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
Tag: journal
Building Routine
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
On Hills
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
The Woods
It can be hard to run without looking your watch, without thinking about mile splits, training effects, or the metrics on the app which you will look at when you get back home. It is the negative of the double edged sword which is technology, in general. We can analyse ourselves and by extension, on… Continue reading The Woods
Reflections on Running through Lockdown.
When lockdown restrictions were first put in place in March, I assumed that my work would be deemed non-essential and I’d be off. This did not happen. In fact, what happened was that I ended up working more than usual. Things have now calmed somewhat. The country is attempting (perhaps prematurely, but time will time)… Continue reading Reflections on Running through Lockdown.
Work In Progress
This weekend I will be participating in the closest thing I’ve had to a race in a long, long time. I will be running as far as I can within a one hour time limit, then I will submit my time towards a 12-man team effort. Each member of the team will be setting off… Continue reading Work In Progress
Love the Rain
What do we do in Britain better than anybody else? Irony, perhaps. Pubs, almost definitely.Also, it rains a lot. And boy, we can certainly complain about that. I doubt if any country in the world can scrape as much small talk from the subject of weather as well as the Brits do. When it’s good,… Continue reading Love the Rain
The Bleeding Edge
Running is an unglamorous hobby. I will say that the Americans at least give it a good old go, they try to spruce it up a bit, which I suppose is fair to say: as they do with anything, and especially as they do with sport. They embrace the cinematic quality of exercise, the natural… Continue reading The Bleeding Edge
The Longest Week, so far.
Photo by Illiya Vjestica on Unsplash In running you get out what you put in. If I decide that I want to run a half marathon in under 80 minutes the amount of work that I have to put in is not exactly objective as there is no barrier through which I can pass which will guarantee me… Continue reading The Longest Week, so far.
Still Running, Still Eating
Imagine a world where you could eat and drink whatever you liked without consequence. That world will remain imaginary, sorry, but sometimes when my mileage is up a little higher (and remember high for me is not even close to being high for an elite athlete), eating and drinking can feel like I’m attempting to… Continue reading Still Running, Still Eating









