The Christmas Cow Fest (a convention of Cow Cowl clad tourists) took place this weekend at the relatively new Wendover Woods parkrun in Buckinghamshire. As I was at work on Friday, I could only take part in the parkrun section of the festivities and not the drinks the night before, which by the look of … Continue reading Wendover Woods parkrun
This isn't really a blog about running. It's actually a blog about the weather, in which I have to go for a run occasionally to truly experience weather at it's most weathery and come back with material to moan about. I woke this morning to fresh looking skies, a dry garden and a mild weather … Continue reading Long Slow Wet Muddy Hilly Run
This weekend a rare and wondrous thing occurred, in that I asked Work to change my day shifts to late shifts and they actually said yes, which meant I could slip in a sneaky unplanned parkrun before work. I toyed with the idea of trying out Clapham Common but after a stressful week I decided … Continue reading Burgess parkrun (again)
I decided to go with the triathlon in Seaford. The prospect of official race photos with those gorgeous white cliffs in the background was what swung it. Not being crushed to death by a tractor was also a big incentive. Anyway, I thought I'd update as to how triathlon training is going. At the moment … Continue reading Seaford, Here We Come
It is five years now since I started running, and in the whole of that time I have never, ever run a 5k race or parkrun in less than 35 minutes. Until now. It was back to my old friend, Chase The Moon at the Olympic Park. I always run a bit faster at the … Continue reading Over The Moon
"I'm absolutely sick of getting parkrun times that start with thirty-six!" I proclaimed. "I know I can do sub-35!" And to prove this to myself, I stormed off to the running track and bashed out 33:09. "Right, Barking parkrun! Let's be having you!" I said. Armed with my Cow Cowl, new Vegan Runners vest, Samuel … Continue reading Barking parkrun (again)
You may remember that my last attempt at this race didn't go very well. After a wrong turn at 2km, I found myself horribly off course with no sensible way of getting back on course, got the hump, moaned at the person in charge and went home. My moaning earned me the compensation of a … Continue reading The Race Organiser Greenwich 10k
The places you end up supporting a non league football team. Blackpool, for instance. What a place. It reminds me of those video games I used to play before I started spending all my time running, where you roam a town filled with non-playable characters, simulated humans who slowly and purposelessly roam the streets with … Continue reading Fleetwood Promenade parkrun
I thought running two 5kms with a 90 minute break between would be easier than running 10km in one go. I was wrong! Fresh from Mile End parkrun, Linda, Petra and I assembled in Victoria Park where we were met by various RunThrough miscreants. It was SO COLD. Standing round in damp, sweaty parkrun clothes … Continue reading London Poppy Run
Mile End is the tenth closest parkrun from where I live and one I have been saving up for when it gets too cold to be getting on trains to Darkest Essex. That time has definitely come: in fact the average temperature as per my Garmin dropped from 22c to 6c between my last parkrun … Continue reading Mile End parkrun
I was egg-scused (sorry) from parkrun this morning as I had to go to work. Meanwhile, the Unhappy Eggs parkrun drama raged on. Despite over a thousand comments mostly denouncing the partnership on the original post, parkrun HQ had no intention of backing down. They sent an email out to some concerned core team members … Continue reading parkrun egg-gate continues…
It has all kicked off on Facebook. parkrun have announced their new sponsor is a mass producer of eggs (I will not give them the publicity by linking them) who, like all mass producers of eggs, are well known for doing horrendous things to chickens (warning - link contains descriptions of animal cruelty - no pictures). … Continue reading The new parkrun sponsor
One thing has been missing from my training routine ever since the marathon: the Long Slow Run, the solitary plod down the banks of the Lea Canal, with change jangling in my pockets, puddle water in my socks, and occasionally a Yellow Belly hanging from my mouth. When I started running, these jaunts were what … Continue reading The Return of the Long Slow Run
35:43! That was my official time at Chase The Moon last night and I'm absolutely delighted. It is only 24 seconds slower than my (not including track runs) 5km PB set at Dulwich parkrun in January. I'm definitely running faster than I was this time last year and I feel that if I take on … Continue reading RunThrough Chase The Moon Olympic Park
Today I was in Southend for the second time in two weeks. It's not just the beaches that draw me to my nearest seaside town. When I'm not running, I like to do a bit of genealogy. I am also better at genealogy than I am at running. A bunch of my ancestors lived in … Continue reading Southend Classic 10k
The unprecedented heatwave of 2018 (ie. 47 consecutive days where I didn't have to use a hot water bottle) is now officially over and we are sliding into winter. This means the "I'll just Jeff it, I don't want to get too hot and get heatstroke and die" excuse is firmly in the bin and … Continue reading Winter Training
You know what I'm like with a hill. As soon as my favourite running events company, RunThrough, announced they were putting on a race on the infamous zigzag road loved by cyclists in lycra on fancy bikes and featured in the Olympic cycle route, I was there. Box Hill, near Dorking, is a "site of … Continue reading Beat Box Hill 5km
Southend parkrun comes under the heading of "parkruns I have been meaning to go to for ages but keep getting thwarted by engineering works on the Gospel Oak to Barking line". This weekend was my last real opportunity to do it before it gets too cold for this nonsense, so I was relieved to see … Continue reading Southend parkrun
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
Yesterday, I headed to Potters Fields near London Bridge for an emotional reunion with my RunThrough buddies, whom I have not seen for a whole six days. Now the Chase The Sun events are over, we are all feeling a bit bereft, so it was nice to have an alternative evening run to attend. I … Continue reading Run the River
Last year I took part in the Kew Gardens 10k, which is part of the Richmond Running Festival and really enjoyed it, so in 2018 it was back for round two. There had been a couple of improvements from last year, in that the route stayed within the gardens the whole way instead of taking an … Continue reading Kew Gardens 10k
I have spent the last week on holiday in France. Last Thursday I did my hilliest 5k ever in the mountains of the Cantal region of France where my uncle lives. My route consisted of 2km of rocky trail and 3km of roads. The first 2km were extremely wet and uneven - it rained heavily … Continue reading parkrun du Bois de Boulogne
I woke up the day after my million mile bike ride with a whole new set of aches and pains to content with. Normally I would find my lower legs and hips were giving me bother. Today it was my upper legs, my knees and my upper back. I had lost all bendiness and was … Continue reading The Race Organiser Regents Park 10k
This time five years ago, I was in a park in Walthamstow holding a granny bike with the pedals removed, trying again and again to coast down a small slope without falling over, and invariably landing in a heap at the bottom. I was covered from head to toe in bruises and convinced that bicycles … Continue reading Bike Ride to Broxbourne (and Gunpowder parkrun)
When I heard my favourite band, mesh, were playing the Infest festival in Bradford, my first thought was "I wonder if I can combine this with a parkrun?" Bradford, you see, hosts a rather infamous parkrun with a "Teeny Tiny Hill", complete with sign, that you have to run up three times. I have never … Continue reading Bradford parkrun
The summer is almost over. I know this because for me, the weekly Wednesday night excursions to London parks to earn sun-shaped medals are over. There's one I can't get to next week, then the Wednesday nights go back to once a month in the Olympic Park until April. I actually feel quite bereft as … Continue reading RunThrough Chase The Sun Brixton
Last time I went to Hampstead Heath parkrun, I spotted on their page that the nearest alternative parkrun was one I'd never heard of, Gladstone parkrun. The parkrun website informed me that this park is situated in Dollis Hill, a part of London that I have never set foot in, despite it being only ten … Continue reading Gladstone parkrun
Yesterday was the fourth time I have run the RunThrough Hyde Park 5k. My times from the previous four outings went like this: 25 April 39:17 23 May 39:26 6 June 40:10 and this was quite depressing because one is supposed to get faster and not slower! Anyway, I am delighted to say I have … Continue reading RunThrough Chase The Sun Hyde Park
Regular readers of this blog (both of you) will notice that I have been fartarsing around with my running ever since the marathon with statements such as "Look I chose a parkrun with really big hills so I am perfectly justified in walking half of it" "It's a bit hot, I think I'll Jeff it, … Continue reading RunThrough Chase The Sun Olympic Park
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
I was rather nervous about last night's race, not just because of the hills and uneven terrain of Crystal Palace Park, but because the equivalent fixture in last year's Chase The Sun calendar (exactly a year ago) had ended very badly. The race itself had seemed to go okay, but I had been having a … Continue reading Chase The Sun Crystal Palace
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
I woke up this morning - the day after my cobble-related accident at Victoria Dock parkrun - to find that my right leg no longer bent in the middle and that I couldn't lift my left arm above my head. This was a bit of a problem as I was signed up for another race … Continue reading RunThrough Finsbury Park
As I mentioned yesterday, Victoria Dock was my 20th parkrun venue and I am now an official parkrun Tourist. My first parkrun was Finsbury Park on 4th March 2017 and I did it twice before thinking that I might like to try one that was slightly less challenging on the hill front - so off … Continue reading parkrun Tourism parts 1-20
Today was a special milestone in my parkrunning career: my 20th different venue. Doing 20 different venues makes you appear on the Most Events page which in turn entitles you to join the UK parkrun tourists Facebook group where you get the top secret link to purchase a black, white and yellow cow print cowl which … Continue reading Victoria Dock 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
Running a 5k in 30 minutes is often seen as the holy grail for beginners and talent-deficient runners, and it's my big goal for the rest of the year. My current PB is 32:46, set in November 2017 on the running track, so it seems like something I can achieve if I focus on it … Continue reading A Weighty Issue
I have recently had a change of rota at work, with my nightshifts being replaced with 11am-11pm shifts. This has the very exciting side effect of enabling me to do an extra parkrun every month, so long as it is within 30 minutes travel of work. There are three parkruns that fulfil this criteria, and … Continue reading Burgess parkrun
A couple of days after this year's London Marathon (one week after I ran Brighton), a story doing the rounds on my running groups was causing widespread outrage. Jake Halliday, a sub 4 hour marathon runner who had raised nearly £50,000 for Bloodwise, had lost his running number somewhere near the end of the race, … Continue reading The Marathon Cheat
I have been wanting to visit this Hadleigh parkrun ever since I went on a history walk up to the castle last summer. It looked like a mountainous beast of a parkrun, with a hill to put Finsbury Park to shame (the course boasts double the elevation overall, and an 18% gradient in several places). … Continue reading Hadleigh parkrun
The latest edition of RunThrough's evening run series took me to sunny Wimbledon, home of tennis and Wombles. I will admit that if I hadn't got the season pass, I would probably have given this one a big miss as it is a trail run and I might have mentioned once or twice that I … Continue reading RunThrough Chase The Sun Wimbledon
When I signed up for the Westminster Mile nearly a year ago, I had some great ideas about doing lots of speedwork to train properly for it and do a super-speedy flying feet mile. It started well and by November I was down to 9:51. Then The Marathon happened and everything went to pot and … Continue reading Westminster Mile and London 10000
This will be a fairly quick review, as the course was completely unchanged from last time, my time was almost exactly the same, and even the weather was pretty much identical. I went out last night with four goals: Run the whole thing (ie. no walking) Don't get lost Don't have a tantrum about inappropriate … Continue reading RunThrough Chase The Moon Hyde Park
This weekend I did a lot of running related stuff but not a lot of actual running. Most of this centred round the Hackney Festival of Fitness. But first of all, there was Wanstead Flats' seventh anniversary. I didn't want to run because a) I was doing the Hackney 5k later b) it's a trail … Continue reading Hackney Festival of Fitness
My first 10k back was indeed a shambles - but not for the reason I thought it would be! The race was part of The Race Organiser's summer Royal Parks series, and took place in lovely, hilly Greenwich Park. The first 2km went really well, my legs felt fine and I was moving at roughly … Continue reading The Race Organiser Greenwich Park 10k
I have still done fuck all running since the marathon. I went out for a trial run round the block (less than 1km) on Wednesday and it felt fine at the time, but the second I stopped I felt like I'd been kicked in the shin and the pain didn't go until the next morning. … Continue reading My Time on the Injury Bench
I saw the work physio yesterday. He spent a while prodding my tibiæ (I had to Google the plural of "tibia") and poking them with what looked like a vibrating tuning fork, before agreeing with my self-assessment that I had a case of shin splints but no fracture and needed to take a week or … Continue reading RunThrough Chase The Sun Finsbury Park
I'm conceding defeat, putting myself on the injury bench and taking a break from running for the next couple of weeks. I thought my legs were just knackered from the marathon at first but now I think it's something more than that, the distinct feeling of "shin splints" in both calves (but thankfully not the … Continue reading Newcastle parkrun
All those people who gave annoying, unsolicited, know it all advice in the run up to the marathon? I'd love to say they all conked out at 20 miles and shut up, but sadly not, they're all now boasting about how little time it took them to get back up and running again after the … Continue reading RunThrough Chase The Sun Hyde Park
A week on from the marathon, and I'm still perplexed as to why every single person I speak to doesn't want to hear about it in minute detail. I am telling them anyway, including random people I never normally speak to at work, the scary HIIT instructor at the gym and absolutely anyone I interact … Continue reading Post Marathon Delerium
I am no longer training for anything (well, a few 10ks, but I can already run 10k) and this means I can do exactly as I like. So with this in mind, I went for a run. I have the Chase The Sun season pass this year, so I can attend as many of the … Continue reading RunThrough Chase The Sun Clapham Common
I loved the Brighton Marathon. And I will never, ever do it again. "Oh, everyone says that," say my veteran marathoner friends. "I said that when I finished my first, and look, here I am on marathon number 59!" But I actually think that (barring some kind of lottery win where I can give up … Continue reading Why I Won’t Run Another Marathon
Photos from Saturday at the Race Village I'll get the important bit over and done with: the weather on the day of the 2018 Brighton Marathon turned out almost perfectly. It was cool and grey for the majority of the race, with an hour of not-too-heavy rain, and a little sun round about the time … Continue reading Brighton Marathon 2018
My current mood is a mixture of the complete dread and anxiety that preceded all five of my driving tests (none of which I passed) and the uncontainable excitement of a small child on Christmas Eve. I have already started to pack some things and I have checked the weather forecast for Brighton at least … Continue reading Nine Days To Go
Running is like drinking alcohol. For a start, they are both things I enjoy. There is a certain irony to this statement, as since I started marathon training I have hardly drunk any alcohol at all. But examine the evidence: Running 5km is like a tasty pint of beer. You can do it in your … Continue reading Running is like…
Today was my 20th parkrun and my 13th different event. Beckenham Place Park had ade it to my to-do list despite being flat, grassy and devoid of hills because it happens to be a ten minute walk from the house where I grew up and where my mother still lives. When I was a teenager, … Continue reading Beckenham Place parkrun
I re-followed the Brighton Marathon Virgins Facebook group the other day. I unfollowed it a couple of months ago, partly because of some annoying comments from self appointed experts (who have no right being in a beginner's group in the first place) but mainly because I was looking at other people's distances and times and … Continue reading Runger
Something yesterday reminded me that after my Dublin Marathon 2016 fiasco, I made a bullet pointed list of things to remember for next time. I had a dig in my computer and found the following in a Word file entitled "Things I Learned From My First Marathon": Four gels is plenty. Any more will just … Continue reading Things I Learned From My First Marathon
Yesterday was my last EVER long training run! I am officially on taper now, which will involve eating Easter Eggs, cajoling my mother around a parkrun, bothering my physio repeatedly and a shedload of Downward Dogs. Once again things did not go to plan as I woke with the onset of a cold and the … Continue reading Long Run – Walthamstow to Catford
Today Brighton Marathon Weekend posted a photo on their Facebook page of two suspiciously cheerful men named Sam and Rob approaching the Brighton Marathon finish line pushing a young girl in a wheelchair, with the caption "3 weeks to go! Are you ready?" Am I ready? Let's see. I suppose I am ready, a bit like … Continue reading Are You Ready?
Yesterday was my penultimate Long Run before the marathon (which is now just TWENTY FIVE days away). I couldn't decide whether to run along the Thames Estuary (from Shoeburyness to Leigh on Sea and back again) or the Thames Path (from Putney to Hampton Court) so I threw the question to a Facebook poll. The … Continue reading Thames Path Long Run
Apologies for the tantrum yesterday! I have resolved never to ask for advice on running forums again, at least when it comes to admitting any form of weakness. You are only a real runner if you easily can run 20 miles in simultaneous mud, rain, wind, snow and heatwave. No headphones or dogs, as you … Continue reading Central London Parks Long Run
A bit of a rant before I set off on today's run. As you may recall, I've suffered a bit with the weather lately, completing runs in minus eight wind chill, thick snow, driving wind and rain, and slippery ice. Yesterday was supposed to be my long run day and today my yoga day. However, … Continue reading A Rant
Thanks to the thoroughly shitty service on the Gospel Oak to Barking line, my trip to Barking has been put off at least a billion times. I had begun to think that I would never get there, and was fully expecting to divert to Finsbury Park this morning. But amazingly, the train obliged, and I … Continue reading Barking parkrun
The snow has melted and daffodils are beginning to sprout in my garden. My running outfits this week have involved a vest and sunglasses and this pleases me greatly. Winter running has been officially been giving me the hump. For my last few runs it has been warm enough to walk to where I want … Continue reading Springy Thingies
This week the UK was hit by the "Beast from the East", an outbreak of unseasonably cold weather featuring high winds at thick snow. This, sadly, put paid to my plans to visit Folkestone parkrun. I decided to go it local instead. The parkrun cancellations came in thick and fast. Finsbury Park was one of … Continue reading Wanstead Flats parkrun
After whingeing spectacularly on my blog after my Brighton Half disappointment, I continued to whinge on my private Facebook, and this attracted some interesting comments from my running and non-running friends. Why are times so important? Is it not enough just to run? Why should walking some of it feel like a failure? A half … Continue reading Finish Lines or Finish Times?
In the end I went with Plan B (just get round) but really I should have stuck with Plan C (drop out halfway) or even Plan E (fuck it all off and go to the pub). It was a shocker. I'm feeling pretty down about the whole thing so please excuse the negative tone of … Continue reading Brighton Half Marathon 2018
Other than the aforementioned swimming, 20 minutes on a cross trainer and a little bit of Pokémon Go related walking I have done absolutely no exercise since the incident on Monday. At first I felt absolutely great for it but it is starting to wear off now. I feel all my muscles have turned into … Continue reading One Day to Brighton Half
Today I am going swimming. I bloody hate swimming! I feel like I ought to like it but I have just never been able to get into it. I get in the pool and Do Lengths. Up and down, up and down. No music. Getting a bit cold. I don't really feel like I am … Continue reading Gone Swimming
Six days to go until the Brighton Half, and I was feeling pretty good all things considered. The fact that the Brighton Half has a sensible cut off (3.5 hours - you could walk half of it and still be well within the limit) and that I didn't need to worry about being followed through … Continue reading Oh Shit
Yesterday was Valentine's Day! So what did I do for Valentine's Day? I went for a run, of course, like I do most days. Thankfully Valentine's Day fell on a Chase The Moon day and RunThrough were on hand with heart themed medals to distract us from Smug Happy Couple Day. My friend Yasmin, who … Continue reading Chase The Moon Olympic Park (yet again)
My fascination with the Barcelona Half began in June 2016, when an ex whom I had been planning a trip to Barcelona with unceremoniously gave me the elbow. "Sod him, I'll go anyway" I said to myself, and when I spotted that Barcelona had a half marathon, this seemed an ideal time to go. Unfortunately, … Continue reading Barcelona Half Marathon 2018
And I am terrified! Entering a half marathon with a 2:45 cut off didn't seem a problem in June 2016, when I'd just run a half in 2:35 and naively assumed that my times would continue to improve. A month later I had a stress fracture. I completed my next half marathon (the … Continue reading I am in Barcelona
This was my third year taking part in the London Winter Run. This is a large, informal 10km through the streets of Central London which fills a glaring gap in the running calendar. I never understand why nearly all of the big runs are in summer, when hot weather is so hard to run in. … Continue reading London Winter Run 2018
In three weeks time, I'm going to be running the Brighton Half for the second time. The first time was one of the best days of my life. I've never actually written a post about it before, because it sounds a bit like a twee inspirational fat girl running story, and I hate those, but … Continue reading Brighton Half Marathon, 2016
I am beginning to think I will never get to Barking parkrun! Yesterday evening I was all set for my trip there, but a last minute check of the train times revealed engineering works on the Gospel Oak to Barking line which meant I would need to get up at 5am and catch a hundred … Continue reading Hackney Marshes parkrun
There are many skills which you need to train for a marathon: bloody mindedness, a low pain threshold, map reading, a disregard for your social life, perhaps even being good at running. I have reached the conclusion, though, that time management and schedule juggling is the most important of them all. I used to think … Continue reading How Not To Train For A Marathon
You will be spared the feature length parkrun entry today as I was back at Finsbury Park, and it hasn't changed since I was last there just over a month ago. The hill has not got any less hilly but it remains my favourite parkrun venue. The most notable thing about today's parkrun was that … Continue reading Finsbury parkrun (again)
Sir Mo Farah was said to be quaking in his trainers today, as veteran Walthamstow athlete Suzi Brent set a new 10,000 metre PB of 1:10:54 at the venue formerly known as Waltham Forest Pool and Track. Said Mo: "This is getting beyond a joke. This time last year I could run three 10ks in … Continue reading New Track 10km PB!
Shortly after my first parkrun (last March), I happened to be in Chelmsford for my Other Hobby and took a walk through Central Park. I was struck by what a lovely park is was and was very jealous of the people of Chelmsford having it as their home run. I wondered if it would be … Continue reading Chelmsford Central parkrun
After nearly a month on the sick bench with The Never Ending Cough, I finally had both time and sufficient health for a long run today. It is quite interesting to see how resting heart rate (as measured by a Fitbit) goes up when you are ill and back down when you recover. Mine is … Continue reading Long Run (13 weeks to go)
First of all, can I please say a massive WELL DONE to the people who took part in the monster 6.5 lap half marathon at Victoria Park this morning. This is something that I could not, would not, will never do. I have done six half marathons and they are tough. What gets me through … Continue reading RunThrough Victoria Park 10km
This weekend's parkrun marked a return to my usual form of A Bit Slow rather than Completely Useless. I picked Dulwich this week because a) descriptions of the course on the parkrun Facebook group made it sound appealing b) I was staying at my mother's house in Beckenham, and she offered to drive me there. … Continue reading Dulwich parkrun
I'm feeling like a Run Failure this week. First of all there was my disgrace at Highbury Fields. Then on New Year's Day I decided not go to Double Parkrun, or even Single Parkrun. Because I hardly ever go out drinking/partying these days, and spend a lot of time saying "I can't because I am … Continue reading Run Failure
2017 started very badly with my withdrawal from the Barcelona Half with two weeks to go. Having missed so much training through injury, I knew there was no way I could run it within the time limit, and I decided to cut my losses and defer until 2018. I write this post with six weeks … Continue reading 2017 in Running
My first mistake was the schoolgirl error of missing a few days' running and then trying to cram all my weekly mileage into 24 hours. It doesn't work. A short, fast session followed by a long, slow run the next morning is just about doable, the other way round does not work at all. I … Continue reading Highbury Fields parkrun
I have been ill and had nightshifts all week. I can just about cope with running when ill, or running between nightshifts, but I can't cope with running when ill and on nightshifts, so I didn't run for three days (or do anything much else). Today I was just ill and didn't have a nightshift … Continue reading Last runs of the year!
Christmas in my world always entails a visit to my hometown of Bromley to visit my mother. I'm not really a great fan of Bromley, it's a characterless suburb that isn't quite London and isn't quite the countryside and is home to lots of families and people who wear beige. However, it is home to … Continue reading Bromley parkrun
As is traditional for the "festive" season, I have come down with a hacking cough that has hampered my marathon training a bit over the last week. I have carefully researched whether you should run if you are ill, and the answer seems to be that a little bit of running makes you feel better … Continue reading Maidstone parkrun
Christmas these days seems to be defined by a distinct lack of activity, closures and cancellations and gleeful gluttonous overconsumption of poor quality foodstuffs. Thank god for RunThrough to save us from all this with a festive run in Greenwich Park! They'd pulled out all the seasonal stops, with marshals in inflatable Santa suits and … Continue reading RunThrough Christmas Greenwich Park 10k
A quick entry to record the fact that three days after my disasterous "long" run, the snow had thawed and the temperature had reached a balmy 5C, so I decided to give it another go. What a difference five degrees makes! This time, the run felt effortless and joyful. The sky was blue, the birds … Continue reading Long Run, Take 2
This is a post I wrote exactly a year ago which popped up in my memories today. I thought you might appreciate it. I am from London. I do runs that start in places like Trafalgar Square and take you across smooth, wide roads with not so much as a pothole in your way. If … Continue reading The Great Yorkshire Pieathlon 2016
I am not usually someone who struggles with motivation when it comes to running. I have spent so long being injured and unable to run that I count every run as a blessing. I count down the days to my long run, I wake up brimming with excitement as I get my running kit on. … Continue reading A Run of Misery
Yesterday it was off to the Olympic Park for another RunThrough race. Throughout the summer, RunThrough organised a series of "Chase The Sun" races, taking place in a variety of parks throughout London on Wednesday nights, starting at 7pm. As a shiftworker I am always extraordinarily grateful for any company that puts things on on … Continue reading RunThrough Chase The Moon Olympic Park 10k
"But you run marathons all the time" say my non-running friends, and it's a sentence that gets my back up more than it should. I've never run a marathon. I am training to run my one, my only, my first, my last marathon. Yes, I did complete the Dublin marathon last year. But I didn't run … Continue reading But You Run Marathons
Snow in London today (ok, about four flakes, but still) and absolutely freezing cold. I was very glad that I'd got my long run in yesterday and that today dwas a designated "rest day" (by "rest" I mean "12 hour work shift", there is no real rest in my life.) I am very fussy with … Continue reading I Hate Weather
I haven't done a long run (I class anything over 10km as long) since the Great South Run - instead I've been concentrating on increasing my speed (from "snail" to "tortoise") and feeling comfortable over short distances. Various injuries over the last year - in particular, a torn calf and a sewing needle stuck in … Continue reading Latest Marathon Training (20 weeks to go)
Today was my tenth parkrun! I had originally planned to go to Barking parkrun today, but there were engineering works on the Barking to Gospel Oak line. So I looked at parkruns I could get to on the tube. And then I checked the weather forecast and decided I wanted to be outdoors for as … Continue reading Finsbury parkrun
RunThrough are a smallish, friendly company that organise running events in parks, mainly in London. They also have a lively Facebook group, a newsletter and a free interval session on Mondays in Clapham (which I keep meaning to go to, but haven't yet). The events have a similar vibe to parkruns, in that they're full … Continue reading RunThrough Battersea Park
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Better at writing than at running
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Better at writing than at running
Better at writing than at running
Better at writing than at running
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Online Running Coaching.
The blog of the Essex Record Office, the storehouse of Essex history
Better at writing than at running
Better at writing than at running
Voyages through family and local history
Better at writing than at running
Family stories are my buried treasure. -- Patricia Greber, treesrch1800 at gmail.com
Better at writing than at running
Better at writing than at running
Better at writing than at running
7:07 