The Pyllon Ultra Pod

In this episode, Paul reconnects with long-time Pyllon athlete, coach and former podcast co-host James Stewart for the first conversation in a new series, People Make Pyllon - where we explore the lives, work and wider stories of runners in the Pyllon community. James has represented Great Britain, broken records, and worked at the sharp end of competitive ultrarunning, but this conversation is less about racing and more about life. They discuss what happens when running takes a step back, and how it still supports James's full-time leadership role, family life, and creative interests. They talk about injury, consistency, integrity, and why showing up matters more than chasing medals. James shares his evolving mindset as he begins doctoral research on the future of AI and work, and how he’s learning to value running not just for performance, but for what it gives back to the rest of life. Topics covered include: Returning from injury and rethinking goals Balancing work, family, running and personal growth Running at 4am, wherever you are in the world The "equilateral triangle" model of life Why self-integrity matters more than motivation Creativity, well-being and letting go of outcome The power and responsibility of AI in a changing world This is a thoughtful conversation about adapting, growing, and redefining what progress really means, both in running and in life. Links and extras Subscribe to The Ultra Life for weekly reflections from Paul: 👉 https://youtube.com/pyllon Follow along on Instagram: 👉 https://instagram.com/pyllon 👉 https://instagram.com/pyllonultra Explore coaching and more at: 👉 https://www.pyllonultra.com/

Show notes For a long time, my race calendar organised most of my life. There was always another training block, another trip, another race. Western States would lead into Chamonix, Chamonix into UTMB, and the things I was going to deal with afterwards could usually wait a little longer. The strange thing is, I was happy. Running gave me progress, identity, incredible experiences and somewhere to go when other parts of life were harder to understand. Sometimes it probably helped me avoid things too. I’m not sure those two things are as easy to separate as we like to think. The last couple of years have almost reversed that pattern. Frostbite, recovery, moving house, the croft, work and all the ordinary jobs of life have become the new calendar. The big running ambitions never disappeared. I just became very good at telling them to wait. In this short solo episode, I talk about a recent day on Ben Nevis, lying in hospital after Yukon, a difficult TDS, the years when racing occupied almost everything, and why I’m now trying to work out how much space I want to give the athlete again. I’m not sure balance is quite the answer. Maybe some of us naturally put our weight somewhere, and the question is how far we allow the pendulum to swing. Paul Giblin is an ultrarunner, endurance coach and founder of Pyllon Ultra. Keep up with Pyllon: Instagram: @pyllon / @pyllonultra Substack: Pyllon YouTube: Pyllon Coaching: Pyllon Ultra If you enjoy the Pyllon Ultra Pod, you can follow the show on your podcast app and share an episode with someone you think might enjoy it. Thanks for listening.

Another episode of our Long Run Conversations with John Connolly. Ultra running has always moved in waves. One year it's barefoot shoes. Then maximal cushioning. Heat training. Carbon plates. Heat suits. Weighted vests. High-carb fuelling. Some of those ideas genuinely move the sport forward. Some quietly disappear. In this conversation we explore why we're so drawn to the next big thing, how social media and marketing influence the way we train, and why it's often the unglamorous basics that make the biggest difference over time. Along the way we chat about: Heat suits and weighted vest training Barefoot shoes, maximal cushioning and carbon plates High-carb fuelling and the rising cost of race nutrition Why elite athletes aren't always the best models to copy How to think more critically about new training ideas The difference between genuine innovation and clever marketing Why consistency still beats novelty As always, this isn't about dismissing new ideas. It's about asking better questions before changing the way you train. If you enjoy these conversations, we'd love to hear from you. Let us know what topics you'd like us to explore next. Find Pyllon Ultra: 🌐 https://pyllon.substack.com

In this episode of the Pyllon Ultra Pod, Paul sits down with Pyllon coach John Connolly for a more informal conversation about training, racing and the things that often sit beneath the surface for endurance athletes. This is not a polished lecture or a neat list of training tips. It is more of a coach-to-coach conversation about what we notice in athletes, what people often struggle with, and how easy it can be to overthink the process when training starts to feel uncertain. We talk about the messy middle of training, the gap between what athletes think they should be feeling and what they are actually experiencing, and why honesty is such an important part of long-term development. A quick note on the audio: we had some technical issues during the recording, so Paul’s side of the conversation is not quite where we would normally want it to be. We have cleaned it up as best we can, and decided to share the episode because the conversation felt worth putting out. In this episode we cover: The uncertainty athletes often carry into race season The value of honest conversations between coach and athlete The importance of staying connected to the bigger picture What we are noticing in runners at this point in the year This one is a little more relaxed, a little less polished, and hopefully useful if you are somewhere in the middle of your own training process. Thanks for listening. You can find more from Pyllon here: Substack: https://pyllon.substack.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pyllon and https://www.instagram.com/pyllonultra YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/pyllon Website: https://www.pyllonultra.com

Easy training is meant to feel restorative. So why does it so often leave us feeling uneasy? In this solo episode, I explore a feeling many runners carry quietly: guilt when training feels easy. The sense that if a run doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t quite count. That we haven’t earned it. We unpack where that belief comes from, how endurance culture and comparison shape our relationship with effort, and why ease can feel undeserved even when we know it’s essential. I also share personal reflections from my time training in Chamonix as a full-time athlete, and a moment on an easy run that turned into something else entirely, driven by ego and the need to prove commitment. This episode isn’t about justifying easy days. It’s about questioning why discomfort has become our proof of worth, and what it might mean to let training be enough without suffering. In this episode: Why easy training can feel emotionally uncomfortable How guilt creeps into rest and recovery The influence of comparison and endurance culture When effort becomes a measure of self-worth Reframing easy training as a skill, not a weakness If this episode resonates, take a moment on your next easy run to notice what comes up. Sometimes the most important work isn’t visible. Coaching, Writing & More If you’re interested in coaching, you can find out more at: pyllonultra.com I also write regularly on Substack, sharing longer-form reflections on running, training, and the wider ultra life: pyllon.substack.com You can follow along and subscribe here: YouTube: youtube.com/pyllon Instagram: @pyllon and @pyllonultra If you found this episode useful, subscribing or sharing the podcast really helps support the show. Thanks for listening.