After thousands of miles, runs in the dark, runs on icy pavements, dozens of muddy, slippery cross country races, tens of thousands of kerbs and almost ten years of running, today was the day when I took a tumble. Three miles into my run, I was on a riverside path...
On 9th August, I competed in an open track and field event for the first time. I ran a 1500 metre race for the first time. But just a few days before I almost pulled out of it. At 54, was I too old for track? First forays into track running I was not a complete track...
In May 2016 I applied in the ballot for a place in the Virgin Money London Marathon 2017. It was the second time I'd applied having failed to get a place the year before for the 2016 race. It was a record year for applications with 253,930 UK runners entering the...
This is the story of how I got to the starting line of my first marathon and what happened on the day. Getting ready for the Plusnet Yorkshire Marathon on Sunday 9th October 2016 I thought about the interview I had done with Sandy Poole in January that year. Sandy had...
I've been running for over five years. Thanks to my half marathon challenge I've run 15 half marathons since turning 50 in 2013. After completing that challenge it felt like time to have a go at the full 26.2 mile distance. I've always felt ambivalent about the...
Today it is one year since I completed the slightly mad challenge of running 12 half marathons in 12 months. Here are my two sentence race reviews and ten things I've learned. September 2014 - Robin Hood Half Marathon, Nottingham “The one that nearly got away.” My...
I am still reflecting on what I have learnt from my half marathon challenge. The main lesson is that running really is about mind over matter. It's the psychological side rather than the physical side that was truly challenging. Why was I doing this? Was it worth...
13 days ago I stood at the seafront at Gorleston in Norfolk feeling tired out after the Great Yarmouth Half Marathon. The heat had got the better of me, I wasn't looking forward to the 140 mile drive home, and I was questioning whether I would really feel up to...
I’ve now reached the milestone of 10 races completed for my half marathon challenge. Some of them have been good, some have been OK and one was bad. One thing I’ve realised in the past 10 months is that however competitive I am getting a personal best time does not...