Fat Girl to Ironman

29 February 2020

February 2020 update

So far 2020 feels like the year when it won’t stop raining. This has had a knock-on effect on my desire to go out and exercise especially during my lunch break. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to see that I exercised more in February 2020 than I had in January. Long run Friday I had a look at my training...

Categories Fitness/Running/Triathlon Comments: 0

8 February 2020

Avenue of Pain and a long run

I’ve had a busy week of running this week. The highlights were the Avenue of Pain, lunchtime runs, a long run and a parkrun. On Monday, I made it out to another training session with Lordshill. We did the ‘Avenue of Pain’, a training session that Stu wrote back when we were coaching. It involves running up and down a...

Categories Running Comment: 1

5 February 2020

Staying safe whilst running

I asked a range of runners online for their top tips for staying safe whilst running. The usefulness of the advice they gave depends on your personal circumstances and where you live. I’m grateful that in the UK, no-one suggested carrying a gun for personal protection. I’m also grateful that I’ve never had to consider what I’d do if I...

Categories Running Comments: 2

3 February 2020

Monday Morning Motivation: Dhruvil Patel

I chose Dhruvil Patel as this week’s Monday Morning Motivation because of the phenomenal progress that he has made as a runner over the last few years. In his words: Improvement in running is available to anybody who is willing to put in the work day in and day out! Dhruvil Patel, 21/04/19 On April 19th 2019, Patel set a...

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2 February 2020

If we were having coffee…

If we were having coffee, I’d ask for a large hot chocolate as I don’t like coffee. Also, I object to paying obscene amounts of money for a cup of tea. I’d ask how 2020 was going for you so far. Then, because I’m a talker, I’d fill the next hour with conversation. …I’d talk to you about parkrun volunteering...

Categories Motivation/Running Comment: 1

1 February 2020

Getting serious about my challenges for 2020

Last year I found it hard to balance everything in my life. There was never enough time for sleep, so training took a back seat and I didn’t take on many challenges. I’m now more determined than ever to get my training back on track, so I’ve been planning a full events calendar to keep me motivated. Here’s what I’m...

Categories Cycling/Running/Swimming/Triathlon Comments: 0

27 January 2020

Monday Morning Motivation: The Coxes and their tandem

This week’s Monday Morning Motivation is courtesy of Betty Cox and her husband Graeme. Now 92 and 87 respectively, they still love riding their tandem four times a week. Betty was diagnosed with bowel cancer in her 80s. She recovered surprisingly quickly, which she credits to her fitness from cycling so much. Watch the following videos… and then you may...

Categories Cycling/Motivation Comment: 1

18 January 2020

Volunteering hat trick

I started 2020 with a parkrun double, but since then I’ve not run at parkrun. Instead, I’ve been volunteering. I’ve been Run Director three times in a row at Southampton. It would have just been two runs, but I’ve swapped one slot with another RD. Later this year, M will turn 4 and will, therefore, be old enough to take...

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5 January 2020

New Year’s Day Double

After having an incredibly successful parkrun year in 2019 (in terms of volume rather than speed), what better way to start 2020 than a New Year’s Day Double? I’ve only managed this once before in 2016. Sadly in 2017 and 2018, I was really ill at the start of the year and didn’t make any parkruns. In 2012, I ran...

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28 December 2019

parkruns in Cornwall – done!

One of my goals for this year was to complete all of the parkruns in Cornwall. Land’s End started fairly recently and I managed to do that last week so that just left me with Tamar Lakes. You can read about my adventures at the other parkruns in Cornwall: Lanhydrock parkrun Penrose parkrun Trelissick parkrun Eden Project parkrun Heartlands parkrun...

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