Welcome back ...

Recently had a week or two break from training and that's been really enjoyable.  Still been running but not training ... I feel that there is a difference.  Sometimes a big one.

For the past two or three days I've started looking at possible races for next year.  Ideally I'd like a 24 hr race in May followed by the World & Euro 24 hr race in September (to be held in Poland) and finally a long ultra toward the end of the year.  Possibly Barcelona to make up for having to miss it this year.

Also I'd like, if possible to run the Round Rotherham 50 in October.  I've done that one a couple of times now and really enjoyed it.  I know I can't be competitive in that type of race but I still found it enjoyable.  And it's not far from home either.

A few days ago our energy supplier told us that our monthly payments should be raised from £83 to £130.  Needless to say we were not impressed.  I know prices are rising at the moment but 56% is not on.  We put in an official complaint and we're waiting to hear back ...

Last night was a strange night.  At about 10.00pm I was coming down the stairs at home when I slipped.  Badly.  From about two thirds of the way up.  By the time I reached the bottom I had a bruised left heel and left ankle, bruised right thigh and cuts to both of my elbow.  At the time it was a bit scary and I suppose I was lucky to escape with only a few cuts and bruises.  Iced my ankle for a while and cleaned my cuts before taking some ibuprofen and going to bed in a sorry state.

This morning, after not a good night's sleep [painful elbows!!!] I took part in the monthly Otley AC handicap.  This month it was from a local village named Esholt.  The weather was wonderful - warm and sunny - but I was unsure how I would manage.  mainly because of last night's incident but also because I hadn't done anything other than steady running since before the Commonwealth Championships.

The sticking plasters on both elbows didn't hinder me too much although the left ankle was a bit painful for running ... but I was well pleased with my 32:45 on an undulating multi-terrain 5 mile route.  Especially as I had to stop at least three times to allow other people past on some of the narrow footpaths [walkers coming in the opposite direction].

To help pay some of the extra energy bills ...


Over a number of years now I have found that writing an account of a race or other challenge or explaining some aspect of training and/or racing has been an increasingly enjoyable part of my running.  Hopefully other people enjoy what I write and get something from it.  Be it training knowledge, inspiration or something else.  I know at least one person has taken to ultra running as a direct result of reading my words.


My work has appeared in various magazines, websites, club newsletters so:  if you are a magazine/newspaper editor or journalist interested in commissioning me to write for your publication about any aspect of ultra distance running please feel free to get in touch by leaving a comment on a blog post or using the contact details here.  You can also contact me via facebook.