In this episode of the West Coast Ultra Podcast, I’m picking up right where I left off after my conversation with Llinos — diving deeper into resilience, rebuilding, and what it really means to trust the process when training isn’t linear.

I share an honest update on where I’m at with my own training. On the bike, my FTP has gone up again, which is always a nice confidence boost. I explain what FTP actually is, why it matters, and why it shouldn’t become the thing that defines you. It’s a tool for progress, not a judgement of your worth as an athlete.

Running is also heading in the right direction. My mileage is increasing, the pain is minimal, and I’m starting to feel like a runner again. And yes — the temptation to sign up for a race is getting dangerously high.

I spend time talking about mental resilience: how to stay steady when things aren’t going your way, or when your next big event feels miles away. I explore the balance between discipline and flexibility, and why trusting the process is often harder than any workout.

There’s also a look at what’s happening in the wider world of trail and ultrarunning — from hybrid training trends to the rise of backyard ultras, new tech, and the shift toward more sustainable racing.

I bring in some ideas inspired by the Excellence Actually podcast, especially around consistency, identity, and the psychology of progress. These concepts have been hugely helpful for me and for the athletes I coach.

If you’re enjoying the podcast, please share it, leave a review, or send it to someone who might need a bit of encouragement in their training. And if you’re looking for coaching support — whether you’re coming back from injury, building toward an ultra, or wanting more structure — you can find me on Team RunRun. I’d love to help you build something sustainable and meaningful.

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In this episode, I sit down with Llinos Proctor — someone whose journey into ultrarunning is anything but typical. She didn’t grow up sporty, she didn’t come from a running background, and she certainly didn’t imagine she’d one day be taking on the Winter Spine Race.

What she did have was a love of wild places, a deep connection to the mountains, and a willingness to keep showing up when life got hard.

We talk about how running first became a lifeline during a difficult time in her life, and how those early half‑mile efforts slowly grew into marathons, ultras, and eventually some of the toughest mountain races in the UK.

Llinos shares how she rebuilt from long COVID, how she learned to trust herself in remote terrain, and how the trail community helped her find confidence she didn’t know she had.

Then we dive into the big one — the Winter Spine Race.

She takes us through the highs, the lows, the hallucinations, the bogs, the admin, the kit chaos, the night sweats, and the moments where she genuinely thought she was done… only to find another gear she didn’t know existed.

We explore:

• How resilience is built through lived experience, not talent
• Why “admin” is the real race, and the runners who finish are the ones who look after themselves early
• The moment she nearly quit at Langdon Beck — and how the community pulled her back
• Why suffering in these events is a privilege
• What it means to run for a cause bigger than yourself
• And what’s next now that she’s completed one of the toughest winter ultras in the world

This is a conversation about grit, identity, motherhood, mountains, and the strange joy of doing really hard things on purpose. If you’re an ultrarunner, a dot‑watcher, or someone who loves stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, you’ll get a lot from this one.

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In this episode, I’m diving into the reality of winter training — the dark mornings, the cold miles, the shifting motivation — and how I’m trying to stay consistent while building my bike fitness and keeping my running steady. This is the time of year where everything feels harder, but it’s also where the biggest gains are made if you approach it the right way.

I talk through what my own training has looked like recently: pushing the bike more seriously, working on power and efficiency, and trying to keep my running ticking over without forcing anything. It’s not perfect, but it’s moving in the right direction, and that’s the whole point of winter.

From there, I get into the main theme of the episode: how to train well in winter. I share the systems, habits, and mindset shifts that actually work — the things I use myself and the things I coach my athletes to focus on. Winter isn’t about hero sessions; it’s about showing up often enough to build the foundations for spring.

I also take a look at the recent Spine Race series and pull out some lessons that apply to all of us. The Spine is the ultimate example of winter resilience: adaptability, small decisions, forward motion, and community. There’s so much we can learn from it, even if we’re not racing 268 miles through the Pennine Way in January.

In this episode, I cover:

• My current training update: bike improvements, running consistency, and winter fatigue
• Why winter is the real foundation season
• How I lower activation energy to make training easier
• Why “good enough” beats “perfect”
• How I use the bike to support my running
• The role of strength and mobility right now
• What the Spine Race teaches us about resilience and adaptability
• Practical takeaways you can apply straight away

Key ideas I talk about:

• Winter rewards consistency, not intensity
• Systems matter more than motivation
• Adaptability is a performance skill
• Small decisions compound into big outcomes
• Community keeps you accountable when motivation dips

If you enjoy this episode, share it with someone who’s struggling with winter motivation. And if you want coaching support, you can find me on Team RunRun. Thanks for listening — keep showing up, keep building, and spring will thank you for it.

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