Is scarcity and discomfort good or bad when it comes to marathon running?
I have recently been reading a book, called Kings of the Road, by Cameron Stracher, about the golden period of marathon running in the US, around the late-1970s and early ‘80s. This period followed on from the publication of Jim Fixx’s book The Complete Book of Running, and witnessed…
What we can’t learn from Mo Farah
Yesterday at the Diamond League athletics at the Alexandra Stadium, I watched Mo Farah race in the unusual distance of 2 miles. And whilst it was great to see him boss the field of athletes assembled and witness what was undoubtedly a sort of lap of honour (well…
Will he, won’t he? The Galen Rupp saga continues
Since reporting a few weeks ago that Galen Rupp, the US 5,000m record holder and Mo Farah’s training partner under Alberto Salazar, had decided to enter the US Olympic marathon team selection race (here) at the Houston marathon, it has now been announced, by Ken Goe in the…
Is the US becoming a marathon super-power?
There has been much written about the recent emergence of the US as a force to be reckoned with in distance racing. The likes of Chris Solinsky (10,000m PB 26:59.60), Bernard Lagat (5,000m PB 12:53.60), Ryan Hall (marathon PB 2:04:53), Meb Keflezighi (marathon PB 2:09:15), Dathan Ritzenhein (marathon PB…
The benefits of running with the pack
Don’t tell my wife, but I harbour a dream of going to Kenya for a fortnight to go running. I realise that financial considerations make the chances that I will rather remote. But I will keep that dream in my heart. It might surprise you to know that…
Ice, ice baby!
I have been running for around 6 years now and I have to admit that I have never been a fan of ice-baths. I suppose that in an attempt to avoid the unpleasantness of immersing myself in cold water, I imagined that they were only for elite athletes…
The Mo Farah interview
So here it is – my first video interview and I bagged a really good one. Mo Farah. To give you some background, the interview was at an event organised by Nike and Sweatshop at the Trackside Cafe at St Mary’s University College in Twickenham, where Mo gave…
A Mo-tivating Interview
It is not often that one meets their hero. Tonight that is exactly what I did; I met and interviewed Mo Farah. Mo was the guest of honour at an event that Nike organised at the track at St. Mary’s University College, Twickenham in London. Mo was there…
U2 can decide to carry on
Earlier this week I heard U2’s hit “Where the streets have no name” on a radio being played in another room. Suddenly I was reminded of the classic YouTube video – well it is a classic as far as I am concerned! – of the dual in the…