For our first podcast episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Emma Pond, a British Badass with rheumatoid arthritis, a love of trail running, and an upcoming half-marathon.

<figure class="alignright size-medium"><figcaption>Emma: Cancer Researcher | Aspiring Ultra Runner | Rheumatoid Arthritis Warrior</figcaption></figure>

Emma was diagnosed in 2006, when she was 18 years old. In the last year or so, Emma has rededicated herself to her interest in running, and she shares her experiences in our conversation. Something that impressed me about Emma was the way she’s learned to work with her body as she trains, by running fewer days each week, cross-training in low-impact ways, and honoring her rest days.

Many of us Badasses know the feeling of “starting from scratch” when our training is derailed. Emma talks about the challenges she faced when she needed to start over and offers some thoughts about what worked for her.

Working full time as a cancer researcher, Emma has tried run commuting to fit exercise into her busy days. She shares her experience with that, as well as with parkrun, an organization of free weekly 5Ks in communities around the globe.

During our conversation, Emma describes her experiences in trail running and speaks candidly about the inclusivity of both the trail running and parkrun communities. She offers advice for runners who are interested in hitting the trails.

As Emma looks to the future, she’s dreaming of running her first ultramarathon. Chronically Badass can’t wait to cheer her on.

Emma can be found at her blog or on Instagram as @missspondruns.

Photograph by: @bensnapsstuff

Podcast theme music by: Caleb Ritchie

Links from our discussion:

• Oxford Half-Marathon – https://uk.virginsport.com/event/oxford-half-2019/oxford-half
• parkrun – https://www.parkrun.com
• UK Forestry Commission – https://www.forestryengland.uk/running
• Emma’s coach, Laura Fountain – http://www.lazygirlrunning.com and on Instagram as @lazygirlrunning
• Race to the Tower – https://www.racetothetower.com
• Gear MVP – AONIJIE Hydration Pack* (*This is an affiliate link; as an Amazon Associate, our nonprofit earns from qualifying purchases.)
• Women’s Running UK – https://womensrunning.co.uk
• Badass Ali DiGiacomo – @anotherdaywithra
• Miss Pond blog – https://misspond.com
• Emma’s Instagram – @misspondruns

To contact us about the podcast or your own Badassery, email podcast@chronicallybadass.org. And, for your daily dose of Badass athletes who are redefining what it means to be chronically ill, follow @chronicallybadassclub on Instagram and Facebook.