by Gemma Brimble, Run Buddy
I really got into podcasts the summer of 2019, when I had a long drive to work every morning. My husband had listened to podcasts on and off for a while and made some suggestions for me; I found they helped me actually look forward to my commute instead of dreading it.
By the end of 2020 I had started to regularly listen to a variety of podcasts. When I heard that Run Wales were releasing a podcast and had asked someone from She Runs: Cardiff to record an episode I jumped at the chance!
It was a couple of weeks before Christmas when I found myself nervously heading up the A470 in possibly my most festive outfit (and she runs bobble hat of course!) to a Merthyr Tydfil industrial estate… in the dark! I phoned Hannah when I arrived, as honestly it was the perfect opening scene to a horror film.
A battered old industrial building from the outside, and a labyrinth of doors and staircases inside, concealed a state of the art recording studio. It turns out that the system of doors was all part of the design to ensure the room was totally soundproof. It was all super exciting; the studio was very high tech and we even had our own sound engineer! It was nothing like I had imagined it when I listened to podcasts at home.
I was very nervous to start with but I soon settled in with Hannah & Drew constantly making me and each other laugh. The conversation soon flowed – even if I did have a complete mind blank at one point when Drew asked me a question! We had to do a few takes at various points due to blips in sound quality and me taking a bit too long to answer a question; but there must have been some clever editing as you definitely can’t tell when you listen to it back! We were recording for about 45minutes in total and the time absolutely flew by, and before I knew it was time to head home.
I knew it was due to be released in the New Year (to coincide with lots of people starting to run for their resolutions) so I had a few weeks to eagerly wait and listen to the other episodes that came before me. All the other guests were really good: it made me more and more nervous for my episode to come out. I suffer with social anxiety anyway, and the day the podcast was released I was quite overcome with nerves. I worried how it would be received and how I would come across, especially as I was representing the whole running club. I needn’t have worried as all the feedback I have had has been so lovely – I really am so grateful for every single positive comment and message I received.
The experience has definitely whetted my appetite and I’d love to do another podcast if I had the opportunity! (Especially now that I know what to expect!) It’s definitely one of the coolest things I have had the chance to be a part of! I will be forever grateful to Run Wales, Hannah & Drew and of course my She Runs: Cardiff tribe for letting me loose!
To listen to the Run Wales Podcast with Gemma, and all the other great episodes click here Run Wales Plodcast or type Run Wales Plodcast into any good podcast provider. You can also ask your smart speaker to play it!
She Runs: Cardiff - Mae Hi'n Rhedeg: Caerdydd 