Podcast 75: love running for a lifetime with Martin Yelling

by James Eacott

We’re delighted to welcome Martin Yelling onto the 33Fuel podcast. An international runner turned duathlete turned Ironman triathlete, Martin represented Team GB in a range of distances and is now the London Marathon’s go-to coach. He’s also the co-founder of the wildly popular Marathon Talk podcast

Listen to Martin Yelling on the 33Fuel Podcast

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33Fuel podcast: Martin Yelling show snippets – on how to stay engaged as a runner year after year

“For me, what time teaches me is that I’m never going to be faster than I was. So, where I used to use time as a key performance indicator…I can no longer use time, because if that’s the measure I’m never going to get any better. If I continue to be driven by time, then I’ll be continually disappointed.

So, what I think I am good at doing – and why I still run after 40 years of being a runner – is I’m able to facilitate great, rich satisfaction from the experience of running. In my 20s, it was to run fast. In my 40s, it’s because I want to be outside, in nature, on the beach, or running socially, or simply destressing from the day.

It’s not about ‘can I run faster’. I’m not motivated by the same things I was 20 years ago.

It’s all about framing running for your own benefit. That’s how I’ve stayed so engaged in running for so many years.”