The five-time Olympian talks about how she is enjoying her running aged 51 but wants to do more and has ambitions to target masters records.
It is just over a decade since the mum-of-two won the European 10,000m title in Zurich and she now helps coach athletes in the West Country of England with her husband and long-time coach Gavin.
Pavey says she has been lucky during her running career when it comes to avoiding injuries, but she inevitably gets some niggles from time to time.
To avoid problems she wears Imbrace leggings, which have built-in knee braces, as she explains here.
It is just over a decade since the mum-of-two won the European 10,000m title in Zurich and she now helps coach athletes in the West Country of England with her husband and long-time coach Gavin.
Pavey says she has been lucky during her running career when it comes to avoiding injuries, but she inevitably gets some niggles from time to time.
To avoid problems she wears Imbrace leggings, which have built-in knee braces, as she explains here.
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00:00Okay so Jo Pavey, we're here in Exeter Arena. Have you run yet today already?
00:08No, but I'm planning to run later. I'm really motivated to get my fitness levels up. I feel like I spend a lot of time doing things involved with running.
00:15I need to make sure I get out there and do more myself. I'm still really motivated and I'm still loving it, definitely.
00:22It's been a few years since you ran PBs on the track and the road. Can we ask your age now? I think you're on the wrong side of 40, I've heard.
00:30Yeah, definitely. 51.
00:3251 now?
00:33Yeah, I know, I'm getting old. It's lovely with the coaching. My husband's doing so much coaching now and it's lovely seeing the athletes coming through.
00:41I'm really enjoying that and really enjoying being involved with lots of things to do with running.
00:46Helping Gavin with the coaching, being involved with Embrace and running at 40+, doing some work with Eurosport and Runs World.
00:53Just things to do with running. I feel really fortunate to still be involved because it's such a great sport and I'm still really enjoying everything about it, really.
01:02You're still looking in great shape. How are your limbs holding up these days?
01:07I don't know if I'd say I'm in great shape. I have aspirations to get in better shape.
01:11Sometimes I have a sneaky look at those vet records and think, oh, could I? But when I'm seeing what the vets are doing, they're running absolutely amazingly.
01:20I know it takes a lot of training to do that, but I love setting myself goals and trying to achieve them.
01:26I think I'm lucky that I've been able to keep running without too many injuries.
01:30I've got these great Embrace leggings now that support the joints. I've really benefited from those as well.
01:36Generally, also, I feel like the stuff I've learnt over the years does help me to listen to my body and make those good decisions.
01:44Also, prioritising what the important sessions are rather than trying to do everything and ending up being injured.
01:51I feel like, actually, for Gavin and I, we do feel that we're able to pass on things we've learnt to try and keep the athletes as injury-free as we can.
02:01I feel like I've learnt that over the years, hopefully.
02:05You had a great streak of championships where you made Olympics after Olympics, European, Commonwealth, World Championships.
02:12You don't seem like an athlete who tended to get injured that much during your career, but I guess you must have had some little aches and pains and maybe the odd surgery here and there.
02:23Did you have any particular danger areas?
02:25Yeah.
02:26It's like some athletes maybe have sore Achilles or dodgy knees or whatever. Did you have areas that were…
02:31Yeah, definitely injured everything over the years. I think, actually, earlier in my career, I used to get more injured because I didn't have that level of experience.
02:39I didn't know how to put the training mix together and it was difficult, but I did have a lot of calf injuries over the years as well, which is why I used to wear those funny long socks.
02:49Funnily enough, I don't really wear them now because of the super shoes.
02:54The super shoes do the job that the socks used to.
02:57Obviously, they can help you run quicker time. Not for me. I mean, I'm past being able to run quick times, whatever I put on my feet.
03:03For me, I do notice how much they protect the legs and, of course, with the leggings as well from Embrace, that can protect my knees because my knees have a tendency to be dodgy.
03:13I had an operation on one of my knees, but I've had back problems, a lot of shin problems, a lot of Achilles.
03:20I did feel in the later years of my career, I used to actually be less injured because it was more about not only the body being more adapted to running, it was being able to make those good decisions on a daily basis.
03:33Consistency is the key. You're making those decisions, not only whether you need to delay a session a day, but during the actual session, you kind of think, right, get the volume done.
03:45Any kind of speed work is more sort of icing on the cake that you can do if you haven't got any niggles.
03:50It's kind of doing what you can do rather than pushing to what you really want to do and ending up with nothing, in a way.
03:57I was able to judge what I could get away with. Also, I was looking at what surfaces I was running on, making sure I wasn't wearing spikes all the time, and just juggling things.
04:10That's interesting, because I would have thought you would be more likely to get injured when you're a bit older, when you've got more miles on the clock, so to speak, and when a bit of wear and tear had started to kick in.
04:21But you reckon you got injured more when you were younger, and when you got older, you sort of ran a bit smarter.
04:27Your body was maybe a bit more sturdy as well and was used to all the mileage, so you were less likely to get injured.
04:35Yeah, and I think when you're younger, you can get away with a lot to a certain extent, but actually, it's the other way around.
04:43If you haven't got that experience, you can end up not having that ability to listen to your body.
04:48You don't know about what training mix is logical to give you enough recovery to then be ready for the next session, and it's harder to make those calls to keep the training consistent as well.
04:59I think for all athletes, it's beneficial to learn about the training and what training is correct, but also learning about your own body and being able to listen to your body and know those signals of when, right, okay, that needs to stop there.
05:14You kind of learn, and you just kind of gain that experience, and I think, like you were saying, your body does get to the point where it can cope with those higher training loads, but it does take a while.
05:28Like I say to any junior athlete, build up gradually. Don't try and get all the training done in the first couple of years of your career because you want to be there in a few years when you're ready to be at your peak performances.
05:40You want to capitalize on your body being at the best it can be and you've burnt yourself out and not been able to have that long, enjoyable career because for me, I've really enjoyed the amount of years I've been able to take part in championships and events.
05:54A particularly long career.
05:56Well, I look back and think all the amazing people I met along the way, all the experiences I've had, that's what I'll take away from it. I feel really fortunate, definitely.
06:04You obviously still run now. You've got ambitions. Maybe we might see you in some Masters competitions in coming years. Do you find you have any niggles and problems now that you have to deal with, or are you pretty good for your age?
06:18Yeah, not too bad. I mean, I sometimes do have problems with my knees, and that's why I do benefit from the Embrace leggings because they support the knee and keep them warm.
06:28I was going to say, tell me a bit about the Embrace leggings because you're using those quite a lot lately, aren't they? What do they do for your body?
06:33I've been really excited to have the leggings and work with them because I thought, oh, that's a really unique concept because they're leggings, but they have inbuilt support around the low back, the IT bands and hips and around the knees.
06:46And you can feel that level of support, but also for me, I additionally benefit from the fact that it keeps my knees warm.
06:53Oh, okay.
06:54So I really enjoy that. But yeah, anything I can do to keep me going.
06:57Which is handy in the British winter.
06:59Yeah, I mean, I do need to think things keep me going. But generally, I think also just getting out, running in beautiful locations like near my home or elsewhere, it's not only good for fitness, it's good for your mental well-being, isn't it?
07:16And I think as I got to the later years, you know, I've been able to even take that on board even more than I did when I was younger. You think, wow, you know, running is great and just all the people you're still in contact with and everything.
07:29But yeah, I do have little eyes on trying to get myself a bit fitter, but life just gets really busy, you know, in a good way.
07:38There's a lot of things to deal with. And then obviously things going on with the kids and things. It's juggling everything. Like so many people, everyone's busy. And I think when I'm thinking about advising people with training that have got busy lives, it is about prioritising the important sessions, juggling things, finding a way and enjoying that challenge, really.
07:56Yeah. You say advising people. Yourself and your husband Gavin have a bit of a group here, don't you? Do you still train with them a little bit or do you just advise or help with the coaching?
08:06I do, because we've got obviously our own kids and, you know, things going on with them that can sometimes be challenging because I get involved with like, you know, advice and sort of looking at the training programmes.
08:18But Gavin's very much the lead coach, you know, because that is what he's done. And he's done that for a lot of years, obviously helping me. And it's been really exciting to see how well the athletes are doing.
08:30You know, all of them are doing really, really well and they're all such great people and just really enjoying that. Definitely.
08:37You mentioned earlier on the shoes these days are a lot more spongier and you perhaps don't need the compression socks anymore because the shoes do the job.
08:45Have you found that other things have changed in the past kind of 10, 15 years that have affected the way that you train?
08:52Say, for example, does Gavin coach people the same way that he coached you or have things changed a little bit along the years?
08:59I'd say that I do wear compression socks sometimes when I need them because I still get that benefit, but I don't have to traditionally put them on for everything.
09:08Like I remember times back in my career, like even when I was just doing my runs around the park, I'd need to wear them.
09:14Whereas now I would still wear compression socks if I'm doing a really hard workout. That's good.
09:21But yeah, the shoes definitely, I think, have an impact on athletes, not only because, I mean, good on the athletes wearing them, you're not going to not wear them, are you?
09:31Do you know what I mean? Exactly.
09:32Because it would be a silly decision not to wear them if your rivals are wearing them, wouldn't it?
09:36You know, they're like times have moved on, but it's not only the performances in the races, it's the impact it can have on training.
09:43I think athletes are able to do more training without getting the injuries in the same way.
09:50Because I think back to when I was running marathons and you'd be wearing such thin flats, you could feel the road.
09:58And I remember when I did the New York marathon particularly, I was trying to go sightseeing with my family the day after and you literally can't walk.
10:05It's not like, oh, you're a bit sore. You literally can hardly walk and the recovery it would take.
10:10And even just, you know, I'd try and do a half marathon before I did my marathon, but you would have to accept that whole week after the half marathon, you couldn't get back into your marathon training because you'd be so sore.
10:22Because you literally, the thinner the shoe, the better, the more you could feel the tarmac, the better, you know.
10:28And Gavin used to say to me, wouldn't you be better off in a chunkier shoe?
10:33But the way the shoes were then, if you wore something chunky, they were heavy.
10:37They were just heavier.
10:38Yeah. And it would be just far too much energy consumption to try and run race pace in them.
10:44Whereas now, obviously the height stack enables the carbon plate to work, but also the actual cushioning itself, the technology in that, the cushioning is lighter, it's bouncier.
10:57Yeah. So, but, you know, times have moved on.
11:00I mean, obviously the athletes are going to wear them because why wouldn't they?
11:05And it has added that new dimension, hasn't it?
11:10I suppose the fact that records are being broken, there's been a lot of publicity in athletics because of the records being broken and everything.
11:19Exactly.
11:20But yeah, I mean, it's different times because it's not just shoes, is it?
11:23It's nutrition as well.
11:25The nutrition side of things and things like that has also improved, but it's all progression, isn't it?
11:30It's natural and it keeps things exciting.
11:33And I guess the setup you've got here, it's not all about running on the roads or the track, is it?
11:37You've got some great trails and loads of fields, perhaps some of them a little bit waterlogged at this time of year after all the rain that we've had.
11:44But it's a lot of the stuff you do and your athletes do, it's all on softer surfaces.
11:49Yeah, exactly. And Gav trained the junior group on the grass when he can.
11:54It's been quite challenging the last few weeks because it has been too boggy and you've got to have the balance, haven't you?
12:01If you go somewhere too wet and boggy, that in itself can cause an injury because you're sloshing all over the place.
12:06And if you're trying to do really good speed work, there's going to be actually more effort through the stabilizers and muscles like around the shins and the hips and things like that.
12:16So it's kind of weighing it up.
12:18But yeah, it's been...
12:20Devon is basically a great place to train.
12:22Yeah, there's lots of nice...
12:23It must be if you've stayed down here because you grew up here and you've obviously moved back down here.
12:27You've got a training group here, so it must have everything that you need, really.
12:31Yeah, and we've got a great track here at Exeter Arena. It's really nice. I've always appreciated it.
12:37It's windy today though, isn't it?
12:38Yes, it can be windy. But I say recently, I think it's been raining, but it's not been windy.
12:44I mean, Innes has been up here training when it's been absolutely lashing it down.
12:51But it wasn't windy and all the squad go out there and they still produce the goods.
12:57They've all done so well.
12:58And I'm always in admiration of the squad for being so determined.
13:04So I'm thinking, was I that determined to train in that sort of way?
13:09Yeah, I would have been.
13:11And it's great to see how motivated they were.
13:17Like I said, I'd love to list all of them, but it'd be a big, long list.
13:21They've all done absolutely brilliantly and it's really exciting to see how well they're doing.
13:27My last question is, it's always one of my favourite stories in athletics.
13:31Your Exeter Harriers vest, which I think you wore at the night of the 10,000 PBs once,
13:37and you said it was older than a lot of the athletes.
13:40Have you still got that vest? Is it in a drawer somewhere? Do you still wear it occasionally?
13:46It was a story that had an Exeter Harriers crop top and I'd gone ahead to the race
13:53and Gav was coming up later and I realised I'd forgotten my club crop top.
13:59And I said to Gav, could you just wash it quickly?
14:01And he just threw it in the washing machine on a really hot wash.
14:03So the burgundy of Exeter Harriers ran into the white.
14:06The whole thing was just pink and it was no good.
14:09So then he had to ferret through the loft to find my Exeter Harriers vest
14:15that was when I had been young and it was older than all the other competitors in the race.
14:19It was kind of a bit of a story.
14:22So when does that date back to then?
14:24Did you wear that as a teenager even or when you were in your early 20s?
14:28Yeah, it would have been 1988 or so.
14:32Yeah, that's how I remember it.
14:34You've still got it.
14:35I got known for being old, so I think all the stories around that time,
14:39especially around 2014 when I did the European Champs,
14:42the thing I was known for was being old.
14:45Yeah, old but fast.
14:47Well, I don't know about that, but it was just literally being known for being old.
14:51But I liked the banter. I had a lot of banter.
14:53My teammates would call me granny.
14:57And it's funny, now I'm even older, obviously.
15:01Yeah, I'd like to get out there and get racing.
15:05Still keen to do that.
15:07Excellent. Okay, well, thanks very much, Jo.
15:09Thanks a lot. Cheers.