It’s official – not only have I caught the triathlon bug, but I’ve press-ganged my little mama and our friend Rose into the madness, too. We’re going to be taking part in the Leeds X-Press Triathlon together in less than two weeks. It’s quite weird being the expert at something out of the three of us….
Total Warrior Race (Help Me!)
It seemed like a good idea when we signed up six months ago… A fun team name (“Aching Bad”), over a dozen women in the group, a summertime obstacle course and beer afterwards. As the time for the race draws nearer, reality has begun setting in for me. Even in summer, plunging into a skip…
Triathlon: Done!
I did my first triathlon and I absolutely loved it. I wish I could do it again right away, so I could fix the bits I messed up on and get the same giddy, companionable feeling again. The swim, the bike, the run? All felt within my ability, albeit not super speedy compared to some…
4 Reasons Runners Should Do Yoga
You know how much we love running but, well, a change is as good as a rest and all that. We do like to treat ourselves to a bit of cross training too. Plus, let’s be honest, it’s hard to keep pounding out the miles in depths of winter and, while it hasn’t been particularly cold here in…
Fit Is For Life, Not Just For New Year
We don’t like the ‘new you’ business that saturates the media at the beginning of the year. What’s wrong with the old you?! OK, so maybe we don’t always look after ourselves well enough. Perhaps we eat too much over the holidays. Maybe we don’t exercise enough when there are so many other things going on….
Running Away From Home: Barcelona
I love not marathon training! It was a bit (I imagine) like trying for a baby: worthwhile, and with a great goal in mind, but with a bit of the fun taken out of the process. </end of comparison> I’ve just been doing 3-5 milers, a few times a week, at the pace I want…
Big Autumn Exercise Plans, Post-Marathon
I have a confession – I’m happily married to marathon training but we’ve been together a long time now and I have a bit of a roving eye. It’s the Yorkshire Marathon soon (my first ever!) and after months of running day after day, I fantasise about cheating with Zumba… I go into reveries about…
Putting the Fun in Long Runs
I love running, you know I do, but I’ve been finding the long runs during our training for the Yorkshire Marathon quite taxing. Not the running itself particularly. That can be tough at times but, hey, I’ve read Chi Running so I’m good at being Zen about it. I know it’s temporary and can zone…
Trail run up Roseberry Topping
Since I moved to Teesside earlier this year, I’ve been wanting to run up Roseberry Topping. It’s one of the highest peaks in the North York Moors, and is iconic for people in the area. I was lucky enough to get some new trail shoes this week, and wanted to give them a proper outing….
Becoming a Runner – Getting Kitted Up
Running is a relatively egalitarian sport, with a very easy entry level. You don’t need to muster up a team of people, and you don’t need loads of expensive equipment to get started. When I first started running, I lived in mum’s hand-me-downs for literally everything, but if you’re not blessed with a bonkers-mother-runner like mine,…
Becoming a Runner – 4 Ways to Change Your Mindset to ‘I am a Runner’
I was a very reluctant runner to begin with. If you’d told me even three years ago that I would be running a marathon this year and going running voluntarily 5 days a week, I would have told you to shake your head. Now, I happily lace up my trainers by myself and nip out,…
Is Milk The Ultimate Sports Drink?
Image from www.shapesense.com The Author: Paul Harlow is conducting PhD research on post-exercise rehydration at Leeds Metropolitan University. For more information on this topic, you can contact him at: p.harlow@leedstrinity.ac.uk Don’t wait till you’re thirsty! Drink 2 litres a day! Don’t just drink water! Cut out caffeine! Athletes and everyday exercisers alike have been bombarded with…