So Jon, you want to run an ultra? This is the question I asked myself in the summer of 2017. It was an idea but I really had no idea. I had run 1 road marathon, booked my first trail marathon, (Beachyhead), for October and Paris for the following spring and here I was on … Continue reading DISCOVERING ULTRA TRAINING/RACING FROM A NEWBIE!
At home with the Mavericks
Racing a trail race is something very, very new to me. Project Hurtwood, was my first attempt and that was a 50km event. Always good to start racing on trails at Ultra distance right? The Maverick Original Hampshire Long was a whole different beast though. Not only is there something very special about the half marathon-ish distance … Continue reading At home with the Mavericks
I miss racing
15 races That's how many I ran in 2018. In amongst that I had a 3 PB goals, I hit two but missed another😢. The one I hit, (HM), I am still a little disappointed I didn't get to 1hr29 something. I also got an accidental 10km PB at the vitality race but was just … Continue reading I miss racing
2018, a year to remember
This is the second attempt at this blog. I got halfway through the first and stopped because it didn't feel right. What is the aim of this piece? Why am I writing it? I am still not sure if I am to be honest. I wanted to write a review of the year, but I … Continue reading 2018, a year to remember
4 POINTS FOR THE WIN
I am not a fan of jigsaw puzzles, I don't think I have the patience for them. I remember trying one at a family holiday in the South West of France a few years ago. I felt no sense of accomplishment about finding that tricky piece or completing a section. This is because at heart … Continue reading 4 POINTS FOR THE WIN
Pacing, Puking and a PB
“Please, will you just leave me! I’ll meet you at the finish”. These are the words coming out of a tired and slightly angry runner named Emma, about 20ish miles into the Chicago Marathon on 7thOctober. I could have left, I could have run off on my own, but I’d made a promise to Emma and … Continue reading Pacing, Puking and a PB
Losing myself, finding a way to Berlin
Honestly, I don’t really know where to start and where to end. I don’t know how much I want to share as a lot of it is too raw but here goes. Berlin was a dream race for me in 2017 when I was mapping out the year ahead. The original plan was to smash … Continue reading Losing myself, finding a way to Berlin
Understanding 100K, racing to some stones.
I wasn't sure how to write this, it's been 1 week since I crossed the finish line of Race To The Stones (RTTS), and I am sat on a balcony of a hotel on the southern Spanish coast. I am not sure how I feel anymore. I look around and no one really understands what … Continue reading Understanding 100K, racing to some stones.
Got Sole?
Back in 2015, when I bought my first real running shoes after a gait analysis, I also was kind of tricked into buying moulded innersoles. I say “kind of” as they made them for free and I only had to buy if I liked and there wasn’t much pressure from the shop assistant. I was … Continue reading Got Sole?
My First Ultra
When I was a kid, Sony introduced a range of electronics called the “My First” range. They were basically simpler versions of things like a Walkman. For those that are too young to understand… these things had something called a cassette tape in, the cassette tape played music. The buttons were big, the colours were … Continue reading My First Ultra
