Running on holiday

Running on holiday can be amazing: brilliant scenery, no inconveniences from things like work getting in the way and (depending on where you go) great food to refuel with. But it can be a right old pain the the backside if your training schedule makes you feel guilty and your travelling companions think that a holiday should [...]

2017-06-23T07:40:18+01:0012 March 2012|

Tips for exercising on holiday

Sometimes, no matter how good your intentions, those holiday runs that you planned to do just don't happen. The weather, the terrain, your family and even the happy hour offers at the poolside bar can all conspire against you and your training plan. But there are other ways to stay in shape while you're away. [...]

2017-06-23T07:40:18+01:007 March 2012|

Race report: Thailand Half Marathon

The alarm sounded at 3:45am, a time that until now I've only known as meaning it's time to get a kebab and find a taxi. This morning, though,  it was a time to get my kit on and head out for a half marathon. The inaugural Thailand International Half Marathon had been postponed from late [...]

2015-11-17T09:51:40+00:0029 February 2012|

Alternative race prep

Everyone knows one: those annoying people that turn up to the start of a race having done almost no preparation over and above pinning their race number to their shirt and then turning out a pretty good time. So it got me thinking, why can't I be one of those annoying people?Obviously training would be [...]

2017-06-23T07:40:18+01:0021 February 2012|

Running and eating in Vietnam

Dalat in the south central highlands of Vietnam is a place where newlyweds from Saigon honeymoon, others seek shelter from the sticky heat of the city to bask in the mountain air and a place where runners (by which I mean me) come to run. There's three good reasons to run in Dalat: it's got [...]

2017-06-23T07:40:19+01:003 February 2012|

Gut instincts

It has just taken 1.5 hours for me to eat a bowl of muesli. Those of you that have had the pleasure of dining with me will know that I usually inhale my food. To paraphrase Ros Geller, I grew up in a big family "if you didn't eat fast you didn't eat".After more than [...]

2017-06-23T07:40:19+01:0020 January 2012|

Running amok

I'm not sure if it was my pale, freckley skin, my red frizzy hair or the fact that I was running, but I turned a few heads while out on my first run in Cambodia. After a long bus journey and a day rattling about in the back of a tuktuk, I was ready to [...]

2017-06-23T07:40:19+01:0014 January 2012|

Planes, trains and portaloos

Marathon training, the great voyage of discovery that will acquaint you better with yourself, break down the boundaries of what you thought was possible and show you that if you practice and want it badly enough, you can in fact hold a wee for six hours. If you're training for your first marathon, congratulations because [...]

2012-01-07T01:40:00+00:007 January 2012|

Desert island running

Podcasts have been a big feature of my trip so far. Many long distance bus journeys have been spent listening to Kirsty Young asking various people for the tracks and luxury items they'd need if they were castaway on a desert island (Michael Johnson was a notable running episode) and I've pondered what I'd ask [...]

2017-06-23T07:40:20+01:0018 December 2011|

How to spot a runner

You're away from home and having running withdrawal. Yes you've run but you miss your running buddy, your club or even those strangers on the Internet that you talk about running with all day. Fear not, I've become somewhat of an expert at identifying people to run with or just talk about running with. From [...]

2017-06-23T07:40:20+01:009 December 2011|
Go to Top