The North Downs Way 50, mk II. How not to run 50 miles.

In a grump mid-race I decided I wasn’t going to write about the North Downs Way 50 this year. It wasn’t going to plan, I saw no reason to remember it or to prolong the suffering. On reflection my run writing has always been about preserving my memories & there are definitely things from this race I want to remember, so here we go…

I’m sitting here a few days later, wearing the t-shirt, the massive shiny medal in front of me, looking at the happy, smiley, official race photos telling myself it was a good day, it wasn’t that bad, was it?

No, really, it was.

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NDW50 Wk 17: Thames Meander Marathon (wc 06.03.17)

The most spectacular positive split…

26.2 miles, 4:17:34, 9:49 min/mile, 0ft elevation gain (ha ha ha ha ha!)

When you discover a London based marathon organised by the excellent Hermes Races that is on your actual birthday the temptation to enter is just too great… Originally I entered telling myself that it would be a good training run, albeit one with aid stations & a medal at the end! Continue reading

NDW50 Wk 14: Chocolate covered coffee beans to the rescue (wc 13.02.17)

What am I doing?

21 miles, 3:31:36, 10:05 min/mile, 1,880ft elevation gain

Early Saturday morning fuelled with coffee & oatmeal I headed out to explore another section of the North Downs Way. My aim is to have covered as much of the 50 mile route before race day as possible. I hope that a knowledge & understanding of the route will be a massive phycological boost. (Although sometimes I wonder if knowing about the hills in advance really is worth it…)

Simply put, this was one of the most challenging & hardest runs I have ever done.

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Where it all begins…

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NDW50 Wk3: Exploring the NDW because I didn’t feel like w*rking on a Monday… (wc 28.11.16)

Monday morning wasn’t happening. You know those days when you could sit at your desk for hours but yet wouldn’t achieve a single thing? Yep, that. So at about midday I thought sod it, pulled on my running kit, filled a bottle with some Tailwind, grabbed a couple of snacks, packed my bag, jumped in the car & 45 minutes later I was at Reigate Viewpoint & hitting the NDW…

North Downs Way Continue reading