Winter training: Vitamin D and ultra-running

One in five people in the UK has low vitamin D levels, according to the NHS. It’s essentially a national condition during the winter, when a lot of us aren’t getting enough of the vital vitamin from sunlight. It’s something I’ve only become aware of through regular blood tests as part of measuring my training […]

Dealing with a recurring historic injury

Niggling injuries are not a runner’s best friend, but they can be your constant companion. And, with age comes the greater risk of injuries rearing their heads. It can be a headache in training, as I found out just before Christmas… A trip too far Let’s go back a few weeks to mid-December. It was […]

Summer races to add to your list

Ready to step up from a marathon to an ultra this year, or looking to build on your ultra experiences? Now’s the time to book events for later this year. I like to have goals that give me a reason to get up each morning even when I’m not ‘feeling the love’, and to structure […]

Best tech for new ultra-runners

New to ultra-running? The array of tech – watches, straps, torches, and more – can feel almost as daunting as stepping up to that start line. I remember being overawed by the massive choice of potential tech you can buy, combined with the fear of investing serious money in something that might not deliver when […]

Super Fit at 50: SAD, running and the changing seasons

When I first met my wife, she noticed that my mood fell with the autumnal shorter days, only picking up for Christmas and as the seasons turned to spring. That seemed to change when I started running in my mid-thirties. I’m now someone who has consistently ‘high’ mood and energy levels, all year round. Here […]

Using Strava Summit stats to measure autumn training progress

I use Strava Summit to keep me focused on training. I particularly love the new ‘fitness’ score. An unexpected silver lining after DNFing the Cotswold Century has been a steady improvement in that ‘fitness’ score – by some 83% in the last year. Science without the spreadsheets Strava’s Fitness score is a calculation that combines […]

Super Fit at 50: an autumn training update

Training has been going well, albeit pretty light on running this past week. I have to adapt my training around work commitments – something I’m sure most runners can relate to. Running for life, not living to run I love running, but it’s not the whole story. It has to fit around my other responsibilities. […]

🍂 Super Fit at 50: Falling into new things this autumn 🍂

Is it just me, or is this time of year quite intense? I find myself starting to plan out my goals for the new year ahead, including which races I want to enter and finding my ‘A’ race: that Big Goal for 2020. I actually caught myself giggling on a recent run, just thinking about […]

Super Fit at 50: what to do after a DNF

I’ve just finished my first week’s training after DNFing at the Cotswold Way Century. It’s times like this that make me appreciate having already thought through a plan for dealing with disappointments to help me move forward quickly. And I’m not just talking about prepping myself mentally for race DNFs; I’m also talking about any […]

Super Fit at 50: Cotswold Century Race Report

As I wrote last week, I set out to complete 102 miles of the Cotswold Way this weekend just gone. I fell well short of that goal, calling it a day at 35 miles when I realised I wouldn’t make the cut-off at 40. Here’s a very honest report of what happened on the day… […]