Croydon Council have launched a cycle awareness campaign. The press release reads: ‘From 14 October, campaign banners will be displayed on lampposts, a promotional trailer will be driven around the borough, and stickers and posters will be sent to local business, and placed on vans and lorries.’ Marvellous. What do the posters say? ‘STAY BEHIND….
Author: heightsofmadness
Running in London: where are the hills?
The run from Keswick town centre to the summit of Skiddaw sees the runner gain around 900 metres in altitude. The only time I have set my watch to this run was during my Bob Graham Round in 2012; Skiddaw was hill number one and not the place – or the time (1am) – for…
The loneliness of the 10,000 metre runner
Helene Bellahn is confused. Her mum, Inga, runs towards her. The two-year-old watches expectantly. Mum rounds a corner. Nearer. Very near now. Helene’s smile grows. Mum is level – and, suddenly, gone. Tears. This happens 25 times. Helene’s bafflement is understandable: her mum is running 10,000 metres on a 400-metre track. An unchanging vista. Running…
10 inspirational places to run in Britain
Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh A mountain amid a city, a volcanic plug, a tourist honeypot. Run over grassy ramparts, slip beneath the towering Salisbury Crags, try not to stop running on a steep, winding, unending staircase, scramble the final steps to the rocky, breezy summit of Arthur’s Seat. While you are unlikely to be alone, you…
Discovering Strava
I have discovered Strava. Or Strada, as my wife likes to call it. ‘That’s a restaurant chain,’ I point out annoyingly. ‘Totally different.’ I joined Strava earlier this year, but I did not really get it. Another way to record how far and how long you have been running or cycling, I thought. I used…
A sprain in the ankle
A stop-start 2013 has stopped again. I have sprained the right ankle of a troublesome right leg. A physiotherapist delivered the verdict. He looked at me in horror when I told him I would probably be running if I was not seeing him – 72 hours after the twist. It is a second degree sprain,…
The travails of a soft southerner in the Lake District
It had all started rather well. I was running in fifth place in the Lowther Trail Run, ticking along nicely. I could not believe my luck. Despite not having raced for three months, with much of that time lost to injury, I was climbing well, descending reasonably and moving purposefully on trail. Entering mile six…
Wild swimming in the River Findhorn
There is a place where the River Findhorn and the Davoch Burn meet, a wild place where soldiers of Scottish legend once battled. Here the churning gorge of Randolph ‘s Leap is a whisper on the breeze. A beach of shingle drops sharply into the confluence. I am ankle-deep. A step. Now thigh-deep. The water…
DIY physiotherapy for the fed-up and injured
I have struggled with injury since completing the Vanguard Way in mid-June. My succumbing to injury was all the more frustrating as I recall thinking on the final miles of 68 what a relief it was to be ‘intact’. Tired and fading, but intact. Or not, as it turned out. A ball of tightness gathered…
Stretching is bad for your health
I dabbled with proper mountain running when I lived in Scotland. Ben Nevis, Paps of Jura, Goatfell, Loch Lochy. That sort of thing. One of my strongest memories of this period was the Slioch hill race, a 12-mile dash up and down a Munro and its top. It is brutal: two to three (or four)…
Cornwall: Britain’s best county for running?
Some time ago I posted musings on the best place to run in Britain. I decided on Edinburgh, having spent a while scampering around and about Arthur’s Seat. I have changed my mind. Cornwall – that utopian land of coast, sea and moor – has turned my fickle head. Is this Britain’s best county for running? The case could…
Becoming a SportPursuit Champion
I am a newly-recruited Champion for SportPursuit. Here is the link to the announcement on the company’s website. This is what it is all about. Who or what is SportPursuit? SportPursuit is a members-only sports sale website selling well-known, high-quality brands at heavily-discounted prices. For instance, a pair of Inov8 Roclite 295s could be purchased…
Heights of Madness 