We may have been friends for more than half our lives, we may have been training buddies, and we may have run Brighton Marathon 2012 together - but for the next 10 days, SportyGirl and I are rivals. Not since Seb Coe and Steve Ovett battled each other in the 80s has running known such [...]
Ex-smokers are supposed to be the most fierce anti-smokers. I think it's also fair to say that reformed couch-potatoes like myself are some of the most evangelical when it comes to extolling the benefits of running. And so when one of my friends who hasn't run in 15 years suggested in the pub on Saturday [...]
Running a half or full marathon this Autumn or thinking about it? Want some company training and an extra kick up the backside when it gets tough? Well step this way because I've got something you might just like...This October I'll be doing the Venice Marathon; whatever race you're doing this autumn you can train [...]
Stomachs don't come more cast iron than mine. At Brighton Marathon 2012, SportyGirl marvelled at my ability to ingest every sugary drink, energy gel and jelly bean handed to me (including those that were being given out by grubby-handed kids) without feeling any ill effects other than hyperactivity. But this isn't the case for everyone [...]
The people around you may not 'get' the whole running thing. Yeah, you go running, you exercise and are trying to get fitter or thinner - that they understand. But they may not 'get' what running is becoming for you - because there's people who run and then there's runners. The difference isn't anything to [...]
I like beer and I like running. So when, on Friday night, I was deliberating over which ale I'd be sampling, there really was only one contender - Truman's Runner.Truman's is an East London brewery - so I was a little disappointed on learning that the beer wasn't named in honour of this runner moving [...]
If you've never seen this film of Heather Dorniden's indoor track race, it's well worth a watch. If you're short of time skip forward to just before one minute in.
Preparation is key to successful racing. So do and I say, and not as I do, to give yourself the best possible advantage. Do take it easy on the days before your race. Keep your weight off your feet. Don't carry a bag the weight of another human on your back for the best part [...]
This week I turn 30. The kind people at the Thailand International Half Marathon reminded me of this just yesterday by sending me an online registration form to fill in for the race next week. For the first time I ticked 30-35 as that will be my box when I race. I don't mind turning [...]
Thousands of miles away from home where I don't speak the language or know anyone in a city of five million people, I knew a place I could go where a group of runners would welcome me like an old friend. A place where everybody knows your (hash) name. It's like 'Cheers' but with a [...]