2023 was the year I ran a marathon in under 3h45m and climbed the Leaning Tower of Pisa! Let's break it down a bit more:

• 2 holidays away - Norfolk with friends in April, and Tuscany by myself in September (my first trip abroad in over 4 years!)
• 1 new arrival in the family - my cousin's baby daughter, Isobel
• 1,023km run - including 1 marathon (setting ( Read more... )

After London, I mused about trying for a sub-3h45m in 2023 for marathon #3. That was the goal this weekend, as I headed to Leeds for the inaugural Rob Burrow marathonI travelled up the day beforehand, mid-afternoon because of rail strikes. I checked into my hotel and walked the route to the start line, so I'd know where I was going the next day. ( Read more... )

2022 has been very much a Year of Running. As well as completing 10 big running events (and earning a medal / t-shirt combo from each), I kept up a streak of running at least 100k every month. After failing last year, I managed to complete the "Proclaimers challenge" this year, of running 500 miles and running 500 more! :o ( Read more... )

Wow, yesterday was a fantastically busy day - the best day I've had in ages!

An early start to get down to Endcliffe Park for the Round Sheffield Run - another local running staple I'd never done before. It was tough going - 19km of muddy, hilly, mostly trail running over 11 timed stages, plus a further ~5k of walking stages in-between. Very ( Read more... )

2021 managed to clear the very low bar set by 2020 (Hey, the only new scar I have this year is a physical one...). We may not quite be back to normal yet - cancelled parties this week have sadly proven that - but we've collectively come a long way and this was the year life began to resume.

I've enjoyed regular meet-ups with friends again, trips to ( Read more... )

Partway through this year, I decided it would be a good idea to set a "Proclaimers" * running target for 2021. This turned out to be too ambitious, mainly because I decided too late to start going for it. But it kept me doing regular long runs, which was important for event training and keeping up my general level of fitness. I managed 1,350k, ( Read more... )

It's perhaps tempting fate, with a relatively unknown new covid variant now circulating, but I want to record how good it feels, now that social and entertainment events have been starting to get back to normal.

Friday pub socials are now happening two or more times a month, and we're getting a pretty good turnout. It's great to be able to relax and ( Read more... )

Last week, I finally managed to get away on holiday, for the first time in over 2 years! This was my post-running events reward to myself, and it was badly needed. A solo trip this time (group holidays planned for next year), and I managed to pack quite a bit in, as is my usual way with these things.

I chose Portsmouth as my base, and managed to ( Read more... )

I went onwards to London last Saturday for charity run number 3, the world's biggest marathon.

I expected registration on Saturday to be stressful, and it was. Unlike other events, where your bib number is posted to you beforehand, for this one they posted out kitbags. You then had to drop these off at the ExCeL Centre, choose your finishing t-shirt ( Read more... )

Yesterday was the second event of my charity fundraising triple, the delayed 2020 Sheffield Half Marathon. (Look out for me crossing the start line at the very end of the video at that link!)

This was logistically the easiest of the three, being my local event, so no need for an overnight stay - just a 5k warm-up jog from home to the start line in ( Read more... )