In TV land there is saying, don’t work with children or animals, because these are things you can’t control, lols. In running the golden rule is don’t try new things on race day. Well, I have worked with both Children and animals, to varying degrees of success but no harm came to either or me … Continue reading Training Day, Exmoor style!
Moments of Hell, moments of Joy
Life is a series of moments, which combine to be experiences. The same can be said about running, because after all running is life right 😉 There was a moment in the summer of 2020, when the hope that a longer race would happen entered my mind. That moment released thought patterns that formed to … Continue reading Moments of Hell, moments of Joy
CCC Baby!
Having the strength and confidence to let rip on a technical down hill, three quarters of the way into a 100km race in the middle of the night is probably the best thing ever. To trust your body and your shoes to bring you down 800m of switch backs and into the aid station ready … Continue reading CCC Baby!
The Legendary Lakeland 50
“Make sure you drop your £1 in the collection box”. This is what the lovely lady serving cheese toasties at the final check point said to me and other runners as were preparing for the final climb and descent of the race. The collection box in question is mandatory on this race to help raise … Continue reading The Legendary Lakeland 50
Steps of Joy and Pain
When was the last time you spent time truly alone amongst people? I don’t think it happens a lot, it certainly hasn’t happened to me for a while. I remember in 2000 I went to Italy on my own and for around 10 days I was truly alone in a country where I couldn’t speak … Continue reading Steps of Joy and Pain
Not the Goat
The snow is coming down hard now. I am running down a path with large bushes on either side, head torch on. As I turn a corner, I slip down a small hill. Head torch comes flying off and I am sat in the snow chuckling to myself. Its 4.30pm on the 4thDecember in Northumberland … Continue reading Not the Goat
I HEART THE LAKES
It’s just before 8am and I’m standing in a field of a private school just outside the lake district on a beautiful Saturday morning. I should have finished the CCC a few hours earlier in the town of Chamonix. How did I find myself here though? Well, it’s a funny story really. On the train … Continue reading I HEART THE LAKES
IF THE WOODS HAD EARS
Do you ever find yourself singing in the woods? A song just pops into your head and the chorus just goes on a loop and it becomes your mantra, that thing that will carry you to the end, where the pain will stop and a tear will form. Well this happened to me at some … Continue reading IF THE WOODS HAD EARS
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
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