Running, Fitness and Health Blog for your Mind, Body and Soul
The Great North Run has been on my bucket list for many years. Just like the London Marathon, you wake up on a Sunday morning, make a cup of tea and switch on the TV to find its Great North Run day. You watch the coverage, get all inspired, swear that you will do it next year and then go for a run. This year, I held myself to it and did it. Continue reading “Great North Run – Sept 2017 – The Iconic One”
There are the general running/life tips that help– get quality sleep, stay hydrated, eat good food…..
Then there are the training tips – actually take time to warm up, don’t go too far too soon, don’t go too fast in training or a race…..
I like the little tips that sometimes you don’t think of, or take for granted and turn out to be really damn useful. Here are 12 pointers covering starting running, training, kit, racing and belief.
Continue reading “12 mistakes about running and made by runners”
The other day I came across this quote –
“For the past three years, I have been playing not to lose. After yesterday, now I am playing to win”.
It can from another excellent post by Peter Bromka. It was a text from his Dad to him before the Chicago marathon.
His Dad had heart surgery three years ago, and the day before the marathon he had been taken back into hospital for further surgery. Continue reading “Playing to win, or playing not to lose?”
My cycling shoes and running shoes have been living outside for the last couple of days. Following the rain last week, both got wet a few times and never quite dried out and started to whiff a little.
If your shoes get wet and don’t dry out in time (or slowly) it’s the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive and multiply. It’s the bacteria that produce the smell.
As cycling shoes are rigid and made of hard wearing material the drying process is also not helped.
Here are a number of ways that you can try and get your cycling cleats/running shoes smelling nice, or maybe just not smelling. Continue reading “How do I get the smell out of my cycling/running shoes?”
I’ve been cycle commuting on and off for 7 years. I rarely do more than 7-8 miles in one go. Two laps of Richmond Park is my max, before I free wheel into the café for a brownie! After a number of years of trying, I finally got a place in Ride London. Not the 100 but the 46!
As opposed to running, cycling needs a bit more stuff. Therefore, I was up early Saturday morning, cleaning my bike, oiling my chain and stripping it down (mudguard and reflectors removed) to make way for my numbers. I set out my kit and set my alarm from 5.30am. I was ready to go at 11 am the day before. So much for not being prepared! Continue reading “Ride London 46 Recap – 30th August 2017”
The great thing about running is how little kit you need. The one essential piece of kit you do need is your shoes. They’re the one item that is not worth scrimping on. Your feet are obviously integral to running and you should look after them.
Everyone runs differently and the way that their foot lands or “strikes” the ground is different. Having a good idea of how your foot strikes the ground can help you buy the correct shoe for you. Continue reading “How to buy the right running shoes”
As ever, I’ve let things slide. Races (at which I’m excellent at booking) are quickly rushing up on the horizon.
There are 8 weeks until the Great North Run and 10 weeks until the Ealing Half.
I’ve been running and training regularly, so there’s some work in the tank. I have no idea where I’m currently at fitness or speed wise, as I have not raced or parkrun’d in a while. Sometimes, when I run, I feel good, and sometimes, I have a shocker. Continue reading “Halfs on the Horizon – Am I improving?”
If you’re anything like me, before you start anything, you need to be prepared. Everything has got to be in place, just in case!
What I’ve come to realise, is that this is a form of procrastination. The prep is just a way of not doing the thing I’m meant to be doing.
As I have (slightly) minimised my life, I now only have the things I need and use and try to keep it as simple as possible.
Here are 7 bits of expensive kit that are not essential for running or starting running! Continue reading “7 expensive bits of running kit you don’t need”
I like a good quote.
One I have been thinking about for a while now is –
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can”
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe was a tennis player, 3-time grand slam winner (including Wimbledon), civil rights advocate and Apartheid activist, founder of the ATP and educator.
There are many parts to Ashe’s story Continue reading “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can”
Ever say “There’s nothing to eat?”
End up visiting Tesco Express every day?
Go shopping but then can’t figure out how to make a meal out of what you’ve bought?
Eat the same thing every week?
Tired of pre-packed sandwiches for lunch?
Unable to sustain a meal plan for a week or so?
Got scores of cookbooks that look pretty on the shelf but never use them?
When someone asks you what you would like for dinner – you can only think of about 3 things you can feasibly cook.
Your go-to dish is Spaghetti Bolognese?
Yep me too! Continue reading ““There’s nothing to eat” – Food Decision Fatigue”