running, reading, nonsense.
I wanted to put in some long easy miles yesterday but it was hellishly windy. A bit of wind is nice. It keeps the air moving around the body, cooling you, drying the sweat a little. A lot of wind is terrible. A stiff headwind can make any pace feel gruelling, and can turn an… Continue reading Gimme Shelter
I wouldn’t run so much if it wasn’t fun, and for the most part it can stay fun. You can make a lot of progress running at a nice steady pace, maybe even enjoying yourself. You can make a lot of progress running even slower than that, especially if you can mix in some trails… Continue reading The Right Pain
I go to the woods at least once a week now. There are hills there that would be good for high effort reps, but I don’t usually go out there for that reason. After a tough weekend session I needed a win. I needed some peace. I needed to feel good about running. And I… Continue reading Slow Day in the Woods.
If you get to a point where you’re running more days than you're not, you can sometimes get to forgetting just how hard it is to start out. The gasping for breath, the struggle for form, that desperation when you’re far from the finish and already flagging. Running is never easy, but the more you… Continue reading Good, Bad, All in the Past.
I don’t usually struggle to get out and run in the mornings. I’ve been consistent enough throughout the year that it just happens without really thinking about it too much, but when a run isn’t just a run, when it’s a workout, then things can be a bit challenging. It can be tough to wake… Continue reading Coffee, Banana, Running Fast.
I want this training journal to be more of, well, a journal. Which is to say I want it to be more immediate, more reflective, and more...more. That means an increased frequency of shorter posts which look back on a day of training, or even just on my running life beyond the day-in-day out of… Continue reading Beautiful Places
When it comes to running, the road is what it is. It’s flat, hard, stable. As a surface it’s uninteresting, although running on road is not necessarily boring - if the scenery is good or the pace is hard, or if it’s uphill, then road running can be just as engaging as any other type… Continue reading Training Terrain
The first soundtrack to… post that I did (last week, here) was inspired in concept, whilst the actual album was from my own reservoirs of inspiration. This week, as I excitedly delve into more and more albums whilst I run (also more and more), the listen is externally inspired. James Acaster is a comedian who… Continue reading Soundtrack to a sunny Sunday run.
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve really committed myself to a hard week of training. Yes, there have been some good runs, and some particularly hilly and interesting ones at that, but in general I’ve been taking it pretty easy in preparation for the restart of team sessions and, possibly (although I think it… Continue reading Building Routine
Within running distance of my house is the lowest point in the United Kingdom: Holme Fen, nine feet below sea level. Hearing athletes talk about the benefits of high altitude training, or espousing on the strengthening qualities of vertical running, whilst I live and run in one of the flattest, lowest points of Earth that… Continue reading On Hills
run into words 