Racing in the heat
Its been just over a month since I collapsed at the Great North Walk 100 miler. Recovery was relatively quick thankfully and I have spent the last few weeks researching all I can on what happened to me and how to prevent it happening again. I have also heard from many other runners who have […]
Great North Walk 2013
I stood on the start line for the 2013 edition of the Great North Walk 100 miler full of confidence. I had trained well and had two good lead up races – finishing 8th at the Yurrebilla 56k race then winning the 46km Freedom Trail Race. A week later I managed a 9 hour training […]
What do you think about when you race?
It’s a question I often get asked so I thought I’d give you a peek inside my brain to see what was going on when I ran the 56km Yurrebilla Ultra Marathon recently. Some would argue not much but you might be surprised! For those that haven’t heard about YUM (as the locals call it) it’s […]
Hoka One One – marketing hype or running shoe revolution?
Ever since Hoka One One was launched a few years ago it has divided runners opinions – depending on who you speak to its either a revolutionary shoe or a fad that will disappear with time. Since they were launched right at the height of the minimalist shoe trend they stood out amongst the zero […]
Blister prevention 101
Blisters are a common problem for many marathon and ultramarathon runners. There are many ideas for how to prevent them, some of them old wives tales and some of them have a bit more credibility. But despite the use of every remedy known to mankind some of us still suffer blisters. Maybe our understanding of […]
Observations of an Ultra Coach
What is the difference between the elite runner and the back of pack runner? Is it fitness, training, genetics, mental or some other factor? How can the rest of the field improve without putting in the miles the elite do?
How to avoid cramp – training, tapering and pickle juice
Cramp. It’s a runner’s worst nightmare. One minute you are running along feeling great, next minute you are clutching your leg trying to find a way to relieve the cramp that has taken hold of your calf or hamstring. If this happened at the finish line it wouldn’t be such a problem, but when it […]
The long run – how long is long enough?
The long run is obviously the most important training session of the week for an ultra runner but how long should it be? I was initially of the opinion that longer was better but after building up to a long run of 75km before my first ultra and dying big time in the race I […]
Tempo running for ultrarunners
As you may have guessed from a previous blog on speed training for ultrarunners you’ll know I’m a big fan of speed training and tempo running is a great speed workout. But what is a tempo run?
The Great North Walk 2012
Running 100 miles (actually 108 in this case) is never easy no matter how well prepared you are. In this case I knew I wasn’t as prepared as I would have liked to be. Sometimes there are more important things in life than running and the last 3 months has been one of those times. […]