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Two Raw Sisters share advice for young athletes || Runners Only! Podcast with Dom Harvey

October 19, 202259:12
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hi team and welcome to episode 20 of
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Runners only with dom Harvey that's me
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on this episode two raw sisters from
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Christchurch the Flanagan sisters Rosa
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and Margot yeah it developed over
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probably four years
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um where I ended up literally hitting
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rock bottom they um over trained which
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led to an eating disorder as well so I
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wasn't putting enough fuel in my body to
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do the insane amount of exercise I was
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doing before they got famous two royal
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sisters with best-selling books and
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sellout workshops Rosa Flanagan was a
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high performance Athlete on track for
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the Olympic and Commonwealth Games but
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her quest to run as fast as she can and
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be the best she could be came at a very
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very heavy personal cost it's kind of
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like an episode of two halves the first
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half is Rosa and her story and then in
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the second half the other royal sister
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Margot joins in and things get a little
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bit lighter but I really hope you enjoy
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it and get something out of this episode
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massive thanks again to the sponsor of
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right let's get into the show
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actually
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[Music]
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[Music]
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[Music]
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um yeah there are two Royal Sisters here
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um your sister Margo she's in the
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background she might jump on the mic
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later hey Margo I'm not a runner so I'm
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not allowed to talk on the podcast she's
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just in the background there yeah you're
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lucky we even lit you into the apartment
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I'm just gonna learn a thing or two okay
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so for anyone that doesn't know the
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story about two raw sisters and what you
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guys are and what you're all about do
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you want to explain yeah sure so Marvin
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and I we started up two or sisters maybe
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three years ago now
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um so our whole philosophy is helping
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people base their meals around their
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plants so we say we welcome all leaders
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into our kitchen all leaders use our
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recipes so yeah introducing people to
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plants how to get them more creative
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around how they can cook with them in
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their own kitchen at home but using
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cost-effective simple familiar
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ingredients that they're familiar with
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oh God you guys must be terrible at a
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barbecue
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are you meat eaters yeah yeah so we do
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um we do eat meat so we're not vegan or
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vegetarian a lot of people tend to just
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focus around their meat and then kind of
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add the plants on the side and don't
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really put too much effort into it so we
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want to try and flip people's
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perceptions around how they do start a
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meal and try and start with the plant
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aspect and bring in plant-based sources
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of protein like your grains and nuts and
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seeds and legumes and things and then
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obviously top with your meat but you'll
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find that through starting with your
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plants and Grains and nuts and seeds
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you'll tend to add Less meat because
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it's more satisfying and filling with
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all those other plant-based things right
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now what you guys are doing has been
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incredibly successful you came on my
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radar I think a couple of years ago one
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of my producers said I follow these
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girls on Instagram they've got a mess of
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following you've got to have them and I
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had no idea who you were hadn't heard of
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you at that point but you've done like
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best-selling books you do workshops and
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tours all of the above um yeah so we
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specialize in plant-based workshops
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which we do all around New Zealand and
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I'm starting to kind of reach into
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Australia we have three top selling
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cookbooks in New Zealand we're actually
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about to launch our latest one
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which I can't say the title of quite yet
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in October this year and I've been yeah
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the last one that we did salad was top
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one for about the first 10 weeks it was
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launched wow top three since we launched
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so no it's going really well we've sold
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over 35 000 copies of that one now
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35 000 copies of one book of one book
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because I've put three books out and I
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think um the total sales for all of them
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is about 35 000.
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about my life yeah maybe you should try
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that next time now um the reason I've
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got you on here today is um you've got a
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fascinating backstory
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um heavily involved with you're um so
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you started running when you were when
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you're like intermediate yeah about 14
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years old I had a funny actually what
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were you doing what were you doing
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before that in terms of sport
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um I was an all-rounder so our dad was a
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um he played Cricket for Canterbury in
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New Zealand so we always had that
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sporting background
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Chris Flanagan never had all the better
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yeah back in the day right win like in
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the 80s 90s
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um
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who was in the team with them
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um oh don't ask me that I was just there
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watching and clapping really I was quite
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young for me was
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um playing Cricket professionally but we
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always were brought up around high
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performance Sport and going and watching
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him play and I always have been a really
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determined motivated person and always
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loved having a goal in front of me so I
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played a whole heap of sport hockey
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touch Devil in a bit of cricket
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um
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what else tried netball didn't like it
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cross country at primary school and
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things and then when I went to
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um High School I got introduced to
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Athletics and cross-country and kind of
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specialized in that middle distance area
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and that's where my love for running
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definitely started were you just sort of
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naturally good is that how you because I
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I went to um Palmer's North boys high
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school and I my mum was a runner so I I
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joined the harriers group but most of
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the guys in the harriers club were sort
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of like headhunted yeah so they were
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like rugby players that were really fast
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runners or whatever so did you have like
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a natural Talent yeah kind of I Carnival
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started when I got top three in the
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school cross country and then from there
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on you get into canterbury's and then
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from canaries you get International all
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Champs
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um and I remember one nation one Cannery
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Champs I got in the top ten and one of
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my good friends was a runner as well but
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she had a coach and was getting trained
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through this coach and a couple people
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came up to me and said you've got such a
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great you've got an awesome running
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style like have you ever had a coach
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before or like do train and I was the
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person who rocked up and had done a
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couple of runs down the driveway which
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was about a k long and that's it
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um and then yeah my friend just said
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come along to Athletics
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um one night after school and see if you
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like it and then from there on it
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um just kind of continued and developed
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and I got a coach and got a program and
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started training with my friend
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amazing and um and you were really
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really feel you're like your specialty
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event was like the three thousand five
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thousand meter Steeplechase three
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thousand meters civil Chase and five
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thousand meters oh just 5K okay why
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would anyone do the steeple chase I've
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every time I'm at a 400 meter track and
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I see those those galleys are they
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called galleys yeah um the water jumps
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yeah yeah yeah why why it looks awful I
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know everyone looks when I say it
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everyone's like how the hell did you get
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over those Steeples but I Pro I started
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in Cross Country actually
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um and I back in gosh probably 2010 I
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went over to the world cross-country
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Champs
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um in Malta which is a wheat Island just
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below Italy actually and I got
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um fourth there in the open girls and
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that was yeah where I actually was like
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should I I'm not too bad at this I can
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keep going when I had this idea in my
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head that I was good at something I keep
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striving for more and you know I just
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gave you that stuff yeah have these
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goals ahead of me and
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um
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yeah I'll talk about a bit later it kind
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of developed into something not so
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healthy but um yeah cross country was
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probably where I started and then I
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started in 1500 meters and then from
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there you have the 2 000 meter Steeple
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Chase and then you do the 3000 meter
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sequel right so what age are we talking
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here
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um I was probably about 16 years old
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right yeah so quite young
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like Malta for these events yeah it's
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phenomenal yeah well I had to actually
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I'm not going to lie I had to have a
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look on the internet under my portfolio
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in athletics New Zealand to see what I
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actually did because I look back now and
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actually he sort of blocked it out yeah
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it feels like a lifetime ago to be
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honest but um so how old are you now I'm
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26 years old so 10 years ago yeah so I
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went to world world youth Champs in 2013
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in Ukraine and I did the 1500 meters
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there
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um and then what set of times are we
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talking 1500 meters my PB was 4 12.
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sure that's good yeah I was actually
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well that's good I did actually write my
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notes down but
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um yeah so that was that was my first
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kind of other than the cross country my
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first
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kind of
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experience of that whole world stage and
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how intense it is it's not just your you
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know national champs even or your
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Canterbury Champs there's a whole lot of
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people and it's very off-putting and
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it's yeah believing in yourself I
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suppose and that you you're there for a
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reason and you are worth being there
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yeah I did get very
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um nervous in all of my events like I
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would almost be scared at the thought of
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probably more so the pain I was going to
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put my body through
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um I I love I have got that Runners High
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afterwards and with training and things
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I absolutely love training and the high
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it gave me but racing it was terrifying
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at some points is that right why why
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not not going to
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um
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boost my bubble or anything but I was
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very lucky in the fact that I
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was winning most of my races
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um and like in New Zealand and then I
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wasn't in the back group and on the
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world stage but it was probably more the
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pressure I was putting on myself to
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um
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you know for my coach and my family and
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friends and things like that and there
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was always qualifying times to meet so I
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suppose having those in the back of my
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mind and I'd always put yeah all this
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pressure and expectation on myself that
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overrated everything so just a fear of
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letting letting other people down yeah
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pretty much yeah yeah you um do you
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still have that now with your business
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stuff that you do is this I mean I
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suppose what I'm asking is is this just
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what you're like as a person so whatever
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you're doing you're going to put that
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pressure on yourself yeah it definitely
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has it's quite funny like the traits
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that you um that I learned from sport
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being motivated determined and that
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whole putting pressure on yourself and
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dealing with that pressure
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um has definitely transferred into my
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business life now now that I've retired
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from running and still do it for fun and
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casually but with my business like
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that's my that's my main focus right now
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and I've definitely had points where I
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have you know over consumed myself and
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business and work and being able to be
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aware of that and stepping back and
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having those tools in the back of your
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head on how you can bring yourself back
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yeah because anxiety is a big thing for
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me which I suffered both in when I was
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running and with my business and yeah
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it's just learning to learning learning
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to manage it yeah how do you how do you
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manage it
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um I actually meditate a lot I've just
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really started to get probably in the
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last couple months I've made myself
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really like be pretty consistent with it
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for a while I kind of dabbled in it here
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and there and didn't really see much in
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terms of the results of it and I thought
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no I actually need to do it consistently
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so I've been doing that even if it's
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like 10 15 minutes a day which has
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really helped me
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um and then yeah just having booking
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things out for yourself appointments out
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for yourself and not learning to switch
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off I suppose and yeah I suppose like
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the difference between what you're doing
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now with business with um two little
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sisters and you as a runner I mean
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you've got your sister to help you now
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yeah I suppose you can balance out each
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other out and you can lean on each other
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for support
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um yeah running is a very individual and
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very lonely existence isn't it it is
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yeah and I um that's Mark and I always
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say like gosh we're so lucky to have
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each other with you know the nature of
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what we're doing right now but yeah
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sport I suppose I loved that individual
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side of things because it you know
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you do the work and when you put
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yourself on that track or on the
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cross-country track and everything
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you've done is in your hands type of
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thing and yes that can obviously put a
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lot of pressure on yourself but at the
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end of the day it's it's you doing the
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work you're not relying on other people
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to when the when the match or when the
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game but you were obsessed right well
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I've I've um I think right and I've read
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stories about you and you um like you
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wouldn't even listen to your coach like
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yeah your coach would give you training
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to do and you'd sneak out and do extra
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training yeah yeah that's that is [ __ ]
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up yeah it is [ __ ] up yeah but well at
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the time I was super oblivious to it all
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I suppose going back to that I was
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running the best I'd ever run
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um both um internationally and Nash and
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New Zealand and obviously when the
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results are coming you just want to keep
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going and going because you see this
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potential here and then people other
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people see this potential in you as well
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when they're thinking gosh like you'll
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make the Olympics next year and you'll
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make the com games and then from those
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comments you then put that on your
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shoulders as an expectation from them so
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um yeah it developed over probably four
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four years
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um where I ended up literally hitting
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rock bottom for those four years I over
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trained which led to an eating disorder
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as well so I wasn't putting enough fuel
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in my body to do the insane amount of
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exercise I was doing um why won't you
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why were you eating properly that's one
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thing I love about running it gives me
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basically permission to eat whatever I
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want yeah why were you
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um were you trying to get your weight
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down I think for me a big thing was
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um body image I think with especially
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females it happens in males as well but
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you know I had this idea of what an
00:15:03
elite successful female athlete looked
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like in my head and I needed to get to
00:15:07
that point and you know it's that thing
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where you lock yourself in the mirror
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and you're never perfect enough and I
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constantly was looking and dealing with
00:15:15
that every day and I suppose that was a
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way restricting myself the other things
00:15:19
that I could control my training and my
00:15:21
food intake and that was the way that I
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could get to my desirable image of being
00:15:27
an elite athlete
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um which again like looking back when I
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was in that situation I wasn't super
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aware of what I was doing the damage I
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was doing I was more worried about the
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results I was getting with my running
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and where it was taking me just like in
00:15:43
a position yeah yeah yeah I always say
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like I had a running Obsession everyone
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starts laughing
00:15:48
it can be a thing you'd become addicted
00:15:51
to it it's like yeah okay so um well you
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so you were legit good so you were you
00:15:56
were a real if you kept at it even
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though it would have been the wrong
00:15:58
thing to do for you physically and
00:16:00
mentally you you would have been a real
00:16:01
chance for like Olympics and comms yeah
00:16:03
well I did actually
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um qualify but I got injured
00:16:07
so that happened to me twice
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um and that was just a sign of my body
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literally breaking down before me
00:16:14
um and it took me like I had to hit rock
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bottom in order for me to realize what I
00:16:20
was doing and I was super Lucky in the
00:16:23
fact that I had we're talking about
00:16:24
injuries before I had no injuries over
00:16:26
the space of about six years of running
00:16:28
and I don't know how I got away with it
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because all of a sudden it literally all
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came tumbling down on me where I had
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like six stress fractures in the space
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of a year it was literally I'd recover
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from one get back do 20ks in a week and
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then I'd be down again so um what's your
00:16:45
body telling you something isn't it
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literally yeah and um yeah it just got
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to a point where I had to kind of weigh
00:16:51
things up and I was super Lucky in the
00:16:54
fact that I was at a certain level where
00:16:56
I had all the support around me it
00:16:57
wasn't that I didn't have any support I
00:16:59
had dietitian endocrinologists physio
00:17:03
psychologists all around me but it was
00:17:06
my the issue was was that I wasn't
00:17:09
listening to them and like you were
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saying before like my coach I had an
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awesome coach who I just didn't listen
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to yes I did the program that she gave
00:17:18
me but I added more on top of that yeah
00:17:20
which is Bonkers yeah you must look back
00:17:22
now and think oh I don't know how I did
00:17:24
it I don't know how I did it and it's um
00:17:27
something that I look back and I think
00:17:31
you know do I regret it do I not and I
00:17:33
think no Runnings actually taking me to
00:17:35
some amazing places all around the world
00:17:37
and I've achieved a lot but my one
00:17:39
concern was is that I didn't achieve
00:17:41
what I wanted to achieve with the
00:17:44
injuries got in the way and my mental
00:17:46
health and yeah I look back now and yes
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um no not regrets it's still like
00:17:55
sometimes depending on what mood I'm in
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and how I'm feeling it does sometimes
00:18:01
make me quite emotional so thinking
00:18:03
about it and realizing
00:18:04
you know gosh I did all that in the
00:18:06
space of eight years and I didn't quite
00:18:09
get to where I wanted to be but still
00:18:11
I've learned so much from it yeah so so
00:18:13
what do you mean it's emotional and that
00:18:15
you're you're you're proud of what you
00:18:17
did achieve or emotional and that you
00:18:19
didn't quite do what you exactly wanted
00:18:21
to do um it was probably more what I
00:18:24
went through in terms of my illness so
00:18:25
yeah what I had what
00:18:27
was diagnosed with called redis so it's
00:18:30
not a lot of people have heard of it so
00:18:32
it's relative energy deficiency in sport
00:18:34
so it's a combination of amenorrhea um
00:18:37
low bone density and low energy
00:18:39
availability so I'd obviously a
00:18:41
combination of all of those and um
00:18:45
yeah it's thinking what I put my body
00:18:49
through during that time like breaks me
00:18:52
and the concert like the long-term
00:18:54
consequences that could have been a
00:18:56
result of all of that I was so lucky in
00:18:58
the fact that I stopped it when I
00:19:01
stopped
00:19:02
um so I could actually get a like a
00:19:05
decent recovery yeah no long-term sort
00:19:07
of damage no long-term damage like there
00:19:09
are a few underlying things that I just
00:19:11
have to be careful on but a majority of
00:19:13
the things I've been really lucky in
00:19:16
um but also like what I put my family
00:19:17
through as well like my parents like had
00:19:19
to deal with me during that time yeah I
00:19:23
wanted to ask you about that so yeah
00:19:24
it's as you mentioned your dad's a high
00:19:26
performance Sports guy please place to
00:19:28
the news that played for the New Zealand
00:19:29
cricket team not now but um so what what
00:19:33
did you get down to at your life um so I
00:19:35
got down to 4 41 kgs at the age of 16
00:19:39
and I had a 4 body fat
00:19:42
percentage which did you look unwell at
00:19:44
41 41's no yeah a lot of weight yeah
00:19:48
did your parents try and intervene they
00:19:50
must have been worried yep yeah no every
00:19:51
everyone tried to intervene but
00:19:54
just I wasn't listening I was so focused
00:19:57
on my running and yeah my performances
00:20:00
as I said but um it's amazing
00:20:04
when you
00:20:06
you know like running for me that was my
00:20:08
life like I knew nothing other than my
00:20:10
running I was never at school in my last
00:20:13
few years because I was either overseas
00:20:15
competing I was out training and missing
00:20:18
class or I was yeah my head was not in
00:20:23
the mindset to be doing English when I
00:20:25
had a race the next day
00:20:26
did you did you enjoy it at the time
00:20:28
like um
00:20:31
um were you just like I mean because it
00:20:33
just seems like you had like laser-like
00:20:35
Focus yeah was it was there an element
00:20:37
of enjoyment in it or not really yeah
00:20:39
yep there was an element of enjoyment
00:20:41
but I was in my own bubble the whole
00:20:42
time
00:20:43
to be honest I um wish I
00:20:47
didn't have to go through all that to
00:20:50
you know to to do what like to do the
00:20:54
results that I got but it's just that's
00:20:57
just what happened and yeah yeah and you
00:21:00
um you didn't you didn't reach puberty
00:21:02
until like um yeah yep so I didn't get
00:21:05
my period until I was 22 years of age
00:21:07
what's the average age for getting into
00:21:08
the new period like 12. 12 yeah and I
00:21:12
didn't even get any bleeding throughout
00:21:14
that whole time so some people get their
00:21:16
period and then it stops due to the
00:21:20
training that they're doing and racing
00:21:22
and things like that that's quite normal
00:21:23
to have like this yeah and then you it's
00:21:27
just like the period of your training as
00:21:28
well like you might be you know right
00:21:31
we've got a big block of competing like
00:21:33
you might lose your period during this
00:21:35
time but when we are off recovering you
00:21:38
might have two weeks off where you might
00:21:39
have a block where you're doing lower
00:21:42
um intensity stuff then that's when we
00:21:45
try and get the period back but yeah I
00:21:46
didn't have my period the whole way
00:21:48
through so you you weren't even
00:21:50
concerned about that at the time you
00:21:51
were just happy that you're running
00:21:52
running fast no everyone everyone else
00:21:55
was
00:21:58
how many years younger are you
00:22:02
I am two years younger two years so so
00:22:05
your younger sister she's like getting
00:22:07
her reaching puberty and getting a new
00:22:08
period before you at that point you're
00:22:10
not like [ __ ] something's not right here
00:22:12
no because I to be honest I didn't even
00:22:15
really know the importance of what a
00:22:17
period like why we needed a period yeah
00:22:20
well I suppose at that age also you're
00:22:22
not thinking about having a family in
00:22:24
your 20s exactly yeah exactly and it's
00:22:27
something that yeah obviously wasn't on
00:22:29
my it wasn't on my mind and wasn't a
00:22:31
priority for me of course not yeah my
00:22:33
priority was literally my running and
00:22:35
yeah I look back now and I've definitely
00:22:37
learned
00:22:38
um
00:22:39
well because I was working alongside an
00:22:41
endocrinologist and one said by the way
00:22:44
pardon my ignorance no no so I'm like as
00:22:46
a person who works on female Health
00:22:48
hormones
00:22:49
um so like I for example I went to her
00:22:52
um and like you get tests and bloods
00:22:55
done and they didn't detect any hormones
00:22:58
in my body so that's the reason for that
00:23:01
was because I had such a low body
00:23:02
percentage
00:23:04
um and
00:23:05
body fat percentage sorry and um yeah
00:23:08
she literally said you need to put on
00:23:10
weight or you're not going to be able to
00:23:12
have babies when you're older so how old
00:23:14
were you in this conversation I was 18
00:23:17
years old so I still hadn't had my
00:23:18
period but and was that like a
00:23:21
like a wake-up call for you or that idea
00:23:23
you're still thinking I'm I'm I'm I'm
00:23:25
running like a demon here and I don't
00:23:27
want to have kids anyway yeah well that
00:23:29
was probably there was a year where I
00:23:30
was seeing her and was kind of like oh
00:23:32
yep cool yeah whatever like I've got I'm
00:23:36
traveling to Portland next week like
00:23:37
I've got World Champs
00:23:39
I've got [ __ ] to do
00:23:42
um
00:23:43
so yeah that was well
00:23:45
as well but there was a there was one um
00:23:48
appointment that I went to go see her
00:23:49
and I'd just been overseas come back and
00:23:53
um I was I had a stress fracture in my
00:23:56
hip actually and I wasn't allowed to run
00:23:58
because of my stress fracture or
00:24:00
couldn't run at all and I was um
00:24:02
cross-training in the pool instead which
00:24:04
I absolutely hated so I'm guessing from
00:24:06
from what we've learned about you so far
00:24:08
you get injured and you can't train you
00:24:10
must just be I just devastated and
00:24:12
[ __ ] yourself about losing your
00:24:13
Fitness yeah or I just go smash myself
00:24:14
in the pool
00:24:16
what whatever I could do to keep up my
00:24:19
fitness I'd do and probably end up doing
00:24:21
even more training than what I would if
00:24:22
I was running
00:24:23
because I was scared of yeah losing my
00:24:26
fitness and getting behind pretty much
00:24:27
but yeah I went to my endocrinologist
00:24:30
um so this one appointment and I'd just
00:24:32
done a whole lot of blood tests and she
00:24:36
literally sat me down and what I loved
00:24:39
about my endocrinologist was that I
00:24:40
could sit down and have a really good
00:24:42
conversation with her like we were
00:24:44
she approached it in a very gentle way
00:24:46
because I used to have another
00:24:48
endocrinologist before her and she just
00:24:50
was like you can't do this you can't do
00:24:52
that like I was supposed to be going
00:24:53
over to World youth actually and she was
00:24:55
like you can't go like and I was like
00:24:58
you can't say that to a person who's so
00:25:00
obsessed with running you know like I
00:25:02
have to go and do this
00:25:04
um but yeah I sat down with her and she
00:25:06
was like you you have to make a change
00:25:07
Rosa like this is getting really serious
00:25:10
now and Mum I remember mum and my coach
00:25:12
were in the appointment with me as well
00:25:14
and yeah I got home and
00:25:17
mum sat down and had a chat to me and
00:25:19
then from there on I was like [ __ ] we've
00:25:21
gotta we've got to do something about
00:25:22
this because it's not looking good at
00:25:25
all I'm in terms of my bone density my
00:25:28
hormones like I said no hormones
00:25:30
detected in my body I had the bones of a
00:25:32
70 year old at the age of 18
00:25:34
um that were just breaking in front of
00:25:36
me with all my stress fractures
00:25:38
um and then obviously not having my
00:25:40
period as well so yeah it kind of hit
00:25:42
home really hard that day it's like
00:25:45
years of neglect finally caught up with
00:25:46
you literally and I sometimes say like
00:25:49
you know this I actually met up with my
00:25:51
coach for the first time since I'd
00:25:53
retired um a couple of years ago and I
00:25:57
was holding that off because I was so
00:25:59
nervous to go back and just talk and um
00:26:02
you know be back in that whole running
00:26:04
environment and yeah and I talked to her
00:26:07
and she was like gosh there's so many
00:26:09
females just
00:26:11
you know from 14 years of age just going
00:26:13
down that same pathway and it's so hard
00:26:16
because you can only say so much at the
00:26:18
end of the day it's up to you know the
00:26:20
individual to make those changes and do
00:26:22
something about it but yeah for me and I
00:26:25
always say it's quite often they have to
00:26:26
hit rock bottom and get injured and have
00:26:29
to have time off running to have time to
00:26:32
think about it well from from hearing
00:26:34
your story today it sounds like you were
00:26:35
rummaging around Rock Bottom for a long
00:26:37
time for a long time you're trying to go
00:26:39
deeper than that yeah yeah well yeah so
00:26:42
I'm so oblivious like the when I went to
00:26:45
[Music]
00:26:45
um
00:26:46
so I went to World Champs in Beijing in
00:26:49
2000 and
00:26:51
18 I think it was and
00:26:55
I was like the sickest I had
00:26:58
been I'm at that point and I was there
00:27:01
to compete in the 3000 meter
00:27:02
Steeplechase and sickest uh like you
00:27:06
were performing well though yeah
00:27:09
okay performing well um but things were
00:27:12
starting to slowly break down in terms
00:27:14
of I just like had a couple of stress
00:27:16
fractures before I went over and but I'd
00:27:19
obviously recovered from them and I
00:27:21
could just now that I look back really
00:27:23
notice like my body was just so low in
00:27:25
energy and it
00:27:28
I find it really hard to believe that
00:27:30
you know I got sent over there to
00:27:31
compete in the world Champs when I was
00:27:34
in that state
00:27:35
obviously I feel like someone like one
00:27:37
of the officials should have should have
00:27:38
noticed yeah I don't know like yes if
00:27:40
you're doing the qualifying times and
00:27:42
you see him oh that's the thing you just
00:27:44
obviously go and do it but if I was with
00:27:46
someone who was
00:27:48
in the state that I was I would
00:27:50
definitely probably say something but
00:27:52
again like there's a lot it sounds like
00:27:55
you wouldn't have even listened though
00:27:56
no exactly well a lot of female athletes
00:27:58
are
00:27:59
pretty thin and it's just the type of
00:28:03
person they are I suppose yeah so in the
00:28:06
end was it um was it a hard hard
00:28:08
decision to retire or was it just like a
00:28:10
necessary decision
00:28:11
um I was probably it was in the back of
00:28:13
my mind for about six months
00:28:16
um I actually had had a lot obviously
00:28:19
with my stress factors had the time off
00:28:20
to um recover from those and then I was
00:28:24
just about to get into it again and like
00:28:26
sat down with my coach and
00:28:28
um talk to her about you know the next
00:28:30
couple years and wanting to make um the
00:28:32
next Olympics and
00:28:35
then I remember I was trying to qualify
00:28:38
for
00:28:39
a race that was in Australia which then
00:28:42
was qualifies for qualifiers for the
00:28:44
Olympics and I um injured myself on a
00:28:48
steeple at in Christchurch actually
00:28:51
while we were training just before we
00:28:52
were about to go over to Australia and
00:28:55
um I just yeah broke down I was like I
00:28:57
don't think I can actually ever do this
00:28:59
again like my body's just not coping
00:29:01
um so I did try to get and back into it
00:29:03
and it was really hard to let go because
00:29:05
I felt like running was my identity and
00:29:08
that it was the only thing people knew
00:29:09
me by like Rosa the runner and like
00:29:11
what's your next running event and you
00:29:14
know it's just yeah yeah I was like how
00:29:16
can I let that go and obviously I'd been
00:29:18
with my support team from Athletics New
00:29:20
Zealand for the past like five six years
00:29:22
and I'd it's my day-to-day thing that I
00:29:26
do I go in and I see my Physio and I see
00:29:29
my coach and I train at the gym at high
00:29:31
performance and it's just something that
00:29:33
was my life and letting go of that it's
00:29:36
like I suppose leaving a job it's like
00:29:39
that's your that's all you've known for
00:29:41
so long and stepping out of that and
00:29:43
having the confidence to step out of
00:29:45
that and knowing that you're making the
00:29:46
right decision took a long time process
00:29:49
already had yeah especially when you
00:29:51
when you're good like you were I suppose
00:29:52
you've you know Matt gave you some sort
00:29:54
of importance in a way yeah and it was
00:29:56
also that doubt in yourself of am I
00:29:58
right making the right decision is this
00:30:00
the best thing to do am I just giving up
00:30:01
like is yeah if I just keep trying will
00:30:05
I be able to succeed what I want to
00:30:07
succeed
00:30:08
um so at the start it was probably a me
00:30:12
seeing it as if I failed type of
00:30:14
situation but yeah no no I don't feel
00:30:17
like that now do you think it'd be still
00:30:19
part of you that would feel like that
00:30:20
now had you not been so successful with
00:30:22
your next venture probably yeah well I
00:30:24
that's the thing I always say like gosh
00:30:26
I've been so lucky in the fact that I've
00:30:27
had two or sisters to go straight into
00:30:29
and like that's been my focus and I've
00:30:33
got so many goals within that that Margo
00:30:35
and I both want to succeed together
00:30:37
whereas if I yeah didn't have anything I
00:30:40
think differently that would have led to
00:30:43
some mental health issues in terms of
00:30:45
just feeling lost and not feeling like I
00:30:47
had a purpose and not knowing what I
00:30:49
want to do with my life how how long do
00:30:52
you think it took you to get over it
00:30:53
because I've had some other people on
00:30:54
the podcast I've had um Shane Cameron
00:30:56
the boxer on and he said it took him
00:30:57
seven years to get over the fight with
00:30:59
David tour yeah um I had Jimmy nishima
00:31:02
on the cricketer and he said um he still
00:31:04
thinks about the World Cup final that
00:31:05
they lost to England like most days how
00:31:08
long did it take you to get over the
00:31:09
running I'm probably still not over it
00:31:10
to be honest yeah yeah so yeah like I
00:31:13
was saying like sometimes like we did a
00:31:15
talk
00:31:16
um a couple weekends ago and I started
00:31:19
getting really emotional talking about
00:31:21
it and yeah it's something I refer to
00:31:25
and think back to
00:31:26
probably most days wow and I've got this
00:31:30
big box at home that has like all my
00:31:32
medals and all my I'd quite I often like
00:31:34
kept Diaries of when I was traveling
00:31:36
around and touring and
00:31:39
um photos from all our tours with all
00:31:41
the team and yeah I every now and then I
00:31:44
do look at it and I think oh my gosh
00:31:46
um that definitely feels like such a
00:31:48
lifetime ago but so close as well
00:31:51
um and yeah in ways you think like oh
00:31:53
gosh I wish I was still doing that and a
00:31:56
part of that culture and
00:31:58
yeah but obviously I'm not so yeah so
00:32:01
what's your relationship with running
00:32:02
like now do you still run yeah yeah I
00:32:05
still have been running it was actually
00:32:06
a funny story I signed signed up for the
00:32:10
Queenstown half
00:32:11
last year but it was canceled with
00:32:14
covert sure but leading up to it I put
00:32:18
so much pressure on myself all of a
00:32:20
sudden and like got into my old habits
00:32:22
even though yeah even though I was in
00:32:24
terms of what like you wanted to not
00:32:26
just finish it but do a good time yeah
00:32:27
do a good time and like getting really
00:32:30
caught up around training and how much
00:32:32
training I was doing and oh I suppose
00:32:35
for me all I know running is is being a
00:32:38
super competitive Sport and being yeah
00:32:40
representing New Zealand on the world
00:32:42
stage that's all I know it is pretty
00:32:44
much do you think do you think it's um
00:32:46
I don't know as part of that an ego
00:32:49
thing like you're like oh God it'll look
00:32:50
terrible if I run like two hours people
00:32:52
be like oh [ __ ] Rose is [ __ ] these days
00:32:54
yeah yeah
00:32:55
there's that identity thing as well
00:32:58
people have known me as the runner and
00:33:02
when they again their expectation and
00:33:05
pressure that you just put on yourself
00:33:06
of gosh like this person's just a casual
00:33:09
Runner and they've never been an elite
00:33:11
athlete before and they've just met me
00:33:13
you know like or like me comparing my
00:33:17
times of what I'm running now to what I
00:33:20
was running back then but I'm like I
00:33:22
can't compare that because it's so
00:33:24
different like that was my job in my
00:33:26
life and now it's just like and it
00:33:28
ruined you too yeah exactly exactly and
00:33:31
now I need to I'm learning
00:33:34
and I think I'm nearly there to see it
00:33:36
as just something I enjoy in an outlet
00:33:39
from work and from anything that's
00:33:42
stressing me out like I when I'm in that
00:33:44
state and that mindset I love it I enjoy
00:33:47
it so much and I can just keep running
00:33:48
whereas as soon as I which I found with
00:33:52
this Queenstown half marathon that I
00:33:54
signed up for was like all of a sudden
00:33:56
put all this pressure on myself and
00:33:57
expectation
00:33:59
um but I've actually signed up for the
00:34:01
Queenstown half this year so
00:34:03
hopefully it all goes well well it seems
00:34:06
like you're you're aware that you're
00:34:07
doing these things yeah so I suppose
00:34:09
it's just um having that mindfulness of
00:34:12
keeping yourself in check and and you
00:34:13
know pulling yourself back into line a
00:34:15
few years yeah and I'm so lucky in the
00:34:16
fact that I can I've learned to do that
00:34:18
and I know what to do when things like
00:34:20
that pop up but yeah it's just something
00:34:22
that's always going to be there and it's
00:34:25
like for example I would kind of refer
00:34:26
it to when I had my eating disorder it's
00:34:28
like something that never necessarily
00:34:30
goes away but you just know how to
00:34:32
manage it and you're aware of when those
00:34:34
signs in your head come up and when to
00:34:37
shut them down yeah yeah yeah sure
00:34:40
um yeah I mean I've never run as fast as
00:34:42
what you have but it's got to be hard
00:34:44
going from like doing a four minutes for
00:34:46
fifteen hundred to five minute
00:34:47
kilometers yeah
00:34:49
to watch and go home man yeah some days
00:34:51
I'm like
00:34:53
to think that I would just freely run
00:34:55
like a you know a four minute bloody
00:34:58
tempo run and here I am 5 30s yeah dying
00:35:02
yeah but yeah like I said you can't I
00:35:04
can't compare myself to back then
00:35:06
because it's just a completely different
00:35:07
thing 100 yeah
00:35:10
um okay so what do you what are you what
00:35:11
are you doing an average week what are
00:35:12
you running on average you run most days
00:35:14
every second day
00:35:19
no no I kind of I kind of go in the Ebbs
00:35:22
and flows of it really to be honest
00:35:25
um I definitely want now that I've got
00:35:27
the Queenstown half coming up I
00:35:29
definitely want to try and do a little
00:35:31
bit more but it's again a big part of
00:35:34
what I've learned throughout this whole
00:35:35
thing is learning to listen to my body
00:35:37
and not
00:35:38
feeling pressured to go out and run a
00:35:41
certain amount of case per week so I'm
00:35:42
not putting that expectation on myself
00:35:44
and that's definitely helped me in terms
00:35:47
of that whole Obsession and yeah that
00:35:49
expectation side of things and now I
00:35:52
just if I feel like going out for a run
00:35:53
I'll run and I've got I'm you know I've
00:35:57
got the beauty of being able to run as
00:35:58
far as I want to run if I only feel like
00:36:00
doing 6ks then that's all I need to do
00:36:02
like I don't have to go and run 10 or 12
00:36:06
K's because it's yeah obviously from
00:36:08
following a program for six years of my
00:36:11
life I've had a thing that I had to do
00:36:13
every single day in like a certain
00:36:14
amount of case in a certain amount of
00:36:17
um you know what time you need to do it
00:36:19
and whereas now I'm like no just enjoy
00:36:22
it go out and do what you want to do and
00:36:24
yeah because you're hearing your lungs
00:36:25
get the endorphins flowing
00:36:27
um yeah because I find them the mental
00:36:28
health benefits for me from running yeah
00:36:30
just Next Level well that's the thing
00:36:32
when you look at it from that side of
00:36:34
things like running is awesome for me in
00:36:36
that way like I love coming home and
00:36:38
especially when it's like Autumn winter
00:36:40
like the night's getting a bit darker
00:36:42
like just going out and getting some
00:36:43
fresh air after work shutting everything
00:36:46
off from work and then coming home after
00:36:49
you're running having a shower and you
00:36:51
just feel so good yeah how was your
00:36:53
mental health for the most part um yeah
00:36:55
it's pretty good I yes I've like
00:36:57
suffered a lot of anxiety around it
00:37:00
um all around running and um work just
00:37:03
do I have that now like if you and your
00:37:05
sister are doing and doing it doing a
00:37:07
big event or an important event or
00:37:08
something uh it doesn't sort of flare up
00:37:10
again or is it just mainly running base
00:37:13
um I don't normally get I don't really
00:37:14
get anxiety around like
00:37:17
the whole like talking in front of
00:37:19
people in events it's more around like
00:37:21
if I've got a like a massive workload
00:37:24
that I've got ahead of me and people
00:37:26
were firing all these phone calls and my
00:37:29
direction and wanting someone you know x
00:37:32
amount from me I get quite anxious
00:37:35
really quickly thinking that I've got
00:37:37
all my eggs in like 50 different baskets
00:37:39
and I can't keep control of all of them
00:37:41
and just yeah I think that's normal yeah
00:37:44
five more than three things on my to-do
00:37:46
list I freak out yeah I know I know and
00:37:48
it's again it's just learning how to
00:37:50
manage it yeah not also like with being
00:37:53
with two or sisters like people
00:37:56
expect certain things from you and you
00:37:58
know like you might get a couple of [ __ ]
00:38:00
messages on Instagram it's not letting
00:38:02
that get to you and you know stuff like
00:38:04
that that you just what sort of [ __ ]
00:38:05
messages could people have for you and
00:38:06
your sister what are we talking about
00:38:08
here
00:38:10
oh you know there's just those people
00:38:12
[Laughter]
00:38:15
I can but I'm afraid if I say it Pete
00:38:18
these people again will be offended oh
00:38:21
no no no no [ __ ] do [ __ ] I don't listen
00:38:24
to a podcast called Runner Zone okay
00:38:26
well you'll get the hate Bell not up
00:38:27
okay we were making food to go away and
00:38:32
we're like oh invercargill you know
00:38:33
there's not many good places to eat yeah
00:38:36
and these people were like oh my God I
00:38:38
can't believe you say that go [ __ ] each
00:38:40
other and all this
00:38:42
I'm like chill that you found
00:38:45
oh that's all right that's right they're
00:38:48
just looking out for the uh sticking up
00:38:50
for their people in invercargill are
00:38:52
very protective
00:38:56
I wasn't the first time I went to
00:38:58
invercargill I um went to German I had a
00:39:00
session then I went to um pack and save
00:39:02
a Woolworths whatever and I was looking
00:39:04
for like a protein bar I said to the
00:39:06
lady at the checkout after I look for a
00:39:08
while I said do you have protein bars
00:39:09
here and she goes you've got more Rose
00:39:10
over there
00:39:14
oh God no we love him yeah we do love it
00:39:18
but it's just yeah it's quite funny what
00:39:20
we get here they are very sensitive and
00:39:23
you've got to be aware of what you say
00:39:24
and you guys were wrong there are plenty
00:39:26
of good places to eat this Subways
00:39:28
Pizza Hut McDonald's
00:39:33
we just weren't seeing those yeah open
00:39:37
our eyes more it's funny that don't
00:39:38
worry like um yeah me and you can you
00:39:41
can scroll through and see like 100
00:39:42
really nice comments and then it's a bad
00:39:44
one yeah feels like it's highlighted I
00:39:46
know well that's something it's just
00:39:48
those little that little wee thing you
00:39:49
said like we didn't even notice
00:39:51
sometimes you don't even notice but
00:39:52
people just pick it up and then just can
00:39:54
slam you yeah anyway
00:39:56
we can probably get you into the
00:39:58
conversation now we'll start talking
00:39:59
start talking to Royal Sisters so so um
00:40:01
yeah Rosie you finish you finish the
00:40:03
running yeah whose idea you're done with
00:40:04
Rosa it's all about me now so who where
00:40:08
does the name come from and whose idea
00:40:09
was it initially is there was it like a
00:40:12
joint thing or was there one one of you
00:40:13
two that was more the instigator
00:40:15
um well long story short when we first
00:40:17
started we were doing like raw things so
00:40:20
cooking nothing over 46 degrees and then
00:40:23
um we kind of went if that no one eats
00:40:24
like that and you know everyone in New
00:40:27
Zealand's Got That Meat and three veg
00:40:28
culture yeah so that were we were
00:40:30
already building a name for ourselves so
00:40:32
we just kept with the two royal sisters
00:40:34
and now we just say raw whole
00:40:37
unprocessed ingredients it's funny
00:40:39
though some people don't think we're
00:40:40
sisters like we'll get through a
00:40:42
demonstration or a talk and we're like
00:40:44
to who who thinks we're sisters and
00:40:45
they're like [ __ ] are you guys sisters
00:40:50
exactly tell me about it are there any
00:40:53
other siblings in your family we've
00:40:55
actually got an older brother Matt who's
00:40:56
in Auckland who we're staying with yeah
00:40:57
oh cool what does he do he works for Ray
00:41:01
Glass boats right so if you need a boat
00:41:03
go see Matt yeah he does all their sales
00:41:06
and stuff so that would be good to see
00:41:08
him yeah geez hi achieving family eh he
00:41:10
calls himself the um one cooked brother
00:41:13
right oh that's good and what are your
00:41:15
parents doing now are they still doing
00:41:16
real estate yes yes they are down in
00:41:20
Christchurch more so like rolleston
00:41:23
Lincoln area rural stuff but yeah right
00:41:25
they're still here there they used to
00:41:27
work you guys when you were kids you
00:41:29
said like deliver pamphlets and stuff
00:41:30
for them yeah yeah those good old days
00:41:34
got jobs dropped off on the side of the
00:41:37
road in the middle of the backpack full
00:41:39
of pamphlets
00:41:41
I I was a newspaper delivery boy for a
00:41:44
while and I just the the it was the free
00:41:45
newspaper in Palmer's North I just
00:41:47
dumped it in the creek usually dump the
00:41:49
appearance dump your parents pamphlets
00:41:52
like why are we getting any sales
00:41:57
um geez they must be proud of what you
00:41:59
guys are doing you you've you've come
00:42:01
such a long way and you've done so much
00:42:03
in a fairly short period of time haven't
00:42:04
you with this business yeah really talk
00:42:06
about it no they're really good in the
00:42:08
fact that they don't like Mum Mum's
00:42:10
involved in the business a little bit
00:42:11
she helps me out with the accounts and
00:42:13
things
00:42:14
um but they're really good in the fact
00:42:15
that they're not they don't put pressure
00:42:17
on you or like keep you know talk about
00:42:20
it all the time they know when to step
00:42:22
back and to just let us do our thing
00:42:24
because they've got now they've got full
00:42:26
confidence in us at the start they were
00:42:28
not too sure on where we were heading
00:42:30
with our business and what our plans
00:42:32
were and we're a bit skeptical but now
00:42:34
they just they know what we need to do
00:42:36
and also having Dana manager like he
00:42:38
he's more
00:42:39
he kind of controls that side of things
00:42:41
and Mum and Dad just step back and yeah
00:42:43
right watch it all right and what were
00:42:45
you do you like growing up so the age
00:42:46
gap of two years me and my brother went
00:42:49
the same age Gap and uh we were very
00:42:51
competitive and sort of behave at each
00:42:52
other were you were you guys like that
00:42:53
growing up or were you quite tired
00:42:55
growing up
00:42:56
um we kind of were tight and then we had
00:42:58
a bit where Rosa was running and she
00:43:01
like was how she was talking very much
00:43:03
absorbed in the Running Scene and what
00:43:06
do you care about my family no this is
00:43:08
really no election pretty much seems
00:43:10
like you didn't care about anything
00:43:12
apart from your time yeah
00:43:15
she really didn't she's not joking when
00:43:17
she said so we weren't that close then
00:43:19
we were really competitive with each
00:43:21
other because I was trying to run two
00:43:22
and then yeah that must have been hard
00:43:24
for you I'm guessing because
00:43:26
um so you're growing up your dad's place
00:43:29
for the New Zealand cricket team so you
00:43:30
you're your dad's daughter then your
00:43:32
sister's a good runner and then so
00:43:34
you're the sister of the good runner
00:43:35
yeah and I would like Rosa never got
00:43:37
injured I always got injured and I was
00:43:39
always is that person who had something
00:43:41
wrong and well poor you yeah and yeah
00:43:45
that was when we were that close at all
00:43:46
and then we went over to the states for
00:43:48
a bit just us to just do a bit of study
00:43:51
and then we obviously started to royal
00:43:53
sisters and that's when we got quite
00:43:55
close but I think it was discovering our
00:43:58
different unique bodies like we're
00:44:00
actually quite different people and we
00:44:02
do very different things in the business
00:44:04
and I think it's like you just
00:44:06
compliment each other yeah recognizing
00:44:08
that and now we work really well
00:44:09
together because we don't like we know
00:44:11
our boundaries why did you go to the
00:44:13
season study
00:44:15
um so I was I was open study for free
00:44:17
and invercargill
00:44:19
y someone told me that the other day
00:44:21
just bring your own food
00:44:24
um no so I was going over to qualify for
00:44:27
World Journeys and Margot was like why
00:44:31
don't I come over with you and so we did
00:44:33
a culinary school over in Venice Beach
00:44:35
in la oh my God amazing yeah so we lived
00:44:38
over there for about five months like
00:44:41
right on Venice Beach it was you must
00:44:43
have stung a weed when you came yeah I
00:44:46
don't think we'd ever smelled weed in
00:44:48
our lives and we just walked onto the
00:44:49
boardwalk and we're like literally
00:44:51
everywhere yeah literally but it was
00:44:53
awesome so where's a weed doctor right
00:44:55
outside yeah actually
00:44:58
um but yeah so during the day we would
00:45:00
um do the culinary school and then
00:45:03
morning and afternoon I'd train and
00:45:06
Margot would obviously train with me
00:45:07
because she had that expectation of she
00:45:10
needed to do what I was doing and then
00:45:12
in the weekend we'd travel around
00:45:13
America to the races that I needed to do
00:45:17
wow that was pretty intense and yeah
00:45:19
that was a point where
00:45:21
we looked back and we're like how the
00:45:23
hell did we do that like yeah getting up
00:45:25
at that time in the morning like biking
00:45:28
to the track biking back being on our
00:45:30
feet all day in the culinary school then
00:45:32
doing more training in the afternoon and
00:45:34
then flying around in the weekend
00:45:36
actually competing yeah yeah I mean you
00:45:40
were you were always going to crash
00:45:41
weren't you yes it was just a matter of
00:45:43
time yeah yeah really
00:45:45
um
00:45:46
it's all a learning curve yeah and it
00:45:48
you know I don't think I'd be where I am
00:45:49
today probably without all those
00:45:51
learnings and
00:45:52
um experience behind me and Mark and I
00:45:54
yeah I suppose we always say like two or
00:45:57
sisters was pretty much developed
00:45:59
through our own personal Journeys and um
00:46:02
I love you know now for educating people
00:46:05
and creating that healthy happy
00:46:07
sustainable lifestyle yes Margaret
00:46:09
you've had your own [ __ ] going on as
00:46:10
well haven't you
00:46:12
um chronic fatigue and yeah well while
00:46:14
Rosa was running around the tracks I was
00:46:15
in bed for two years because she didn't
00:46:17
notice no yeah I didn't notice so I
00:46:20
don't go to sleep in the spare room
00:46:21
exactly so yeah again yeah I was very
00:46:25
different to Rosa and I think that only
00:46:27
adds the uniqueness of tural sisters and
00:46:29
what we try to promote because some
00:46:32
people you know will have that running
00:46:34
Obsession and then some people have a
00:46:36
lot of women have endo and chronic
00:46:39
fatigue is becoming
00:46:41
scarcely well it's becoming incredibly
00:46:43
common now yeah what does um what does
00:46:45
endometriosis mean exactly it's it's
00:46:48
like lesions in the usual in like around
00:46:52
the pelvic area within a female so it
00:46:55
causes a lot of pain and
00:46:57
um if it gets really severe then can you
00:47:00
know you have to have hysterectomy or
00:47:02
yeah lots of difficulty having babies
00:47:04
and as I learned to live with my Endo as
00:47:09
we were talking about earlier with the
00:47:10
different types of
00:47:11
um exercise that triggers particular
00:47:14
symptoms like running and high intensity
00:47:17
training they definitely trigger a lot
00:47:18
of my pain so I think well and this is
00:47:21
what roses figured out it's just
00:47:22
figuring out what works best for your
00:47:24
body and yeah you enjoy the run every
00:47:26
now and then but then sometimes you
00:47:28
don't yeah yeah I know that I can only
00:47:30
do a certain amount per week now before
00:47:33
I injure myself
00:47:35
yeah is that right yeah yeah I just your
00:47:39
body's just refusing to cooperate
00:47:40
literally no no more
00:47:43
um like if you love running then it's
00:47:45
just figuring out what how much you can
00:47:46
do until you trigger a symptom or
00:47:48
something yeah yeah so do you guys have
00:47:51
like a five-year plan or a three-year
00:47:53
plan or anything where do you want to
00:47:54
where do you want to take this thing
00:47:56
you know what Dino's like yeah yeah this
00:48:00
is um this is Dean Buchanan your manager
00:48:01
he um he used to be like a radio boss in
00:48:03
New Zealand he um he tried to get me and
00:48:06
JJ from The Edge a number of years ago
00:48:08
and um we um had like all these
00:48:10
clandestine talks with them in in the
00:48:12
hotel rooms like we were sneaking around
00:48:14
it was like having an affair
00:48:16
um and then we ended up staying but he
00:48:18
got us a substantial pay rise yeah no
00:48:20
he's awesome he never stops well just
00:48:22
like Margo and I probably
00:48:24
um but in The Five-Year Plan um yeah
00:48:26
we've got our book coming out fourth
00:48:29
book coming out in October and then um
00:48:31
there'll probably there'll be some more
00:48:33
books um coming on after that and then
00:48:35
we have an app out at the moment but
00:48:38
we're moving our app onto an IOS app
00:48:40
which is exciting at the end of the year
00:48:43
so that means it'll be in like the Apple
00:48:44
store it'll be in the Apple store so
00:48:46
yeah we've just found that there's some
00:48:48
limitations that are arising the app's
00:48:50
great at the moment but it'll just be
00:48:52
great having that IOS app
00:48:54
um there and that's that won't be till
00:48:56
next year and then um
00:48:59
expanding into Australia right that's
00:49:02
our kind of big Focus for the rest of
00:49:04
2022 our books are over there so we'll
00:49:07
go over there and do some touring and
00:49:09
get our name out there yeah just just
00:49:11
don't go all weird like Pete Evans
00:49:15
Tom but yeah a few other things
00:49:19
um that we can't disclose oh there's a
00:49:21
lot on the go lots of lots of fun things
00:49:23
but it's it's cool because we can
00:49:25
actually
00:49:27
started the business at such
00:49:29
exactly how we want it to be
00:49:31
um I I'm I live part-time down south
00:49:34
with my partner and it's your lover boy
00:49:36
my lover boy and it's nice being able to
00:49:40
you know know that in the long term I do
00:49:42
want to be down there so how can we make
00:49:45
the business a passive earning business
00:49:47
for Margo's partner travels with his
00:49:49
music so it's yeah creating it exactly
00:49:52
how we want it to be in to that in five
00:49:55
or ten years time we can do what we want
00:49:57
to know and it's not so Hands-On yeah so
00:49:59
let's let's talk Partners so you're on a
00:50:01
farm in Timaru sure you've done I've
00:50:03
done my research
00:50:05
they was playing in the back of my mind
00:50:07
from like you should have gone
00:50:08
invercargill really you live in a farm
00:50:11
in Timaru
00:50:12
so how did you guys meet
00:50:14
um I actually saw a really good friend
00:50:16
of ours
00:50:17
um so he went to UNI with her and
00:50:21
floated with her and then she actually
00:50:22
ran with me Millie Morgan yeah so we
00:50:25
were all wondering the day Rose would
00:50:26
get a boyfriend yeah how long how long
00:50:28
have you been together
00:50:30
yeah yeah
00:50:31
is he the one
00:50:33
you talked about heaven
00:50:39
no I talk about engagement yeah
00:50:43
um but no I'm I'm near yeah puff
00:50:46
normally half late but because we're
00:50:48
touring around touring around a lot at
00:50:50
the moment it doesn't really happen as
00:50:52
much as I'd like it to but yep no he's
00:50:54
he's good
00:50:57
um and if you talked about having kids
00:50:58
and stuff do you do you know if you can
00:51:00
have kids
00:51:01
um yeah well that's been a thing that
00:51:03
we've been well so
00:51:06
he won't listen to this anyway so it's
00:51:09
fine
00:51:12
yeah it's not you know not not too good
00:51:15
out there with the Wi-Fi
00:51:17
um I have to go on to answer that no um
00:51:20
well yeah that's one thing that I'm
00:51:22
really cautious off from my previous
00:51:24
experience with um only getting my
00:51:27
period until I was 22 years of age so
00:51:30
I've actually just been getting some
00:51:32
blood tests around
00:51:33
you know how good my fertility is
00:51:35
because about five years ago it was very
00:51:39
bad so hoping fingers crossed that it's
00:51:42
not in dire situations yes
00:51:46
um so yeah so just getting those looked
00:51:48
at at the moment so yeah but I think
00:51:50
with the recovery that I've had and all
00:51:53
the other things that have picked up
00:51:54
including my bone density and um having
00:51:57
my period regularly
00:51:59
um it's looking pretty promising so
00:52:00
that's good awesome and what about you
00:52:02
Margaret so it's a musician yes oh
00:52:12
[Applause]
00:52:13
yeah so will he's my partner he's just
00:52:18
gone out on his own as Goodwill so look
00:52:20
him up all right look him up on Spotify
00:52:22
yes do they have that hey Geronimo song
00:52:24
as well yeah how many band members have
00:52:27
you been through
00:52:29
I will differently won't listen to this
00:52:32
no I kind of went through the band
00:52:34
before I got to Wells oh no really it's
00:52:38
not like an orchestra
00:52:43
no just just went through two out of
00:52:46
three but not that many
00:52:49
um sorry I had to bring you that up so
00:52:52
um what was Will's position in the band
00:52:55
he was lead singer and guitarist right
00:52:57
so who did you start up with before you
00:52:59
worked your way up to the lead singer
00:53:02
just another guitarist
00:53:04
at least you got standards you didn't
00:53:06
give the drummer yeah exactly guitar
00:53:09
only
00:53:11
so yes no I'm with Will and that's good
00:53:14
times and I'm just in Christchurch yeah
00:53:16
and what sort of um what sort of music
00:53:17
is he here he's kind of doing Indie pop
00:53:21
right I would say
00:53:23
um yeah he's just
00:53:24
just got two songs out now and launching
00:53:26
his EP in August right because it's like
00:53:29
that you're doing well because um you're
00:53:30
gonna be supporting him yeah music's a
00:53:33
tough industry that's tough at least
00:53:35
he's like 16. not mean not many people
00:53:37
are making money yeah yeah and how long
00:53:38
have you guys been together
00:53:39
um we've been together coming on four
00:53:42
years oh [ __ ] yeah wow so she's a bit
00:53:44
ahead of me a little while all right
00:53:48
you're getting um you're dropping lots
00:53:50
of hints about getting engaged all the
00:53:52
time yeah you've seen them the ring most
00:53:54
months
00:54:05
yeah and do you take quite a big
00:54:07
interest in each other's like careers
00:54:09
yeah well he's obviously very creative
00:54:11
as well so I do a lot of the creativity
00:54:14
with intural sisters so
00:54:16
um we definitely bounce ideas off each
00:54:18
other which is good he's come up with
00:54:20
pretty much all the cover ideas for our
00:54:22
cookbook right so yeah no he's very
00:54:24
helpful he's pretty helpful and
00:54:26
especially touring in terms of Music and
00:54:28
Sound yeah mostly he's great and can you
00:54:32
sing
00:54:33
[ __ ] no we were in lockdown and he was
00:54:37
like I really need this girl to sing on
00:54:38
my song I was like holler at me and
00:54:41
anyway we ought to turn the [ __ ] out of
00:54:43
it and it still sounded horrible
00:54:45
so definitely not we were one of those
00:54:49
few kids who didn't quite make the choir
00:54:51
at school yeah yeah yeah yeah I wasn't
00:54:54
um my school choir at um primary school
00:54:56
and um Mrs McGrath put me right at the
00:54:59
back
00:55:00
I
00:55:02
look back now it's like you know you
00:55:04
don't realize it at the time but it's
00:55:06
like that was really [ __ ] rude yeah I
00:55:09
should have had hurt feelings at the
00:55:10
time but I don't know yeah she's
00:55:11
probably dead now so I can't I can't
00:55:14
tell you how I feel hey um it's been
00:55:16
wonderful seeing you guys today yeah you
00:55:17
too thanks for having us yeah um yeah
00:55:20
Rosa thank you for being so open with
00:55:21
your story oh no yeah what advice would
00:55:25
you have for like any um say young
00:55:27
female athletes that are listening for
00:55:29
listening to this today to listen to the
00:55:31
people outside of you if they're telling
00:55:34
you that you need to slow down
00:55:36
um put your health first before you're
00:55:39
running if you're in a really serious
00:55:40
situation like I was definitely step
00:55:43
back and take the time to really invest
00:55:45
in your own health and well-being first
00:55:46
before smashing your body yeah because
00:55:48
it's the it's the long-term consequences
00:55:51
especially when you're a young athlete
00:55:53
it's the long-term consequences that you
00:55:55
don't necessarily think about like
00:55:56
having kids and your bone density and
00:56:00
osteoporosis later on in life that it's
00:56:02
not a concern or a priority when you're
00:56:04
14 years of age so yeah definitely
00:56:06
listen to the professionals around you
00:56:08
and don't thrust your body at such a
00:56:10
young age make sure you go through all
00:56:12
those essential processes like getting
00:56:14
your period and developing and going
00:56:16
actually going through puberty before
00:56:18
getting yeah really intense in your
00:56:21
important I think from what I learned
00:56:23
from you there's so much more to life
00:56:24
than just that
00:56:26
like early stage you know yeah you
00:56:29
really didn't have to learn the hard way
00:56:31
didn't you yeah I did actually but it's
00:56:33
it's it's amazing when I do talk about
00:56:35
it now like I've done quite a few talks
00:56:36
around my experience and my running
00:56:38
journey and how many young people are
00:56:41
feeling the same way that they uh and
00:56:45
it's very often it's the individual
00:56:47
putting the pressure and expectation on
00:56:49
themselves not others around them oh 100
00:56:51
I think most of the time that's probably
00:56:52
the case yeah exactly and it's a matter
00:56:55
of yeah being able to step out of that
00:56:57
situation and but having yeah
00:56:59
hearing stories like mine or from anyone
00:57:03
else who's been going through those
00:57:05
things it's it's always comforting to
00:57:07
hear like you're not on your own it does
00:57:09
happen to other people but here's what
00:57:11
we would advise to do um if you were
00:57:13
stuck in a situation yeah
00:57:15
and Margaret what advice would you have
00:57:18
for any um young woman that are a fan of
00:57:21
a band but they can't decide what
00:57:22
movement to ask you
00:57:23
go through
00:57:27
it's the only way to do it isn't it four
00:57:30
years later happy ever after yeah oh
00:57:32
that's brilliant hey well thanks for
00:57:34
coming over today thank you Rosa and
00:57:36
Margo Flanagan two royal sisters um
00:57:38
what's your Instagram handle at Terrell
00:57:40
sisters yeah go give us a follow do that
00:57:43
lots of great content on there we're
00:57:45
touring at the moment so extra great
00:57:47
content if you're from invercargill give
00:57:49
them their DMS give them a piece of your
00:57:51
mind
00:57:53
all right see you guys thank you
00:57:56
thanks very much for listening to this
00:57:58
episode of Runners only with dom Harvey
00:58:00
that was uh Rosa and Margo Flanagan two
00:58:02
raw sisters if you don't follow them
00:58:03
already on Instagram give them a follow
00:58:05
uh they post some really really good
00:58:06
content with some really good recipes
00:58:07
and stuff
00:58:09
monster of this week's episode the
00:58:11
Huawei watch GT Runner if you're in the
00:58:14
market for a new watch I would urge you
00:58:16
to consider this one do your research
00:58:17
don't just take my word for it you can
00:58:19
buy it at JB Hi-Fi PB Tech and no
00:58:20
leemings but it's got so many features
00:58:22
too many to talk about right now but a
00:58:24
few things I love about this watch the
00:58:26
weight it feels like there's nothing on
00:58:27
your wrist 38.5 grams the 14 day battery
00:58:30
life which is better than any other
00:58:31
watch of this type on the market the
00:58:34
accurate wrist heart rate and also the
00:58:36
built-in running coach so you can just
00:58:37
put the Swatch on go for a couple of
00:58:39
initial runs the watch will then work
00:58:41
out uh what you need to be doing to
00:58:44
reach the goals that you want to it's so
00:58:45
simple the Huawei watch GT Runner thank
00:58:48
you very much for sponsoring this
00:58:49
episode of Runners only with Don Harvey
00:58:51
and thank you for listening hope to see
00:58:53
you next week

Podspun Insights

In this episode of Runners Only, Dom Harvey welcomes the Flanagan sisters, Rosa and Margot, who share their remarkable journey from elite athletics to culinary entrepreneurship. Rosa recounts her intense running career, which saw her on the brink of Olympic glory but also led her to grapple with an eating disorder and the pressures of performance. The conversation dives deep into the emotional toll of competitive sports, the importance of mental health, and the lessons learned from hitting rock bottom.

As the episode unfolds, Margot joins in, bringing a lighter tone as the sisters discuss their successful venture, Two Raw Sisters, which focuses on plant-based cooking. They share insights on their philosophy of cooking with plants and how they aim to inspire others to embrace healthier eating habits. The dynamic between the sisters is both heartwarming and humorous, showcasing their unique bond and how they complement each other in both life and business.

Listeners are treated to a candid exploration of the challenges faced by young athletes, the significance of self-care, and the joy of finding balance in life after the pressures of competitive sports. This episode is not just about running; it's about resilience, growth, and the power of sisterhood.

Badges

This episode stands out for the following:

  • 92
    Most heartwarming
  • 90
    Most emotional
  • 90
    Best concept / idea
  • 90
    Most timeless

Episode Highlights

  • Rosa's Athletic Achievements
    Rosa Flanagan was on track for Olympic glory before facing serious health issues.
    “I ended up literally hitting rock bottom.”
    @ 00m 13s
    October 19, 2022
  • The Flanagan Sisters' Journey
    Rosa and Margot Flanagan share their inspiring story of overcoming challenges in athletics and life.
    “It’s kind of like an episode of two halves.”
    @ 00m 42s
    October 19, 2022
  • The Power of Plant-Based Eating
    The Flanagan sisters emphasize the importance of incorporating plants into meals for better health.
    “We say we welcome all leaders into our kitchen.”
    @ 02m 51s
    October 19, 2022
  • The Cost of Success
    Rosa reflects on the sacrifices made for running, including health and personal life.
    “It’s amazing when you know like running for me that was my life.”
    @ 20m 06s
    October 19, 2022
  • A Wake-Up Call
    At 18, Rosa learns from her endocrinologist that her health is at serious risk.
    “You need to put on weight or you’re not going to be able to have babies.”
    @ 23m 10s
    October 19, 2022
  • Retirement Reflections
    Rosa discusses the emotional struggle of retiring from a sport that defined her identity.
    “Letting go of that... it’s like leaving a job.”
    @ 29m 36s
    October 19, 2022
  • Facing Criticism
    Navigating public perception and criticism while staying true to oneself.
    “Chill, they’re just looking out for their people.”
    @ 38m 45s
    October 19, 2022
  • The Royal Sisters' Journey
    From raw food to a thriving business, the Royal Sisters share their unique path.
    “We just kept with the two royal sisters.”
    @ 40m 34s
    October 19, 2022
  • Advice for Young Athletes
    Rosa shares crucial advice for young female athletes about health and balance.
    “Put your health first before you’re running.”
    @ 55m 36s
    October 19, 2022
  • Rosa and Margo Flanagan: Two Raw Sisters
    Rosa and Margo share their journey and advice for young fans.
    “You're not on your own; it happens to other people.”
    @ 57m 07s
    October 19, 2022
  • Huawei Watch GT Runner
    A review of the Huawei Watch GT Runner, highlighting its features.
    “The weight feels like there's nothing on your wrist.”
    @ 58m 26s
    October 19, 2022

Episode Quotes

Key Moments

  • Rock Bottom00:13
  • Recovery Journey19:02
  • Laser Focus20:35
  • Health Struggles20:43
  • Sisterly Bond43:58
  • Culinary School Experience44:31
  • Journey Reflections57:27
  • Product Review58:26

Words per Minute Over Time

Vibes Breakdown

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