Why would anyone want to run up a hill? The greatest athlete of all time, Sonia O’Sullivan, explains why this counter intuitive activity is the most crucial form of strength training for all runners. This episode also features breathless voice notes from Jarlath and Sonia’s run around Richmond Park an hour before they sat down to record. Gradual vs severe inclines, improved cadence, better form, greater speed - a little bit of hill running goes a long way especially when you’re preparing for Sonia’s 10 mile road race on April 3rd in Cobh. In the extended cut with episode notes, Sonia gives us free sessions to include in your running week, a story about a time when the Met police were called after a complaint about her running and a word of warning to Jarlath and anyone being asked to do “mad fitness challenges”. We have two embarrassing running stories of the week. The first comes from listener, Aaron Mullan and his attempt to run the Da Nang Marathon in 2017. The second comes from an elite Irish athlete you may know who found themselves red faced after chancing their arm at a local porta-loo!
 
For more information on/to purchase the Irishman Running Abroad Singlet, click here: https://www.rwsports.ie/category/irishman-abroad-running-with-sonia-shop
 
Join our running club is easy on strava.com/clubs/irishmanrunningabroad. Hear about up-coming events, post your runs and maybe get a shoutout from Sonia.
 
To hear every episode in full and to gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 600 Irishman Abroad episodes that are not available on iTunes for just the price of a pint every month visit www.patreon.com/irishmanabroad
 
The Irishman Abroad Liveline is now open. You can now get in touch with us and feature on our shows by sending your WhatsApp voice note to 0044 7543 122 330.
 
Our charity partner is jigsaw.ie. Jigsaw provides a range of resources, advice and care for young people to equip them with the mental health skills needed to navigate life. Please visit their website and consider making a donation.
 
For updates on future episodes and live shows follow @jarlath on Twitter, visit www.jigser.com or email the show directly on irishmanabroadpodcast@gmail.com.
 
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