Mollie is a London-based personal trainer and health coach. She balances her training, fitness blogging, and working full-time in science with a smile, always wanting to do more. She is pursuing with World Marathon Majors, with only Tokyo and Boston to go. In 2018, she climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and ran her first ultra-marathon, which happened to be in the Jordanian desert. This year, Mollie released her first e-book and is looking forward to cheering her online community to achieve health and happiness in 2019. She very kindly agreed to answer a few questions about her athletic adventures and her new book.
You call yourself a “Happiness Personal Trainer.” What does that mean?
I came up with that name because I take a holistic approach to my training. When I work with clients one-to-one, the SMART goals we set don’t have to revolve around fitness or nutrition. They can incorporate work-life balance, putting yourself first, or anything else that will bring joy. Everything we do, and experience is linked together in our attitude towards life and how the body responds. I would rather people be happy than miserable and super skinny.
You’re also an accomplished cyclist and a competitive amateur athlete with a number of marathons around the world to your credit. Do you have a favourite race?
I would say the Prague Marathon was my favourite race because it was my first marathon. I even had a friend who lived there to cheer me on and bring prosecco to the finish line! It is a beautiful city too. However, my favourite physical challenge would be the Fitbit Fifty [A challenge to run and cycle from Buckingham Palace to Edinburgh Castle and back in 50 hours or less] It was an incredible journey from which I have made friends for life.
What’s the most challenging event you’ve participated in?
In November, the third event in my 4×4 Challenge (four races in four countries in two months) was the Wadi Rum Ultra (now rebranded at Ultra X Jordan). We had to cover 250 km in five days, with varying distance each day. The good part (and selling point of why I signed up) was that the porters carried your kit for you (unlike MDS [Marathon des Sables] where you are self-sufficient). I finished the summer feeling the fastest and fittest I have ever felt. However, the two races prior and shifting sand really took a toll on me. I was the second to last female and had to walk a portion of each day. But I came out knowing I had grit and determination even after the race broke me on day 4. As of right now, I don’t know if I will ever do a desert race again, but never say never!
Tell me about your new book. What was the inspiration behind it?
The book is inspired by a series of blog posts I did a few years ago. On a Friday morning, I would post a small challenge for people to complete over the weekend. The suggested activity was meant to be something just outside my reader’s comfort zone, but not so far-fetched that it wouldn’t be considered. My philosophy is ‘if it’s not fun, why do it?’ but I think fear holds many people back from disrupting their routine. I wanted to encourage people to try something new in the hopes it would bring joy and inspiration to be healthier and happier.
You’re a PT, blogger, journalist and accomplished athlete. You also have a job at a scientific research institution. How do you juggle so many different roles?
I get asked this quite a bit! I rarely watch TV and multi-task as much as possible (write blog posts on the train, listen to podcasts when I run, do social media catch up on my lunch breaks). I also have a very supportive husband, who also works at home in the evenings. My job was pretty busy a few years ago due to a merger, so I don’t have any 1-2-1 clients anymore. I do find time to teach spin classes in the evenings though, which is a great way to meet like-minded people. Unfortunately, I do sacrifice sleep a lot of the time too. Finally, I keep things in perspective when I arrive at a start line under-prepared.
If you want to follow Mollie’s adventures, check out her blog: PT Mollie: The Happiness Personal Trainer, or follow her on Instagram or Twitter. You can also order her ebook for £9.99 or printed copy for £15.85 here.