Even when her legs were off, she fought on her stumps.
"So how are you in the heat?" "I'm okay usually. I don't like it but I seem to cope alright." Nothing like jinxing yourself is there? At Endure 24 last year, I distinctly remember saying out loud the day before, 'I don't think it's going to be that hot', and it ended up being around [...]
Lessons learnt from My Little Friend.
Curled up in a ball, arms squeezing my stomach, stamping my feet on the floor like a toddler in a supermarket, trying not to shout: this was not the most promising start to my long run. Less than a mile in, and I was all set to turn around and go home. This might sound […]
Chasing rainbows.
After eight and a half hours of running, the end was closing in. Jayson ran next to me, spurring me on as the clock ticked. The shallow, steep steps onto the road slowed me to a tentative walk and I was off again, my other crew running alongside me as I grunted and grimaced my [...]
Being intentional.
A couple of years ago, I remember watching an interview with Jim Walmsley where he said that he wanted to break the Western States record. This riled me. Here was this young, inexperienced – admittedly very quick – runner, saying something I saw as really arrogant. But, after watching him attempt it, fail, but gut […]
Just one day. Just one lap. Just one step. Just keep moving.
Running ultras makes you do stupid things. One of these things is entering more ultras but that’s not what I mean. I mean things like deleting the biggest race of your year from your watch because your brain doesn’t work. Yes, I discarded Endure 24 from my Garmin because Endure 24 made me stupid for […]
Racing to train.
You might not believe me, but I don’t see myself as a good racer. Like a lot of people, I started doing this because I enjoyed it, not because I thought I could win stuff. I’m not motivated by winning (although it is really nice!) and I often don’t enjoy the pressure that racing can […]
Know when to walk away, know when to run.
The day before the South Downs Way 50, some random radio station was on in the kitchen and The Gambler by Kenny Rogers came on. I remember my mum playing it when I was younger and I’ve always liked it but more for the jangliness than the sentiment. Listening to it a few days ago […]
Things are getting stressy…
To me, running is about enjoyment. Getting away from stuff that I don’t want to think about, into nature, moving forward under my own power, and being peaceful and relaxed. So why am I doing it to the extent that it’s making me really tired? Why am I finding that I want to stay in […]
Close your eyes; clear your heart. Cut the cord.
I have, in the past, been called intimidating. I don't think it was an insult, rather a suggestion that I'm a confident person who knows their own mind and won't take any nonsense. So why, in the past few weeks, have I found myself quaking with fear, overcome with an anxiety so deep that I [...]
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