Hi and welcome to the first ever episode of Run Till You're Done.
We're here at the end of the Feta Wrestle Trail marathon and
today's female winner Meryl Cooper has kindly joined me for
an interview. Meryl, can you give me a brief
description of your running history?
So yeah, I kind of started running in 2015, sixteen.
I'd only done like a little bit of kind of some tankies and
maybe like 1/2 marathon around then, but really played like a
lot of football and lots of different sports.
So I kind of like was fit from doing that, but not very running
fit and certainly hadn't done any hills or anything.
So yeah, got into then and then I kind of just gradually started
to increase the distance. I did a little bit of trail
running when I was out living in the UAE at the time in Dubai,
Loved it. I think it reminded me of just
being back home and like used to really like mountain biking when
I lived down in Edinburgh and things like that.
So yeah, just started to get back out into the nature and the
outdoors and a bit of biking, sorry, trail running instead of
biking and just yeah just quite quickly fell in love with it and
built at the distance 2017. I did a bit of A to the 50K
which was quite flat I suppose compared to some of the stuff I
do now. Had about 1500 meters of
elevation and that was a no man. And then later that year I went
and did Eiger Ultra Trail 51K with 3 1/2 thousand meters.
And that was my kind of introduction to proper ultra
trail stuff. And yeah, just went from there.
And I've just kind of, yeah, built things up a little bit.
Decided I wanted to actually kind of compete in this sport
probably the following year, 2018, and I've been yet
competing in it since. So today was, today was great
fun. Though I have to say I really
enjoyed doing something a bit shorter and yeah, maybe Leslie,
where you can actually run all the the hills, not walking in.
So yeah, true. Compared to what you're used to
today was quite flat I think. Yeah.
No, it was, it was, I don't know, just I quite enjoyed it.
Quite like the kind of, I suppose, like the moderate
effort that you can kind of do over that and just, yeah, just
like I hadn't wrecked it. I hadn't even had really no idea
how long it would take. So I just ran to feel and just
it's quite nice, just constantly checking is like, do you think I
can keep this going for a marathon?
Yeah, probably can. And just focusing on all the
other stuff like fueling and hydrating and trying to keep my
form quite good and yeah. What were you fueling with
today? So I was feeling with gels.
So torque gels kind of. I wasn't as on it as normal
because I was also a little bit nervous because it maybe was a
little bit higher effort than I am used to trading with my gels.
So probably was having about a gel every 25 minutes and there's
30 grams of carb and so it would have probably been around 80
grams of carb an hour. I also was quite strict with my
hydration and made sure that I had I think I had two liters
over the time, so just under 3 hours 20 and 2 liters of water
with electrolytes and there was a bit of carb in that drink so
it was constantly like that little bit of electrolytes and
carb. And I also had to salt tablet
every hour. I did have three so 3 salt
tablets in the in the race. I think that was that was about
it all fuel. You're putting me to shame.
I think I had about 80 grams of carbs for the whole race and
probably about 200 mils of water.
Yeah. You know what I was I was
surprised there was a lot of people I saw having not filling
up at the at all and everyone's different but there is a lot of
research out there of hydration with you know performance and
and I I know I'm not as fast as you know probably even yourself
and a lot of other runners out there but it you know it stops
you from slowing down doesn't it.
It's like it's not the I always believe and I've got told this
probably back in 2019 it's like it's not the fastest person who
wins on ultra. It's a person who slows down the
least and just yeah I just always kind of remember that and
it so it's all about managing yourself isn't it over these
long distances. So yeah.
What What kind of distance would you say that you were?
Like? What's your ideal distance?
I do think it's maybe around like 50 mile, but probably with
like a bit of elevation, but not as much elevation as what I seem
to end up racing all the time. So like the world champs I was
at in November and it was 80 K with four and a half thousand
meters of elevation or 50 miles and 4 1/2 thousand.
Not sure what that is in feet I'm afraid.
Do be something like 1314. Thousand.
Yeah. You're probably younger, a lot
younger than I am. So you're feet and feet, meters
and kilometers, Is that right? Yeah, I am.
I'm yeah, I think that came from like you know starting running
in Dubai as well because that was instead of starting running
in the UK. But yeah, I think one of my some
of my better races have been hilly but not that hilly.
I think. I do think that's what I prefer.
It's about 50 miles and probably over the 50 miles, maybe high
2000 meters, maybe 3000 meters of elevation.
Yeah, I think that would be my sweet spot.
Yeah, I'm a mixture of meters for elevation and miles for
distance. I tried.
To convert. People do that, yeah.
Yeah, try to convert to kilometers, my watch.
But because I'm so used to miles, I ended up just not
looking at my watch. So it's kind of what's the
point. Yeah, yeah, I have all the races
that you've done what or not even races.
What's your biggest running achievement?
How do you think? Like, you know, obviously
getting to run for Great Britain's been pretty a pretty
big achievement to get selected and you know, when there's been
some pretty tough selection policies as well.
So yeah, I think that probably is.
I still don't think that, you know, my performances I've had
when I've been representing Great Britain, I don't think
reflects what I'm capable of. Yes, you know, I've don't think
I've done that. So I think if I get to do that
that would probably would be my greatest achievement is running
from my country and giving it you know my best and feeling
I've my performance reflected what I can do.
But yes I think I think that probably probably is but another
highlight was definitely the like winning the British
Championship 21 it was the Lakeland Trails 100K race.
I think that probably it's definitely.
Up there, Have you been selected again?
Have you got a A qualifying coming up?
Yeah, so I've basically about to go out to Trans Gran Canaria
race, 84K race there with four and a half 1000 meters at the
end of this month. So that will be a bit of a
qualifier. But yeah, there's no guarantee.
The selection policy is pretty tough and stuff, so just got to
see go do my best and see what happens.
We both just finished a marathon.
Yeah. What would you be your advice to
stop chafing? Yeah, I just like being really.
I don't think I got any today actually, which is quite a
miracle but definitely weird over a longer distance.
But I do put on anti chief normally, totally forgot to do
it today. But on any bits that I've ever
chafed in training, I think you've got to just presume
they're going to chaf in the race and absolutely cover them
with anti chief did you get? Any chief, I did not.
Know that's good too. There's nothing worse in
Thailand with like all the heat, sweat, the humidity.
I had the worst chief I've ever had, and it was in places I
didn't even know you could. And when you're getting poured
ice and cold water getting poured over your head and down
your back, and then it's just stinging all the bits that were,
oh, it was, it was not great, but yeah.
Key key question chafing or chafing?
Chafing. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Is is that a northeast of Scotland thing or is that I
don't? Know maybe.
We. We're in the.
Chafing club some. Some votes on the the comments
for that. One I.
Think so. OK, we're probably about an an
hour after you finished the race.
What was your post race sort of ritual on how to recover?
How to What do you do post race? Well you just, it just made me
think it's like, oh, I didn't actually do a cool dine.
Normally I would definitely go into a bit of a cool dine but
for whatever reason today didn't just enjoying chatting to
people. It's been ages since I've been
at a local race. It's been so nice to just catch
up with friends and just chill out I suppose I got my torque
recovery shake pretty quick got that in.
I think it's really important. I was feeling much better if I
can get food in quick, so had a bit of soup with vegetables that
was provided, torque recovery shake that's got kind of, I
think it's like 3 to one ratio carb to protein and I'll go and
have a banana, 9 hydrate all the way home and a bit of cake as
well. So just basically get as much
food in and yeah, just like I said today, my priority was just
enjoying the finish line and just enjoying child people and
stuff, so yeah. Between races, what's your
normal diet? Do you count your macros?
Do you? How does it?
I kind of quite intuitively eat I'd say.
So I like listen to if you know am I craving carbs and sugar and
if I am and probably needs more sugar, carb and no I don't count
things. I kind of work a bit more of a
try and have like half a plate of vegetables with my meals.
I try and have a good palm size protein portion.
I have like a lot of carbs of you know, whole grains, pasta or
pasta or things like that. Potatoes try and have like some
healthy fats in my meal as well. So the meals are all balanced
and three really good meals and then I don't shy away from
snacking between and they'll generally be but carbon protein
and snacks. So yeah, I don't count but and I
know I probably need like 2 protein shakes a day as well on
top of that. Otherwise I feel I can't get
enough protein in. So I'll tend to have in the
morning, I'll tend to have a protein shake and to have one
another fine day of snack or maybe like about an hour before
going to bed. So that's kind of the daily
thing but it is I can't like stress enough to anyone Do you
know to running that we've we've got to get loads of food in.
It's like eat plenty always. And you know, if I also try and
listen and if I'm if I'm a bit tired, bit tired and I shouldn't
really be tired, then I'll like back off.
Things like caffeine, like, you know, stimulants, which I think
we need to just like rest our body from them when we're tired.
It might seem the opposite and what we quite often do is reach
for more and more caffeine because we're really tired.
But I I stripped that back so I haven't had actually any
caffeine all week because I was quite tired at the start of the
week. And yeah, very good today, so.
During a race, do you have any mantras that you tell yourself?
I think just like today I was, they kind of changed a little
bit depending on the course and stuff.
I would say I do the later stages of a lot of ultras is
like 1 foot in front of the other.
But today I remember like just I was actually giving myself quite
a lot of positive self talk because what's going well and I
was chuffed and also about kind of just focusing on relaxing
like I been noticing and training a bit lately like my
face. I think maybe that the wind
getting battered by the wind as my face and like all the time
like really tight. So it's like focusing on
relaxing everything and not like striving too hard when I'm
running and just keeping a really relaxed technique and
form and I think I run better that way.
So, so yeah, just a lot of like, right, Just relax, just like get
into like a nice comfy flow and. Leading up to a race, whether
it's the hours before, days before, do you have any pre race
rituals? Not massively, but there is a
lot of organization required for a lot of our ultras.
So I try to get everything organized quite early.
Like even for this race today I was I'd packed everything up on
Friday and the race is obviously on the Sunday so and that just
helps me to to kind of be in a good a good headspace and so
that's a bit of a ritual but nothing like to kind of there's
nothing like you know I don't know I know some people probably
have like quite cool ones but that's just a bit of like
basically I just try and get organized and get get my shit
together and tends to lead to a more relaxed day before the race
rather than rushing around and after 10:00 and like before
packing gels and. Stuff, Yeah, You said earlier
that you used to play football. Do you still play football?
And how do you think that lateral movement sports plays
with running? Yeah, I think the lateral
movement stuff built up a really good kind of fundamental skills
base for me. I think it really helps for
trail running and the technical trail.
I'd love to still play and I was tempted.
There was an opportunity on a Friday night in Banquet.
There's a women's football group, so it's really keen to
get get back into it, but it's tough bouncing up.
There's a bit more risk of getting injured.
I did chat with James Crookshank, physio, and I said
what do you think about it? And he actually was quite
supportive of it. And again, he believes it's
really beneficial. So yeah, might happen yet.
You might haven't yet. But I didn't feel it was the
right right now. But.
We'll see. Yeah.
Well, I think I've taken too much of your time already, so.
It's alright, we'll just go get back and get the dog, get the
dog out for a walk because it's he's been left for a few hours.
He's the most important person. In the house?
Exactly. Well, thank you, Meryl, and
hopefully see everybody else next time.
Yeah. Thank you.