Last weekend had been highlighted in the diary with a big red marker pen: Peaks Stupidity! A number of runners and ultrarunners had been invited to gather in team RTS’ metaphorical back yard for two nights of camping with a day of fell/trail running...

When the going gets tough, the tough go on holiday. My grumbling knee tendon was again telling me not to run on hard surfaces, and what it needed was a trip to the sun. So family RTS flew off to the Algarve for some rest and recuperation. And lots of...

The wonderful thing about tiggers Is tiggers are wonderful things! Their tops are made out of rubber; Their bottoms are made out of springs! They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! Fun! But the most wonderful thing about tiggers...

Purists look away now. I had been flirting with the idea for some time, but somehow it didn’t seem quite right. Wanting to give it a try felt like a dirty little secret inside my mind. I didn’t dare tell anyone else for fear of their response;...

A cautionary tale and some rehab tips……. The pain just below my right kneecap first started in October last year. True to form (always stupid) I noticed it then promptly ignored it. Well, that’s not entirely true. I noticed it...

I think I entered The Matrix a few months ago. Whilst out for a quick run at lunchtime my wrist-worn GPS bleeped to tell me I’d completed the first mile in a sniff over two minutes. “Hmmm, a world record,” I thought, “I must be...

I remember reading somewhere that if you do anything consistently for two weeks it becomes a habit. I am now well into my fourth week of non-running (mainly to let some knee tendonitis heal but also to give my whole body a rest after a heavy mileage year...

This recent cold snap brought to mind something I wrote a couple of years ago......... We've got 23.4 degrees to blame for it! My toes are occasionally sore and my fingers are regularly numb . I ’ m sure all runners have been noticing...

Tartiflette, a tandem space hopper and the year after the night before! It was good, 2011. It was a good year for running, anyway. No, not a good year, a great year! There were adventures and stupidity galore, mostly shared with and planned with...

It’s always so difficult to think of nice things to write on your present list to send up the chimney to Santa, and harder still to think what to buy that special runner in your life. Well, let me help. Here are the top ten things that every...

A bit of road racing last weekend provided an opportunity for a pleasant bit of socialising. The event was the Worksop Half Marathon (30 th edition, Halloween special). This was to be Mrs RTS’ first attempt at 13.1 miles, and was a prospect...

Around the year 1600, the Italian mathematician Galileo dropped some stuff from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and concluded that, ignoring the effects of resistance, all things fall at the same rate. So when we come to run down that big hill in...

Nothing! Not very interesting, but that’s about it! Nothing - All we really need for running. It really is the most simple of activities. There is no necessary equipment. No bat or ball, and nothing to throw or climb on. It is...

Readers of my blog may remember the sad news of the death of Fred Rogerson last year. Fred was one of the founders of the Bob Graham Club, and he worked tirelessly and selflessly in helping innumerable runners achieve their goal of a successful Bob Graham...

As it is nutrition month on the Bug, I thought this deserved another posting:... I have sent my entry in for the next series of Britain’s Got talent . I can’t sing, can’t dance, in fact I have no real talent at all. But from what...

Well, you were either there or you weren't. And if you weren't, bad luck. Thunder Run 2011 was a sunny BBQ fest. Sign yourselves up for next year. I'm taking the lazy way out for this blog post and handing the writing (Ed - and video, courtesy...

We kept to the side of the rocky path and instead used the grass to get up Green Gable. From there the running was good. Soft vegetation had replaced the rockiness of the higher fells, and feet seemed to breathe a sigh of relief with the new comfort....

I was greeted by two of the coldest looking people I have ever seen. Dressed in probably everything they had with them, Daft B and Adam offered me a beer chair and I took the opportunity for a couple of minutes of rest. I swear Adam looked more tired...

………………..I caught the big group on the lane into Threlkeld. They were a fantastic bunch of guys from Dallam running club near Lancaster, all supporting their team mate Martin Gardiner, who was making a BG attempt...

So there we were, the team, in the car park in the centre of Keswick. All that I needed before the start was a wee. I jogged quickly to the public toilets……..to find that they were locked. Never mind. I imagined I’d be able to find...

Sometimes running is a team game. After OUR phenomenal exploits at the Bob Graham Round I would like to bow down in front of my crew, shine the spotlight on them, and hopefully give them the recognition they deserve. I may have been the one who ran the...

Well, I thought my eyes were already wide open on this challenge, but the Bob Graham dress rehearsal proved to be yet another eye opener. Just as I was thinking I was getting on top of the beast it reared up and bit me again. The weather was glorious...

After seemingly ages away for many months, the Bob Graham is suddenly looming massive and inescapable on the horizon. But alas, things haven’t gone to plan as far as the team is concerned. We started out well endowed with runners, a biker, pace...

“ Ah, come into my world Mr Respect. Another hypnotherapy session is it? Well, lay on the couch there and let’s get started ”. “ OK, I believe in you. What do I have to do ?” “ Just breathe as I stare in your...

“Oh baby, do you know what that’s worth?..” To the south west of Keswick in the Lake District lies a hidden gem; one of my favourite and one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Simply being in Borrowdale is a stunning experience...