When I was a child my Nain (Grandmother in Welsh) would tell me the tale of a mountain nestled in the heart of Snowdonia. Under the mountain was a sleeping elephant she would tell me, covered in rock and grass. I would listen; wide eyed and naively enthralled as my young heart fell in love … Continue reading The Mountains will Mourn Her – Part One
Last Sunday morning (March 22nd) I should have been on the start line of the Twin Lakes 20-mile race, surrounded by countless other runners and friends alike, bathed in the glorious Spring sunshine. It was to be my final race in the build-up to Brighton Marathon, my big PB attempt. These races, like everything else, … Continue reading Covid 19 – Somethings Never Change
When I started running I believed that I was running from something; from my grief, from my depression and from the helplessness I felt crushed under. It wasn't until June 9th 2016 that I realised I hadn't been running from something all this time. I was in fact running towards something; I was running towards … Continue reading For her.
So I know I have been frustratingly bad at keeping this blog up to date and this is the reason why: Come July 14th my best friend from school, Gaz and I will run 20 marathons, 20 days, 20 towns and cities all over the UK all in aid of the mental health charity Mind. Starting … Continue reading My Big Challenge for 2020
The downhill was short-lived and soon as soon as we left the bustling town of Wengen, we were climbing again but I now found myself pushing forwards instead of falling backwards. Within a few kilometres we had climbed up into the cloud line and away from civilisation. The world became small and damp as you … Continue reading Jungfrau Marathon: Part Three
There is a quote by Greg Child about climbing and looking back at the second half of the Jungfrau Marathon it works for running a mountain marathon too: “Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb” At kilometre 25 the climbing commenced and I … Continue reading Jungfrau Marathon: Part Two
To put it lightly the Jungfrau Marathon isn’t any ordinary marathon. Regularly picked in the top ten best races in the world, the marathon winds its way up steep inclines in stunning Swiss scenery. Climbing almost 2,000 meters in the shadow of the legendary Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau mountains, reaching its highest point at 2320 … Continue reading Jungfrau Marathon: Part One
I made my motto for 2019; “Do what you can’t”. The battle cry I needed whenever the trial of training for Marathon des Sables seemed too much. But now I couldn’t even do that which I used to find easy. Having conquered marathons and ultramarathons I now can’t run 5km without being in hot, gnarling … Continue reading THE INJURY DOWNFALL: PART TWO
This is the long and cautionary tale of why it’s important to focus not just on the running side of running but resting and strengthening both your body and mind. I felt like I was running on a pure unending high after Marathon des Sables. I had raced the London Marathon and set a huge … Continue reading The Injury Downfall: Part One
I feel like I should start with a massive apology; it has taken me so long to write up my London Marathon experience that the ballot results for next years has now been announced and I'm really sorry for that. I'll explain why it has taken so long in the next post but for the … Continue reading Sand to City: London Marathon 2019
