Caitlin Fielder, a highly accomplished professional trail runner formerly based in New Zealand, recently shared her expert insights with us. We had the pleasure of discussing her top tips and strategies for success for anyone at any stage of their running journey.
We’d love to hear a bit about your journey—how did running become such an important part of your life?
I haven’t been running for a super long time. I think I started running with a training plan probably five, six years ago. I’m 31 now, so I definitely started later in life, especially compared to my competitors, who have been running for a significant amount of time. I did lots of different sports when I was younger, I mainly did water polo, netball, football. I ran for fitness for those but it wasn’t really until I moved overseas that I started training properly, it was more to have a type of routine to my day. I moved over here (Spain) because my partner’s a professional cyclist, and I was kind of trying to figure out what way to go and what direction to lead to. What helped me a lot through that was having a solid routine to stick to with my running. That’s kind of why I started with a coach and just held myself accountable through that. I did a couple of races, and found out that I was quite good at it. Then over the last few years, I have fully committed, did some races, and then began talking to Solomon. That’s when I signed my first contract around three years ago with Solomon international running. That kind of made me become part of the team and become a professional as well.
When you’re out in nature, doing what you love, what feelings come to mind?
There’s a lot of feelings actually. I think running and fitness is a great way for you to adjust and come to terms with whatever’s kind of going on in your life. I think it’s a really good way to have the space to be able to deal with whatever’s happening as well. Sometimes I don’t think about anything when I’m running and it’s just pure enjoyment sometimes.
It is hard as well, there’s not always the motivation there to get out and do it. But it’s a pretty special job that I have, and I always feel quite lucky to be doing what I do.
You’re a talented artist as well as a runner—how do you connect these two passions in your life, and what does that creative intersection mean for you?
I feel like they heavily intersect with each other, the creativity and the fitness side of things. So when I’m out running, it really helps me to get ideas for artwork that I’m coming up with for designs. That’s usually when I come up with the best kind of ideas. Then having trained and working later on my artwork in the afternoons helps me to focus more and just kind of sit there and get the work done. So they both really help each other.
Stepping out of your comfort zone can be tough. What keeps you motivated to push your boundaries, whether it’s on the trails or in your creative work?
I think a lot of people think that motivation just happens and it’s not actually like that. I don’t get up every single morning with the motivation to go, head out and really rip into my training. I don’t necessarily come back with the motivation to rip into my work as well, but I think motivation is just another thing that you can work on, along with discipline. It takes work to kind of have those boundaries and make sure that you get everything done. So I think the more that you just get out and do it, the more motivated you could get. I get motivated by doing really good artwork and getting good results while I’m out training and racing, and that’s what drives me to keep going.
For someone new to running, what advice would you offer to help them get started and stay inspired?
I honestly think the best thing that you could do is keep consistency. For me, when I started running, I would find smaller races to do, wherever I went, and that helped me stay dedicated to it, but it also gave me something to work towards. I think you just take the pressure off.
Trail running is so great because you’re not looking at the splits you’re doing, you literally can’t compare one trail to another trail. So it’s so different, and pace varies so much through the terrain, whether it’s technical or not. So I don’t even look at pace when I’m running, because it’s just not applicable to the trails. Which is why I really recommend people to get out on the trails as well, because it’s like a no pressure environment to be in and you’re usually around really beautiful natural environments also. So I would recommend getting out in that, in the actual trails, and just keeping it consistent. Set realistic goals and work towards them. Also, running in a group is so good as well. So if you can find group runs, group trail runs to, do it, I think it’s a really great place to start.
During challenging runs, where does your mind wander, and how do you find the strength to keep going?
During my challenging training and races, sometimes it’s hard to keep focused and keep going with it. But, I’ve been in those places before. I’ve felt the discomfort, and it doesn’t last forever. I like to break my races down into manageable pieces. I just raced a six hour race a few days ago, and I broke it down. So I would focus and go, okay, at four and a half hours of total running, I’d say 440 and I wouldn’t say hours. I will have a gel and think “in 20 minutes, I take a gel”, and just chip away at it like that, just one foot in front of the other. It’s not always. It won’t be challenging forever. It’s such a short term thing, so you just kind of have to focus on that and then get to the finish line.
Is there a piece of running gear you find indispensable, something that you never train without?
I have a big variety of gear that I use. Even the shoes I wear all depend on the technicality of the terrain and how long I’m running for. So if I’m running a shorter race and it’s quite technical, I will lean towards shoes that aren’t as comfortable, probably. But if I’m only racing for a few hours, you definitely go for the best shoe. My gear is made for all different types of distances and terrains. Trail running is pretty comfortable, so you definitely pack the snacks in the vest and head out for a nice long day.
How about clothing? What are you current go to pieces for a great run?
In terms of clothing, I say comfortable shorts, definitely something that won’t chafe. I tend to go for the loose shorts, because I don’t really love running in super tight stuff, especially for longer amounts of time. You’ll see me most of the time training and racing in a sun hat. Coming from New Zealand especially, we’ve always had a really strong UV index, and I’m pretty cautious about getting burnt, especially on my face, so I pretty much always will be training and racing with a sun hat. Just a good, comfortable sports bra, I think, is pretty important as well.
What role does the New Zealand landscape play in your training and creativity? Are there particular spots that have inspired you the most?
I think New Zealand played a huge part, like for me, coming into the sport so late, and being kind of fit enough to keep going with it at a professional level. So growing up in New Zealand, with the beautiful trails that we just had, that I would just be on without really thinking about it, growing up led me, led me to be the kind of athlete that I am today. There’s so many beautiful places in New Zealand, and I think, honestly, I think of the just the trails and the great walks that we have and they all like, I can’t wait to get back there and get on those trails. So it’s, it’s so different to here in Europe, but it’s also it’s New Zealand landscape is such a unique place,
Looking back, what has been your most memorable race or creative project, and why does it stand out to you?
Last year, I was second in the race called Zegama-Aizkorri, which is a trail marathon in Spain and it’s just such an insane race. The spectators are incredible, and it’s such a beautiful place to be. It was really bad weather but I just had the best time and ended up getting second. It’s such a historical, big, important race, it was just, yeah, incredible.
Last year, when I was fourth in OCC, which is a race at UTMB, my whole family was there, George, my partner was there, my mum and dad, my uncle and auntie. It was just a really special, special race and I saw them all throughout. They were cheering me on and they hung around in Europe afterwards, and it was just so special to share such a happy result, and also share something that I’ve been working on for so long with them.
Has any advice or inspiration stuck with you throughout your journey, something you’d like to pass on?
Yeah, just stick at it. If you enjoy something, don’t put the pressure of any kind of achievement on it that can dampen the enjoyment that you get out of situations. I definitely think focusing on what you can control is super important, not just in something like running, but in every day. So just try and focus on everything that you can control, and then try and forget about what you can’t. So I can’t control what other people do in a race, but I can control what I do in a race.
And finally, is there a particular resource (book, app, or IG page) that has fueled your passion or offered valuable insights that you’d recommend to others?
There are so many motivational people out there, not just athletes that you can follow. In a way, social media can both aid your passion and it can make you cause self doubt as well. So I think it’s important to really look at what you’re surrounding yourself with and really filter that as well. And that goes to every aspect of your life.
Where can the community find you?
My Instagram is @caitlinpipfielder that’s my main kind of running one. And also my artwork page is @caitlinfielder_fineart.
