Tales from the Valley Podcast

Tales from the Valley Podcast - Canberra Marathon Recap ft. Liam Mahoney & Josh Engel

In this episode of the podcast, Sam is joined by Liam Mahoney and Josh Engel to provide an insightful recap of the recent Canberra Marathon. Liam recently ran an impressive 16:42 for the 5km distance, bringing that achievement to the discussion. Meanwhile, Josh shares his journey, having completed the marathon in an impressive time of 2 hours and 46 minutes.
One of the highlights of the discussion is Liam's marathon performance, where he finished in 3 hours and 3 seconds, agonizingly close to his goal of running sub-3 hours. Despite falling just short of his target, Liam's determination and perseverance shine through, making for a compelling narrative. Additionally, Josh added a touch of style to the event, looking dapper in his Tracksmith hoody.
Throughout the episode, listeners are treated to a deep dive into marathon training methodologies and the philosophical underpinnings behind training sessions. Whether you're a seasoned runner or a novice, this conversation offers valuable insights into the world of marathon running, making it a must-listen for anyone passionate about the sport. Tune in to gain valuable tips and inspiration for your own running journey.

Tales from the Valley - Episode 7 Ft. Barry Keem

We had the pleasure to get a huge running name in the Illawarra Region on this week. Barry Keem joins Russ and Sam. 2:21 Marathoner, 100km Australian Team Representative, Ultra Runner and Super Coach, we hear about Barry's eclectic and lengthy running background, a number of marathons he's won and his transition to the ultra space. Baz tells us about his current training leading into the Sydney Backyard Ultra this weekend.
Sam strings together a few runs finally though proceeds with caution still treating his effected Tibial Stress and mixing in cross training. He has hopes that some residual fitness shines through on race day as he looks to tackle the half.
Russ continues with the ups and down coming down with some illness prior to his current race, however he finishes the week on a high inspired by all of his mates running Canberra Marathon Festival over the weekend.
Tim Winterflood takes us out with Extension of you.
 
Find links to Barry's socials and coaching below:
https://www.teamkeemcoaching.com.au/
 

Tales from the Valley Podcast - Dan Squires

Sam speaks with Dan Squires, a UOW alumni now living in Ireland. Dan has his own podcast 'The Back Straight' recapping and reviewing the running results over in Ireland.
Only having run for a short few years, Dan has some very impressive PB's ranging from 16:38 for 5km through to a 2:39 marathon in less than ideal conditions at Dublin a few years ago. Not only has Dan been successful on the roads but has taken part in a number of long distance events so is quite experienced when it comes to longer trail events.Dan runs us through how he fell in love with running and his move from Aust to the UK. 
Check out The Back Straight Podcast here: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-back-straight
Follow along with some of Dan's running content here too:
https://www.instagram.com/dansonlyrans/
 

Tales from the Valley - Episode 6 Ft. Josh Engel

Josh joins Sam and Russ this week as he laces up for Canberra Marathon the week after next.
Josh has impressive PB's ranging from 9:18 for 3k through to 2:41 for the marathon, and is hoping to gain more experience at Canberra to execute in the marathon. He tells us about his solid training block, nutrition and also about his luxurious running wardrobe.
Sam gives us some sad news who is stuck in the moonboot as his shin turned out to be a stress reaction, though he's in good spirits and is doing his best to maintain fitness primarily on the elliptical (unfortunately he's dropped down to the half marathon at Christchurch). Russ strings together more good training but isn't fully confident due to his knee holding him back a little. Josh runs through some impressive marathon specific training and talks about his taper strategy for the next week. 
The WTC boys fire in some good questions to Josh which results in some sophisticated chat about "Cafe approved kits".
 
 

Tales from the Valley Podcast - Paige Penrose

Sam gets the chance to chat with Paige Penrose. Paige has an exceptional trail resume with wins in the UTA 22k, the Takayna 26k, The Buffalo Stampede and the UTK 27k. 
Paige is currently in the US studying at the University of Nevada and competing on the track. Paige talks about the differences training in the US versus back at Stanwell Park, including training at altitude and what she's learning training on the track. 
Paige has ambitions to race in some longer trail events as well so starts to consider what training intensities work for her and what that looks like from a nutrition perspective.
 
We also hear about Paige's sponsor 'The North Face' and how they focus on quality and honesty with their athletes. 
 
Follow along with Paige's Training via the links below:
https://www.instagram.com/paigepenrose_/
https://www.strava.com/athletes/43408658
 

Tales from the Valley - Episode 5 ft. Karen Blay

Karen joins Russ and Sam this week. Karen walks us through her long and successful running career which includes a number of Australian Records in the 55-59 and 60-64 categories. She will look to add the remaining records to her collection in Hobart in a couple of weeks and also looks to break 3 hours at Gold Coast Marathon this year.
Russ starts to string together some solid training and roll into Christchurch Marathon, cracking 100km for a couple of weeks now. Sam continues to string together Marathon Sessions and high mileage but has looked forward to a day or 2 off and a down week as he has developed a shin splint.
Stick around for the end as Sam speaks with Jon Holmes the Event Director for Christchurch Marathon for an overview of the course, expo and major sponsors of the event.

Tales from the Valley Podcast - Katie Mahoney

Sam gets to chat with Katie Mahoney. Katie moved to Australia from the US so gives us a lot of great insights to running over there and the College track experience, as well as an interesting background on how she got into running.
Katie has a number of impressive PB's across the board include 7th place at Melbourne Marathon in 2022 with a 2:46, and she runs us through her typical training structure and coaching relationship.
Katie and Sam chat about improving on their Beer Mile times being the current Wollongong Champions, and also delve into discussion around recovery, nutrition and strength.
Katie has her sites set on Gold Coast Half Marathon in July and potentially joining the Run Shellharbour Festival for a hit out in April. Follow along with Katie's training here on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/37030419

Tales from the Valley Podcast - WTC Handicap Champs ft. Mitch Ryan

Sam catches up with Mitch Ryan to get a recap of the WTC Handicap Champs last weekend. a Mile, 5k and 3k race took place over the weekend. The event went off without a hitch due to a lot of effort in coordinating through a lot of different people in the Wollongong Running Community. Saucony, Capital Brewing, Coast2Mountain Running and Bailey Nelson all helped out from a sponsorship perspective. 
A great weekend with a lot of PB's being run, Wollongong is definitely a good place to live if you're a runner right now.