nice process to go through yourself and just to consolidate all of your learnings and if others can learn something from it too, that's great.

Phoebe audio 2:

Yeah. Yeah. Well, yeah, thank you very much for doing it. It's so generous to share it with everyone, your experiences. But yeah, we love it. Yeah, thank you for that. And then also thank you for jumping on with us today and yeah, just for being such an amazing role model to every runner out there, like I hope you know. How much everyone looks up to you and admires you, like the way that you run your attitude towards life. you're amazing.

Jess vid & audio 2:

Oh, straight back at you. I love what you two do for running. It's, it's been really cool following along and yeah, so thank you.

Phoebe audio 2:

All right. I think that's it. That's it for today's episode. We hope you loved the interview. Please let us know your thoughts. And thank you so much to Jess for coming on giving us your time and sharing your wisdom, with not just us, but all the listeners of the pod listeners. if you're not already following Jess on Instagram, follow along, follow her journey, support her in any way you can because yeah, we'll link her socials and also her blog. Yeah. The episode description, so you can enjoy what we have to be chatting about. Thanks so much for listening and we can't wait to be in your ears next week. Woo.

Anna audio 2:

Woo.

Phoebe audio 2:

Should we maybe just do the first My dad wants to say hi management.