Random thoughts, used to be about running
Random thoughts, used to be about running
Earlier this week I had one of ‘those’ runs. There was nothing in my legs and while I was meant to be doing hill sprints in my efforts to achieve PBs anywhere from 5 to 50k this year, I managed only three. By the time I got home, I was in a grump! It got me thinking about what goes through my head when a run goes bad. I now know why it was so awful as I sit here with the dreaded lurgy. I didn’t feel it coming on otherwise I wouldn’t have gone out the front door! I’ll […]
Short version: It’s the second time I’ve run Tadworth 10, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat! Long version: On the first non-bank holiday Sunday of the year, the Tadworth Athletic Club put on Tadworth 10. This is a 10 mile race across Epsom race course and through the Epsom Downs. There are hills, there is mud, there are some good road sections – what more could you want to start the year with! This year, add in some cold and some wind. They also had some fab help from the Sunnybank Trust, supporting adults and young people with […]
Have you ever had one of those moments? You know the ones that slap you in the face and you realise there’s a choice to be made. This was me in terms of my job last year. So, here are some thoughts on what running has taught me. It had been brewing for a while. I was walking down a nondescript corridor in Whitehall and the thought entered my head ‘I can’t do this anymore, something’s got to change’. And the thought stuck. I was lucky. This happened in the early stages of a radical restructure where my Department was […]
Here we go again… another New Year, another set of running plans, a few goals. From 5k to 50 will be part of the story for the year for me. A bit of a repeat but not too much of one. These aren’t resolutions as such. I kind of think resolutions suck and give me something else to beat myself up about. So I’m thinking of this as more of a plan. A plan to get stronger and faster and kick butt (my own that is). The aim this year is PBs from 5k to 50. Maybe longer? Who knows…will […]
The 2017 running review – and what a year it’s been. I was going to do a ‘best of…’ and then realised it was impossible – too many moments, meetings, and races, to choose from – each unique and memorable in their own way. So here are some of the highlights… Panic training Those moments. You know those moments where you realise what you’ve signed up for? The first – When I realised I had the London Marathon to train for. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a plan. It was the fact that life had gotten in the […]
I’ve been running on and off for five years now. It’s only this year I’ve really worked on putting together a training plan that works for me. There are some key elements I’ve included which might be helpful if you’re struggling to develop a plan you can generally stick with. For me, the real benefit of spending time on this is it means for weeks at a time, I don’t have to think about what run I’m doing that day. As I mentioned in Why Motivation Sucks (and how to get your arse out the door), it means I don’t […]
There’s something afoot in the world of racing in the UK – the VIP Race experience. Pay anywhere from £20 to £80 and you can get those extras – food, a better location for parking, private toilets, post-race massage, a warm tent or building in winter, and sometimes race photos. Not everyone’s heard about it but it is a growing trend. It tends to be the bigger races – in 2017/18, Reading Half (VIP £60), Bath Half (VIP £80), Manchester Marathon (Premium £35 or Premium+ £65), London Winter Run (Premium £25). This trend leaves me uncomfortable and I’m trying to work out why. I […]
A big question for me last year and one I continue to ask myself as I train for my first 50k in July: when does running get easier? Last year it went a little like this… It happens to the best of us – when running takes a dip, you mainline Netflix and your favourite pair of running shoes gravitate to the back of the wardrobe. You look on your scales – perhaps the numbers haven’t changed much but your clothes are a little tighter and you start feeling soggier around the edges.
Ah, the excitement of marathons. It’s hard not to get caught up. If you’ve ever had that crazy thought ‘I want to run a marathon’ but feel too fat, too old, too unfit, or indeed have naysayers in your life laughing at you for the mere mention of it, the Fat Girls’ Guide to Marathon Running is for you. Or indeed, if you’ve had someone say, ‘You’ll never run a marathon’*, this book is for you. Julie’s book is dedicated to ‘anyone who ever dreamed of running a marathon, and everyone stupid enough to actually do it.’ Yep, it’s hard […]
What do you say to someone who tells you they’re about to run 7 marathons in 7 days to raise funds for Grenfell? To run from Manchester to London? Added to this was the line, ‘I’m not really a runner.’ My thoughts came in rapid fire, from that’s insane yet really amazing to ooh, that’s going to be tough. What I said? ‘That’s amazing,’ and then of course I asked lots of questions, the first of course being why. Why would someone who’s ‘not really a runner’ embark on such an epic journey? I don’t normally write about others writing […]
Karkoa sports bag review – When the folks from Karkoa got in touch asking me to review a bag of my choosing, I jumped onto their website to have a look. In having a good look through, what struck me is how well thought out and attractive these bags are. I said YES – what’s a runner to do? When putting this to the test, my key questions were: Is the bag attractive i.e. could I take it along to conferences and meetings and still look professional? Is it functional i.e. could it fit everything I needed for running including […]
It’s that time of the year my friends – Halloween. And the Trick or Treat Run was a great way to celebrate all things scary and a little creepy. And the charity of choice for this run – Breast Cancer Care – great stuff. I didn’t know what to expect turning up to this. Human Race Events had given me a place – a big THANK YOU! I registered for the evening run starting at 5.30 pm. And it was in in Southwark Park so not too far for me to travel. My idea going in to this was to […]