Speedy legs in Essex
This morning I popped to the Essex coast for a nice almost flat traffic-free half marathon, from Walton past Frinton and Holland and back again, where possible using the upper and lower options available in the two directions. The weather … Continued
Within sight
With five weeks till the London Marathon, I ran 31.3 km this morning, my longest run yet, in 3h14. It snowed almost throughout but fortunately only very light, but the wind was gale-force so with the temperature below freezing (the … Continued
Getting longer
28km this morning, my longest yet. I found it went in four phases, perhaps more mental than physical. First it was easy, as any run will be to start with. Second it turned hard with my legs no longer fresh … Continued
Cyprus half marathon
Seven weeks to go till the London Marathon, and my training plan had suggested a half-marathon race, and somehow that got turned into a short holiday to Cyprus. It was an early start on Sunday morning to get to the … Continued
8 weeks to go
So, just 8 weeks to go till the London Marathon. So, how are things going? A good week, I think. During the week, some hill intervals on the treadmill, a good paced 10km, some speed intervals, a swim and a … Continued
Claire’s 50th parkrun
Today was Claire’s 50th parkrun, and someone who bear’s his share of the responsibility for Claire doing parkruns (and 10k’s and 10-milers) at all, I thought I would pop down to Hadleigh to help celebrate. It was a glorious morning … Continued
Plans afoot
Since getting my place in May 2017 for in The Big One on 22 April 2018, I’ve deliberately run a lot more races than previously, with more in the pipeline. Those planned still to do: In March, my first overseas race, … Continued
London Marathon Meet the Experts, February 2018
at the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster, 3rd February The organisers of the Virgin Money London Marathon put on an event called “Meet the Experts”, an opportunity to hear from a range of experts to help those attending (almost exclusively first … Continued
Hadleigh 2012 Legacy 10k, January 2018
Part of the legacy of the 2012 Olympics is the mountain-bike course at Hadleigh in Essex, including some rather challenging terrain for bikes. Arising from that is the slightly confusingly named Hadleigh 2012 Legacy 10k, confusing only in the sense … Continued
Review of the year
So, how did 2017’s running go? I’m pretty pleased.
Druridge Bay – parkrun location 52
My 52nd parkrun location for this morning was an icy Druridge Bay, the most northerly parkrun in England while we were spending a weekend in Northumberland. While I was waiting in the cold and then running, Lucy took the dogs … Continued
Snetterton Race Track half-marathon
A chilly morning (zero degrees when we set out from home) made for a slightly tricky decision on what to wear for this race, and as I stood around before the start, wearing an extra fleece and still cold, I … Continued
Brundall – parkrun location 51
After doing my home parkrun last weekend, this morning’s exploration took me to Brundall, just east of Norwich for my 84th parkrun at my 51st different course. It’s a fairly new “countryside park”, and on the small side as these … Continued
Castle Park – parkrun location 50
My 50th different parkrun location today was Castle Park parkrun, in Bishop’s Stortford in Hertfordshire. A very pleasant trot around the park with views of a second motte-and-bailey castle (after last week’s Clare Castle) and the infant River Stort, cheered … Continued
Clare Castle – parkrun location 49
Clare Castle parkrun in SW Suffolk today for my parkrun tourism. It was just its fourth run, and so had been my nearest not visited. The run here allowed me to complete the Suffolk parkruns once again. The route is … Continued