We had been watching the weather all week, sending each other screenshots and comparing forecasters; as though the most favourable prediction would also be the most accurate. "BBC Weather says there's a 95% chance of rain until midday and winds of 46mph. But the Met Office thinks it's going to clear up at 10am, and …
Continue reading Here Comes the Rain Again: A tale of my first ultra
There are certain wines that will always hold a place in your heart, regardless of vintage, price, or quality. That summer afternoon barbeque staple from Sainsbury’s that (somehow?) is always on offer, five quid instead of eight; the strawberry-and-cream rosé that you and your best friend shared on a holiday hilltop in the sun, dancing …
The heatwave in London drips on, smothering everything in its moist, muggy embrace. All you want to do is lie on cool sheets next to an electric fan, being fed frozen grapes and elderflower gin and tonics, glass clinking with a symphony of ice cubes. Unfortunately, your training plan doesn't really care whether it's 10 …
10 weeks from now and four thousand miles away, I will be shivering in the cold dawn light alongside 45,000 other runners at the start of the Chicago marathon, preparing to spend hours pounding the flat city streets for a shiny piece of hardware, an inflated sense of self, and enough Instagram content to last …
“I like it, to suffer (…) I really love to be out for many hours, suffering” Kilian Jornet Recently I was watching a video of Kilian Jornet recording one of his many ridiculous record attempts - in this case, skiing and running the Seven Summits of Romsdalen in a single day - and this quote …
The London Marathon is often referred to as the greatest marathon in the world. And while I suspect this phrase most often emerges from the mouths of house-proud Brits, or polite East African winners talking to the BBC, I can say that as a Londoner, there's no better way to kick off your career as an amateur marathoner. …
What have the four months of preparing body and mind for a marathon taught me? What has my personal journey - from a person who runs quite a lot to a person who runs quite a lot over slightly further distances - revealed to me, in wisdom, sacred insight and understanding? Loads, actually - and I'm here to share …
Continue reading The pros and cons of training for a marathon
Imagine lining up at the beginning of a marathon and, piled on top of your usual stomach-churning nervousness is the knowledge that, if you're discovered running the race, you'll be chucked off the course. This is the reality that Roberta "Bobbi" Gibb faced at the beginning of the 1966 Boston Marathon, as she loitered near the starting …
Continue reading Women in running #1: Bobbi Gibb and the Boston Marathon
One of the things I'm finding hardest while training for the marathon is judging just how much is too much and how much is too lazy. On the one hand, you're trying to tell when your body is actually tired; when pushing yourself further won't do you any good. When that pain isn't gain, but …
Because everything that is worthwhile can be quantified (ha), last year I set myself the target of reading 56 books before the end of 2016. Enough to challenge myself, but not so many to be impossible. But, inevitably, I kept choosing books that were less challenging and time-consuming, just so I could hit my target. …
