Stories and tips from around the world.
I was going to be in London this weekend anyway, and as Carmen was planning on doing this race to get a rubber duck, I thought I might as well join in for an easy half marathon. With PHOENIX Running races, you don't all have to start at the same time, so as long as we were at the start in Walton-on-Thames, and going before 09:00, we were okay. We noticed another race, done by RunThrough was furthe …
Another day, another race with a Star Wars medal at the end of it. I'm sure that'd make it worth running again on tired legs.
The first of two races in Milton Keynes for the May bank holiday weekend in 2026. I didn't really want to be doing either of them quickly the week after Shakespeare marathon, but how could I say "no" to Star Wars themed medals?
I’ve run Manchester Marathon seven times, and when you’ve run it four or more times they add you to the ‘Wall of Legends’. If I’d run it again this year, which I’d been tempted to, I would have doubled that requirement. However, what put me off was not the race itself, but the difficulty I had with accommodation last year. For this race I wouldn’t need to worry about accommodation, I could drive t …
Westonbirt is a regular pacing slot on Carmen's calendar, but it's a place I've never visited. Due to this race being two hours from London, and slightly further from Leicester, we headed there in separate cars so I could head back home after the race. When I got there I joined the queue getting into the grassy car park, and could see Carmen several cars behind. I messaged her once I’d parked to m …
For the third year in a row, I was with Carmen at Northala Fields for the Northolt 10K. Each year I’ve been, I’ve seen changes to the set-up of the race, and this year was no exception with the race village looking better than ever with the prayer flags and a temporarily constructed stupa complete with Buddha’s all-seeing eyes. There was even a Nepalese food truck selling things such as momos, and …
I have never run a one mile race before. During the early days of the pandemic I’d use Saturday mornings each week as a chance to run a mile as fast as I possibly could, but have not done that since then. My speed work had dropped off after that, and I’ve slowed down considerably over the last couple of years. Two weeks after running a marathon, could I set a 1mile PB? One week after the marathon …
Another autumn marathon meant once again training through a hot summer, to prepare for my third marathon of 2025. This time though, I wouldn't get to see changing scenery to distract me as I ran, instead I'd be running many laps of a running track. It started off as a novelty, but would it last?
We decided to do the inaugural LDN X race in Wembley. It sounded like it was going to be a fun event, but on the day, we could see things that didn't seem very well thought out.
In all honesty, the result of this race didn’t really bother me. I only booked this one as something to make sure I’d keep my legs going between Manchester and Rwanda marathons. With an 09:30 start it meant I didn’t need to be up that early to get to this relatively local race. I did however make sure I got there an hour before as this one needs you to collect your race number on the day, and I wa …
I was woken up around 02:00 by the people staying in the room above. It seemed like they’d come in drunk, and were now stomping around and bumping into everything. Eventually I drifted back to sleep until 05:30, when the thunderous sound of snoring from the room above woke me. It would soon be time to prepare for the day ahead… Today would see somewhere around 90,000 people running a marathon with …
My third time running this race, even though I wouldn’t be running GU36 this year, and I was determined to do better than the previous two times. This would be a way of confirming that my change in training routine is making a difference. As I’d run about 2.5 laps last year, my goal was to run at least 3 laps this time, and to average around 07:30/mi. My biggest goal I think really was to beat las …
Only two weeks since my most recent half marathon race, I was back with Phoenix Running again: chasing after a medal made from LEGO. That was reason enough to enter this one. As I didn’t have my car with me it meant Carmen would once again have to drive is to Walton-on-Thames for the race. Whilst the conditions were different, the route was the same - the Sunbury Lock route. We’d decided we’d run …
For my first race of 2025 I’d be running for doughnuts. On the whole, not a bad thing to be doing really, and Phoenix Running do some nice events. I’ve previously done one of theirs along the Thames path which has turnaround points at either end of a straight, and one at Denbie’s Winery which is an undulating course with twists and turns. This one would be along the Thames path, but I was unsure w …
This weekend should really have been my longest run before tapering for the Larnaca Marathon, but instead I was back at Northala Fields for the Northolt 10K for the second year in a row. Yesterday had been an easy parkrun followed by the rest of the day in Tunbridge Wells for a wedding with very little sleep; so maybe not the best race day preparation. We headed to Northala Fields early, and volun …
Another week, another half marathon. Could I edge closer to being a sub-90 runner again, and beat Copenhagen and Cardiff? I certainly wasn't sure, but I was going to give it a go.
The second of the Super Half series, and one as close to home as we'd get. Though maybe races being closer to home don't always mean they're going to be easier to get to...
After last year, I decided I wasn’t going to do this race again unless they moved it back to March - a time of the year when it’s usually cooler. It hadn’t been fun last year doing it in such warm weather, and I didn’t want to risk a repeat of that. However, Carmen’s had done a workshop with some young people from work to design the medal and t-shirt for this year’s race, so I then thought I shoul …
Having had so few short races since 2019, I really needed to find more to do - something to keep me practicing at speed work at a time when it’s not been that fast. Rutland is a place I’ve been interested in running at before, mostly for parkrun, but wanting a fairly local 10K I felt this one would be a good choice. Since GU36, I've not really done any speed work. I've done two parkruns, which are …
The last time we went to Guernsey it hadn’t gone to plan for Carmen due to the eye infection leading to events that required her to pull out of the race early. I can’t imagine it had been an easy decision, but it had been a sensible one. It did however leave her with unfinished business, and the need to return again. I’d taken about twenty minutes off my time, and I was close to a sub-7 hour race. …
The entire point of me entering this race again was to force me to run a half marathon between Boston Marathon and Guernsey Ultra 36. So in a way, this was like the first of two tapering runs from my long run at Boston, before my actual target race. With this in mind I didn't really have a target other than to finish the race. Ideally though, the time for doing so should be between 1hr30 and 1hr45 …
My first marathon of 2024. Would it also be my last one this year, or would I manage to fit a marathon into the autumn? I think this time around I started training far too late as I didn't have a good base to be working from after having had an easy summer following quite a few months of reduced training from other non-running issues. My half marathon at the end of December was so bad, I knew I'd …
Two weeks out from the Boston Marathon (in Lincolnshire), and I should really be doing a marathon-paced half marathon as part of tapering. Instead, having not done a 10K race this year, and this race being one I often do, I decided I may as well do a 10K with about 80% effort. With a decent warm-up and cool-down alongside it; maybe it'd be similar effort to a slower half. At least, that was my rea …
After running this race last year, I thought: "never again". Hilly by name, hilly by nature, and 20 miles of it was just more than I felt was needed. However, after deciding to do GU36 one more time, it turned out this would be the perfect training run for it. So that "never again" became "one more time".
For today’s race I would be a the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park for a RunThrough event, and that meant travelling across London from the west, and an outrageously early start to get there. When we got to Liverpool Street we found the Elizabeth line wasn’t running very well, so was then a 14 minute wait for a train to get us to Stratford. We thought the toilet queue in Westfields would be better at …
Usually my first race of the year would be 10K, but I had a lot of work needed to get back up to longer distance running, and so I sacrificed that for getting in more long runs. I’d need to rely on mid-week speed work, and getting in fast park runs when I could in order to build up speed. Endurance needed to come first when the end goal is actually Guernsey Ultra 36, rather than a decent time at t …
The Winter Half in Milton Keynes is quite often my final race of the year these days. I’d hoped I’d have done my 50th parkrun yesterday, and would be going to MK on the way home from London, but due to circumstances outside of our control that was not to be. I didn’t really feel like racing, but this one is one that I do like to do every year, so wasn’t going to miss it. I was up at 06:15 for bre …
November 20th 2016. I ran during the torrential downpour of ‘Storm Angus’ before flying to Nepal for an adventure I would never forget. I’d been to Kathmandu, and volunteered and ran a marathon around the mountain village of Kakani and the Shivapuri national park. In the days that followed I’d travelled all over Nepal, and had seen Annapurna from the Australian base camp, and took a flight past Mo …
I knew going into this race that what I’d consider a good time these days would be a big ask, and my best chance would be to try and go for a sub-1:30, and not push for better than that. My left shoulder had however been a cause of pain since Llanelli Half last weekend, and was not only at times difficult to move, but had also been keeping me awake at times. So the chances of that sub-1:30 seemed …
When I entered this race I thought I'd be doing it for fun, but then I heard that this was a relatively flat race and so would actually be quite a fast one. It could perhaps be a good chance to attempt a sub-90 again for the first time since before the pandemic. However, about a month before race day Carmen let me know they needed a 1:45 pacer, and as she would be pacing 2:15 at this race I figure …
I haven't really run many 10Ks lately, but this was one I only added to my race calendar in the last few weeks as part of celebrating Carmen's birthday. Whilst she would be pacing 65 minutes, I’d be free to run this at whatever pace I could manage. Based on recent races, I suspected early on that would be ‘not very fast’ compared to what I used to manage.. The night before this race I’d pulled a m …
I last did this race just before the global COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, although I'd wanted to do it in 2022 as well I'd had to defer due to it being my Dad's retirement party on the same day. This year I was back, the even was still in September instead of having been moved back to it's normal date, and it would be Sir Mo Farrah's last London race in his career. Today was unfortunately a 05: …
I had planned on getting in plenty of speedwork after Swansea Half Marathon, so I'd be ready for my first proper 10K race of the year, but this hadn't gone to plan. I was also in London yesterday doing a parkrun at Fulham Palace, but had deliberately kept it slow, but at any rate, I'd not had the best preparation for this 10K I'd been wanting to do for a while. It didn't matter though, this would …
I've visited the northern parts of Wales several times in the last 20 years, but haven't been along the south coast since 1991. I have running friends that weren't born last time I was there. It felt safe to assume that it’d have changed a bit in that time. When I saw that Swansea Half is a good race I decided it'd be a good one to enter, and would take a couple of days to look around too. Though …
Returning to Guernsey for another go at GU36 - the unique race that covers a complete lap of the island along cliff paths, and all manner of terrain. It was a chance to beat last year's time, and perhaps see if I'd still got faster times in me.
I was up at 06:45 for breakfast and got ready for the race day ahead of me. Weather wise it was forecast to be a repeat of yesterday although it didn’t look like it. An hour later I was on the road to Milton Keynes yet again for a journey that takes about an hour so hadn't been worth staying over after the Rocket 5K. This time the parking bays I’d used previously were coned off, except for one, so …
Another year, another rocket. This time though there was another difference. Since the pandemic there have been changes in the route, and again this year there was another change - it was completely different! No longer would it be a net downhill race, but instead it'd be one that goes downhill steadily for the first half and then back up in the second half with what they say is around 30 metres o …
Manchester Marathon in 2022 was supposed to be my first spring marathon since I'd messed up there in 2019. I'd got my training in, it was feeling promising, but there were other issues going on behind-the-scenes in the last few weeks before the race. At first it seemed like I may not get to run it, then it was 'definite', but then ultimately on the Saturday I was due to travel to Manchester, I had …
This year the MK 20 wasn’t quite timed right for me to be doing it, so I needed an alternative. The best time one, and the easiest one for me to get to was the Hillingdon 20 (formerly the Finchley 20). It’s not an area I know that well so I’d be going into this one not really knowing what to expect. My previous 20 milers hadn’t been brilliant this training cycle, but I figured if I could get aroun …
My alarm went at 05:15 and I took my time getting up. As I had breakfast I watched the sunrise, and thought not just about last night but the day ahead. The forecast looked promising for the race, but hopefully it wouldn’t then prove to be too warm. Eventually, it was time to make my way to the race start. It was a very short walk from where I was, and I once again bumped into Jonathan and Liz, an …
This was the penultimate race I needed to do from 2020, with only the Limassol Half still to go after this. I did consider running to the race and back afterwards, but if I did that then this wouldn't really be much of a tempo session. It would have been an eighteen mile run though which would have helped. It was coplder than it would have been if it'd been at the scheduled date in September 2020, …
It took me most of yesterday to decide whether or not I was going to bother going to Milton Keynes to run this half marathon. I wouldn’t be racing it so soon after the marathon, but I would still run it - I’d have been running 8 or 10 miles today in the cold anyway, so I may as well do the race I paid for, even if it means spending out on fuel and parking for it too. I was up at 06:00, and then af …
It was finally here, after these years of waiting, it was the Jordan Impact Marathon.
After a RunThrough race in Leicestershire was cancelled, I transfered my place to the only other race that really fit in with my calendar for this year, and that was a half marathon in Battersea Park, London. I'd visited there earlier this year for a 10K and had decided I'd want to run there again in daylight sometime as I felt it was a good route for a 10K PB attempt. That never happened, but I w …
This is a race I like doing as it's fairly local, and usually means a relaxed start to the day. It's also around the time of year where it can easily be cold, or wet, or both, so it can be very difficult to predict what the conditions will be like on the day. For the week leading up to this day we had a lot of rain, but we also had days where there was also sun that was uncharacteristically warm f …
I didn't really feel like racing today, but decided I may as well try, to see how things went.
Since that first time doing London Marathon in 2015 I've been wanting to do it again. After missing out on doing a spring marathon, I'd planned on booking a road marathon for the autumn so I would at least get to do one this year. My thoughts had been Chester, but before I could book that I got incredibly lucky and won a club place through the #ukrunchat Running Club. This time my training cycle w …
This is one of those races I entered for fun, with very little thought going into it. I knew it'd be a three hour drive to Denbies for this one, but what I hadn't thought about was the start time. I'd thought it'd be 09:00, or even 10:00 which would mean I wouldn't need to be up too early. However, the race start would need to be no later than 08:30, and even then, that'd mean leaving home no late …
The first of two races for this August bank holiday weekend. They'd be my last races before the London marathon, so would hopefully be a good indicator of where I am.
Having done Race to the King and Race to the Stones, when Race to the Tower started it was one I wanted to try as well to complete the set (although ...Castle has started and finished since then too) although it took a few years to get there at first due to it clashing with Endure24, and then due to the global pandemic. At last though, I was ready to reach the start line for my last ultra marathon of 2022.
My last 10K didn't go that well, but fortunately I knew I'd got a few more still booked in for the year. The downside to this next one was that it's an evening race which makes fuelling harder, but on the positive side it's one that would be in daylight, and I've PB'd on this course before so I knew it well enough. Of course there was absolutely no chance of getting a PB tonight, no matter how har …
This was a race I'd been waiting a long time to do, and it was one of the highlights of a really nice weekend away seeing friends. Sure there was rain, but there was sun as well. There was just the 'small' matter of running 36 miles, 16 of which would be going up and down cliffs with lots of steps. Sounds like a challenge!
Today was a (mostly) downhill run in Milton Keynes - the Rocket 5K. I wasn't really sure what to expect going into it after how the last two years have gone, but felt it would be a good indicator of whether what I'm doing now is working.
Repeating races I've done before always feels like a way to benchmark where I currently am. It's been a long time since I first did this race, and have done it a few times over the years. It was one of my first races back after the start of the pandemic, when they started up again. For that race I did it in 39:20 - not my fastest 10K, but the fastest I'd done this course. So for this race my goal …
This was a bit of a last minute race entry for the Easter weekend. I did parkrun yesterday, my fastest since the start of the pandemic, and today was for getting some miles in. With shorter races for the next two weeks it'd be my last chance to get some decent miles in before Guernsey, and how better to do that than with a friend. I perhaps hadn't had the best night of sleep, and was having breakf …
My last big long run before Manchester Marathon. Last time I did this was just before lockdown in 2020, so would be a good marker for where I now am
My first night race in a few years, and one I'd travelled a long way for.
My first race of 2022 was the Watford Half Marathon. Could it be a return to form, or would those days now be behind me?
Not my best half marathon, but not my worst either. Somehow I finished 92nd out of 1,471 runners with a time of 1:28:53. The best bit was getting to see friends again though.
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?
Last time I did a marathon in Manchester, it was the Greater Manchester Marathon. Now it's got a new name, a new route, new title sponsors, and it's been over 2 years since the last one in which I failed to get a new PB. Now I was going back there again, hoping my legs had recovered enough to complete this…
One last race before Berlin Marathon, this was a 10K on the Welbeck Estate near Worksop. It certainly didn't go the way I thought it would…
My first 10K in over two years - a belated 10K in Leicester that should have taken place in 2020.
A multi-stage race around the outskirts of Sheffield, meaning a very hilly course and a very different experience.
Six months into the year, and 416 days into my run streak, it was time to return to racing once more.
My first time racing again since March, it was never going to be pretty; but seeing people would be nice…
One last big training run before Manchester Marathon... at least that was the plan
The fourth and final race in a 4 race series over the winter. It was one I really didn't want to go outside for; but eventually forced myself out. Hopefully I wouldn't regret it…
The third race in a 4 race series over the winter. Maybe times don't change, but results can.
This would be the third time doing this eace in the space of two years. With my half marathon goal achieved in March, and another PB attempt scheduled for March 2020; I decided that this race would be just for fun. I'd raced on Thursday and had put around 80-85% effort into that. As it was only a 5K my legs had mostly recovered; but I knew I couldn't go fast for the entire race. When I got to Will …
The second race in a 4 race series over the winter. The last race was a bit slow, would this be any better?
It's been a while since I last ran 5K, and I could tell from how it felt and from my time. However I finished 6th out of 112 runners with a time of 19:10.
The race in which I hoped to redeem myself after having an awful spring marathon. With legs that could not climb stairs the day before, could it still work out after four months of hard training?
Another year of doing this event, though this year treating it as a training run for Amsterdam marathon
Starting to feel a little better from my cough and cold, I had another 10K to run for the second week in a row. Maybe this one would go better...
This was one of those races I'd entered just for fun, and was only doing it because friends were. I've not raced in Clumber Park before; but I've seen plenty of it from trips there over various summers. It's the sort of place that is good for a picnic and to relax a little. My only expectation for this race was that it'd be a little slower than other 10Ks I've done recently as I figured it'd be a …
The wettest of my races this year (so far), and potentially my only chance to get a 10K PB in 2019… if I could be bothered to try.
My annual 5K PB attempt in Milton Keynes. After some bad performances from me lately, would this go the same way?
My second 10K of the month being used mostly as a training run ahead of next week\'s more serious 5K race. The first outing of the year for my racing shoes (didn't feel like using them for the previous ones this year).
Six days after the Greater Manchester Marathon it was time to race again... even if I was treating it as a tempo training run.
Five months of hard training, PBs, and positive results had finally led to this - an attempt at a sub-3:00 marathon so I could have another shot at the London Marathon as a BQ race. It was certainly a race of two halves.
My first half marathon in the year in conditions that were forecast to be bad. Perhaps I'd get lucky anyway.
My first race of the year. The best I've done on this course, finishing 5th overall and 1st in my age category.
One last race for 2018, and one last chance for a second half marathon PB of the year.
A 10K race I did for fun with friends, on a nice sunny day. It wasn't a bad day out, and one I'd recommend.
The wettest marathon I've ever done, but also my fastest WMM to date even if not my fastest overall. It'd been quite the experience, and one I wouldn't be forgetting quickly
I've done this race four times, well, I've done the half twice and the full marathon twice. So when entries opened for 2018 I automatically entered it without thinking. Then I got into Chicago Marathon which would take place just one week after this. So this went from a PB chasing attempt like it was in 2017 to "should I even be running this?" as the time drew closer. Even on the day of …
Another go at what was my PB race last year. I entered this year hoping I could do better, but between illness and reduced training whilst on vacation, this seemed unlikely.
A four lap race in Prestwold around a driving circuit (formerly an airfield) with 1 mile, 5K, and 10K options available. It was a race I expected to be slow, but sometimes races can be surprising.
A half marathon in Cambridgeshire, and another chance to chase that sub-90 time. How much would the UK heatwave affect the result?
A return to Wasing Park for another go at Endure 24 with no fixed plan, just a vague idea that it'd be nice to do more miles than before. Could I run that far so soon after Malawi?
An incredible day of running around the warm heart of Africa. It was an experience like no other and race that was constantly changing as the day and terrain continued.
My third time doing this 5K. The first time had been a PB, but the second time it seemed I'd plateaued - I was no longer improving my times. So what would doing it a third time be like? Could I finally get that elusive sub-19 time?
My third time doing this 10K, but the first time I've done it without overheating or injury. It was a cold day for April, and quite wet, but fortunately the rain eased off for most of the race.
My first trail half marathon, but in difficult conditions. It seemed the weather was making people run about 10% slower than normal, but despite this and a bad knee, I finished it!
With plastics polluting our oceans, are sports doing enough to reduce our impact? There are many different ways to get water during a running event so what trade-off can there be between pace and pollution?
A return to one of my favourite marathon courses, this time underprepared and completely unsure of what the end result might look like. Sometimes, just sometimes, the conditions on the day can surprise you and allow you to more than beat your goals.
A 10K race along the Tissington Trail from Ashbourne. This was my second time doing this race, but was one I wasn't ready for.
Read my race review for Milton Keynes Winter Half Marathon, starting and finishing at Willen Lake. It was a fast course, and I found myself unintentionally coming out of it with a new PB, and being depressingly close to that elusive sub-90 as things didn't go entirely to plan
My plan for the start of 2018 was a simple one. I’d start with the Ashbourne 10K, the Reading Half, and then finish off with my third attempt at the Greater Manchester Marathon. Like everything, plans change. I’d planned to be in London on Saturday 3rd February to visit the British Library, but had no plans on staying for anything else. When the Winter Run was advertised it reminded me that it’s a …
Of my five goals for 2017 I’ve so far achieved two of them. This left me with three I’d not yet managed, and one of those was to get a sub-19 5K. I’ve been close to it, in fact I’ve been close to it a number of times now: twice at Milton Keynes for their Rocket 5K, and once at parkrun. I’ve always been just a few seconds from dipping under that milestone though. As the year sailed by I found my ch …
This one was a run in Grantham with a friend to celebrate the 30th birthday of her father's business.
Having a race the weekend after two weekends of marathons may not be the greatest of ideas. To make matters worse I decided to increase the distance for this race from the 10K option, to the 10 mile option. Excellent. At least after this I’d have a few weeks without races. When booking the Thoresby 10 I pictured an off-road trail that’d be muddy, and slow. I thought it’d be nice to give it a go, b …
One week after the Yorkshire marathon it was time already to run another: the inaugural Birmingham International Marathon. It’s not the first time the city of Birmingham have had a marathon. From 1980 to 1985 the city played host to the People’s Marathon. The return of a marathon to England’s second city meant it was a race I had to do, even if it only gave me a week of recovery time after the las …
I’m not really sure what led me to enter this marathon. I like to make sure I have an autumn marathon to do, even though I don’t like speed training in the heat of summer. This time I was training through the summer for big ultra marathons so I had the added incentive to find a marathon to do to see if training for ultras made any difference this time. Training was going well to start with. I grad …
If you’ve read my previous blog posts then you might know that I’d got a few ambitious goals for 2017: sub-19 5K, sub-40 10K, sub-89 Half Marathon, 3:15 marathon, and to complete my first 100K event. My first attempt at breaking the half marathon goal was off the back of a minor niggle that had resulted in reduced training at the start of the year, which then led into a marathon PB – but missing …
Just one week before this race I ran the Leicester 10K during my last few weeks of training for the Yorkshire Marathon. I’d had a slow year, mostly in the build-up to the longest races I’ve ever done, but marathon training wasn’t going too badly – even though it was greatly condensed from what I’d normally do. Even though I knew my training was so far exhausting, I wanted to try and PB at 10K. For …
So far this year the only goal for 2017 that I’ve been able to accomplish is to complete a 100km race. That is something I did at Race to the Stones once more than half the year had passed by. I still had goals to improve my 5K, 10K, half marathon, and marathon times. I came close to reaching sub-40 minutes at Leeds last year, so I decided if I booked a couple of 10Ks during the lead-up to my autu …
I’ve always considered myself to be someone who isn’t very active — I spend most of the day in front of a computer. I get up, and whilst having breakfast I’ll check my emails, RSS feeds, and check-up on social media. I then go to work and spend at least the next eight hours in front of a computer working, and then when I get home I’ll be in front of my computer again to either work on personal pro …
Of all my races for this year, this was the one race I most had my doubts about. For a while I’ve been keen on one day doing the Marathon des Sables, and I thought doing some longer races would help see if I could cope with that. My original intention had been to enter Race to the King and Race to the Stones, both as two day events. When it came to booking I decided to book Race to the King first, …
I hadn’t planned on racing in between Race to the King and Race to the Stones. I didn’t know what recovery would be like so I didn’t want to commit to anything. When I was told about an early morning race on a Friday between them I was a little unsure at first – I’d need to get into town, park, get to the start, race, get back to my car, get home, and then get ready for work as normal. Even with a …
Race to the King and Race to the Stones are two events I’ve heard a lot about and from what I’d seen they appeared to be quite scenic. It was fairly early on I started considering doing at least one of these events, though I’d been in awe of those I’d seen complete Race to the Stones in 2015. Both of these events have a number of options: the full distance in one go, the full distance split into …
I’d heard of the 'Endure 24' race before, though I knew absolutely nothing about it other than the obvious – that it was a 24 hour race. In my mind it was like the running equivalent of Le Mans – the famous endurance car racing event which is coming up to it’s 100th year. After I’d already signed up for both Race to the King and Race to the Stones I was asked by Charly to join her team – “Team Hal …
Two races. Two days. On the Sunday for this bank holiday weekend I did the Rocket 5K in Milton Keynes as part of their Marathon Weekend event. It didn’t quite go according to plan as I’d hoped to achieve one of my running goals through it, but missed completely. Then, the day after this was the Milton Keynes marathon – my second marathon for 2017, and my ninth in the past three years (okay so it’s …
Marathons and 5Ks are very different events with very different strategies. With a marathon you hold back for most of the race in the knowledge that later in the race it will benefit you. I find when I run this distance that I plan different paces throughout the race as I know I’ll tire too much towards the end – it’s all about discipline. With a 5K it’s very different – you put everything you’ve …
Another go at running Manchester, and another go at getting a marathon PB. Could I do it again?
I’ve not had a brilliant track record with attempting this race. In 2015 I wanted to do this, but it clashed with another race I was doing. In 2016 I actually entered the race, but couldn’t train at the time the race happened due to flu which was at it’s worse around the day of the race. It then looked like this race wasn’t going to be going ahead in 2017 after there was talk of the race organiser …
I hadn’t raced since the Nepal Marathon during the previous year, and my hope was that I could have a winter of training that would help me get to the point where I could set new personal bests for each of the distances I run. The first of the races I hoped to PB at was the Ashbourne 10, though sadly I missed a lot of runs in January and February as training didn’t go to plan for one reason or ano …
I’ve not had much luck with the couple of 10K races I’ve had this year. One of my goals for 2016 had been to go sub-40 at 10K distance – but so far I’d not achieved this. For the first of these attempts I just couldn’t keep going in the heat and for the last 5K I completely lost the pace and walked frequently. On the second of these 10K attempts I was injured and found hobbling around the course j …
At the start of the year training had been going that well that I’d got a shinny new 10K PB during a training run and had been doing 10 mile runs on consecutive weeks in a little over an hour. It felt good, and I was confident of finally getting a sub-90 half marathon time so entered the Coventry Half. However, this is where my attempts at half marathons took a wrong turn. I never got to try the C …
My attempt at this marathon last year did not go well, mostly due to lack of training over the summer, too many races, and my inability to train well in the warmer weather. This year I wanted it to be different, I wanted to beat last year’s time at the very least and if possible run much more of it. Things didn’t go to plan though, and as I’ve mentioned in a few previous blog posts (okay, maybe se …
I’ve seen the Great North Run a few times on the television, and a friend has raved about the atmosphere but others have also been cautionary about how crowded it can be and how unlikely I’d be to get a PB there. For me this race wasn’t about trying to PB, it was one I just wanted to enjoy. I’ve known about the Great North Run for a very long time, seeing it for the first time when at school (at t …
From the start I wasn’t sure whether or not to enter this one – not only would it be my second ever 5 mile race it would also be the afternoon before a 20 mile training run ready for my next marathon. Racing in the afternoon isn’t something I’ve done often either as I don’t really run that well in the afternoons. By this time two months had passed since my ankle injury in Moscow and it had improve …
My original plan upon returning from my trans-Siberian adventure was to run a 10K and then do the Shrewsbury Half Marathon. I didn’t really know what to expect from this race; but after missing Coventry Half due to illness, and barely having recovered enough to run the Milton Keynes Half, this one would be my first proper Half Marathon of the year. However, whilst in Moscow I managed to slip on s …
People often think of running as a solitary sport; something which TV and film often reinforces when you see people out for a run through a park with their headphones on. It’s not entirely wrong either, and in most cases at least some or all of your runs may be this way, and maybe even on race days. For some being away from people is what makes it appealing to them – they don’t have to worry what …
One of my goals for 2016 was to manage a sub-40 minute 10K, and ideally I wanted that to be in a race. For the first (almost) half of the year I’d been training for marathons and an ultra marathon so couldn’t really do much with speedwork, but early on I did manage to get my 10K time down to 41 minutes so that’d I’d only need to find another minute or so to meet this goal. My first real chance to …
My year started off working on improving my long distance running and for a while I considered entering the Milton Keynes Marathon for May. Eventually though I decided that many marathons in so short a space of time would be ridiculous and instead it’d be a good time to do some shorter, faster races again (I did change my mind and realise I should do it, but it was too late by this point). Due to …
The Brighton Marathon was the first race I entered for 2016 and at the time I wasn’t sure if I’d do it just for fun, or if I’d attempt a PB there. I hadn’t even run the London Marathon at this point. Though months later I entered the ballot again for the London Marathon having enjoyed that one so much. I then started to question whether two marathons in two weekends for 2016 would be a stupid idea …
Up until this point I’d done three marathons as races. My first was almost a year to the day after I started running and I wasn’t overly pleased with it, even though it was a sub-4 hour one. Despite training to 21 miles I found that when I got to 18 miles, I struggled to continue running after having stopped for water. My second was the London Marathon, and everything seemed to go well. To start w …
After doing the London Marathon I’d started to think that doing an ultra marathon at the end of 2016 might be a good idea, eventually though I decided to go for one a little sooner – the 50K route of Canalathon in March 2016. Once my races for 2015 were over I started my training for the ultra marathon by going for another run streak for Advent Running. This time I managed just over 150 miles in 2 …
I had planned to start the year with Coventry’s Half Marathon, but due to having the flu I didn’t manage to run it. It had been that proper, can barely move type of flu that isn't just a bad cold. Instead, at short notice I decided to run the MK Half Marathon a week later even though I could barely run yet. I knew it wouldn’t be a PB, and it’d be a case of just trying to get around as I still wasn …
During December 2014 I tried “advent running” for the first time. This is a run streak specifically for December where the goal is to run at least 3 miles or for 20 minutes every day of Advent (although not strictly true due to the nature of how advent falls in the calendar). So what this means for me is to run every day from December 1st up until and including December 24th, but I add the challen …
I booked this one to be my last attempt at a 10K PB in 2015 – my 16th and final race of the year. I had no idea at the time though that this one would be almost entirely off road – I’d made the silly assumption it would be on paths. I started to wonder if a PB was possible, but I decided that as long as I beat my time from Rockingham I’d be happy. On the night before the race it was cold – so cold …
When I first entered this race my plan had been to attempt a new 10K PB as after setting my current one in Lincoln earlier in the year. I did at the time think I could do better as I wasn’t running flat out at the end. Over the summer I’d had a lot of bad runs, but I still didn’t think it was out of the question as the majority of my training runs were still not that much slower than my PB. Howeve …
Two half marathons in two consecutive weekends felt crazy. Sure enough though it was the sort of crazy that’d I’d be up for attempting. In some ways it would be like a practice run for my Spring 2016 plan, but with shorter distances. Although after the Great Birmingham Run my cough and cold lingered on – threatening to make this another struggle. Fortunately by race day though it wasn’t bothering …
Racing hadn’t been going great recently, and neither had training. After what I perceived as a failure at the Robin Hood Marathon I wanted to start getting back to where I was with running back in March. For October my plans included two back to back weekends of half marathons, the first of which would be this hilly one in Birmingham for the Great Birmingham Run. I had some idea of what I was gett …
After my last two marathons I’d hoped that I would be able to improve on my time once again. Having improved my time by around 30 minutes between the last two I’d hoped I’d be able to shave another 10 minutes off my time. Following the last marathon though I had about a month off from training and then struggled to get back to it as I started to get ready for this marathon. My hope went from setti …
I had wanted to do this race last year, but it’s timing wasn’t too good to fit in with my first marathon – and I didn’t really have the confidence that I could do another race too close to marathon day. This year though I decided that this race would form the first 10 miles of my 22 mile run – my last LSR before beginning to taper. As it got closer to race day my doubts grew over whether it was a …
Marathon training had not been going brilliantly – in each of my races since the London Marathon I had walked at some point during it, despite knowing I’d been able to get up to 22 miles without walking during training for that. My goal this time was to make sure I would not walk. It was only 5 miles after all and managing to run this race without walking would hopefully set me back on track for t …
I felt incredibly under prepared for this half marathon – since the London Marathon the farthest I’d run was 11 miles, twice, but both times at a far slower pace than what I’d been running around London at. I knew a personal best was out of the question for this race so my goal was to just get around it. After all, it’d be nice to increase the distance again and would hopefully help with the marat …
I’ve never done a trail run before, so when I came across the Beacon Solstice Run it interested me. At the point I entered this though I had no other races planned for June – it was much later I decided to do the Two Castles Run and the Rothley 10K in the same week. For the Two Castles Run it had been a warm morning and I’d twisted my ankle just over half way into the race. I’d been fortunate and …
A year ago I did the Rothley 10K for the first time, and it was one of my first 10K races. It was however one which took place at a time when I was having issues with my knees and this race played havoc on them. I decided to enter it again this year, but again knew I wouldn’t be racing at full speed due to it only having a day’s rest since my last race. On the day of the race I prepared my race ki …
This was a race I’d wanted to do the year before, but by the time I’d decided I wanted to do it there were no available places. So, when the the entries opened for 2015 I made sure I didn’t miss out. A friend had done this race a few years previous so it was one I wanted to do also, in part so we could compare times afterwards. However, after 3 weeks of almost zero runs, and going straight into th …
The first #ukrunchat training weekend was done at Anglesey but I never attended it. I was unsure about whether it was something I’d get “along with”. I thought I wasn’t a serious enough runner, I usually feel socially awkward and uncomfortable (anyone who’s met me will agree how difficult I can be), and I wasn’t sure how easy it would be to fit in with the others there. My doubts got the better of …
Before I’d even run the London Marathon I decided I’d do the inaugural Great Birmingham 10K the week after it. It didn’t seem the best of ideas at the time. As it got closer to race day I attempted to book a train so I could take it easy before the 12noon start. The problem though was the start time changed, and I'd now need a train at a time when there weren’t any trains stopping at the local sta …
The London Marathon is one of the most popular events you could ever hope to enter. By some miracle I was lucky enough to be one of the ones that got a ballot place for this years event, and got the confirmation of this just weeks before I was due to run the Leicester Marathon – my first ever marathon. This meant I was fortunate as I could run just for the fun of it, or decide what charity I wante …
In 2014 the Lincoln 10K was my first proper race so I knew I had to try doing this race again this year to see if I'd improved at all. The downside to this though was that it's timing was the week after the Silverstone Half Marathon, another race I'd wanted to do well with. On the day of this race I should have been doing an 18 mile run for London Marathon so running a 10K race didn't really fit i …
After the Donington Park HM I'd planned to have a break from running for a few weeks before starting on training for the London Marathon. This didn't quite happen and instead I found myself working on an Advent running streak instead - this streak consisted of 24 runs in 24 days with none of them less than 4 miles, but some being around 13 miles. I then took about a week off from running over Chri …
This was a bit of a last minute decision, and it didn’t really fit in with my training, but when I saw this one was nearby I decided this would be a good way to start racing for 2015. This actually became the last run of my third week of training for the London Marathon (out of a total of 16 weeks training). The weeks of 2015 had so far been cold and was showing signs of getting colder as we got c …
This is a race I wasn’t sure whether or not I wanted to enter or not. It was one month since I did a marathon, and only a week since I last did a 10K race so I wasn’t that sure if it was a good idea or not. Since the marathon I’ve barely run, and my longest distance since then was only 10K – so I felt a little underprepared to do my second Half Marathon. When I did the Robin Hood Half Marathon it …
Following the Leicester Marathon I had barely run for three weeks. With the exception of setting a new PB of 20:29 for running 5K most of my runs had seemed like hard work, from both the point of view of motivating myself, and the effort required. I think my loss of motivation was a combination of having just done the marathon, the sudden change in temperature outside, and the changing of the cloc …
In around February 2013 I started a “bucket list” of things to do, and I wanted to try and do as many of them as I could as soon as possible. One of those things I added was to run a marathon. At this time I never thought I’d actually do it – I hadn’t even been doing any running. At the end of September 2013 I started the “Couch to 5K” program and continued up to 10K by Christmas. If you’re not in …
Although I still hadn’t run a race at the time I entered for this Half Marathon in March 2013, I thought it would be a good idea to have what seemed like an ambitious goal to aim for. I also thought that if I wanted to try a full marathon then this would be good training for that. So on the lead up to the 6 mile run for Sport Relief, my first event, I started to plan a programme of training for th …
In July I started my marathon training and by the time of this race had already got passed 10K once more, but the program I was following recommended having a 10K race at around the halfway mark for the 16 weeks of training. Fortunately the Atherstone 10K which is hosted by the Badgers running club fit in with this timing almost perfectly, and it being in Warwickshire meant it wasn’t that far to t …
This run was in support of Rainbows, a charity that provides hospice care for children and young people that have life-shortening, or life-threatening illnesses. This year the charity is celebrating it’s 20th birthday, and on the lead up to the event I was able to raise £75.00 in sponsorship for them. It being about a month after my previous race I was pretty hopeful that I would have managed to h …
Having only been running 8 weeks at the time, and never having done 10K or a race, at the suggestion of a friend I signed up for the 6 mile “Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile” race at Leicester Forest RFC, Leicester on March 23rd 2014. Whilst 6 miles is not a 10K race, it is close enough as a 10K is 6.22 miles. By the time I completed what was basically the “Couch to 5K” training I was already running …
Back in the September of 2013 it was suggested by a friend that I might want to take part in the Zombie Earth: Run event that would take place that November. However I’d not run much for a very long time, not since before University in fact. Even then the only running I’d done that wasn’t a sprint was what I’d done in school. So to prepare for this night 5K race I decided I’d try out the Couch to …
It’s not always possible to get large numbers of people together on a regular basis to run either a 5K, 10K or Half Marathon race. Each time one of these takes place there has to be organisers agreeing with the local council or land owner that a race will take place on a particular day for a particular duration. If the route includes roads then it can mean closing off roads whilst the run takes pl …
