With 2011 almost over and my last race of the year finished, I’ve been reflecting on my love of running. Just why do I love it so much? Enough to make me buy a headtorch and run on cold winter’s nights. Enough to get myself back up again after falling flat on my face and finish that run. Enough to get up early, drive to a race and run til I’ve got nothing left to give and then some. Coping with bad weather, sore toes and cold noses is just part of the runners winter skill set. I’ve pulled muscles, am about to lose a toe nail and grazed myself in places you can’t even imagine with a fall. Yet I still love it – why?

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It was the Dirt Half Marathon yesterday – the event I’ve been training for since returning from the Alps in August. I’d seen a running coach, trained hard, avoided illness and injury and arrived healthy and fit on the start line. What would the race hold for me? I had no idea how fast I was, how hard it was going to be on my body or what the course was really like. I woke up yesterday morning and thought ‘Yikes’!

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Don’t let the lack of light put you off running, get yourself a light and a running buddy and hit the trails! Every year as soon as the clocks change I swap my weekday runs to indoor aerobics workouts. This year I really want to keep my hard earning milage up so that I don’t have to start over again in spring. (more…)

This morning I got up early (well 8am) and popped over to Dunstable Downs for the Blacks Northface Singletrack 10k Trail Race.  It was a bright, crisp autumn morning so I donned a few extra layers to keep warm before the start – looking down at myself I realised that I should have won a special prize for the most amount of Northface clothing any one person can wear.  Honestly, apart from my bra and sunglasses it was all Northface.  Alas this went unnoticed and no prize was given!

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I’ve read some inspiring running books lately so I thought I’d share my favourite 3.

• ‘Born to Run’ by Christoper McDougall.  A little obvious this one but it is truly inspiring whether you subscribe to the barefoot running school of thought or not.  It’s a lovely mix of travel, adventure and running.  Well written and the only book I’ve finished and then read again immediately from cover to cover.
• ‘Ultra Marathon Man’ by Dean Karnazes.  Regardless of what you think of Dean you’ve got to applaud the man’s achievements.  This book covers his humble beginnings right through to the Badwater and Western States races.  An easy to read and quickly devoured book.
• ‘How to Run’ by Paula Radcliffe.  I’m cheating here a little as I only got this book yesterday and haven’t finished it.  It’s a coffee table book with loads of illustrations and beautiful looking rather than the word heavy paperbacks of the other 2 books in my list.  It covers everything from goal setting, choosing the right shoes to how to become a successful marathoner.

So, if you’ve lost your running mojo, pop along to your local bookstore and get inspired!

It’s been a festival of running this weekend in Chamonix. Yesterday was the 10k and half marathon and today is the full marathon. In-between was a variety of children’s races, pasta parties and prize giving ceremonies.

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