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…)
Blacks Northface Singletrack 10k Trail Race
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!
Running Books
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!
Tweet me!
I joined twitter a couple of years ago but I didn’t really ‘get it’. I couldn’t understand why people would be interested in my day to day life – I mean I wasn’t even interested in it at the time! But now, 200+ followers later, I have found a lovely group of people who encourage me, motivate me and cry with me through good times and bad and isn’t that the real definition of a friend? (more…)
Too many i’s?
I am lucky enough to own an iPhone, iPad and iMac but I think the i’s might be taking over my life!
Riding the Portes du Soleil
Last Friday, we rode 50km of the classic ‘Portes du Soleil’ linked trail system in 8 hours!
According to www.portesdusoleil.com ‘The Portes du Soleil is made up of 12 linked Alpine village resorts either side of the French-Swiss border. There are 650km of signposted MTB trails and 800km of marked walking trails all accessible via the summer mountain lift network’.
There is a marked Portes du Soleil route that you can follow which is 80km and uses lifts to cut down on the amount of climbing. The lift system is what makes this route great as you give your bike to the liftie who puts it on the rail or hook then you and your bike are whisked up the mountain. We chose to do 50km of the classic route which used 7 lifts.
Chamonix 10k
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.
