This time last year I was about to embark on the biggest physical challenge of my life and I was a mixture of scared and excited. In less than two weeks the MDS class of 2013 will be setting off on the same adventure. It’s too late for any training...

In an attempt to keep up my new year's resolution of blogging more I'm sending you this blog from my hols in sunny Thailand-sorry! I'm writing this blog while sitting on the beach, just after a quick run, one of the prettier runs I've...

So last time I blogged on here was November 7 th …tut tut, I know, but my New Year's resolution is to blog more! You’ll also be glad to hear my running has been a little more frequent than my blogging. Since the last posts, where I...

So, it was time to take control of my running again and I decided to do it with a race. It would be a good way to assess how much damage all those cakes had done and how much fitness I had really lost. I had agreed to take part in the Helly Hansen Beauty...

In April, Dee completed one of the toughest races on the planet: Read her blogs on The Marathon des Sables. Well what happened next…not much to be honest! The fact I haven’t blogged since my last day in the desert, back in April, is probably...

It was the last day, just 15.5km...after the last few days it should have been nothing... Well I say, nothing. There was the small matter of crossing the largest sand dunes in Morocco! The first 6.5k was fairly flat so I put my foot down and got to the...

Today I finally got to do what i came here to do; today I went for a run. Despite the bandaged feet, the lack of sleep and general difficulties of the 50 miler i wanted to get a good run in. So as I stood on the start line, my rucksack a little...

The 50 mile day or as the roadbook says...81.5km. Oh and what a day it was...the toughest day of my life. So as I stood on the start line I was raring to go! Blisters all popped, legs had been saved from taking it easy but things just weren't going...

I’m starting to think I may have brought too much food out with me so as I type this I’m tucking into a packet of shortbread... the stuff tastes even better out here! I’m also sitting in the middle of a sandstorm that’s taken over...

Well, it was longer, hotter and tougher than day 1! The distance was 38.5km, the temperature went over 50 degrees centigrade, and on top of that, there were a few sandstorms thrown in! Today it was a slightly earlier start of 8.30am and as we set...

So I’ve had two days of sitting in the desert and doing nothing, well I say nothing, what I actually mean is going mad! Everywhere I looked people had better kit than me, everywhere I looked people looked fitter than me… and inside of me...

So, the time has come! On Wednesday, I’ll be flying out to Morocco to take part in the 27th Marathon Des Sables. The last couple of weeks have been all about tapering, heat acclimation and panic buying food and kit. It’s been nerve-wracking...

So the Bikram Yoga is going well, I’m getting used to being in the 40-degree heat…but yoga’s not quite the same as running in those temperatures. So to try and imitate the Marathon des Sables more closely I decided to book myself...

With just over a week to go before I fly out to the desert for the Marathon des Sables, it’s time to think about the boiling hot weather that awaits me! Holidays abroad suggest that I don’t cope with heat very well, whereas I’m an...

So, about my knee… Have I mentioned that it’s been hurting? Oh, I have…like, every week. Well, if you’re bored of hearing about it, how do you think the people I see every day feel? My other half is a broken man and I’m...

So after my last post of positivity, a chorus of how well I’m doing, singing the praises of my fitness… Like the hills I was treading last week…what goes up-must come down! And boy have I come crashing down. It’s a bit depressing…so...

So, with five weeks to go until the Marathon Des Sables (MdS), my life is all about running, running and more running. Oh and hills, hills and did I mention hills? All this with a loaded rucksack to boot. And I’ve got to say I’m quite enjoying...

I’m almost scared to type the words…I’m erm, running again. There I said it! Now, I’m waiting for a crippling pain to sear through my knee and teach me a lesson for being optimistic for the first time in a month! So this...

So after a month of hardly any running I managed a good 10-miler last Friday. Yeah the knee was a little uncomfortable, and for some reason my hip was hurting too, but all in all it was a step in the right direction. This was a confidence booster after...

As I come to the end of my third week of not running I actually have some exciting news to share. Yeah, yeah, I’m still all miserable about not running, there were even a few tears of frustration on the weekend. But there’s no time for...

So I’m still miserable…because I still can’t run properly! Miserable! Miserable! Miserable! Bet you can’t wait to read the rest of this! It cheers up in a bit…promise. It’s been nearly two weeks since I’ve...

So training’s been going well, even pretty enjoyable at some points. I’ve been feeling strong and healthy, well apart from that little niggle in my back . That little niggle I picked up just before Christmas when I was moving house. That...

So it's about time I actually wrote a post about running! For those of you who read this for the references to dogs, chocolate and my general failure as a human being ...this might be a bit testing for you - I'll do my best to keep it interesting...

Well it's been tough motivating myself to get up and go for a run over the festive period, especially when I could be sat on my mum's sofa stuffing my face with M&S biscuits and picking on the dog. But the more I run, the more chocolates...

So it's freezing outside, in fact it's pretty cold inside too, especially with the funny old heating system in my house! So, why oh why, did I think now would be a good time to have my first ever ice bath ?! Surely, the summer would be...