Change is magical. Metamorphosis, alchemy, transmutation; words that conjure ritual and pagan lore, golden crucibles, and half-hairy limbs contorted. Perhaps that’s why so many of us feel drawn to autumn, a flame-coloured season forged by nature’s relentless cycle of change. We become eager, greedy spectators, watching the leaves turn russet and fall in photogenic heaps …
Continue reading The season of change
Not only does London have some of the best urban running routes in the world, but when it comes to communities and crews, we're spoilt for choice. You could run every day for a month without going back to the same session, and each club has something slightly different to offer. I'm yet to come …
So. The thing is. I really, really hate long runs. This is my third tilt at the marathon and it's just a fact that anything over 22 kilometres is the equivalent of going to the dentist to have a tooth pulled. Necessary, sure, but inconvenient and really quite painful. It feels kind of shameful as a …
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
