Where to start? I am an ultra runner. I guess that is the main purpose of this site. I run for Great Britain (2017, 2018, 2019) in 24 hour racing and Scotland (2016, 2019) over 100k. I also coach with the team over at Pyllon Coaching.
I have a passion for learning and am lucky enough to head up a big team with a big organisation in this industry. Eddie Vedder sang “a mindful of questions and a teacher in my soul” and I like to try to live my life by that sentiment.
This blog and site is all about my passions, loves, running and maybe, just maybe, the odd Sherlock Holmes and music reference.
Book Review: 1,001 Running Tips by Robbie Britton
Only a seasoned and accomplished ultra runner could sit down and think, “I’ll write a book of running tips. And I will put more than 1,000 in it!” But, when you get into reading this excellent offering from Robbie Britton, you realise that it’s his whole rounded position as runner, coach and human that means…
A slight trick of the mind
Getting out of your own way can be the hardest thing in our sport. Especially when in ultra-running the lengths can be extreme in terms of both distance and time. And often both! There’s a lot of time be stuck with just your own thoughts. It’s often said in ultras that the longer they go…
Turn the stop sign green
I’ve been chatting to a few athletes recently about things like races, or FKTs and just generally doing running with a specific purpose. It’s been great. As events return and adventures get going again, it’s important we sharpen the other parts of our armoury that help us be successful. One of the topics I have…
The Great Stress Reliever
The last year and a bit has been, well, odd. The certainties of life have been torn asunder for many. The commute. The office. The gigs. The cafe visits. The nights out. Scores of things we take, or at least took, for granted were whipped away almost overnight in a race against infection. Yet, one…
Book Review: In It For the Long Run by Damian Hall
If you want a book with lumpy bobbins, puns tea’d up (see what I did there!) and a story of midlife crisis runner finding their purpose laden with viciously funny vignettes then this is for you. And, if that book was to be inspiring and wholly relatable, as well as being filled with engaging stories…
Recovery
You’d be forgiven for think that REM wrote their classic hit Everybody Hurts about ultrarunning. I mean, lines like “when the day is long” and the “night is yours alone” reek of 100 mile+ races right? Then there’s the closing refrain: And everybody hurts sometimesSo hold on, hold onHold on, hold on, hold onHold on,…
James Stewart 