Wandering the World

With two more marathons now behind me, was there any chance that a half marathon could be anywhere near what I'd done before the pandemic?

October 31, 2021

Twelve years ago, before the age of the smart phone, I visited Berlin at the start of my adventure spanning three European countries. I was younger then, and less experienced at travelling, and with a friend in tow, we had a tendency to get lost. Now I was returning to run the Berlin Marathon as the first part of a railway journey around Germany in a time when a global pandemic is at the forefront of everyone's minds. How would it affect this adventure, and what would be different? The full photo album for this trip can be found on Flickr.

September 14, 2021 to October 8, 2021 | 14 posts

My first 10K in over two years - a belated 10K in Leicester that should have taken place in 2020.

August 22, 2021

Six months into the year, and 416 days into my run streak, it was time to return to racing once more.

June 26, 2021

I have to mostly agree with Sir Terry - there are so many bikes in Amsterdam with lanes specifically for them. As long as you're alert it's not a problem. It's so different in some ways from other European cities, yet also strangely similar. It's also incredibly flat (if you ignore the bridges) so it sounded like it could be a good place to go PB chasing for a marathon. There was plenty of training; but poor planning meant this would be a challenge… “My experience in Amsterdam is that cyclists ride where the hell they like and aim in a state of rage at all pedestrians while ringing their bell loudly, the concept of avoiding people being foreign to them.” -- Sir Terry Pratchett If you’ve enjoyed these posts you can also view the full photo album on Flickr.

October 18, 2019 to October 8, 2020 | 7 posts

Time for another go at running a fast half marathon… hopefully

March 1, 2020

“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” -- J. R. R. Tolkien When I first visited New Zealand it was a very short trip, and a very unsuccessful one. Every sight I was hoping to see was fraught with problems caused by the weather. It was like we'd stumbled into Moria and awoken a Balrog that had followed us all the way to Mordor (or Tongariro rather). Nine years later it was time to make that long-expected return to the country that had doubled as Middle Earth. What would we face this time?

January 5, 2019 to February 17, 2019 | 18 posts

Once more I travel to the United States on another adventure. This time I was there for the Chicago Marathon - one of the World Majors. This former second city of America is one referred to as the windy city - I knew that didn't mean the weather; yet it didn't mean the weather was going to be okay. There would be thunderstorms. To relax a little afterwards I was then in Canada for a little bit more sightseeing… If you've enjoyed these blog posts, then be sure to check out the full photo albums on flickr for Chicago and Ottawa.

October 1, 2018 to October 12, 2018 | 11 posts

A week in the "warm heart of Africa" volunteering on community projects in the Nkope area through Impact Marathon Series. We worked on building a primary school using their traditional building methods, fitted new bins to help tidy up, cleared fields and planted trees, along with putting on a school sports day for the children there. The week ended with one of the toughest marathons I'll ever do…

May 15, 2018 to May 27, 2018 | 8 posts

Having missed a few parts of California and Utah on my previous visits to these states I finally returned to finish them off, and photograph some of America’s iconic national parks: Yosemite, Arches, Zion, and Bryce Canyon. === If you’ve enjoyed these posts you can also view the full photo albums on Flickr for California and Utah.

March 26, 2017 to April 16, 2017 | 15 posts