Well, what a treat we have for you all today. I can honestly say this is very rapidly becoming my favourite part of running this blog. in case you are just joining us, I have embarked on a mission to interview as many Everyday Running Heroes, just like you, as possible.
Why? Because I believe if you run, you are a running hero! It doesn’t matter if you are a complete beginner or have been running your whole life, I believe everyone has a story to share that is every bit as interesting and motivational as the most famous runners and that, in my humble opinion, is absolutely worth celebrating!
So, without further ado, it gives me great pleasure to welcome Ally and Teddy to Fell Run!
Ally, Teddy, please tell us a bit about yourselves, where you are from, who you are, that kind of thing.
Ally: My name is Alan, I am an electrical engineer, originally from Edinburgh, living in the Highlands. Due to the medical world looking at possible hereditary aspects I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis at the age of 3.
Teddy: My name is Teddy, wife and best pal of the indomitable Ally. I’m from the Highlands of Scotland and I’m a trail/hill runner who also loves bouldering, hiking, mountain biking and swimming in lochs and rivers.
It’s a pleasure to meet you both. Ally, that’s quite a tough start in life, of course I can relate, it’s not easy is it. Ooh, yes, I love biking and wild swimming too Teddy.
How long have you been running and what made you start running?
Ally: I actually have 2 answers to this question.
First answer: I first began running in late 1998, as I had made my mind up that I wanted to run one before I turned 30 (at the time of that marathon, I was 26). My main reason for wanting to do this was simply “to see if I could”. Although I had been prevented from participating in PE classes (other than swimming) at school, I had played football with friends for years and figured that the Arthritis hadn’t stopped me doing that, so why should it stop me from distance running? Before starting my training program, I took the step of consulting my Rheumatologist, and was very surprised to find out that the professionals had completely changed their tune from “Protect yourself and your joints at all cost” to “Do what you can, while you can”. That being the case, I ran the Edinburgh Marathon in 1999, and then completed the London Marathon in 2002. I did attempt to train for a further London attempt but injuries to both ankles whilst playing 5-a-sides put a stop to that.
Then, in 2006, I suffered a herniated disc in the lumbar region of my spine. By 2007 this deteriorated to the point that Micro-discectomy surgery was required to trim out the damaged part of the disc which had been pressing on my left sciatic nerve, causing the permanent paralysis of my left Achilles Tendon, bringing my running days to a close.
Or so I thought.
Second answer: In 2019, a copy of a routine letter from a routine appointment with a Rheumatology nurse found its way into my letterbox. One, wholly accurate and completely innocent, line in that letter read “The only exercise that Mr Young currently gets is gentle walks with the family dog.” As I say, completely innocent… and 100% true. At the time I would say that I was genuinely afraid, and had been since my back surgery, of doing any more damage to my spine. But something inside my head read that line and said “Nope! We are absolutely not having that, you are only 46 years old, that is WAY too early to just be sinking into an armchair and just waiting for old age to take you”. Obviously I spoke to my wife about this feeling and she said “Why don’t you try some gentle trail running with me?” (she had been trail running for many years – mostly on her own). And the rest is pretty much history.
Teddy: I have been trail running for 20 years. I had been a hiker for many years and loved my twice yearly trips to the Austrian and German Alps. One year I was on holiday and I saw the pre-race line up for a local mountain race. I loved the area and decided that I needed a new challenge. I came home and bought my first pair of trail running shoes. The rest is history. I did the race a year later and was both terrified and elated. The cakes and beer at the top were worth the effort though!
I love hearing how people get into running, every story is different. Having surgery on your spine and ending up with paralysis of your Achilles tendon must have been such a heavy blow and I fully understand the 100% legitimate concerns about doing further damage, but wow, what a comeback! And Teddy, that’s fantastic, isn’t it funny how a single moment in our lives can be so transformative.
What is your favourite thing about running?
Ally: It can depend on the run we are doing, to be honest. On one hand, if we are doing a relatively short run during the week, I really love the fact that I am running with my wife (who is also my best friend) and we can have a right good chat about general life, politics etc. without the usual distractions (making dinner, TV being on etc) that exist when in the house.
On longer runs (when we tend to pop our earphones in) I really love the ability that running has, possibly due to the rhythmic nature of it, of allowing you to just get absorbed by your own thoughts and, 9 times out of 10, arrive at the end of your run having a feeling that you have just solved 99% of your problems… and possibly the whole world’s problems.
Teddy: There are so many things I love about trail running. I love the way, on a good day, my body just dials in and I no longer realise I am putting effort in, it’s like flying. I love the challenge of technical descents but also the sense of achievement after a hard hill slog. I love being a part of nature and watching the seasons change. It doesn’t matter to me if it’s a hot day in July or a snowy day in December, a day I have run is a good day!
I was a very solitary runner before I encouraged Ally to run with me and though I was happy with that, one of my favourite things now is running with him. I have seen him progress so much and we achieve things together. We are THAT couple. We talk about running, we take photos of running, discuss runs we want to do. We probably drive people crazy sometimes but for us it’s a lifestyle.
I absolutely love that you are THAT couple. I think it is awesome that you share this time together. I too like the solitude of running, but it sounds like you have a perfect balance and have the best of both worlds. Good for you!
What is your greatest achievement in your running?
Ally: I think that my greatest running achievement (to date) would be completing an unsupported marathon that my wife and I entered during the COVID lockdown (we entered the virtual edition of the Marathon du Medoc). Although we had not come anywhere near completing a proper training regime for it, we just said “Let’s do it!” and set of with as much fluid and sustenance as we could carry, along with a very small amount of wine and cheese (it was the Marathon du Medoc after all, and this kind of behaviour is very much encouraged). Although the last 6 miles were, frankly, agony, we fought our way through it and felt incredibly proud of ourselves afterwards.
Teddy: While I have run a few races and even ran a self-supported trail marathon during lockdown, I think my greatest achievement is just to have continued running for all of these years. There have been illnesses, injuries, months where my mental health was suffering and I did not want to even go outside but I did it. I forced myself out the door and up the hills. Sometimes I would stop at the top and cry from the exertion and mental effort but I it was worth every second.
Well done to you both on completing the marathon, and without much training too! That’s impressive in itself. I think you are absolutely spot on there Teddy, it is just about keeping going isn’t it.
What are the greatest challenges you have faced in your running?
Ally: I think the greatest challenge I have faced, so far, has been the nerve damage that my herniated disc caused. As a result of the damage, and paralysis of the Achilles Tendon, when I took up running again in 2019, the difference in abilities between my left and right legs was very evident. I would get 50 to 75% through a run and my left leg would simply decide that it was no more than a passenger for the rest of the outing: leading me to coin the term Asymmetric Fatigue – mostly in an attempt at a light-hearted means to keep myself going with it because, on a lot of occasions, I seriously considered that running simply was done for me.
Oh, Asymmetric Fatigue is perfect, obviously I can relate, I will get round to discussing my disability in more detail, but I have the same thing. It has an impact on every other part of your body, it is exhausting.
Teddy: Living in the Highlands is both a massive blessing but also a challenge at times. The views and trails are just wonderful but the weather and early winter sunsets can make getting out really difficult. I would never judge anyone else’s efforts as we are all different but I truly hate road running. My brain just doesn’t have a chance to switch off on roads so I am always on trails. That means ankle deep mud, sideways rain and gale force winds frequently. It doesn’t make for a favourable running environment so the challenge of lacing on the shoes and digging out the head torch is hard at times.
Also, I’m not sure how open I’m meant to be in this interview but here goes. Being a female runner has it’s own challenges and I found the tail-end of perimenopause extremely challenging when running. I had joint aches, iron deficiencies and temperature regulation issues that made running training really difficult. I’m a couple of years past that now but I still struggle with temperature regulation so I’m now the person you see wearing shorts and a light top when everyone else is bundled up. I always tell myself that people think I’m ready hardy or nuts…they don’t know I’m actually trying not to collapse with heatstroke in the dead of winter. Ha ha.
Thank you for being so open Teddy, I believe it is so important that these things are discussed and understood or at a minimum acknowledged and respected, not just for other women, but to help men understand what is happening too. The closest I can think of is running with a hangover or a cold, it sounds really tough.
How have you overcome these challenges?
Ally: Simply by keeping going.
Although that very short sentence may seem all kinds of profound, without the help and support of my wife, that keeping going simply would not have happened. Too many times it would have been too easy to thrown the trainers in the bin, buy a jigsaw puzzle or two, and just settle into that old age I mentioned earlier. We actually ended up with a running mantra. Weirdly it came from our son asking us to listen to a song which had borrowed lines from one of the later Sylvester Stallone Rocky/Creed movies. The lines the song used were from a Stallone monologue where he is telling somebody that “it ain’t about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can GET hit and keep moving forward. How much you can TAKE and keep moving forward”. As a result, on my left wrist, I now wear a leather bracelet which is engraved with those words… Keep Moving Forward. And it’s the only answer, whether it’s when I’m struggling on a run: Keep Moving Forward. Just pick a point up ahead, a bush, a tree, a rock… and get there. Then pick your next point and get THERE… keep moving forward. Or, if it’s a general low point, a day when every joint is aching, when I feel I’ve no energy: Keep Moving Forward. Just do something, even if it’s only a mile or so, just do it… keep moving forward.
When I’m struggling on a run: Keep Moving Forward. Just pick a point up ahead, a bush, a tree, a rock… and get there. Then pick your next point and get THERE… keep moving forward.
Teddy: Because I encouraged Ally to run with me I feel a sense of responsibility to him as my partner. I realise that it would be far too easy to let things slide during the difficult times so I focus on supporting him and in doing so I get past my own blocks. If he’s sore or tired I try to focus on just doing ‘something’ rather than nothing at all. Because of my dedication to supporting him I do my self a good turn as well. It’s a win-win.
Wow! Yes! This is what I mean when I say every runner is an Everyday Running Hero; Ally for keeping going against some very difficult challenges, and Teddy, for you being there – what a team!
If you could run anywhere in the world, where would you run and why?
Ally: Where: The Eiger Ultratrail, Grindelwald, Switzerland. Why: Many moons ago, my wife suggested I read a book called The White Spider by Heinrich Harrer (he of 7 Years in Tibet fame). It tells the story of the first successful climb of the Eiger North Face, as well as telling the tale of some tragically unsuccessful ones, and the mountain just kinda stuck in my head. So, when I realised that, not only is an ultratrail even held every year at the Eiger, but that you get an actual piece of stone which has naturally fallen off the cliff face as your finishers medal, I decided that it something that I absolutely HAVE to do.
We actually signed up to it in 2023 but due to the family dog falling very ill, we had to cancel our trip… We’ll get there one day though.
Teddy: Yes, I desperately want to run the Eiger Ultratrail too. We had places and had trained for it recently but as Ally said, due to a family emergency we had to drop out 2 weeks before the race. It was heartbreaking but it will be there when we are ready. I’ve seen the crowds during the alpine trail marathons and just love the enthusiasm of the onlookers. I want to hear the cow bells clanging for me one day.
Ally and I both really love the Alps and running on rock. The views, the altitude and the sense of accomplishment is massive so we are eyeing up a week long self-supported hut to hut run in the future.
How inspiring. I think I want to do it too now!
It’s always good to have a dream, it’s great you both share the same dream. I am sorry to hear about your family dog, I hope things work out for the best somehow and your dream comes true for you as soon as possible!
If you were to offer one piece of advice to anyone starting out running, what would it be?
Ally: In a word… breathe.
The best piece of advice I received when starting out was just that. Learn to breathe properly and the actual running and fitness side will almost (not quite) take care of themselves. The person who gave me the advice said this “When you start running, your body will, very quickly, start demanding more oxygen, then more and more and more. This will lead to problems, because your instinct will be to let your body have more oxygen, and you will try to gasp as much air in as you can… causing your lungs to not properly expel the waste gasses it needs to”.
The best way to combat this is to simply… breathe IN for four paces, then breathe OUT for four paces. This ensures that you are getting rid of the same volume of waste gasses as you are gaining in fresh air.
Forcing this four in, four out cycle will become habit very quickly which then allows you to concentrate on running and, as mentioned previously, sorting out the world’s problems as you do so.
Teddy: My advice to any beginner runners would be to not worry about time, distance or what anyone else thinks. If you run, you are a runner and YOU get to determine what kind of runner you want to be.
Also, the first mile almost always sucks. It’s a fact of life so don’t give up, just keep going until the good feelings hit, they almost always do.
Am I allowed a little more advice? If so, try trail running. It is easier on the body than road running and the world seems more beautiful from a trail.
These are all excellent pieces of advice, I couldn’t agree more!
What are your current plans, goals, objectives?
Ally: Currently I am just looking at “ticking over” really, and maintaining a good level of fitness between running and having recently started bouldering. With our family dog now being quite elderly, both of us being away from home for any more than a few hours is not really possible, which has put a hold on us signing up for ultratrail events – which is what we would really like to do.
Teddy: My only goal at present is to keep running for as long as I can with Ally. If anyone ever asks about why I keep running I tell them an anecdote from my first mountain race. I was standing at the start line of the race that ran from a village up through the woods and into scree and rock for 12 miles. The finish line was at 2,900m. There were a few hundred people there but one person that caught my eye was a woman who was approximately 70 years old ready for the starting gun. I knew the effort I had put into training for that race and I knew that she had put in the same or probably even more. I was so inspired that I told myself that I wanted to be her in the future. I wanted to be fearless and strong for my entire life if I could. I have never, ever forgotten that woman and the impact she made on me.
That sounds very similar to your mantra of just ‘Keep moving forward’ Ally, and perfectly matched with the anecdote from your first mountain race Teddy, I would love to know who this lady was and interview her one day! What an inspiration!
Thank you so much to you both for speaking so openly from your hearts! It really means a lot to me and I am sure to anyone reading too. Who knows who you might inspire one day and what they might do.