Posts

Wine, curry, jelly babies and steroid injections...

Image
I was pleased this week to clock a personal best at Congleton parkrun. The official time was 20:28 for the 5 kilometre route beating my previous best of 20:44 set a couple of years back. I went to parkrun with my youngest son, Louis, and I said to him before that I didn't feel particularly up for it. My legs felt tired and Friday night wine and take-away curry aren't really the best preparation!  The time was even more of a surprise given that I haven't been focusing on speed over recent weeks but made me think there is more in the tank and that an overall 5 kilometre personal best (currently 19:43) might not be too far away... I've also been practising fuelling my longer runs and carrying water. In years gone by I've often just headed out without too much thought about nutrition and hydration. I'm now not convinced this was the smartest strategy and so have been eating jelly babies, one per mile, on my longer runs. I've never got on with the running gels bu
Post a Comment
Read more

It didn't start well...

Image
This last week didn't start well. I had planned a long run of 19 miles but by mile 10 my thighs started to tighten up and my right one became progressively worse. Everyone who runs knows that aches and pains are par for the course and most of the time it's possible to run through, but this was different. I felt like my right thigh might 'pop' if I carry on. So, I took a detour and limped home having completed only 14 miles. As is so often the case, I have no idea why that happened. However, as many of us do, I immediately and irrationally blamed my running trainers and duly wasted much of the rest of the day watching YouTube reviews of trainers. I have to say that I don't find most of these reviews very helpful at all because choosing a pair of trusted running trainers is such a personal choice. Nevertheless, after a wasted few hours perusing multiple reviews of various brands...I purchased the latest version of the trainers that I've used for years!! Buoyed by
Post a Comment
Read more

The journey begins...

Image
Hi, my name's Chris and I recently found out that my application to run the Brathay 10 in 10 was successful ( Brathay 10in10 ).  This means that in May 2022 I will aim to run 10 marathons in 10 days to support the amazing work of the Brathay Trust ( Brathay Trust ). The Brathay Trust aims to to improve the life chances of children, young people and families by inspiring them to engage positively in their communities. The mission of the Trust is a significant motivation to take on the 10 in 10 but also, personally, the enormity of the challenge is a huge motivator. I have previously run marathons but only one at a time and have always been completely knackered after! I know I'll have to commit to a significant programme of training over this next 10 months and to be honest am looking forward to the journey while at the same time feeling a little daunted! But, my thought process when submitting my application this year was; ‘you’ll never know if you never try.’ My plan, through t
Post a Comment
Read more