Last week was pretty hot in London. The heatwave coincided with two things: the start of my training for Bounemouth marathon and my recent flat move. I've swapped my usual run and cycle commute for a new route and I'd been trying to find ways to avoid going over a big hill in Highbury. (This [...]
Tuesday night was my running club's annual 1 mile Club Championship. I'd only done one mile race in my life and it hurt. I turned up to the track unsure of whether I'd run or just watch, but before I'd fully decided I'd been handed a number. I jogged a mile to warm up with my [...]
Last week I ran in Lapland as part of an event called the Sunset Relay. The relay was held over several days and saw some amazing, pro sports people taking part alongside everyday amateur enthusiasts like me. The purpose of the Sunset Relay was to raise awareness of the need to be sensible in the [...]
Hello, marathon training. It's been a while. I've done a fair few marathons recently without you. I've neglected you for that newer kid on the block Ultra Training. You're not that dissimilar really but you do have your differences. I used Ultra Training to help me collect marathon medals this year in Manchester, London and [...]
How a wonky GPS helped me to a 5k PB (in a 10k race) "Where are we? Is this Cambridgeshire's Area 51?" said Phil. We drove onto the Alconbury airbase (him, me and my sister Emma) where we'd be running the Huntingdon 10k. It was an interesting location for a run and one that we [...]
How to Write Your own Training Plan When I write a training plan for someone, it's my job to understand where they're at in terms of their current fitness as well as where they want to go. I ask a lot of questions, questions that people often don't ask themselves before they start their training cycle. [...]
On Wednesday I joined my friend Laura for a swim at the newly opened Kings Cross Pond. It describes itself as an 'art installation you can swim in'. Which is ironic given that last week I was stood outside an art gallery in Roubaix that used to be a swimming pool. I could neither swim [...]
We headed from London to Dover then through France, Belgium and Holland on this week-long cycle adventure. Distance: 300 miles ish Terrain: Hilly from London to Dover but beautifully flat once you're the other side of the Channel. Time: 5-6 days of cycling This is an interesting trip for cycling enthusiasts taking in a few notable [...]
Last week I spent six days cycling through Europe. We set off from London and headed to Dover where we took a ferry to Dunkirk in France before heading through Belgium and Holland. We cycled more than 300 miles in total, had some good times and some tough days. It was a great way to [...]
I sat down by the side of the road and refused to move. I’d thrown my bike towards the hedge. I wasn’t getting back on it. “I’m not moving, you’ll have to come back and fetch me in the van.” It was a hot day in the Lake District. We’d headed out for a 30 [...]