Hanny As llston

Arwen Dyer is a gentle soul with a story that we believe needs to be heard. Her photography alone we could discuss for hours, but it is her work in art therapy that is at the core of this conversation.  


We discuss the use of art to heal, even for those of us that place ourselves in the non-artistic box.


“There can often be resistance to using the arts in that therapeutic context even if people want to they can get stuck in their own story and just talking. But also they might feel like I’m going to be judged on what I create or what’s going to come out of this.”


“What if we make some marks on paper about how that feels for you? What colour would you choose? It might just be a black mess on the paper but that’s what it is – that’s what you’re feeling.”


We hope this conversation gives you an introduction to an unusual but beautiful technique.

#02: Finding the Art to Healing with Arwen Dyer

Be prepared to never look at your emotions the same way again. Today we sit down with Clive Stack, an absolute trailblazer in mapping emotions. 

While this podcast may not seem relevant to you on the surface, trust us when we say that you will be blown away by how this conversation can be applied in your life; from yourself and your relationships, to your running/exercise and motivation. Freedom, anxiety and fury are all discussed in depth. We also delve into a topic that was asked when we initially released our podcast idea regarding your motivation to run (and continue to run). 

We don’t want to give too much away so we will leave you with the following quotes from the conversation. 

“Emotion is the force to help you become what you want to be. Our emotions control our behaviour.”

“The common thought that someone makes us feel something, that is such a common thing. Nobody can MAKE you feel something.”

“Perfection is about living in the now; there is no perfection except in the moment. When we search for perfection, what we are trying to do is live in the moment.”

We hope you enjoy this conversation and take the risk of learning with us.

#03: Driven by emotions with Dr Clive Stack

Today we sit down with Darryl Griffiths, founder of Shotz Sports Nutrition and author of Sweat.Think.Go Faster. Darryl is known as a pioneer in sports nutrition and if you’ve been following us for a while, you’ll have seen we've frequently showcased Darryl's knowledge through his guest blogs on nutrition and hydration and previous podcasts with Hanny.

   

At its core, we hope this podcast will show you how passionate Darryl is about helping athletes perform better along with giving some more information on the man behind the scenes. Darryl has worked with the world's top: Ironmen and women; triathletes; cyclists; runners; Paralympian's; Formula One and motocross athletes just to name a few. He even has famous faces staying with him in Melbourne on a regular basis!

   

He's inspired us to explore not just sports nutrition but exploring better ways of doing business and living our personal lives with intention. 

       

“It’s about having a respect for the body and an understanding that everyone is so different”
    
“People may be exactly the same size and yet have completely different numbers when you’re talking about hydration”
      

We hope you enjoy this conversation.

#04: Fuelling Your Intentions with Darryl Griffiths

We’ve switched things around and today are interviewing Hanny for the podcast! I’m sure that most of you are at the very least familiar with the name ‘Hanny Allston’ and know that she is a phenomenal athlete. There is a lot more to Hanny than just running though as you will see with this conversation. 

I hope this podcast shows someone with an incredible character and drive that has led to multiple outstanding achievements, while maintaining a humble and grounded personality. Our conversation dives into turning 30, Find Your Feet and the many aspects of running; from training to racing to avoiding injury.
 
We hope you enjoy this conversation.

#05: Running with new insights with Hanny Allston

Today we sit down with Dr. Jeremy Adams, registered psychologist and owner/manager of Eclectic Consulting. If you’ve never been to a psychologist, and even if you have, you are in for a mind-blowing podcast! We discuss the stigma around mental health (and why Jeremy wants to remove the ‘mental’ and simply include it within overall health), performance, why we’re so hard on ourselves, motivation, social media, work/life/training balance, our brains and how they are wired to work, the dark side of performance and much, much more. 

Jeremy’s list of achievements is staggering and includes: a Ph.D. in Sport and Exercise Psychology, 10 professional papers and two books. He is also a qualified SCUBA instructor, personal trainer and has competed in mountain biking at a state level. 

Listen in to hear why Jeremy states that, “I suppose I’m coming to the idea that nearly everything that we experience has no meaning whatsoever.”

We really hope you enjoy this conversation and learning more about what makes us who we are and why. 



To learn more about Jeremy head over to the below sites!

Website:
http://www.eclectic-consult.com/Eclectic_Consulting/Home.html
Blog:
http://www.eclectic-moose.com

#07: The psychology of potential with Dr. Jeremy Adams

Rowing Backward with Focus to Running Forward with Balance

Today we sit down with Hannah Clark. Can we just say straight up that we’d forgive you for thinking that Hannah is much older than her 25 years, especially with her mature approach to life. The way she manages to balance studying to become a doctor with training, and how she overcomes setbacks or sudden changes in direction, is truly inspiring. Hannah is a humble and grounded person and we feel this podcast will speak to all of you.   

       
“Day to day it’s about listening to your body. Some things you can’t change, I have to be at the hospital at 7am in the morning…. some days that’s standing or walking all day with minimal food, so your training has to adjust to that. It’s about not ever being too rigid about things and also just being organised.”


“I have always loved running. My Mum and Dad used to run every morning together and being one of four kids with full time working parents, if you wanted time with just your mum and dad – that was the time to go. It was like 5:30am in the morning, and we might have had our lab with us too. So that was probably where it started from…they were so joyful doing it and the dog was so joyful doing it. It was this fun thing to do! I’ve always run just for pleasure and myself.”


We hope you enjoy this conversation and it makes you reflect on how you balance everything in your life.

#08: Rowing Backward with Focus to Running Forward with Balance with Hannah Clark

Today we sit down with Dr. Sally Chapman the Founding Medical Director of Health Change, an integrative medical practice in Hobart. Sally has worked in the medical world since her graduation in 1989. With ongoing research and continual learning, she has expanded her practice to include a holistic approach to health after conventional medicine failed to answer all of her questions.

    
We hope you enjoy this conversation!

#09: Holistic Health and Hormonal Harmony with Dr. Sally Chapman

Hanny Allston has accomplished her final 'competitive dream' after many years of racing at an elite level - completing the 100km distance at the Ultra Trail Australia. In her words, 'It was an emotional celebration of everything my mind and body has done for me over my running journey, and the lessons I learnt along the way'.

In this podcast we cover all things UTA: from the days before, to the actual race and into recovery. We also discuss Hanny's tips and tricks for trail runners entering UTA next year (which are also applicable to other races!)         

She now can hang her race shoes up and hand the baton to the the new ranks after competing at the pointy end of the field for many years. Hanny might be finished at elite level racing but her experience, knowledge and love of trails continues.

We hope you enjoy this conversation.

#10: Ultra Trail Australia Reflections with Hanny Allston

Today, we sit down with Dr. Clive Stack again to continue the discussion on all aspects of our emotions.

As with the last podcast with Dr. Clive Stack, we don’t want to give too much away so we will leave you with the following quotes from the conversation.    

   
"Emotions are guiding us at a very, very basic level."
    
"To achieve your best, it is valuable to learn to listen to yourself because those emotions will guide you the best to the path that best suits you and that you are going to enjoy the most, that you are going to be the best at. So, everyone has a talent. EVERYONE has a talent, everyone has an ability."
    
"As you learn to listen to your emotions, you are getting the best guru that you can have."
    
We hope you enjoy this conversation.

#11: Listening to your emotions with Dr. Clive Stack

The Thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, has been listed as extinct since the last known tiger died in captivity in 1936. Despite this, there are many who still believe that the tiger lives on to this day. Col Bailey is one of these believers.

Author of Tiger Tales, Shadow of the Thylacine and Lure of the Thylacine, Col is a respected and well known supporter of the Thylacine's existence. Despite admitting to having seen a Tasmanian Tiger "definitely in 1995, and perhaps in 1967”, what makes Col an intriguing person however, is his humble approach to the topic. He wants to protect the species and this is apparent when he told us that“for 17 years, I didn’t tell a soul, not even my wife, and she wasn’t very happy when she found out!”  
 
This podcast touches on:
   *Col's history and how he came to dedicate his life to the search for the Thylacine.
A discussion on the Thylacine, including its behaviours and favoured habitats. 
   *A detailed description of his sightings (we found his description of the sound and smell really interesting!).
   *What Col hopes to come of society gaining the knowledge that the Thylacine exists today.
   *Col's books and how his latest book is going. 

Col's desire for the Thylacine to exist in peace is made apparent when we asked what he hopes would happen if someone were to see one today.

“If you’re out in the bush and you’re fortunate enough to see a Tasmanian Tiger or Thylacine, leave it alone. Look at it, get your photo if you’re lucky enough… then let it go its way… and don’t tell the media!”

We hope you enjoy this conversation!

#13: Hunting for the Tasmanian Thylacine with Col Bailey

"Every daily thing became as hard as climbing a mountain and it was hard to think about a future with me in it.”

Coming into connection with Ben through the Find Your Feet store, I was really inspired by his genuine honesty, kindness and willingness to share his struggles with mental illnesses. He harnessed those experiences to help others. It became apparent to me that he had a story that needed to be shared.
Ben Hirst is an incredibly passionate trail and ultra runner, father, husband, Speak Up Stay Chatty! Ambassador. He is the founder of ‘Run for Mental Health’ a grassroots initiative that meets weekly on Mt Wellington for a social run.

This podcast is a raw conversation about the real struggles of substance dependency and the devastating effects it can have on our lives. It can make us feel incredibly alone and hopeless, but in this conversation we are able to recognise the importance of standing up in the midst of your own struggles, in actually helping yourself by helping others; even when you do not have the answers yet yourself. 
 
There is a healing power in saying and hearing the words “me too.” I know this from my own experience through opening the retail store ‘Find Your Feet’ during a time that I myself, was trying to find my feet.
 
 
This podcast delves into:
The misunderstood prevalence of mental illnesses in our communities
Reaching out to social support networks for help
The mental health benefits of running/physical activity
Accepting ourselves when we do not have all the answers
 
Find Your Feet is also proud to have supported Ben on his first UTA journey as well as his road running challenge across the length of Tasmania. Both of which were endeavours of his to promote the importance of speaking up about struggling with mental illnesses.
 
We are so inspired by Ben’s social media accounts. If you loved this podcast check out his instagram @run_for_mental_health_ and Facebook

#16 Mental Health with Ben Hirst

In this podcast, we go deep into the psychology and foundations of sustainable training, trying to uncover some of the important truths associated with mastering our crafts, be them play or performance.

We delve into:
- The humble beginnings of Hanny Allston
- Hanny’s writing process for her new trail running guidebook and training resources
- How Hanny developed her style of coaching and ethos
- Extra-ordinary benefits of taking time to develop a strong sense of self
- Sustainable training mindsets

#17 Psychological Foundations of Performance With Hanny Allston

I have decided to create this podcast series based upon my newly released Ultra Trail Australia Training Programs and Trail Running Guidebook. Whilst each episode targets athletes using these resources, they should provide informative listening for all athletes or individuals keen to embark on a more active lifestyle. A new episode will be released monthly on Thursdays up until the Ultra Trail Australia event hosted in May 2018!  My aim with this series is to support your unique journey, playing to the start line and beyond!
 
Throughout the duration of this series I will be talking with Jess- my friend, colleague and fellow trail runner – specifically with tips to tackle the most common challenges I see amongst the athletes I work with or have trained alongside. I will be sharing stories from my own experiences and busting myths about nutrition & hydration, overtraining and holistic health.
 
I would strongly recommend (if you haven’t already) listening to #17 The Psychological Foundations of Performance. Establishing a clear understanding of why we want to strive for our peak performance is crucial for sustainable training. Are our motives internally or externally driven? Are we nurturing all areas of holistic health whilst working towards our goals? These are important questions that we need to address to reduce the risk of epic burnouts, injury through overtraining and building our sense of self.
  
So, base training! It is the first aspect of physical training that I have included in the guidebook and for very good reason. The term ‘base training’ feels like a bit of an overkill signpost as to what I am suggesting to build your fitness foundations. 
 
 Take Home Points:  
- Periodising training is crucial: In order to improve, we do not have to push our bodies to the limits every training session
- Playing in the base training phase for a longer period of time will help lower our risk of stress injuries and overtraining
- Athletes can reach 80-90% of their maximum ability just from base training alone
- Identifying some of the various symptoms of overtraining that we might be overlooking
- Base training is the perfect place to come back to for recovery, and sustainable exercising

“I have no doubt that someone could get off the couch now and in 6 months time, run 100km. But it’s to the expense at what that is going to do in the long term – and that’s physically and psychologically. I think you can have a much better experience if you try and pick goals in keeping with where you are at and you allow yourself to just enjoy the beauty of base training.” ​

#19 Base Training With Hanny Allston

Navigating the seemingly endless sources of information on sports nutrition & hydration can be overwhelming, but I believe there are only a few basic principles everybody must know.
 
In this podcast I sit down with my colleague and friend Jess, to troubleshoot the major nutrition/hydration challenges I see amongst athletes and how to ensure you do not fall into the same traps!

I put a focused approach on race nutrition and what nutritional disruptions cause cramping, vomiting and diarrhoea on race day. So this podcast would be really beneficial for anyone following my Ultra Trail Australia Training Programs. 
 
Like all of my podcasts focused on enhancing athletic performance, I believe the knowledge I share is beneficial and applicable to anyone of any age who is looking to play wilder. Irrespective of what ‘lifestyle,’ nutrition, or school of thought you may follow.
 
 
Take Home Points
- SODIUM – replace it!
- GLUCOSE – consume it! 
- ELECTROLYTES – life saving!
- The functions of our body are all interrelated   
- Hydration is not just about drinking water. We need to be replacing the electrolytes and salt lost through sweating
- Refuel the brain with glucose and we refuel the body
- Sports Nutrition is for everyone and every age - even firefighters! 
- Sometimes we need to exercise caution when generalised nutritional information is presented to us when we are playing wilder. 

I hope you enjoy listening to this one!

#21 Sports Nutrition & Hydration for Playing Wilder with Hanny Allston

“If there was one element I could retain in my training and I had to get rid of all the others, the one element I would retain is hills.”

Main Points
- Recap of Hanny's epic mission to Federation Peak
- Why run hills? The importance of hill training for injury prevention
- How hill training can actually reduce the likelihood common running injuries such as ITB syndrome and Achilles injuries.
- Uphill and Downhill Running Techniques
-- Cadence
-- Stair Running
-- Technical Trails
- Advice for improving our psychological approach to hills
- Glute Activation for injury prevention – tips for strengthening our deep gluteal muscles.
- How to start hill training
- Hanny’s advice for hill training without hills
- The importance of nutrition for uphill and downhill running – caffeine = life saver 

Trail runners have to accept that the ground isn’t always flat and on almost every run we will encounter some kind of hill. So, what happens now?
 
Behind every step that we take when we hit the trails or brave the bush lands is an intricate series of energy ‘ins & outs’. The alterations in surfaces and slopes change the way our muscles need to respond. Sometimes they will be contracting strongly to propel us forward and other times they will be eccentrically contracting to slow us down. Sometimes gravity will be working in our favour, and sometimes completely against us.
 
Therefore, it is important to begin thinking about the way you catch, create and utilize the energy that you have available to you. This might be the difference between having enough energy to think clearly to the end of your run, and bonking out before you have truly reached your peak performance.
 
I get a lot of questions regarding how to incorporate hill training into race preparations – especially for those looking to compete in the UTA. I hope this podcast can answer some of these questions and help to bring a greater feeling of confidence and efficiency to your running practise.
 
I have a plethora of free resources available online, so take some time to explore all the links below if this topic interests you

Videos
Hanny’s Federation Peak Mission - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32pgo3YRGR0
 
Podcast Recommendations
Find Your Feet Podcast Episode #19 Base Training Podcast –
http://www.hannyallston.com.au/base-training.html
 
Find Your Feet Podcast Episode #15 UTMB with Brook Martin –
http://www.hannyallston.com.au/brook-martin.html
 
Blog Posts
Training for Mountains without Hills- http://www.hannyallston.com.au/blog/training-for-mountains-without-hills
 
Uphill & Downhill Running Technique –
http://www.hannyallston.com.au/blog/uphill-downhill-running-technique

Hanny Allston
Website – www.hannyallston.com.au
Blog - www.hannyallston.com.au/blog/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/hanny.allston/
 
Hanny Allston Training Resources
Guidebook – http://www.hannyallston.com.au/trail-running-guidebook.html
UTA Training Packages - http://www.hannyallston.com.au/ultra-trail-australia.html
 
Contact Me – hanny@findyourfeet.com.au
 
Find Your Feet Retail Store – www.findyourfeet.com.au

Hanny As llston

Kate