Doing the best that I can, at writing, running and living
‘Welcome to Skem’, a marshal called out with a smile, as she braved standing in the pouring rain, close enough to being spattered by large globules of mud churned up by mad people. Indeed. This part of Skelmersdale would actually have looked rather nice on a warm dry day with the sun on your back.… Continue reading Beacon Park XC Race
The one good thing about living in a very small three-bed semi, is the fact that you can heat it up really quickly after being away for several days. Our drive home, which took most of the day was happily uneventful, and by the time we reached the house, it was cold, dark and a… Continue reading Burgh Island III
You couldn’t have written the script any more neatly. I didn’t read Anne’s message as I was finally getting my s**t together after feeling somewhat worse for wear from the night before. We had finally had our meal in the grand ballroom, after missing it the previous evening, and had thoroughly enjoyed ourselves dressing up… Continue reading Burgh Island II
It’s the middle of the afternoon and I’ve just had a bath. Not just any bath, but a bath in a room, in a hotel on Burgh (pronounced ‘Burr’) Island. The same hotel that acts as a backdrop for one of Agatha Christie’s crime novels, ‘Evil Under the Sun’. Possibly in the same bathroom used… Continue reading Burgh Island I
I’m trying to write a novel. Just writing that sentence above gives me palpitations. I know that at some point last summer I began an attempt, but luckily, the second part of my MA kindly got in the way, and I’d parked my idea until now. Now we are in November, and as most aspiring novelists… Continue reading Na No Wri Mo
It’s a misty autumn morning and I’m getting out for my first long run since the Yorkshire Marathon, just under two weeks ago. There’s hardly any wind and I’ve picked a route that isn’t too hilly, which is good because I’m attempting to keep my heart beating at around the 135 mark. Ever since I… Continue reading Zone 2 Training
It’s always hard to (kind of) reach your goals for the year and then wonder what to do with yourself for the last few months. Having been here before, I knew that I was liable to have a little unfocused slump, so I've made a (sort of) plan. Kind of? Sort of? What’s all this… Continue reading One Week On
My two marathons to celebrate turning 50 are now complete. I got to the end of the Yorkshire Marathon this Sunday in a small PB of 5:18:29, and more importantly perhaps, an actual negative split. I’ve never before had the second half go faster than the first thirteen miles. Granted, those first miles were quite… Continue reading Yorkshire Marathon 2023
My number for Yorkshire came through in the post yesterday morning. Nervous much? Absolutely. I just have to remember; to repeat the mantra: ‘trust the process’. I may or may not have a good race in less than two weeks’ time but I have had a fairly consistent twelve-week block of training, and am now… Continue reading Yorkshire MT – Week 13
Forgive me Father. It’s been weeks, something like three in total, since my last blog. I’ve barely got time to squeeze this one in, never mind saying any Hail Marys or what have you. It seems to be scarecrow season in the neighbourhood. My Creative Writing MA with the Open University has finally come to… Continue reading Yorkshire Marathon – Weeks 10/11/12
