Last month, science and sport helped me to run a brand new personal best in the marathon in Valencia, and they're sponsoring this episode.

Very exciting. You used them throughout your professional career as well, didn't you?

That's right, that's a very long time ago, but they've been around for absolutely ages and invested millions in research and the science,

and they have real scientists and nutritionists working behind the scenes, which I've met because I went up to their headquarters and literally saw the kitchen where the kind of small batches of the test products get cooked up. That sounds like such a fun job, just eating all day. A dangerous job, I reckon, but very cool, and it smelled amazing. But when I was competing, I would have been using their recovery products and their electrolyte products for hydration because I was only three and a half minutes, so I didn't have much need for energy gels. That's very different for me now, and I've used their whole range of products, and I'm looking forward to trying some more this year as I take on new goals for a new year. We've got a 25% discount code for podcast listeners, so use the code RCPod 25 at science and sport.com for your discount. This episode is sponsored by ASICS and together with ASICs we're trying to showcase how you overcome the slow start of the new year by choosing running and movement to help lift your mood or at least that's how it works for me. Yeah I think quite often people forget running can make you feel better. Not every single run needs to be all out fast, a attempt no most of them shouldn't be no and they're

the runs that i think can have a massive impact on your mood the rest of the day can get you out of a

stressful situation give you that little bit of escape and bring you back feeling better asics have

actually reimagined good vibrations by the beach boys to try and illustrate exactly what it makes

you feel like i'm thinking about good vibrations yeah you Beach Boys to try and illustrate exactly what it makes you feel like. I'm thinking about good vibrations. Yeah, you can actually sing. I wasn't asked to get involved. Oh, gutting, because I would like to hear your version. As we've talked about before, ASEX literally translates to sound mind, sound body. So it is a perfect reminder of the fact that running is such a powerful tool to help you feel good. So if you want to find out more, then head to asex.com. All throughout January, we want you to join the running channels pledge a PB campaign and try to run a faster 5K. We're asking you to do something quite scary here, but we are also doing it too. We've pledged our 5K PBs. And it doesn't have to be an actual personal best. I don't think I can run 13 minutes 20 anymore. But you have to... Sorry, yeah. You have to declare your current 5K time and then tell us a time that you think you'll be able to run towards the end of February. And then just by signing up to take part, it's completely free. You're going to unlock access to some amazing rewards and discounts. and everyone who successfully does beat their pledge will be entered into a prize draw to win a huge prize bundle worth over

£1,500. If you want to find out more, head to the Running Channel website or click the link in the show

notes. Welcome to the Running Channel podcast with me, Rick Kelsey, Sarah Hartley and him Andy Badley.

Now what comes to your mind when you think of these places?

Font Ramon in France, Sierra Nevada in Spain, Flagstack in the USA and a 10 in Kenya.

Oh, it's January and you're already planning your next holiday.

Not quite.

Fast runners? High altitude?

Yes, correct.

These are all training camps around the world where athletes train at high altitude, but what actually is high altitude training?

And what are the benefits? And does it actually work?

And can anyone do it? Could you do it? Because aren't we about to start training for a marathon? I've got to train. Should we start training at some point? Well that's something we should talk about in the catch-up because your your dedication to not training before 14 weeks to go is actually unbelievable. I've got a few thoughts on this. I've experienced altitude training in lots of different guises throughout my career so I have an opinion on that and we're going to talk through

the science unusually for us so we'll see how we do on that as well as answering your

questions and there's a brilliant question that Rick won't like but he's gonna have

to answer it because it's been sent in by one of you lovely lots oh let's get stuck in

...