Jen Benson: Running Coach, Author, and PhD Researcher – The Stories Behind 'The Path We Run' and Her Ultramarathon Adventures

Tough Girl Podcast

Jen Benson is a runner, writer, running coach and mum of two.

Along with her husband, Sim, she has co-authored 10 books including Smart Running, The Camping Bible, Wild Running and The Adventurer's Guide to Britain.

She has an MSc in sport & exercise medicine and is currently a PhD researcher exploring the phenomenology of running.

Jen has run more than 50 marathons and ultras, including the 100-mile Arc of Attrition in 2024.

Her new book on women in ultrarunning, The Path We Run, is out in September.

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Show notes

• Who is Jen
• Intro to her life and work
• Publishing 3 books in 2024
• Book: Smart Running: The ultimate guide to becoming a fitter, stronger, more confident runner
• Book: The Camping Bible: The Complete Guide to Life Under Canvas
• Book: Great British Walkies: 100 brilliant dog walks through beautiful countryside (National Trust)
• First speaking to Jen - 23rd July 2019 - Adventuring with her partner and two young children, living in a tent for 18 months!
• What’s been going on since 2019
• The wild year - spending 18 months in a tent
• Having freedom from the monthly treadmill of paying rent and bills
• Writing their first book (Wild Running) and wanting to make writing a full time career
• Writing their second book - Amazing Family Adventures: Fun days out and action-packed weekends.
• Being back in a proper house since 2016
• Son aged 10, daughter aged 13
• Researching an alpine adventure book in the Alps
• Getting back into running and starting to train for a 100 miler
• Documenting her training for and attempting to finish her first 100 mile race
• Always being a runner and doing a MSc in Sports and Exercise Medicine specialising in distance running.
• How pregnancy impacted on her life and withdrawing from her PHD
• Deciding to go back and do a PHD at Liverpool John Moors University - wanting to look at the meaning of running for couch to 5k runners and ultra distance runners.
• The battle with negative troughs and how a lack of confidence impacted on her running.
• Signing up to do a mindfulness course and how it changed her life for the better
• Deciding to train as a mindfulness teacher
• Identifying the triggers for what causes the negative spirals
• The impact of tiredness and sleep deprivation
• Running through the dark and running through the night
• The dream of wanting to run 100 miles
• Book: The Path We Run: A personal history of women's ultrarunning
• Learning about the history of women in ultra running
• TGP Episode Ann Trason (July 19th 2016) - American ultra runner who has broken 20 world records & won Western States a record breaking 14 times
• Barriers for women in ultra running
• Why running can be an expensive sport
• Working with her partner to fit in training
• Being anaemic and how 50% of women/runners can have low ferritin levels
• Book: Smart Running: The ultimate guide to becoming a fitter, stronger, more confident runner
• Why it was a dream book to write
• Book: The Camping Bible: The Complete Guide to Life Under Canvas
• Top tips for camping
• Some of the challenges from the past 5 years
• Planning for work and family life
• Getting older
• How to connect with Jen online
• Final words of advice
• “Just because something feels scary, that’s not a reason not to do it.”
• Taking the plunge and doing the scary thing

Social Media

Website: jenandsimbenson.co.uk

Instagram: @jenandsim

Facebook: @jenandsimbenson

X: @jenandsim