Understanding the relationship and difference between these two things could change your running forever, help you avoid injury long term and make you a better person. Well the third one isn’t a guarantee but Sonia takes Jar by the hand and walks him through the essentials of teaching your body to do more and why it has such a huge impact on even elite athletes. With his injury still hanging around Jarlath takes a page from Boris Johnson’s book and uses an abundance of caution when it comes to r...
May 25, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 396
Rory O’Neill aka Panti Bliss sat down with Jarlath this week to talk about Ireland six years on form that momentus day when the nation said yes to marriage equality. In this wide ranging discussion Jarlath asks Rory about the rise of a certain kind of insensitivity in the country and whether it is linked to a minority who feel wronged by the changes that have occurred in recent years. To hear the full conversation including Rory speaking for the first time about the housing crisis, the challenge...
May 22, 2021•30 min•Ep. 395
Tom Dunne stops by for a chat about Bob Dylan turning 80 and his own brush with death. He opens up to Jarlath for the first time about the rare heart condition that put him into coma for several days. An appreciation for life runs through his music recommendations for this week including the new Nick Cave book, albums by Paul Weller and St. Vincent and a documentary about the legendary band The Sparks. To hear every episode in full and to gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 400 Iris...
May 19, 2021•10 min•Ep. 393
Why do we have it in our heads that there is a right way and a wrong way to run? Why are we obsessed with speed rather than enjoyment? Has Strava and the smart watches conditioned us all to want the wrong things from lacing up our shoes and enjoying this simple thing? Sonia breaks down a few of the most common mistakes she sees in amateurs and pros, while looking back and critically assessing her own bad habits over the years. There’s Sonia’s tip of the week, your questions answered and Jarlath ...
May 18, 2021•52 min•Ep. 392
After 17 years at the BBC Annie MacManus walks away to start a new chapter. For two decades she has devoted her life to music and shining a light on the creativity of others. Her on air and on stage shows have become the stuff of legend, helped a generation form their musical tastes and thousands of artists find their audience. With the release of her stunning debut novel Mother Mother, Annie takes a leap of faith into the unknown to become the creator in the full glare of the spotlight. She spo...
May 15, 2021•30 min•Ep. 391
As the entire world changes over the coming months there can be a sense of anxiety around losing the gains you have made or the fitness plan you have locked into place. Sonia has seen her world flipped upside down in recent weeks and Jarlath’s injury is throwing all sorts of new challenges at him. Together they chat through a few basic concepts that will hold you firm to your path, some supplements Sonia swears by and the dangers of having a car that looks like a lot of cars. There’s also an exc...
May 11, 2021•58 min•Ep. 388
This week, we bring you the star and mastermind behind the hit show Irish Pickers, Ian Dowling. In the true style for which Ian is known, with all his cards laid out on the table, Ian generously tells us his incredible journey of success, tragedy, rebuilding and being the creator of his own path. Ian explains how he left a fantastic life in Australia to return home to help his family through a traumatic period, the fluke circumstances which caused a fire to destroy much of his business and how h...
May 08, 2021•30 min•Ep. 387
You can’t feel good all the time. It’s that simple. Even if you’re breaking your personal best on a weekly basis, you might not feel great about it. Runners low can be as common as runners high. This week our resident health, wellness and running guru Sonia “The Legend” O’Sullivan gives us her best advice on managing the inevitable dip in your outlook. Jarlath is really struggling this week after a shock diagnosis from his physio has sidelined him for the next month. That didn’t stop him this we...
May 04, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 384
A lot of the time when we struggle with a sport early in our lives we are inclined to drop it and move on. Eimear Considine didn’t quit when general consensus was her sister was the more athletic. Jarlath sits down with the Irish rugby and camogie star to talk about why that struggle has paved the way for her to jump into this new life and thrive at the international level. In 2018 Eimear made the unusual choice to step away from her sports when it all felt like too much. She later realised that...
May 01, 2021•30 min•Ep. 383
After relocating to America, Sonia explains to Jarlath how the ghost town of Nike’s HQ campus employs a steamroller to manicure its grass, the weird coincidence that produced a chance meeting with a competitor from her past and how she managed to charm her way into getting a vaccination within 48 hours of hitting American soil. The focus then turns to the most overlooked perils of running and how we might avoid these dangers. There’s a tribute to our fallen running club ambassador Gillian Ryan a...
Apr 27, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 380
On what will go down as a momentous week in Black History with the conviction of Derek Chauvin, Ireland-based screenwriter Carl Austin joined Jarlath for a harrowing conversation about growing up in South Central Los Angeles. They discuss the influence the depiction of black communities in film has had on racism globally and much more. In this crossover episode from our forthcoming 3rd series of Men Behaving Better in which racism is under the spotlight, Carl explains how he didn't meet a white ...
Apr 24, 2021•30 min•Ep. 379
With so much conflicting information out there and so many vested interests, it’s hard to know what to believe about running. Today Sonia takes aim and busts a few of the myths that hold us back when it comes to running well. Jarlath has picked up an injury and opens up for the first time about the impact it is having on his training and life. Sonia offers some no nonsense advice and announces her plans to head Stateside in the lead up to the Olympic Games for a very exciting project. There’s al...
Apr 20, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 376
Horse racing legend Jessica Harrington sits down with Jarlath seven days on from Rachel Blackmore’s Grand National win to talk about her own remarkable journey. One of the very first female Irish racehorse trainers, Jessica has seen every side of the industry from the bitter disappointments to the glorious triumphs at the biggest events. How does she remain positive when the losses far outweigh the wins? Jarlath digs into her attachment to the animals, their welfare and her previous life represe...
Apr 17, 2021•30 min•Ep. 375
Following a bizarre incident involving a stray dog, Sonia finds herself on the examination table looking down the barrel of a health situation she has never faced before. The journey back to running after a layoff is something the Irish legend reflects upon with Jarlath. Together they examine the essential components of a thoughtful comeback. Sonia opens up about her like of self-kindness during her career and how that has changed now. An email from a listener allows Jarlath to realise something...
Apr 12, 2021•53 min•Ep. 373
This week, Newstalk's Off The Ball and Virgin Media's 6 Nations presenter Joe Molloy joined Jarlath for a rare long-form conversation about his life and career. With a refreshing honesty, Joe outlines his mixed feelings over the 'tricky' infamous Roy Keane interview which "wasn't a good night" for him, the overwhelm he felt in Newstalk after the sudden departure of the Second Captains team and his thoughts on how social media has turned angry in recent years. From the beautiful story of how he w...
Apr 10, 2021•30 min•Ep. 372
Ireland’s greatest athlete gives us a masterclass in how to respond to setbacks, failures and unforeseen problems. After a week where Sonia asked all our listeners to see how high they could climb, a month when Ireland has struggled to see light in the darkness and a year when everyone has been forced to dig deep, there really has never been a better time to talk about resilience. Jarlath goes deep into Sonia’s Olympic past to find out how she learned to respond during her darkest moments and wh...
Apr 05, 2021•56 min•Ep. 370
This week, award-winning writer Kevin Barry joined Jarlath for a fascinating conversation about writing and the mystery of the creative process. Kevin speaks about the deal fiction writers make with their subconscious mind, the importance of embracing failure, trusting the gut and reveals the book he regards as his "awkward child". This chat is full of the classic Irish observations you’d expect from Kevin and few strange revelations such as his early attempts to write after returning home from ...
Apr 03, 2021•30 min•Ep. 369
Niggly pains and aches are among the hardest aspects of running at any level. The intuition and detective work needed to decipher whether a nagging pain is just a passing change taking place in your body, a part of the normal discomfort of pushing yourself or something that if left unchecked will develop into something way more serious - can be immense. Whether you suffer with tender shins, heals, toes, arches or hips, tight achilles or glutes, Irish athletics legend, Sonia O’Sullivan is here to...
Mar 29, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 367
Our special Organ Donation Awareness Week episode brings together three very different stories from three very different individuals who have had their lives changed by this modern medical miracle. RTE courts reporter and Irish Kidney Association ambassador Vivienne Traynor donated a kidney to her nephew in 2009 but that’s only the beginning of her story. Lucy Davis received a kidney from her mother in 1997 and until now has not spoken about the experience in great depth. She explains to Jarlath...
Mar 28, 2021•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 366
You’ve probably heard of Kobe’s “Mamba Mentality” of work ethic and perfectionism. This week Irish athletics legend who is also know by just one name, takes us inside the “Sonia Mentality” for running. Whether you’re struggling to get out the door or break 20 minutes for 5K, Sonia O’Sullivan’s tips on the right headspace or mental approach to running and life will help you. With an honesty you rarely hear, Sonia explains her own mental struggles during and after her career. She gives Jarlath a f...
Mar 23, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 364
Patrick Kielty sits down with Jarlath to talk about the long and winding road from rural Northern Ireland to London and L.A. and back again. Recorded the day after Piers Morgan stepped down from his television duties, Jarlath starts by asking Paddy about the first time he realised he was tabloid fodder and the poet of modern media. With standup firmly on his mind, Jarlath digs into how laughter solved some of the pain from the trauma he suffered in his teens. We hear how the Empire Comedy Club c...
Mar 21, 2021•30 min•Ep. 363
Sonia and Jarlath discuss a subject that is long overdue on this podcast and in society in general. Jarlath asks Sonia about fear that comes with running for women and what men can do to help make the running experience less threatening. The Irish Olympic legend opens up about her own fears and the intimidation that even world class athletes feel on their runs. Together they try to find at least one charge we can all make today to immediately change the current situation. There’s also a review t...
Mar 16, 2021•50 min•Ep. 361
Colin O’Donoghue had his light bulb moment in Drogheda when he got roped into performing youth theatre. Today he confides in Jarlath that the craving for more work, more projects, more challenges has never changed since. The star of such global hits as Once Upon A Time, The Rite and The Right Stuff, Colin speaks for the first time about how close he came to quitting the business completely. Jarlath gets into what kept him going through these difficult times and the projects that would soon follo...
Mar 14, 2021•30 min•Ep. 360
Jarlath puts your questions on nutrition to the Irish athletics legend Sonia O’Sullivan. From the basics of what our daily plate should look like to the more insider knowledge of gels this episode covers everything. With our Mothers Day and St Patrick’s Day events on the horizon Sonia gives us a few pre and post race tips and her recipe of the week. Finally we hear Aisling Demaison of the Running Home project about an idea that came to her while out for Sunday run that is now taking over her lif...
Mar 09, 2021•56 min•Ep. 358
This week, Laura Whitmore joined Jarlath to discuss her new book No One Can Change Your Life Except For You. More than a memoir, it’s a book filled with exceptional advice on how to live your best life and take charge of your own story. Laura speaks about the pitfalls of modern life, the phenomenon of expectations and her delicate treatment of writing about past relationships. From her jaw-dropping Meg Mathews story to the damage of comparing yourself to others, the challenge she faces with priv...
Mar 07, 2021•30 min•Ep. 357
It’s remarkable that it has taken us 6 months to get to the issue of balance in running given it is perhaps the most essential component of biomechanics and the training itself. Sonia leads Jarlath through the basic theory of teaching your feet to react to changes in your body position. There’s a look at some of the more unusual training exercises to improve the reaction of our proprioceptors and how to pronounce proprioceptors. There’s the new book club section with the announcement of our firs...
Mar 02, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 355
Mark Horgan joins Jarlath for an in depth discussion about the production and impact of his global hit podcast series, “Where Is George Gibney?”. We hear of Mark’s first awareness of the case and how eve the was confused as to whether Gibney was imprisoned for the initial sexual abuse charges against him. Jarlath digs into the exact judicial loophole that allowed Gibney to leave the country and evade. We get an inside look into Mark’s initial hesitancy to pursue the project out of concern for th...
Feb 28, 2021•30 min•Ep. 354
Lockdown malaise can kill a run before it happens. Sonia chats to Jarlath about motivating ourselves when it feels like we can’t get out the door. Trying to encourage your friends, family or kids to join you on a run can seem like an impossible task. Jarlath asks Sonia if there’s an easier way to get your child interested in exercise. For the first time we hear about her challenges motivating both of her daughters. We also get some timely advice on running hills and admission from Sonia on the d...
Feb 23, 2021•39 min•Ep. 352
This week, Virgin Media News Reporter Richard Chambers makes a welcome return to the show after many requests from listeners in recent weeks for an episode just like this. Richard gives us the most up-to-date status on the vaccine rollout in Ireland, explains the reasons for its slow progress and addresses whether Boris may have been right about the power being truly with a country's independence from Europe. To hear every episode in full and to gain access to the entire back-catalogue of over 4...
Feb 21, 2021•50 min•Ep. 351
Before sitting down to chat to national marathon champion Aoife Cooke, Jar and Sonia take a moment to announce and explain three new Irishman Running Abroad events suitable for all kinds of runners. The two time world champion has put a lot of time and effort into coming up with events that will keep you motivated through lent. By challenging us all to see can we gain as much elevation as possible Sonia takes our training to new heights and Jarlath hopes his aching legs can keep up. Aoife Cook k...
Feb 16, 2021•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 349
