Blog posts tagged 'training'

This was my first ultra a couple of years ago and now becomes the first ultra I've run twice. As I want to run everything and time is limited I don't think there will be many in that category.I re-read my post from 2013 just to see how naive I sounded and the answer was very.  Particularly about the food.  I questioned the supply of party snacks at the time but I've since got with the programme …

My 3rd and I think last road half marathon of 2014, this.  My home city (centre of the sporting world!) running from Vicky Park (Victoria Park, but you don't call it that here) out to roughly Syston and back on a different track.  It's broadly, and sometimes alongside, the River Soar.There's a marathon race too, bolting another half marathon loop from the 6 mile point of the half and a relay hal…

Hot on the heels of meeting the legend that is Roger Bannister at the Henley Literary Festival a short time ago came the chance to meet one of the finest trail runners in the World, Stevie Kremer.  She's racing the Mourne Skyline Mountain Trail Race this Saturday in the Republic and Ian Corless of TalkUltra fame (get in on the excellent podcasts if you've not already discovered them!) with Simon …

We were talking about downhill trail running technique during yesterday's chat with Stevie Kremer and Ian Corless mentioned a video that Greg Vollet made of Emelie Forsberg's (Queen of the descent) astonishing technique over difficult trail in New Zealand.I think this is just the most joyous piece of film - Ive lost count how many times I've played this now and I cannot help but bust out in a smil…

Transvulcania is still 7 months off but starting training yesterday seems like a good idea and I'm upping the hills, long runs and trails.  I should have been running Berlin today but I pulled that for lack of a hope in hell of a pb and decided on the spur of the moment run the Purbeck Hills from Swanage to Weymouth.  Not entirely sure where the idea came from.  I've only been to Swanage once b…

Despite being a techie in work terms (I build web sites and the like) I'm a complete luddite when to come to tech gear and the last to adopt any gadget.   Sports watches with any features beyond a stopwatch have been tried and consigned to the cupboard but all that has changed with my Ambit 2S.  I'm no expert on these things and this is not a review of the device but it does have the ability to…

I ran this marathon for the first time last year and had been looking forward to having another go at it.  Both times it's served as a long training run rather than a race but as I went out extremely slowly last year I was confident I'd go faster this time out.  Did that happen? Read on and find out! But no, it didn't.You can't beat trail running in this fantastic weather.  Sunday was a perfect…

There are a handful of races for which my attendance copybook is blotted and for the Maidenhead Half it's just all blots.  This is the 4th time the race has been.  I've entered all 4 but have yet to show up.Reasons have ranged from the acceptable 'injured' to the unacceptable 'couldn't be bothered'.  I can't remember exactly why I missed the 3rd event, so let's say 'injured' and prevent further…

The Thunder Run is yet another one of those nuts races that I got talked into entering (probably by one or more of the usual suspects, Sarah, Martin or Mike) without me giving the inevitable consequences a whole lot of thought.  On the plus side, everyone loves it and everyone goes back every year.  It's also on my list of things I haven't tried and that's a list I'm always looking for a chance …

I can't remember the last time I ran a 10K race.. well over a year anyway. I think it's mainly because they hurt a lot and I've used the move to Ultras as a thinly-veiled excuse to drop a lot (almost all) speedwork. Which also hurts.  But Berlin demands that all gets put back in the diary so when Susie said she was in for this I thought I should tag along.  As a large bonus Carl and Shaun were i…