To train or not to train… that is the question?
For many runners, once they are bitten by the running bug, there are suddenly a whole host of complex reasons why they run, in some cases twice a day and in many cases every day of the week. The forces that drive people to miss out on social…
The storm is coming
Think back if you will, to the point before your marathon preparation cycle started. Let’s take November last year for example. Whether or not you raced last autumn, it is highly likely that last November you were not training for anything specific. Wasn’t that a lovely time? Blissful…
Getting rubbed up the right way.
I love a massage, there is no getting away from it. In fact before I started running I used to love a massage. But now that I train and run regularly, I find that a massage has gone from almost a pleasure that I afford myself to a…
Athletes and Injuries: A journey through London 2012
Another treat from the wonderful Catherine Wilding, who in this post looks at the pattern of athletes and injuries, especially in the run-up to important championship competitions. But it really begs the question: are we all not susceptible to pushing too hard as the ‘big day’ approaches and…
Oh no, Paula
I have spent more time than I care to reveal hoping and wishing that Paula Radcliffe would reach the start line of the marathon at the London Olympic Games, fully fit and ready to race. I am afraid that I think there are women now who are faster,…
“The only antidote to mental suffering is physical pain” Karl Marx
When I started running, pain was something that I understood would be inevitable, but assumed would be temporary and periodic. However as I progressed my training over the years increasing my mileage as well as the intensity of my sessions, I came to realise that pain could be…
The finished product
Inspiration from ‘The Perfect Distance’ by Pat Butcher I have just finished reading Pat Butcher’s excellent book on the golden era of British middle distance running “The Perfect Distance. Ovett & Coe: the record breaking rivalry” (published by Phoenix and available here). I’ll write a specific review of…
Success and motivation
I have just watched this video on the BBC website with Paula Radcliffe talking about running and her career in athletics and the power that the games in London in 2012 are having over the decisions she is making in her life. It really made me think. Personally…
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…
Looking for a needle in a haystack
Injuries can be funny things. By this I mean they can sometimes seem to come from nowhere and be resistant to all the common treatments whilst at other times their arrival can be well announced and then they respond perfectly to icing or stretching or massage or whatever…