2021-10-04 13:41
Back in March, I developed some really significant pain in my knees - typically, I carried on running on them, until I got to the stage where I could barely get around the block and I was in… Read More
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These Days I Call Myself A Runner... Blog
callmyselfarunner.com
My journey from being lazy & unfit to running 100 marathons & ultras by my 40th birthday - my training, motivation, injuries, races & kit reviews
2020-11-23 11:51
It's funny how "inspiration" works. I've been really struggling recently, with so much, unable to work out what was wrong or how to pull myself out of the funk that I've found myself in for… Read More
2020-10-05 11:25
I ran a marathon yesterday (no.106) but my first "official" 26.2 event since August 2019! I have run an ultra in the year in between, at the brilliant Country to Capital back in January, and… Read More
2019-10-14 14:59
I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted -it's just been such an incredibly busy time. Our wonderful son, Alexander, was born in February 2019, and he's the loveliest baby. Happ… Read More
2018-07-16 16:31
When Francis and I first got together in 2006, I didn’t run, in fact, I didn’t do any exercise at all. I didn’t own a bike, had never run, I was not the outdoors type &ndas&hell…Read More
2018-04-30 05:53
What a week it's been to be part of the running community, and part of the Brathay Trust family.Last Sunday, I finished my 98th marathon, while hundreds of people across the country finished… Read More
2018-03-20 16:26
Francis is on sabbatical at the moment and is looking after the girls full time, while I'm at work. This means that when I race I tend to feel really guilty that Francis is with the girls on… Read More
2018-03-20 16:26
I ran the St Peter's Way ultra again a few weeks ago and it was probably the best year yet.It's obviously an event I love (why else would I run it five times?!) but was really nerv… Read More
2017-10-23 21:17
It's nearly the end of October, the girls are nearly a year old, and I'm finally feeling great about my running again.It'll still take a while longer to get back to being as fit as I was bef… Read More
2017-10-23 21:11
Well I did it. Marathon number 93 at Friday's Darnley Challenge in Kent.Although I was close to giving up at 18 miles, and it was my slowest ever marathon, at least I managed to finish despi… Read More
2017-08-06 08:53
Over seven months since my last blog! The girls are 9 months old next week and looking after them is intense (they're crawling, standing, into everything and I can't take my eyes off them fo… Read More
2017-01-19 07:07
I had a great run yesterday, albeit on road not trail - nearly 6 miles at a pace of 9:51min/mile. I'm still nowhere near the level of fitness I had before my pregnancy, but I'm very proud of… Read More
2016-12-27 11:02
Nearly 36 weeks pregnant.People say having children is life changing. It's a massive understatement.After struggling physically in the later stages of my pregnancy (as I was so enormous, unc… Read More
2016-06-27 21:50
It's been a strange few weeks.This isn't a blog about the EU referendum, and I don't really want to talk about it here...but feel the need to say something. Following the public vote to leav… Read More
2016-05-28 10:51
My first baby purchase, to go with our first pictures from my scan yesterday, at 13 weeks 3 days.It's going to be at least a year until our twins are big enough to wear these babygrows...but… Read More
2016-05-02 22:38
Written on 10th April. For the last ten months, my goal race has been the 147 mile Viking Way ultra.So many of you supported me in this most crazy of goals, seemingly equally impressed… Read More
2016-05-02 22:37
A video from what must be one of my favourite ever marathons. The scenery was stunning, the course was perfect, the medal beautiful. I had a wonderful day out.The Larmer Tree.Coverage of the… Read More
2016-03-02 16:50
My preparation for the Viking Way is really going well and I'm just loving running at the moment.In the last two weeks, I've added a fair weight of bling to my collection, completing two mar… Read More
2016-02-11 15:43
There are 50 days left until I take on my toughest race so far...the 147 miles of the muddy, cross country, self-nav, no GPS, tight 50 and 100 mile cut off, 40 hour time limit, Viking Way Ul… Read More
2016-01-28 14:56
My first run of 2016, in fact my first run at all since getting injured after Christmas, was the Country to Capital ultra on 16th January.I was pretty nervous as to whether my hamstring woul… Read More
2016-01-15 12:56
I have been a very bad blogger. My last post was at the beginning of November, and since then a lot has happened that I've missed telling you about!We moved house, and I'm now on the Essex c… Read More
2015-11-07 20:52
I've totally fallen back in love with running these last few weeks, and am finding that being coached by Lindley is making a massive difference. The plan he's given me is working and I can f… Read More
2015-10-27 23:43
Francis and I were talking this evening. I told him, "I got up this morning at 5am!!""Did you run?" he asked, totally incredulous."Yes, I did, again!""You're like a different person..."… Read More
2015-10-20 15:29
It's been ages since my last post (over 10 weeks) and I've completed a few events in that time, so here's a quick update:The Stour Valley Path 100km. This is a race that I absolute… Read More
2015-08-05 13:32
It’s fair to say that I’ve never enjoyed “training” and in fact, I do very, very little of it - I often struggle to go running during the working week and when I do g… Read More
2015-07-28 13:18
It's becoming a bit of a tradition that to celebrate my birthday, I sign up for a race on the closest weekend. This year was going to be the most epic of all of my birthday events...I was go… Read More
2015-06-30 15:39
This weekend, I took part in the Great Barrow Challenge in Suffolk. It's a running festival, with people taking on half marathons, marathons, ultras, and combinations of the three… Read More
2015-06-22 11:41
I still can’t believe I did it – it’s surreal but wonderful and I am very proud of myself for completing the 145 miles of the Grand Union Canal Race. As an unsupported runn… Read More
2015-06-08 21:44
Yesterday I ran the Stour Valley Marathon, a race that I have been looking forward to all year since defering my 2014 entry. It rounded off a 46 mile week, my first of the Jun… Read More
2015-06-02 10:00
Now I've stopped carrying my GUCR medal around with me and I've had a whole week off running to recover, today I start the next phase in my training, with a new focus on trying to cut down m… Read More
2015-05-28 09:28
This weekend, I ran the iconic, unique and ridiculously far Grand Union Canal Race. 145 miles, non-stop, from Birmingham to London. I will write a proper blog about the race, probably tomorr… Read More
2015-05-05 08:34
Last year, writing my post-TP100 blog, I was absolutely filled with positive emotions. I was totally elated, astonished that I could have enjoyed the whole experience so much, and to ha… Read More
2015-04-08 20:25
With things having gone so poorly in the last few months, and with so little preparation in the week leading up to the race, it was with some trepidation that I arrived in Worthing on Saturd… Read More
2015-04-01 23:02
After my last, very depressive post, I'm amazed at how inspired and happy I feel this evening, after my first run with the WMNRUN100 team.WMNR100 is a project set up to improve the numb… Read More
2015-03-31 11:18
All is not well. I feel that I have failed at this round of training…compared to last year’s 100 mile preparations, I’m not where I should be or wanted to be. My mile… Read More
2015-03-18 16:39
John's 100th marathon cake, made by Heather. Incredible.On Saturday morning I found myself suddenly jumping out of bed in a panic, as I realised that although my alarm had gone off an hour b… Read More
2015-03-02 20:29
Yesterday was my third running of the St Peter’s Way Ultra, and it was absolutely brilliant. I’m still on a high, and if ever there was a race that reminded me why I love u… Read More
2015-03-02 09:43
I've had a bit of a revelation. After a couple of years of constant racing, and racking up crazy numbers of marathons and ultras, I've come to realise that I've lost sight of what’s im… Read More
2015-01-01 13:11
I can't believe it's already 2015. Time passes so quickly it's frightening, but I love the fact that through my running I really feel that I achieve something special each year. I do ne… Read More
2014-12-29 20:32
A couple of weeks ago, I decided to make a change, and get some help. I felt I'd lost my love for running and could quite happily never train again...despite the fact that I still loved race… Read More
2014-12-18 08:41
As it gets colder and more unpleasant outside, I worry about cycling through the winter. I've always loved going for a ride when it's beautifully sunny and warm, with just a slight breeze, s… Read More
2014-11-12 09:45
Life is slowly getting back to some sort of normality after Roger's funeral at the end of October, and we're working out what that looks like now, without our weekly visits to his house for… Read More
2014-10-23 16:07
My wonderful father-in-law, Roger, very sadly passed away on Wednesday, 15th October, just two months after falling ill, and just a month after receiving his cancer diagnosis. It's been an i… Read More
2014-09-20 21:56
In the last few weeks, life has really turned upside down. The plan had been that the Stour Valley 100km would be my last race until the new year, as I had left my job, Francis was taking a… Read More
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