Downhills are Supposed to be Fun

The runners crashed by me, skidding on the loose rock trail, exhibiting tremendous speed and technical ability. I also ran. Just, not like that. Part of my interest in trail running is that it is beyond my comfort zone. I do not possess tremendous speed and technical ability, particularly not on steep downhills. Think less… Continue reading Downhills are Supposed to be Fun

A Nice Spot 

With the price of everything on the up, and the planet burning, freezing, and falling over, I’ve been trying to reduce the amount of travelling I do for my running.  I have everything I need within foot-powered travelling distance of my bed. And sure, there aren’t exactly mountains in my back garden but I do… Continue reading A Nice Spot 

Backwards, Forwards. 

And so, slightly belatedly, I find myself reflecting on last year. Because of this wonderful thing called recency bias we tend to pick songs, films, tv shows, games, races, from the latter part of the year as our favourite thing of the year. This is how I find myself, as I reflect, thinking of the… Continue reading Backwards, Forwards. 

The Debut

Fresh from my trip to the Peak District, I had a feeling that I would enjoy my first half marathon.  The word enjoy, as always with running, is relative. In running terms it means a type II kind of pleasure - that ‘oh that was fun’ kind of feeling, not a ‘oh this is fun’… Continue reading The Debut

Not 10 Miles

The first sign that not all was right was when the first mile arrived before the first mile should have arrived. GPS is an unreliable friend at best however, so I disregarded this and trundled on. When the 4 mile sign drifted past as the watch stuck 3.25 miles I thought perhaps, yes, something has… Continue reading Not 10 Miles

To Watch Less

With the transition of the seasons comes a transition in training. It isn’t exactly a new year, or a completely clean slate, but the gradual shifting of nature’s palette has encouraged me to take stock and consider what might I do differently in the year’s final chapters compared to it’s long open, and sun-stunted middle. … Continue reading To Watch Less

Breath of the Wild, and the Joy of the Trail.

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.

The rough and the smooth.

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.

A Sheringham Circular (and, what we don’t know we need).

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).

You spend all year complaining about one thing,

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,