Clair parkrun

Clair - in Haywards Heath - is a parkrun that rarely seems to get much attention from parkrun tourists, perhaps it's because it's so close to Brighton that people think if they've gone all that way, they might as well go to the seaside.  Or perhaps it's because it has four and a half laps.  … Continue reading Clair parkrun

Watford 10k

Continuing the theme of bonkers runs in unglamorous locations, Monday found me taking a trip to the far end of the Metropolitan line for the Watford 10k.  This was Rosie's fault as she is vaguely local, and all her children were taking part in the 1k and 3k races (and getting ridiculously fast times - … Continue reading Watford 10k

BM10K

Oh dear. I seem to be terribly behind on my blog posts.  I must have been far too busy training to have time to write about training.  Anyway, I'll pick up where I left off, which is somewhere in the Eastbourne Travelodge after being pelted with hailstones and eating vegan kebabs in Brighton. The first … Continue reading BM10K

Blown Away

It has been quite windy this weekend.  By "quite windy" I actually mean scaffolding-smashing, tree-toppling 70mph gusts of wind that made me quite glad I was saddled with work, dispatching ambulances to people who had been upended by the weather, rather than getting upended by the weather myself.  Most of my friends were taking part … Continue reading Blown Away

Medal Wanker

After I posted yet another "medal wanker selfie" to Facebook, my non-running friend Alexander asked somewhat incrediously what I did with all those medals. The answer to this question is that I hang them on my door handle for a while and then put them in a big plastic crate which I keep under my … Continue reading Medal Wanker

Canicross

In 2017, a man named Ben Robinson ran a parkrun in twelve minutes and twenty four seconds, thirteen seconds faster than the world record for the equivalent distance on a running track.  How did he do it?  With the assistance of a dog, of course!  Ben Robinson is a canicross champion, which means he competes … Continue reading Canicross

Sick

What did I tell you? I thought maybe going vegan had made me immune to colds because I hadn't had one since April 2018, but clearly not.  I started coughing and sniffing a bit during yesterday's long run, but assumed it was just the cold air irritating my lungs.  I felt quite exhausted in the … Continue reading Sick

RED: Day 4

This is a day on which I would not normally have exercised.  A rest day, if you call getting up at 4:30am and doing twelve hours' work rest.  I reached my 12,000 minimum daily steps target as I got home just after 8pm, a sizeable chunk of that coming from hunting vegan sausage rolls in Waterloo.  (They … Continue reading RED: Day 4

RED January

This January, I'm taking part in the Mind (mental health charity) initiative, RED (Run Every Day).  The name is a bit misleading, because the rule is that you actually have to exercise every day in January, not necessarily run.  Actually running every day is probably a bad idea for a lot of people, especially those prone … Continue reading RED January

My First 10k Race

Yesterday, Facebook Memories reminded me that it was the nine year anniversary of my first ten kilometre race. I wasn't A Runner back then, of course.  I led a much less healthy lifestyle which mainly revolved around watching repeats of Airline with my idiot ex-boyfriend whilst getting legless on supermarket real ale, then ordering Domino's.  … Continue reading My First 10k Race

Upslide Down

On Tuesday I was at the Olympic Park for a run with a bit of a difference.  Instead of running horizontally, I was running vertically - up the Orbit, that is, the peculiar helter-skelter-like structure next to the stadium.  It's 114.5 metres tall with 455 spiral stairs.  I did this event last year and knew … Continue reading Upslide Down

Sugar Free

Eight days ago, I decided to get a grip on my out of control sugar consumption.  I already knew I was eating too much sugar, and that this was probably the main reason that I was having trouble losing weight, but I was still shocked when I sat down and counted up how much sugar … Continue reading Sugar Free

Chase The Ferry

During my running career I've been beaten by a pillar box, all four tellytubbies, the Eiffel Tower, a man with one leg and countless small children, but never a ferry.  I therefore decided to join the Viewtube Runners for their race against the ferry. The Woolwich Ferry opened in 1889 and transports 2 million passengers … Continue reading Chase The Ferry

Richmond parkrun

Seven months ago, I said: and I must admit that this bold statement was at the forefront of my mind as I struggled around Richmond Desert, sorry, I mean Richmond Park this morning.  With the temperature hitting 33 degrees, my body informed me that running was unavailable and walking was the only available substitute.  Therefore … Continue reading Richmond parkrun