Tales from the Valley Podcast

TFTV ft. Rede Carney

Sam and Mitch sit down with Rede Carney, who has some impressive personal bests—all achieved after breaking the three-hour mark at the Sydney Marathon last year. He has run 17:11 at the GONG5000 and placed second at the recent SMC Road Series Half Marathon with a time of 1:19:32.
Rede took up running in his 30s but has prioritized health and fitness since he was 17. Coming from a triathlon background, he considers himself to have a "diesel engine" and has recently incorporated speedwork into his training. As a result, his performances over shorter distances have improved rapidly. Rede shares valuable insights into how he has achieved these times and how he balances running with a busy family and work life.
Sam kicks off his training with a Tuesday track session, featuring fast 400m and 200m reps, followed by a hard 2K effort at the end of the session in 7:03 (did he mention it was 25 degrees?). He follows this up with a tough tempo session and plenty of strength work. Mitch walks us through a challenging 7 × 1K session on Tuesday, though he feels his week was compromised by poor recovery from last week's long run. It’s hard to tell, though, as he still manages to put together another 100+ km week.
Rede had a strong swim and run at the aquathon last Sunday, so he only joins the JT Running crew for the 400m and 200m reps on Tuesday. However, he still completes a tough early-morning treadmill tempo session before heading back to work.
Café Kit of the Week
Raw Advanced Handheld Drink Bottle – Rebel Sport
Urbanista Earphones
Reekmind Cotton Tee
Soft Flask
Round-the-Club Shoutouts
Michael Sadler – Narooma Run Club
Rene Collins – Coast to Mountain
Lea Carney

TFTV ft. Hollie Betts (Narooma Run Club)

 
Sam, Mitch, and Katie chat with Holli Betts, the founder of the Narooma Run Club. Despite being relatively new to running, Holli has made remarkable progress. Inspired by Mel Jefferis, she started running regularly and has already completed two half marathons, improving her personal bests (PBs) for the 5k and 10k, including a fresh PB at Wagga Wagga Parkrun last week.
The Narooma Run Club began with just seven women meeting on Sundays to run at Bar Beach, Narooma. However, as interest grew, it quickly outgrew a simple group chat. Holli started promoting the weekly runs on social media, attracting families and local residents who are now regulars. The club fosters an inclusive and fun atmosphere, generating excitement in the local community. Holli shared insights into managing the club and remains eager for feedback. The club’s merchandise and social media feature artwork by local talent Shelly Healy.
In this episode:
Mitch recaps his first 5000m race of the year, finishing in 16:38 at Bankstown, followed by a solid training week.
Sam discusses completing the same weekly sessions as Mitch, including a tough broken k’s track session and a Moose Fartlek on Friday.
Holli shares details about her parkrun PB and her preparation for the Melbourne Marathon in October.
Katie talks about her entry in the upcoming Aquathon, where she ran 17:27, edging out Carl Ernst from the run group.
Café Kit of the Week:
Crocs
Asics Novablast 5
Water bottle (not Frank Green)
Precision Electrolyte Formula
Round-the-Club Shoutouts:
Mel Jefferis – Narooma Run Club
Chris Stone – JT Running
Siobhan King – Kiama Running Club
James Smith – Sapphire Coast Runners
Referenced Links:Narooma Run Club Instagram

TFTV ft. Maddi Costanzo

Sam and Katie chat with Maddi Costanzo. Maddi has played soccer at an elite level since the beginning of high school, competing across Europe and the U.S. She was on track to go pro but suffered an ACL injury during a game, requiring extensive rehab. A few years later, after returning to the field and performing well, Maddi experienced another ACL injury. However, she turned this setback into a positive by completing several courses to develop a holistic understanding of health and fitness. Now, Maddi coaches large groups of younger kids in areas such as strength, nutrition, and mental health.
Maddi decided to take up running, heavily influenced by her best mate, Tom Baker, who has been training for marathons for a few years. She is now signed up for the Gold Coast Marathon and plans to rely on her experiences to help structure her training program.
Katie kicks off the week with a solid 123 km of running, leaning on the JT Running Group sessions to keep her paces controlled. Sam covers all bases this week with strong workouts, three strength sessions, and a two-hour long run to round things off. Maddi enjoys a bit of a rest period on the Gold Coast but still manages to fit in a few runs and continues her usual hard work in the gym.
Café Kit of the Week
Traak Running Hats - traakrunning.com.au
Vibrating Roller Massager - Kmart Vibrating Roller Massager
Blood Orange & Mango Sparkling Water
Round the Club Shoutouts
Isaac Shaw – WTC
Joe Mallat – JT Running
Angie Blackburn – Mel’s Angels
Useful Links
Instagram: Costanzo Performance
Costanzo Performance Website

TFTV 1st Birthday

A quick message from Sam on the 1st year of the podcast, followed by Russ and Sam's 'practice' podcast before the original launch. Enjoy, thank you to our listeners and our partners.

TFTV ft. Chloe Pateman

Sam, Katie, and Mitch are joined by Chloe Pateman. Chloe is a Wollongong local who has recently moved to the Gold Coast. She boasts an impressive list of personal bests from 2024, including 4:37 for 1500m and 36:37 for 10k. Chloe started running in Year 10 and has been part of several squads, including Vicki McPhillips' group running around Blackbutt and the HIRT Squad. She has now joined GC Run Co, a group she connected with during a training camp in Perisher. Chloe enjoys running as it helps her break up her routine and stay focused on the task at hand.
Mitch kicks off the week with an impressive 20 x 400m session on Tuesday but slightly overreaches during his Friday tempo. His Strava blue bars are looking strong, though! Katie hangs on for 16 of Mitch’s 20 reps, clocks another 121km week, and decides to give up mowing due to the physical demands. Chloe has a stellar week, indicating she’s in shape for more PBs, with three quality sessions, including thresholds in the 3:30–3:40 range and solid 2km reps. Meanwhile, Sam fits in nicely with the JT Running Group, finding a great bunch of people to execute solid track and threshold sessions with.
Café Kit of the Week:
Wollongong Track Club Singlets and Shirts: Pre-order through Oasis via DM on Instagram – @wollongongtrackclub
TFTV Singlets: Pre-order through Perene – TFTV Podcast Collection
Nike Vaporfly 3
Matt Fitzgerald’s Running Cookbooks
Round the Club Shoutouts:
Mark Pateman
Jared “from MAFS” Pescud – Your Local Run Club
Benn Walker – Wollongong Track Club
Bill Dykstra – Sapphire Coast Runners

TFTV ft. Amy O'Halloran

Sam, Katie, and Mitch chat with Amy O’Halloran. Amy has delivered some big performances, winning the Sydney Harbour 5k in 2019 and placing 2nd at the Newcastle Marathon in 2022 with a time of 2:53. Despite her fast road times, Amy also boasts impressive track performances, having run 4:22 for 1500m during her college years in the US. Amy is extremely passionate about running but has recently faced injury struggles and opened up about their impact. Her goal is to reach the start line in sub-2:50 shape within the next four years.
Sam kicks off training this week, hitting the track and getting dropped by Katie. Despite this, he’s happy to be logging some normal weeks and is keeping things conservative. Katie logs 124 km this week, including two very strong sessions. Amy has an impressive week of training with lots of intensity but ends up with a potential Achilles tear. Mitch stacks his ninth consecutive 100+ km week, coming off the back of a bout with Covid.
Café Kit of the Week:
Dr. Squatch – Natural Deodorant
Heel Cups
Adidas Supernova
ASICS Novablast 5 (purple/red colourway)
Round the Club Shoutouts:
Hamish Simpson – Team Keem Coaching
Rebecca Croak – JT Running
Chase Grant – Mel’s Angels
Emma Collier – DELTA

TFTV ft. Nathaniel Brisbane

Nathaniel Brisbane joins Sam, Katie, and the infamous Russ Dessaix-Chin on the podcast this week. Nathaniel has achieved remarkable progress in a short period of time—he set a goal to break 25 minutes in the 5k late in 2022 and brought his time down to under 17 minutes within a few months.
This year, Nathaniel has run several impressive personal bests, including 4:07 for 1500m, 8:47 for 3k, 15:14 for 5k, 32:47 for 10k, 72:10 for the half marathon, and capped it off with a 2:36 marathon at the Gold Coast. Nathaniel credits consistent training for his success and has recently joined Brendan Hince’s training group. Despite a heavy study load at UOW, Nathaniel stays committed to high mileage and smart training.
Sam completes his first full training week since rehabbing his shin, including a grass track session in the Bega Valley, though his Parkrun in Pambula was less successful. Russ is returning from a heel injury, pushing hard to finish his week with 1:40 at 4-minute kilometers. Nathaniel continues to build solid training, completing a Mona Fartlek at North Gong Parkrun, running fast despite the challenging mixed terrain. Katie stays on top of her workouts, finishing a strong 20k progression during her long run.
Café Kit of the Week
Hoodie Towel (Robe Optional)
Adidas SL 2
ASICS Metaspeed Sky
ASICS Magic Speed 4
Round the Club Shoutouts
Harm Schaap – Wollongong Track Club
Cameron Faricy – Run Crew
Jack Ratz – De Agony of De Feet
Claire Gilbert – Sapphire Coast Runners

TFTV ft. James Tunbridge

Sam, Katie, and Mitch catch up with James ‘Tunnaz’ Tunbridge, whose impressive personal bests include 8:26 for 3000m and a recent 2:32 marathon in Sydney. James, who played high-level tennis in his teenage years, naturally ran 5Ks in the low 16-minute range without structured training.
In 2011, after a chance encounter with Russ Dessaix-Chin at parkrun, James joined Russ for training sessions to elevate his performance.
Recently, James launched his own running business, ‘JT Running,’ which has been buzzing with activity. The business offers Tuesday track sessions, Friday tempo runs, dedicated programming, and strength training.
Sam is back at the track with the crew, hitting 800m reps on Tuesdays and logging 62km over five days. Katie slows her long-run pace this week, completing an impressive 26km at 4:09 per km, totaling 120km for the week. Mitch continues his steady progress with 108km and a strong progressive run.
James (Tunnaz) stays involved, jumping into reps during JT Running sessions. Over the holidays, he heads to Tasmania, enjoying cooler weather for his long runs.
Café Kit of the Week
Traak Running Hat
Ryze Smart Ring
Mohawk Haircut
Creatine
Round the Club Shoutouts
Chloe Tighe (Kembla Joggers)
Zoe Rayment (Coast to Mountain)
Luke & Jett Warmer (Kiama Running Club)
Carl Ernst (JT Running)
References
JT Running
Creatine - Runner’s World
TFTV Podcast - Perene – Custom Race Singlets – pre-order by Jan 31