running, reading, nonsense.
No one wants to make a habit out of giving up, but it is something which I think is unfairly maligned. I recently read Ryan Holiday’s The Obstacle is the Way, a kind of practical guide for applying Stoic philosophy to your life. Suffice to say it is a book full of interesting thoughts, written… Continue reading Obstacles, Acquiescence.
I followed up the blissful smoothness of my last long run with a low volume day of run/biking, and then had an absolutely storming track session. It was one of my best, ever. I felt in full control of my stride, was able to hold something in reserve on the longer efforts, and then push… Continue reading Present Sense
I started out in the drizzle. The light grey skies were not burdened with the weight of heavy rain, just a constant, mist like, precipitation. It was a bit like running constantly through one of those fan/spray contraptions they put out in theme park queues on intensely hot days. The route was new to me,… Continue reading Back to the Long Run
The pine trees at Thetford Forest stand soldier stiff, and stifle the sounds of the outside world. They provide a green peace, an overwhelming sense of tranquility. They also seem to capture the moisture of the air and generate a great amount of humidity, as one might suppose a forest does, but I discovered that… Continue reading Relaxed Racing
I’ve had my struggles with this running and writing lark. Recently, the running has been hampered by injury, and the writing has been...well I suppose it has also been hampered by injury, but that’s no excuse really. Simply put, I’ve not been doing it. If asked for running advice I nearly always say the same… Continue reading The rough and the smooth.
Is running therapy? Or is therapy, therapy? Exercise (and in particular running, I find) is good for clearing the head, for keeping an even keel, and staying generally healthy. Perhaps then, running on a regular basis will keep you mentally well but, then again, maybe it won’t. The brain is far too complicated to be… Continue reading A Sheringham Circular (and, what we don’t know we need).
and then when that thing changes, you immediately start complaining about the new status-quo. That describes the British and the weather. In fairness, we aren’t naturally blessed. April and May provided a grey and gloomy canvas, and then things flipped like a switch over the recent bank holiday. This, of course, was welcomed with righteous… Continue reading You spend all year complaining about one thing,
The Chiltern Hills Area of Outstanding Beauty is the lumpiest training ground I have reasonably quick access to. As the sun has been creeping out, and the lockdown measures have been easing off, I’ve been plotting my return. There are a crazy number of runnable trails in the wide spread area, and a great number… Continue reading From Coombe Hill to Wendover Woods (A Run in Words)
Spring has sprung and a race has been run. It did not, to move quickly to the point, go exactly how I wanted it to. I did not run the time I imagined that I would. In fact, the pace that I did run (37:09, I was hoping to at least come close to breaking… Continue reading Small hills get bigger as the race goes on.
This time hopefully it is here to stay. Hopefully, alongside the hairdressers and the pubs and the restaurants, alongside our good health and lower infection rates, hopefully. About two weeks out from a race is when I have my doubts, and after such a long time without racing they have been more pronounced. I know… Continue reading and so racing is back, again.
run into words 