Born To Plod - Blog

This photo really doesn't do justice to how soggy I was. I wonder how many more hits I’ll get as a result of this title. Shame on you! It’s been a while since I last posted so I thought I’d pop on and waffle about my recent...

I'm guessing that most runners have some sort of bucket list knocking about, specific to this wonderful pastime. For what it's worth, here's a taster of mine, some things accomplished, some still to come... Run a 5k race Run a...

First of all, I know I said I was taking a few week’s break from blogging, but I’ve popped back on for a very good reason, and that reason is that I have a confession to make: I am a bad, bad person. Last Saturday saw me take part in Sport...

An uncharacteristically brief post from me this weeks folks. Just long enough to say that I’m taking a little break from surfing the blogosphere*. I’d like to say that the reason for this is because The Man has finally caught up with me...

Any of you unfamiliar with 1970s sitcoms (starring Windsor Davies at his shouty best and displaying all the political correctness of seven Jim Davidsons and half a Bernard Manning) might want to mentally change the title of this blog post to “Silverstone...

Just thought I’d pop on and share a quick one with you today. The reason I’m keeping it brief is because I was a bit of an idiot (I know, I can’t believe it either), and so don’t particularly want to dwell on it. With less than...

I’ve found myself in some pretty dangerous situations on my runs. Angry swans, pitch black tunnels, scary-looking teenagers. But this was different. Sweat beaded on my forehead, but a little more than usual; my usual sheen of running perspiration...

So, the last time we spoke, I was in a period of enforced rest after something went “twang” in my lower back and I’d spent the last few days walking like a dysentery-ridden cyberman. I was also on the verge of heading out for my first...

“ A week without running is like a ninja without pointy things ” - Lao Tzu Of course, Lao Tzu didn’t really say that. Well, he might have done; I wasn’t there. But as my possibly-made-up opening quote says, I’ve gone...

Food. It’s brilliant, isn’t it? Sometimes too brilliant. I’ve never really understood food though, beyond what types taste nice (biscuits, crisps) and what types aren’t actually food at all (crocodiles, washing machines). The...

Having read some of the fantastically entertaining and informative blogs on this site I'm becoming painfully aware that my own blog is perhaps less about actual running and more about me playing silly buggers. Well... Why change now? Read on, if...

The title of today’s blog thingy is a reference to a post I made last year called “All Hail the King”. If you haven’t read it and would rather skip the back story, feel free to just substitute the above title with “Argh!...

Okay, so those of you familiar with my ramblings might be looking at the title and wondering if you’ve come to the wrong blog. Traditionally, a more fitting title for one of my posts would be “Running Stupid”, “Running a little...

I fancied doing something different yesterday. Nothing too outlandish; After careful consideration, I don’t think the world’s quite ready to see me hurtling naked through town on stilts while singing Hi Ho Silver Lining. For starters, I...

So, that was 2011 then. If I were a more traditional sort, I’d start with a wry look back at my year in running before moving on to a list of things I’d like to achieve in 2012. Well, I’m not particularly traditional, but on the...

I suppose “Poggle on my doorstep” would have made a bit more sense, but it wouldn’t have alliterated quite so well. I could have gone with “Doggle on my doorstep”, but “Doggle” is a stupid word and clearly made...

Race photographers: Instead of saying "Smile" would it kill you to say "Breathe in"? You may laugh about the possibility of a velociraptor attack, but there’s no denying we’re long overdue for one. If anyone’s...

Beepety-Beep. Beepety-Beep. The race didn’t start until 10am, so even allowing for travelling time, getting kit ready and at least half an hour of gently flapping, I could afford a few more soon-to-be-well-earned minutes of blissful slumber....

Yesterdays late night eight-miler was very nice. Not horrible, not amazing, just very nice. Pleasant . Unfortunately, the only problem with a run like this is that it doesn’t lend itself to a particularly exciting blog post. So as I plodded my...

" Shoshin ” is a Japanese word that roughly translates as “ Beginners Mind ”. It basically describes an attitude of humility and openness, of striving to see things from new perspectives long after they become familiar. The Japanese...

Running (and so too blogging) has taken something of a back seat this week due to the unwelcome appearance of my arch-nemesis Professor Man-flu. Although every fibre of my being is itching to lace up the Asics and head out the front door to “jolly...

My most recent post saw me coming to terms with the ups and downs of running, accepting the fact that there will always be periods where things don’t go to plan. Into each life a little rain must fall. You take the rough with the smooth. However...

Happy Anniversary It’s been one whole year since I started running. Or 446.61 miles, 93 hours of on my feet, 149 runs, just over 40,000 words. As avid readers will know, I somehow managed a Half Marathon a couple of weeks ago. Now, the...

First of all, I need to apologise that part 2 of this post has taken almost a week. I wouldn’t normally apologise for such things, but I’ve spent the last couple of days being nudged, bullied, harangued and shouted at in the street, with the...

First of all, the rumours that I was eaten by bears during yesterdays Pumpkin Run 2011 have been greatly exaggerated. As those of you who know me (or who just enjoy following me around with high-powered binoculars) will already have learned, yesterdays...