'How bad do you want it?' - Is that really how it is?

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Movies, social media and even sports writers can have you believe that when it comes to achieving excellence in sports, it always comes down to ‘how bad do you want it?”. But is that really the case? Is it just undying motivation that drives you over the finish line… or is there something simpler to it?

Our last two guests of the Any Given Runday Podcast have achieved incredible feats in running… albeit on completely other ends of the distance spectrum.

Eoin Everard has achieved a 4-minute mile and is the current European O35 3000m champion

Joe O’Leary shattered the record time of “Britain’s Most Brutal Endurance Race” by a staggering 16 hours.

When we look at people who have achieved such high standards in their field, we can sometimes think of the cliches… how badly they must have wanted it, or how much they clenched their teeth and dug deep to drive through their challenges.

But when you listen to both men, that’s not the case at all.

When he failed by .06 of a second to get a 4-minute mile, Eoin’s strategy was to relax more! Stick to the routine and strategy and not rely on ‘mental toughness’. That led to Eoin getting that sub-4-minute mile that he talks about on the podcast.

And when you’re running through snowy fields in minus 6 degrees for days, like Joe O’Leary, motivation is only going to carry you so far.

It’s consistency in the small things. Stick to the mundane workouts you have planned. Maybe set smaller goals in those workouts to keep you on track and work towards the bigger goals.

As great as the Rocky movies are (well, in my mind anyway… not including Rocky V), the exciting training montages are just not what real day-to-day training is all about. Somedays, it’s just about turning up on days you don’t feel like it and doing what you can.

There are so many different ways to train that it shouldn’t feel like punishment. There should be some aspect of it that you actually enjoy. Whether that’s certain exercises, getting outdoors, headspace or the social side of it.

That’s ok. It’s not all ‘grind’ and pushing for motivation like social media may have you believe

Some lazy sports writers and commentators break down sports wins/losses to ‘how bad do you want it?’ when it’s usually down to the right tactics and approach.

So, when it comes to your own training, what approach will help you stay consistent and work towards your goal? Are you the type that prefers training in a group environment at a certain time each week, could benefit from a coach giving you a programme to do in your own time or just need to stick the headphones on and go outdoors and run?

Yes, you need a strong why to start, but don’t let that carry over into every training session, which has to be the best and hardest session ever. Pace yourself. Gather small wins and build momentum from there. Relax more

The best strategy starts with the one you can enjoy and stick to. Everything else comes from that.

With Eric having survived the heavy rain in Dubai, we welcome Eoin Everard to the podcast. Eoin is a s a chartered physiotherapist and Pilates instructor with a PhD in Human Movement. He is also a very accomplished runner as he is a sub 4 minute miler, Sub 14 minute 5K and sub 30 minute 10K Runner. He is the current European O35 3000m champion and has represented Ireland from 800m
to 10K.

On last week’s episode of the podcast, we discuss that 4-minute mile, the training behind it, his thoughts on mental training, training in your 30s, sports pilates, structuring your gym programme, why doing calf raises if you have Achilles tendonitis may not be such a good idea, exercises for back pain, lactate threshold testing and why it is better than a V02 max test, how statistics in research can be twisted to the general public, his Backaware belt and much more!

You can find more details on Eoin's Sports Pilates programme by going to his website:
EverardPilates as well as following him on Instagram @EverardPilatesPhysio

You can follow us on Instagram @anygivenrundaypodcast

You can listen to last week’s episode on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/35gReWNSuPeMOvsM1gXo8i?si=S7VirISDQZWu1997PsW3Sw

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/eoin-everard-on-4-minute-mile-sports-physio-research/id1493778874?i=1000653161163

or wherever you get your podcasts from

#AnyGivenRunday

On this week's episode on the Any Given Runday Podcast, after Eric updates us on the AGR Marathon Trip 2025, the lads welcome Joe O'Leary to the Podcast.

Joe is an ultra-endurance runner who has podiumed three times in the Spine Race, Britain's Most Brutal Endurance Race, including knocking 16 hours off the previous best time for the Spine Winter North Challenge earlier this year.

He has competed in races in the Alps, set an FKT through the Iveragh Transverse with Kevin Leahy, placed on the podium in Waterville, and participated in the Kerry Way Ultra. As an accomplished runner, Joe also talks about the Adventure Races he has participated in. 

You can find Joe on Instagram @joes.mountain.highs as well as his blog posts on the Spine Races: https://joesmountainhighs.wordpress.com/

You can listen to this week’s episode on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7qQo63l869QnNURbq3FxmV?si=LOkwBOPyReqakscPZEerAw

Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/joe-oleary-on-smashing-the-spine-north-record-200km/id1493778874?i=1000653869116