running, reading, nonsense.
I went away for two weeks and when I came back the seasons had changed. The heath where I go to run before work, and retreat to during my break, has sprouted. Its trees and bushes and fields are verdant, bright. The grass pops green, clashes with the yellow of the rape flower. Every year… Continue reading So Bloody Green
Time changes when you run somewhere new. I can’t say for sure whether it speeds up, or slows down, but it feels different. The explanation is probably as simple as: you don’t look at your watch as much; or you aren’t making calculations in your head based on landmarks because you have yet to commit… Continue reading Holidaying, Running, and Falling Out of the Stream of Linear Time.
The idea of running with music has always been more appealing to me than the reality of it. In reality I find the music detracts from my ability to focus on the run, and I tend to not really be able concentrate on either thing, meaning I’m not really having fun running, or listening to… Continue reading Talking tunes again
Why walk when you can run? Running covers more ground, quicker, so more miles can be put in the bank, and miles in the bank is what we like. Usually. I went for a good long walk in place of a run for the first time because I was horribly hungover and the slower motion… Continue reading A Change of Pace
Hunstanton and Heacham are the coastal towns of my youth. Would I recommend them as a holiday destination to some strapping young couple, looking for adventure and sensual excitement? No, absolutely not. But both towns, like so many British coastal towns, serve up a very specific kind of laid back leisure. My family had rented… Continue reading Running the Coast of My Youth
I don’t know if any of the designers behind The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild are trail runners, but they certainly managed to capture some essence of what makes travelling on foot, off the beaten path, so beautiful. This is old news, of course, Breath of the Wild was received as one of… Continue reading Breath of the Wild, and the Joy of the Trail.
I found myself thinking when out for a run the other day that it was quite strange that, with all the extra trail I’ve been on recently, I haven’t fallen over. Stacking it is surely as much a part of running trails as getting muddy and wet is and yet, as of that exact moment… Continue reading Stacked It
I last visited the Chiltern Hills, and Ivinghoe Beacon, in warmer, drier times. My trail shoes got dusty from the chalk escarpments, but they weren’t muddy. My legs were sore from the climbs, but my glutes weren’t barking for working so hard to keep me upright on the slip ‘n slide sections. The Chilterns is… Continue reading A Run, In Words: 12 Miles in the Chilterns.
I start the route in a free car park off the road near the Gunwald Lake side of Nene Park. The Milton Ferry Bridge leads me across the river towards Ferry Meadows; the regular stomping grounds for runners, walkers, and plenty of dogs to boot. The bridge is handsome; a Grade II listed structure made… Continue reading A Run, in Words: Ferry Bridge to Water Newton.
Autumn has kicked into gear in typical British fashion by being completely inconsistent, with the temperatures celebrating the dusky season by kicking themselves up a notch. This is no reason to complain, it is a reason to pursue one of my simpler seasonal goals: to explore some new run routes, ideally involving some hills. Last… Continue reading Ivinghoe Beacon
run into words 