The Pyllon Ultra Pod

A special podcast this week. James chats to Paul about his first week on the end to end trail from the luxury of a Travelodge near Bristol.  The end to end trail is a challenge to run from Lands End to John O'Groats. But in a twist from the usual fastest / straightest route, Paul has chosen to do it all on trail. Which adds 50% more distance and enough additional vert to fill a Himalayan mountain...

Regular listeners will know that we often steer an impulsive path on this podcast. It’s about running, by runners but for more than runners. And this week Paul and James got into a conversation about purpose, goals and motivation. There was some deep digging done on questions such as, “did I choose this life?” and “Why I am doing this?” Also always with the Pylon Ultra podcast we really want athle...

Straight outta lockdown Paul Giblin and Graham Connolly decided to take on the Cape Wrath trail. Their aim was simply to run it in under four days. If you don’t know what the Cape Wrath trail is like, it’s wild, barren and unmarked. As well as loose lines that can’t be called trail in the more common sense of the word, it is boggy, laden with river crossings and goes up and down many a hill and gl...

DOING THE INTERNAL WORK! In the last episode of this series we talked at length about cognitive biases, how and why we might be conditioned without really being aware of it, and how these gaps in our awareness can hold us back. So, in this episode we talk more about self awareness and how any kind of introspection may help or hinder our development. We already talked about how some of our beliefs...

Now it is time for Paul and James to go deeper into the subjects they promised at the Series 3 kick-off. This one will be very different from series 2. There are no guests - it is just the two of them discussing a range of matters relating to the growth of self. In this episode Paul is curious to explore cognitive dissonance and the Dunning-Kruger effect and how it can show up for athletes in trai...

We are kicking off a new series of the podcast. As we said in the last episode, we want to make the most of the time that we put into these episodes by talking at length about some of the areas in training and life that aren’t discussed as often or in any great detail as things like running workout sessions, race updates and how best to train for a particular distance. So in that vein we are plann...

Paul and James catch up on the second lockdown, running 1,000 miles in a week and the new Pyllon Exposure race It's been a couple of months since we last recorded. We recorded this bonus episode as we get close to Spring and remain in lockdown. We chat about how this has affected us and our athletes, we pick through the learnings from our recent Endeavour project where the racing team ran 1,000 mi...

Paul and James talk about what they learned speaking to some of the best athletes in the world It's been a couple of months since we last recorded. This episode (the final of the series), we get back to our one to one conversations. In the last 5 episodes it was great to speak to such accomplished athletes and try to get under the skin of what makes them tick and the story that underlies everyone'...

An interview with Elite athlete - David Hauss It's been a few weeks since we recorded. But this show's guest is a world class athlete. David Hauss finished 4th at the 2012 London Olympics in the triathlon, narrowly missing out on a medal to Gomez and the Brownlees. Now, 8 years on, David is focused on a future in ultrarunning and has some BIG race targets. Hailing from the island of Reunion, David...

Pyllon Ultra Pod, Series 2 Episode 4 Show Notes Episode 4: Running is My Religion There are few runners in the world as tough and as accomplished as the Lithuanian legend Gediminas Grinius. The former UTWT world champion, TransGrancanaria winner, Wasatch 100 winner and all round ultra running super-star joins Paul and James in an explosively open chat on a range of subjects: • His route to running...

Episode 3: Maximising performance We go to the other side of the world, in a virtual sense of course this week as Paul and James get down to chatting with the incredible 3x triathlon world champion and Commonwealth Games steeplechase medalist Melissa Hauschildt, who joined us with her 6 month old daughter Dakota for a chat on: • Her career to date and its impressive longevity • How she balances li...

Pyllon Series 2 Episode 2: Frederick van Lierde, belief is earned and goes a long way In partnership with Compressport, Series 2 continues with an interview with former Ironman World Champion, Brilliant Belgian - Frederik van Lierde. Frederik has had a stellar career with over 23 years competing at the top level in triathlon and Ironman events. He’s won Nice 5 times and has competed 11 times at Ko...

Series 2 Episode 1, with Compressport: 'Find your why' with ultra runner Mike Wardian Well, that escalated quickly. Series 2 of the Pyllon Ultra Pod has kicked off and we have a couple of big changes to announce. Our good friends at Compressport will be supporting this series and we will be joined by some of the biggest names in endurance sports. Episode 1 starts with a bang as the effusive and in...

Pyllon UP Episode 7: A retrospective with a great guest That is it done. Series 1 is over and we end on a high being joined by the incredible Kaz Williams to reflect on the previous 6 episodes in the series. Kaz is a brilliant athlete and accomplished coach. She brings with her alternative views on some of our past subjects and we go deep into conversations about mindset and adapting mid race to t...

Pyllon Ultra Pod: BONUS EPISODE We take a step back and have a conversation about what we have learned from the last 6 episodes of the podcast and about the direction we'd like to take next----more---- We hit, in no particular order: • 3 x things we've learned from our podcast  • That it's ok for opinions to evolve • How we want the pod to be more than just a broadcast channel • How we will finish...

Pyllon Episode 6: Where there is hope there is optimism. Or is there? After last week’s chat on adventures Paul and James had a lightbulb moment when debating what subject to discuss next. The energy and positivity we have seen from the Pyllon and running communities really buoyed us after last week’s show was inspiring. So, this week we jump into the brilliant and wonderful subject of optimism.--...

Pyllon Ultra Pod, Episode 5 Show Notes Episode 5: The epicness and fun of planning your own running adventure This Episode, Paul and James change the subject to adventures and experiences. More and more runners are looking to new and innovative ways to bring some excitement to their running. As ultra runners we are used to pushing limits and we discuss a myriad of things for you to think about as...

Pyllon Ultra Pod, Episode 4 Show Notes Episode 4: Adaptability Part 3 It was never intended that adaptability would be a 3-part series, yet the conversation and community engagement has brought us to a 3rd and final chat on the theme. This time we look to the future and our evolving identities as athletes and humans.----more---- So, the items in this week’s episode are: • What does the future look...

Pyllon Ultra Pod, Episode 3 Show Notes Episode 3: Adaptability Part 2 It’s Part 2 of Paul and James’s chat on adaptability. This time it’s Paul’s turn to be quizzed and the conversation moves around his running and coaching life. There’s more backstory than a Tarantino thriller and Paul opens up on his fears and hopes as he stepped out of the corporate comfort zone and into the risky world of his...

Episode 2: When imposed limitations can become an advantage It’s episode number 2. We survived the trauma of putting the first one out there! Paul Giblin, Pyllon Coaching’s founder and owner, talks with long time coached athlete and GB 24 hour runner James Stewart on adaptability and how important it is a trait in runners. ----more---- These shows are about the ultra life but not only relevant to...

Paul Giblin, Pyllon Coaching’s founder and owner, talks with long time coached athlete and GB 24 hour runner James Stewart on taking advantage of chaos and the mindset needed to do that. This is the first show in a new series of podcasts on how each of the hosts strive to live their own ultra lives through running. They'll discuss the sport they love, the people, the places, the culture and the tr...