Doing the best that I can, at writing, running and living
As much as you know you’re booked in for a race, when that envelope flutters down to the doormat with your bib number it feels more real. I still get butterflies for the big races when my number comes, and this one is the biggest I will probably do. There was a nice symmetry about… Continue reading Less Than Two Weeks To Go
I am a sucker for statistics, but I like to think that I’m not beholden to them. I use them to find patterns and correlations in a slightly more scientific manner than the augurys of old. At the beginning of March last year, I was able to complete a 20-mile race in three hours and… Continue reading Damned Lies And Statistics
‘Fell running’, I declared, whilst huffing along a rare bit of flat ground, ‘is the epitome of running.’ ‘Definitely’, agreed one of the Deestriders women who had joined me in being at the back of the pack. My legs were like mush after the second descent, and evidently my brain was too, if I was… Continue reading Hotfoot Up Famau Fell Race
I think I have pulled a muscle in my left buttock. This didn’t happen while I was running the Chester Half Marathon on this sweltering Sunday. Nor did it happen while I painted the back fence between 11am and 3pm during the zenith of the sun’s powers on a sizzling Saturday. It happened while I… Continue reading Chester Half Marathon
There is something to be said for grabbing air like a fish out of water while you’re trying to run/walk/stagger up some beautiful countryside. And then for having palpitations when you realise that the brake pads have not been serviced for this kind of drop. I really do want to get better at fell running,… Continue reading (Partial) Excalibur Half Recce – aka Running Up Those Hills And Down Again
Well, I think it’s really started. Symptoms: I have acne. My sleep in the last few days has been rubbish for no evident reason. I’m really struggling to build up my long runs because my energy levels are all over the place. It’s been well over two weeks since my period should have started. 1.… Continue reading The Change
Often when I run, I’m listening to a podcast. It’s a nice distraction and one of the only times where I actually can do two things at once. This time, I was listening to ‘The History of Literature’, a show where the host, Jacke (that ‘e’ is not a typo) Wilson, rambles on about literature and poetry… Continue reading We Are As Clouds
Well, at least I’m kind of maintaining a level. After three weeks of trying, I finally managed to get back to the twelve-mile mark, via a parkrun sandwich on a beautiful spring morning. It’s difficult to believe that I was up to 20-mile runs by this time last year. Okay, a slight exaggeration, I managed… Continue reading 50K Training Plan
You know, when it takes over five minutes to get a little house key into that tiny back pocket of your leggings, that things aren’t going to turn out as hoped. And given that I had managed to waste another five minutes running back to the house to retrieve my barcode, it was almost inevitable… Continue reading Not A Parkrun Sandwich
Apologies in advance of any typos etc; I’m currently using my £1.99 pharmacy glasses because I’ve misplaced my prescription ones somewhere between sitting and scoffing a Flinglish and going up for a shower. Should be okay if I zoom my Word to 150%. Aside from that minor pain in the butt, I’m feeling pretty good.… Continue reading Borders League – Kelsterton near Connah’s Quay
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