Post-marathon recoveries are tricky things to get right. After London in April, I abandoned the sport for a fortnight, then ran 30 miles in the following three days. My body was all at sea. There was an illustration of how not to recover after a marathon. After the Lakeland Trails Marathon in July, I was running sections of the…
Category: Running
When running a marathon is no longer enough
I’m running the Beachy Head Marathon tomorrow. It is my ninth marathon in the 11 years I have been old enough to compete over 26.2 miles. Following a 2.50.23 London in April and a 3.15.39 Lakeland Trails in July, Beachy Head is my third marathon this year. Prior to 2011, I had never run more than one marathon…
If all else fails… cheat
This must be the news story of the week. Rob Sloan, a competitor in the Saloman Kielder Marathon, which took place at the weekend, didn’t fancy completing the full 26.2-mile course. Well, who can blame him? It’s a long way. So, after reaching mile 20, he caught a bus. He rejoined the race shortly before…
London 2012 (the marathon, not the Olympics)
I knew what had happened, what was happening, from my news feed on Facebook. My dad was happy. A former work colleague was exultant but nervous. Another friend was disappointed. I hastily began home; a letter from the people who run the Virgin London Marathon beckoning me. I was in. Of course, I was. I…
A glimpse into the world of the ultra-runner
I raced in the Streatham Common six-mile championship yesterday morning. After a little over 40 minutes and six up-and-down miles, it was over. I warmed down, trotting a further lap of the common. On my way home, I glanced at my watch: midday. Some 40 runners would be beginning the Sri Chinmoy Self Transcendence 24-hour…
An enjoyable marathon, honestly
The potential for disaster was high. The day of the Lakeland Trails Marathon dawned hot and still; I’d had five hours sleep; my preparation over the previous months had been haphazard and ill-disciplined. Then I decided to run without any additonal food or water, therefore relying on the four water stations en route. It was…
Lakeland Trails Marathon
I’m inbound to the Lake District this weekend for the inaugural Lakeland Trails Marathon, a 26.2-mile circuit around Coniston Water, starting and finishing in Coniston village. Seeing as it’s the Lakes, Kendal Mint Cake will be handed out at water stations. The marathon route looks ever so pretty on the map: around Tarn Hows, across high…
Loch Lochy Munros
I’d forgotten how hard Scottish hill running is. My last outing had been the Ben Nevis race last September; memories of the anguish of the grassy bank, the relentless of the slope, the desperate tiredness of the road, had ebbed away. It took a wander over the Loch Lochy Munros to remind me how brutal…
Bob Graham round recce – day 2
My right ankle began hurting in the Borrowdale Hotel as we recovered (and rehydrated) from our six-hour effort in the fells. By the following morning, the pain had magnified. Something felt badly damaged. We were all in a similarly sorry state, comparing sore ankles, feet, knees and quads. Sensibly, we took the day off running,…
Bob Graham round recce – day 1
The Bob Graham round hadn’t seemed real in London – a dot-to-dot run of Wainwrights, starting and finishing at The Moot Hall in Keswick. As we drove west along the A66 towards Keswick in darkness, rain and wind, the prospect became glaringly apparent. We were passing through Threlkeld, the end of the first of five…
A view from the Highlands
Here’s a nice wee write-up about Isles at the Edge of the Sea, as well as a short extract, on the website of Highland Hill Runners. Extract from Isles at the Edge of the Sea by Jonny Muir: ‘Number 68.’ I was being summoned to the start line of the Goatfell hill race – eight miles of toil…
Not a PB
It’s now three weeks since London. I still haven’t recovered from the effort of that marathon. Not even close. I attempted to kid myself that I had – by taking part in my local 5k park run in Brockwell Park today. The race mirrored my post-marathon return to running: slow, stuttering and a little erratic. After…
Heights of Madness 