Two years ago, I wrote but never published a post entitled "Things I hate about the London Marathon". I decided against posting it because I didn't want to piss on the parade of those who had found it a highlight of their racing calendar. Some of my vitriol, however, did seep into a Facebook post … Continue reading Hamburg Marathon 2025
This seems to have come around awfully quickly. It seems only yesterday I was entering the Hamburg Marathon in a fit of pique, my hopes of a decent performance at Yorkshire ripped to shreds along with my left calf. In my last post I was approaching the spiritual anniversary of my calf tear (the day … Continue reading Ten Days To Go
This will be one of those boring posts where everything is, for now anyway, going okay. Why is it that I find it so much easier to write about my running (or anything else) when it is all going wrong? I'd try to find something funny to say about the 2025 Brighton Half Marathon but … Continue reading One of those boring posts
Wednesday was supposed to be a big day: my debut pacing at an actual race - the Chase the Moon at the Olympic Park . It had taken me some time to get a 70 minute slot, having had to cancel in October after I tore my calf and then finding all the slots taken … Continue reading Give It Some Welly
When I booked the Hamburg Marathon, the six months to wait seemed like an eternity, an eternity in which I was sure I would gain 20 kilos, lose all my fitness and break at least one vital limb. Suddenly it's only a month and a half away and none of those things have happened. Of … Continue reading 73 days to go.
When there is a severe weather warning featuring 80kph winds and heavy rain, one would probably be best advised not to travel to Wigan to do a woodland parkrun and watch a third division football match. Sensible people would probably fuck the whole thing off, do some Les Mills in their living room and then … Continue reading Storm Darragh
I'm Leyton Orient at the beginning of the 2014/15 season. The play off final is lost and I'm regrouping, ready to go again. I'm hoping this is where I can stop extending the Leyton Orient analogy, because as you may know in the summer of 2014 Orient were sold to some pisstaker Italians who tried … Continue reading Football Analogies Probably Need To Stop Here
I have done everything the physio has told me: endless calf raises, run/walk laps of Bartlett Park, graduation to a 37 minute parkrun and finally, tomorrow, my big test: a 10k race in Regents Park. If I can do that, I can give the Yorkshire Marathon a crack. I should be feeling pretty jubilant right … Continue reading Down Bad
With just under three weeks to go until The Triathlon, I'm getting acquainted with Trianoia, the older brother of my old friend, Maranoia. Maranoia, as you may recall, is a state of pre-marathon nervous exhaustion where you become convinced that you are ill, injured or otherwise about to suffer a marathon ruining calamity. Trianoia is … Continue reading Trianoia
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
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
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?
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
This week marked six months since my last sports related injury. (We'll gloss over the time I trod on a sewing needle and needed surgery under general anaesthetic to get it out of my foot; I didn't tread on it whilst running so it doesn't count). Up until that point it was one injury after … Continue reading Slow in the legs, not in the head
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
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!
It's official. I've reached that stage. The stage where you aren't going to get any sense out of me until April 15th. The onset of Maranoia, which is a state of anxiety afflicting marathon runners in their latter stages of training, whereby they are constantly convinced they will become ill, injured or otherwise afflicted by … Continue reading Maranoia
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
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
Last night I went to a proper track session for grown ups! The viewtube runners group have use of the Community Track in the Olympic Park every Tuesday, and my friend Mike suggested that I come along. As I have found solo track work has made a great improvement to my running in the … Continue reading Viewtube Runners Track Session
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)
Five twelve hour day shifts since I updated last, so training has consisted of: 2 x workout at Shit Gym Opposite Work (I might sack this place off soon, I only really went because I had a crush on one of the PTs) 1 x yoga at Shit Gym Opposite Work 1 x 17 minute … Continue reading Marathon Training (21 weeks to go)
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Better at writing than at running
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Better at writing than at running
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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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