I think I’ve run around 25 ultra marathons now. That doesn’t make me a pro or a great ultra runner – I’m neither. But I do feel I’m getting my head around things now. The more you run ultras, the more you learn about yourself – your body, your legs and your mind. It’s an … Read more
I See Stars It’s around 3am on a warm summer’s night. I’m laid looking up at the stars, with the occasional blinking light of a plane meandering over the sky. It’s not often we get to take time to appreciate the beauty of the sky and how it makes us realise how tiny we are … Read more
Ultra marathons (any running distance above the standard 26.2 marathon), are something I truly love. I made the switch from doing more traditional road races at half or marathon distance a few years ago and I’ve never looked back.Ultras aren’t easy – they’re not meant to be, that’s the point in them. They take hours … Read more
AKA When A Race Goes Great I’d run C2C once before, in 2016, finishing in 7 hours 42 seconds. Arbitrary though it is, those 42 seconds really annoyed me! After DNFing A100 in October, I fancied getting an ultra in early into 2018 and entered for C2C. Whilst January isn’t the best of weather for … Read more
AKA “Does it take a huge amount of effort to thank someone?” Yes I’m a grump old sod but this is driving me crazy. With the exception of ultra-marathons, at every race I’ve done recently I see a large number of runners not bother to thank marshalls and other volunteers. Now I get that when you’re … Read more
So you DNFd (Did Not Finish) an ultra marathon did you? You put all that time and effort into training and you failed. Here are ten reasons you suck: You don’t suck You don’t suck You don’t suck You don’t suck You don’t suck You don’t suck You don’t suck You don’t suck You don’t … Read more
Once you’ve finished that big event, whatever it may have been (first 5k, first 100 miler, a PB, or something nothing to do with running) and the buzz and kudos has faded, it leaves you with a big gap and a risk of being de-motivated. You dedicated all those hours to training, you pushed yourself, you … Read more
I’ve been running for over a decade now and I’ve been training for ultra races for nearing two. Whilst I’m still new at ultra marathon races (7) I’m now a full on convert to them, with little to no urge now to run ‘normal’ road races. To many, that may seem strange – why would … Read more
Shamefully I haven’t posted for over a year. During that time I’ve achieved some great stuff with my running and become a much more confident Ultra runner. Here’s an honest summary of the good and the bad. I’ll split into posts – this one covers the C2C Ultra. Country2Capital 45miler (January) Time: 7 Hours 38 Seconds … Read more
TLDR: On Saturday 23 May 2015, I ran 100k, taking part in Action Challenge’s London2Brighton 100k Ultra Marathon and Walk. I raised over £1,000 for the mental health charity Mind. I ate a lot. I drank a lot. I hurt a lot. I met some amazing people. I had a great time. I had an … Read more