Running Archives | Running on Full

London – Day 56 of lockdown

Sophie — Mon, 18 May 2020 16:25:34 +0000

It’s been a productive day. I’ve been working since 7.30 this morning, taking breaks by way of short walks for anywhere between 10 and 20 mins. I’ve managed numerous trips out today. My local area is quiet and it’s easy enough to jump into the road to get appropriate social distancing when needed. I came across fewer people combined than I would walking in Dulwich Park, fewer people to stress about potentially coming into some vague semblance of close contact with. On my first trip out, I found a couple of cats to pat. The weather is glorious and the […]

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Pre-training Training: Part 2

Sophie — Sun, 24 Nov 2019 11:28:29 +0000

I might not be fast. I might not run far. But over the days, the weeks, the months, I am seeing some progress. It’s hard to know where I’ll get to. Will I run the London Marathon again? Will I get to the Guernsey Ultra? I want to run far but whether my body will let me is another story. And I miss it. I miss being out in the world – of running in torrential downpours, of running through my local woods, of the chats when running along with someone, of the social connections, of the random stuff you […]

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Pre-training training – Part 1

Sophie — Sun, 27 Oct 2019 17:10:51 +0000

Or perhaps I should call it gymlife, this pre-training training lark! At the moment I’m getting my butt into gear to start training for marathon number 3 next year (an an ultra a few weeks later). I’ve found an 18 week schedule which kicks off in about 8 weeks. I’m getting back to basics. This year I’ve been sidelined by injury – a dodgy knee. But slowly, oh so slowly, I’m on the mend. I’m now at the gym pretty much daily. I don’t know if my plan will work. While I’ll be deeply disappointed if I don’t manage to […]

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Coming back from injury…

Sophie — Sun, 13 Oct 2019 19:12:40 +0000

It’s been a while, a very long while. Coming back from injury, it’s been slow going. These days I’m taking it run by run. Some background It was January. I was on a run and felt a tweak in my left knee. While I’ve had various issues with my right knee including the fabulously named fat pad impingement, my left knee had never caused me issues. After that run, I went home and rested. Knee was swollen, elevation, ice, physio. More elevation, ice, physio. Tried running again, same issue, and again. I deferred the London Marathon. I’d already deferred […]

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Why motivation sucks (and how to get your arse out the door)

Sophie — Sat, 14 Sep 2019 09:55:37 +0000

Why motivation sucks – this is one I’ve been thinking about for a while. If I waited for the motivation genie to strike, I’d rarely get out the door to go for a run. I don’t know about you but ‘motivating’ quotes like ‘Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations’ ‘Pain is temporary, greatness is forever’ ‘Dream it. Believe it. Achieve it.’ make me gag a little. My visceral response is ‘bollocks’. Dreaming of being a supermodel (NOT something I dream about) or being a famous fiction author (if only I liked writing fiction enough) or running a sub-4 marathon […]

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The Art of Running Faster by Julian Goater and Don Melvin

Sophie — Mon, 05 Aug 2019 17:13:30 +0000

Review of The Art of Running Faster: Improve technique, training, and performance by Julian Goater and Don Melvin (2012) ‘Don’t practice plodding,’ the key takeaway from The Art of Running Faster. And running is an art – just watch Paula Radcliffe or Mo Farah at their best if you haven’t already. Now I’ve been a plodder pretty much since I started running 5 years ago. It’s seen me through two marathons and my first ultra a few weeks ago. This is great and there is some real benefit to plodding. But, to be perfectly honest, I’m getting a little […]

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Week 3 of London marathon training … the lurgy

Sophie — Fri, 18 Jan 2019 14:10:49 +0000

Ah, week 3 of London marathon training and struck down by the lurgy. It had to happen at some point. I’m working on the basis it’s a virus which, as long as I’m sensible, should disappear in a day or two. That’s my hope. So I’m not sitting here feeling sorry for myself, though that might happen if it means too many runs missed. My priority is on getting better so while the miles won’t run themselves, rest and tweaking plans is what I need to do. Thankfully it’s still early in the training cycle. Running when ill The […]

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Week 2 of London marathon training … a little chilly!

Sophie — Fri, 11 Jan 2019 11:33:37 +0000

Week 2 of London marathon training, and slowly, oh so slowly, the miles are starting to build. So far so good. It’s been a little chilly but it is London, and it is the middle of winter. Thankfully it’s not yet been icy or snowy, just a little grey and grim…! And how I deal with the grey and grim – lightbox, sunrise alarm clock, Vitamin D supplements, running. Saturday’s run was planned at 9 miles, I ran almost 10. My reason – it meant I could reach the cafe that does a pretty damn good mocha, faster. A mocha […]

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Week 1 of London Marathon Training

Sophie — Fri, 04 Jan 2019 10:50:05 +0000

A few weeks ago I got some great news! With thanks to my running club, and the ballot it holds for those unsuccessful in the public ballot, I have a place in this year’s London Marathon. I’ve been fortunate. This is my third London Marathon, and when I haven’t been running it, I’ve been a marshal. Because of getting a place, I have taken the decision to defer the Guernsey Ultra, a 36 mile mixed terrain race around the island of Guernsey. It’s only three weeks after London. It looks to be a truly superb race in a unique environment […]

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On waiting for the London Marathon Ballot Results

Sophie — Mon, 01 Oct 2018 08:00:25 +0000

It’s that time of year again. A couple of hundred thousand of us anxiously await the outcomes of the London Marathon Ballot. I’m assuming it’s a ‘SORRY’. I think this might be my 6th year of applying through the ballot. I’ve been fortunate though. I’ve run London twice, getting places via my running club. What happens, happens. And the cool thing is, whether it’s a yes or a no, I still get to be part of it. My club always marshals on the day, so if I can’t run it, then I marshal. Wishing everyone the best of luck!!! On […]

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On dealing with a bad race

Sophie — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 09:40:48 +0000

On dealing with a bad race … You’ve done the training, it’s gone well. For a 50k, you’ve covered marathon distance, you’ve hiked hills with a weighted backpack, you’ve run up and down many other hills, you’ve tested nutrition and hydration, you’ve tested your kit. The day arrives. All is going well. And then it all goes to shit. This was me in July. And no, I haven’t blogged since then, not because of the trauma of a race gone bad, life got in the way. To begin, this has nothing to do with the race itself, the Chiltern Challenge […]

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How I think my second ultra will go!?!

Sophie — Wed, 11 Jul 2018 12:54:59 +0000

So…my second ultra…hmm. For those of you who don’t know what an ultra is, it’s a race longer than marathon distance. I’m doing a ‘short’ ultra, a 50k, through the Chilterns on Saturday with XNRG. My training has had its ups and downs – a brief lurgy or two, some twinges in my knee. But otherwise, it’s pretty much gone to plan. In addition to covering the miles, I’ve run and stomped up a lot of hills, covered marathon distance on a rather warm and sticky day, walked around every now and again up and down said hills with a […]

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Lizzy Hawker: On finding what puts colour in your life

Sophie — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 10:54:45 +0000

I’m at the Ellis Brigham Mountain Sports centre in London to hear Britain’s greatest ultrarunner, Lizzy Hawker speak. I kept overhearing references to UTMB, UTMR and the like, easily said, the sort of races you do. People were casually chatting about covering the sorts of distances I simply can’t get my head around and the sorts of climbs in races that make me turn green at the thought. If you don’t know Lizzy, you should. The woman is amazing, as an endurance athlete, as a person. The talk started with a few laughs with staff trying to sort the […]

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Running in Brussels

Sophie — Tue, 15 May 2018 12:49:43 +0000

Running in Brussels: Let’s just say I’m not a travel writer but here goes… An invitation I couldn’t pass up. I was on the phone to my Aussie bestie when her 3 year old son started shouting in the background ‘Est tante Sophie venant à ma fête.’ (Is Aunty Sophie coming to my party?) You see, he and his twin sister were having a party to celebrate turning 4. They wanted…no, the needed to know, was I going to be there? So I did as any good Auntie does, I booked my Eurostar tickets to Brussels. Now, I figure you know […]

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Zen and the Art of Running by Larry Shapiro

Sophie — Fri, 11 May 2018 09:51:14 +0000

Zen and the Art of Running: The path to making peace with your pace by Larry Shapiro (2009). Want to add a little Zen to your running? This book might just be for you. The focus isn’t on running form or improving your results, though it does include some elements of this. The focus instead is on maximising the joy that is running through training the mind. It’s about being in the moment and being acutely aware of the world around. I started my own journey into mindfulness a number of years ago now. I was finding things tough […]

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How bad do you want it? by Matt Fitzgerald

Sophie — Mon, 07 May 2018 09:12:22 +0000

Review of How bad do you want it? Mastering the psychology of mind over muscle. (2015) How bad do you want it? This is the question asked by Matt Fitzgerald, author, coach and nutritionist. The inquiry begins from trying to understand how elite athletes are able to move beyond discomfort to maximise performance. Of course they work their arses off and work on all those other factors that effect performance (i.e. nutrition, rest etc) and there may well be some element of ‘natural’ talent, but what is it that moves a good athlete to a great one? And what […]

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April Roundup: When training doesn’t go to plan

Sophie — Mon, 30 Apr 2018 13:17:31 +0000

When training doesn’t go to plan … I’m training for the XNRG Chiltern Challenge, a 50k race in July. This was how I fared last year … I was slow, so very very slow. There was pain, there was sobbing, but I finished. I laugh every time I see this photo. You can read how it went in detail here. I’m doing this race again because I have a point to prove to myself! But over the Easter weekend, about a month ago, I tweaked my back … again. This time is was soft tissue damage in my lower back – […]

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The London Marathon: On being a marshal

Sophie — Tue, 24 Apr 2018 11:18:42 +0000

On being a marshal: The 2018 London Marathon was my third time marshaling this race, and the most challenging. But I’m getting ahead of myself… First to say well done to everyone who undertook the race. It was the hottest ever with the running beginning with high humidity and bright sunshine. I know there are many runners who didn’t achieve their time targets, and a few who had to pull out due to issues brought on by the heat. But brilliant work my friends, you’re an inspiration! Second, my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Matt Campbell, a 29 year […]

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Back Pain and Running… no, not again…

Sophie — Sat, 07 Apr 2018 10:39:44 +0000

Back pain and running don’t go together! ‘No, not again’ I muttered when I felt that familiar tweak in my lower back. I was on a run. There was a dull pain. That spot where I’ve slipped a disc twice and had ongoing issues with the joints that sit around it (more of the back story here). It was a pain that built during the day to a crescendo in bed when trying to turn over. OK, this pain sucks. Over the next couple of days, I did stretches, I did some gentle walking. Time to hit the Arnica (limited […]

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The Big Half Review

Sophie — Mon, 05 Mar 2018 15:03:10 +0000

The Big Half Review: I wasn’t sure what to expect going in to this race. I’ve run the London Marathon twice and this covers much of the same route though in reverse. The biggest question in the days leading up was indeed will it still go ahead? Snow and ice had brought much of the UK to a standstill. Through the country, races were being cancelled or postponed due to the weather. And so it was, 2pm the day before the Big Race, a confirmation email – it was on! I hadn’t run for close to a week due to […]

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February Roundup: Playing with pace

Sophie — Thu, 01 Mar 2018 11:38:33 +0000

A mixed month for running – some good weeks on miles, some not so good weeks. I’ve been playing with pace and hitting the hills. My aim for this year is to get PBs from 5 to 50k which means some serious work …. Let’s just say I haven’t been as consistent as I’d like. Indeed, on some days I’ve been rather slack. I think there’s a bit in my brain which is hoping those PBs will just magically happen! So here’s how it’s been … Highlights Was off to a good start with the Watford Half – a fab race, well […]

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Target Race Update: Reading Half

Sophie — Tue, 13 Feb 2018 19:16:15 +0000

Target Race Update – So this year I’ve set myself a challenge – to aim for PBs for distances from 5 to 50k. No PBs yet which is pretty much as I expected. I’ve completed two races – Tadworth 10 and the Watford Half. My next is The Big Half where I managed to score a £10 community place via my running club. My target PB race (no pressure….no pressure) is the Sage Reading Half ! I’m a blogging ambassador for that one, so yes, I get a free place. Only 4 1/2 weeks away – argghh! So, here’s to put it out there, […]

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Watford Half Review: Chilly and Hilly!

Sophie — Mon, 05 Feb 2018 11:41:11 +0000

Watford Half Review – A hilly and chilly race half marathon and my second race of the year in my aim to get PBs in everything from 5 to 50k. But I wasn’t planning a PB for this race, rather, just a check of my fitness level. I wasn’t sure what to expect for this one. Most of the half marathons I’ve done have been pretty flat. I’d looked at the race profile a few days before and did a little swearing under my breath – this wasn’t going to be an easy one. The route This is how […]

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January Roundup: It’s been a busy month!

Sophie — Wed, 31 Jan 2018 08:45:09 +0000

January Roundup: I have no list of New Year’s resolutions. It means there’s no list hidden that I pull out in 6 months time and then get to feel miserable about my utter failure to keep any of them. Instead, I have some broad goals for the year, to get PBs from 5 to 50k. Insane of me I’m sure. So with that in mind, I’ve decided to do a monthly roundup of the highs and the lows, what’s worked and what hasn’t, and to think about what I should be doing more or less of. Here goes…. Running […]

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When A Run Goes Bad

Sophie — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 16:08:24 +0000

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 […]

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