As many of you know, the Yorkshire Marathon didn’t happen for me this year. Sadly, things didn’t go to plan. Let me explain…

It all started on the first day of my three-week taper—I got ill. At first, I didn’t panic and decided to take three days off training. But I was so unwell I couldn’t even move off the sofa for the first couple of days. I’ll never forget that first run back—it was horrendous! I managed just four miles, and it was a real struggle. Breathing felt impossible, like an elephant was sitting on my chest, and my head was foggy. Not great, to say the least.

After that, I thought, “Okay, let’s take a couple more days off,” but the illness dragged on. By the second week of my taper, I knew I had to pull the plug on the marathon. The lack of training and how awful I felt while running made it clear that I couldn’t push my body to perform.

Some people told me, “You’ll be fine, just turn up and do it,” but that wasn’t my goal. I’d been training for a 2:50 marathon, and with that no longer within reach, I couldn’t bring myself to just plod around. So, I made the tough decision to step back, focus on recovery, and return to consistent training when I was ready.

Fast forward to today—November 15th. It’s been seven weeks since I first got ill, and I’m only just starting to feel like myself again. I even had to go to the hospital for a chest X-ray to figure out what’s going on, as I’ve still got a persistent cough. Hopefully, I’ll get the results soon.

Looking ahead, I’ve got one race left this year: a 10K in Nottingham. I’m hopeful I can put in a good performance and tap into some of that marathon fitness I built earlier this year. Training has been going well these past couple of weeks, even though I’ve had to dial back the intensity.

As for 2025, Anna (my partner) and I have been planning races for the new year. I don’t think I’ll tackle another marathon, though. The plan is to focus on shorter distances—probably a half marathon at most—and work on improving my times. The goal is to put in a solid training block this autumn and winter, then see where I’m at in the new year.

Here’s to staying healthy, consistent training, and what’s next on the horizon. Thanks for sticking with me on this journey!

Just a few pictures from recent training runs

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Marathon Training Update: Week 6 and Counting

It’s been a little while since I last posted, so I thought it was time for a quick update! As some of you may know, I’m deep into marathon training right now—starting Week 6 tomorrow, to be exact. I’m prepping for the Yorkshire Marathon, and so far, training is going well. I’m hitting my paces consistently, which is boosting my confidence. My goal is to finish in under 2:55, so I’m aiming for a 6:40 pace.

For my long runs, I’ve been trying to keep the routes as flat as possible. This has meant venturing out to find new routes and loops rather than just stepping out my front door, since it’s pretty hilly around here. Running through town isn’t ideal either—it’s always crowded with people and traffic, which throws off my rhythm.

I’ve also been experimenting with gels to see which one works best for me. I think I’ve found a winner with Precision Fuel’s gel, which packs 30g of carbs—a bit more than the ones I used to use.

On the racing front, I totally forgot to mention that I ran the Heckington Show 10 Mile Road Race on July 27th. Anna and I did that event together, and as always, it was great to see all the familiar faces. I managed to officially PB my 10-mile distance with a time of 1:03:08, even though I’ve run faster in a couple of half marathons! It always seems to be hot on race day, though. Anna had an amazing run too, finishing just under the 1:30 mark with a time of 1:29:42—so proud of you, babe! xx

Yesterday, we decided to head over to Rutland Water for a parkrun. I was supposed to do a session from my training plan, but a hard 5K effort with some competition around me seemed like a better option. It turned out to be a great decision—I finished 5th and set a parkrun PB with a time of 18:30. The course is quick and out-and-back, so it’s always nice to see people on the way to the finish line.

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14/7/24

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It’s Sunday morning, and both Anna and I are heading over to Splisby for a 10k race. When I first signed up, I thought it was a straightforward 10k road race, imagining a chance for a quick time. Oh, how wrong I was!

We arrived at the Splisby showground, which was bustling with craft and food stalls, a classic car show, and a dog show. After my usual warm-up routine, I headed out onto the course and quickly realized it was mostly off-road. Just a quarter of a mile in, the path led through a farmer’s yard and onto dirt tracks. I turned back, did some strides, and returned to the showground.

Meeting up with Anna, we chatted with some fellow runners and learned that the course was about 75-80% off-road, with a couple of challenging hills thrown in. Soon, we were called to the start line. I kissed Anna and wished her good luck, then positioned myself at the front. The gun went off, and we were away!

The first mile was faster than I intended, clocking in at around a 5:35 pace. Knowing it was a trail run, I decided to go by feel and maintain a strong effort. We quickly left the roads and hit the dirt tracks. The initial downhill section felt good, though I knew we’d have to climb back up it at the finish. I found a good rhythm and settled in, my legs feeling surprisingly strong.

The first uphill came quickly, but I pushed through it, enjoying the challenge. A brief flat road section soon turned back onto the trails and a nice downhill. Around the 5-6k mark, I found a second wind and kicked down the hill, maintaining the momentum.

The course featured an out-and-back section, and on my way back, I saw Anna looking strong. It was great to see her doing well. As I neared the final stretch, I dreaded the climb up the hill where we started. With a burst of effort, I powered up the hill, then hit the road back into the showground, finishing with a time of 38:28. I placed 6th overall and 1st in the V40 category. Anna finished with a time of 51:41, placing 3rd in the V45 category. I was very proud of her for conquering such a tough course.

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A few photos from the show …..

Thank you to Skegness and District for putting on such a great race 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

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This past Sunday, I competed in the Derby Half Marathon with the goal of finishing in under 80 minutes, aiming to beat my personal best of 82 minutes. Training had been going well leading up to the race, despite a slight tightness in my right calf that seemed to resolve once I warmed up. On race day, Anna joined me for support 🥰. We arrived early, which made the starting area pleasantly uncrowded.

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I set off and completed my warm-up around the city, incorporating a few drills and strides. As I returned to the starting area, Anna wished me luck before heading off for her own run to explore Derby 😘. I entered the starting pen and noticed Paralympian Richard Whitehead was also racing. We shook hands and wished each other luck.

The sub-80-minute pacer arrived, and after a brief chat, the gun went off. I felt confident I could achieve my goal, aiming to maintain a pace of 6:04 minutes per mile. The race began, and I quickly settled into my rhythm. The first mile was faster than usual, fueled by the energy and excitement of the start, as everyone jockeyed for position.

To my surprise, within the first mile, my friend Alex appeared alongside me 😂. I hadn’t realized he was racing too, and he was also aiming for a sub-80 finish.

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As the race progressed, I maintained consistent mile splits from 1 to 6. The first half of the course wound through the city, while the second half took us through a park and along the canal. However, the second half of the race presented a different challenge. As I turned into the park, I lost contact with the pacer and the four other runners. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t catch up to them.

Instead of panicking, I focused on maintaining my own pace, which had unfortunately dropped from 6:04 to between 6:20 and 6:35. From around mile 8, I found myself running solo, and the race turned into a grueling time trial. I was hurting by this point, but I kept pushing and ticking off the miles. A couple of runners passed me, but I managed to catch up with one of them.

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This section of the race was quite lonely, as I mentioned before. There weren’t many spectators, other racers, or even marshals around, so I had to stay mentally strong. It reminded me of running along the canal in my hometown of Grantham, where I’ve been doing a lot of my long runs recently 😂. That memory kept me going!

As we reentered the city, the first part was eerily quiet, almost like a regular day. There weren’t many racers ahead of me, and there was little support. The route was taped off, so I just about knew where to go.

Approaching the start/finish line, the support picked up, and I spotted Anna, which was so nice to see. I tried to rally and increase my pace, but I had nothing left, so I just kept it consistent.

Crossed the line in 1:23:01 not the time I wanted on the day, nor a Pb but reflecting back on things now, I gave that everything on the day, I knew I did, and I suffered the next day as I was tight I could barely run, had to shake my legs out on the spin bike 😂

It was so lovely seeing Anna at the finishing line cheering me in, thank you babe xx

It’s on to the next one which is Splisby Show 10k, and next week starts the beginning of Marathon training! 😧 😂

So it’s been just over a week now since I raced the Grimsby 10k, training and life in general has been busy, so a late race report.

I’ve raced this event a few times now and it’s always a great one to do, nice course pretty flat and big pb potential to. Tho 6-9 k ish is pretty lonely on the duel carriageway, it’s a part of the race where you just have to dig in.

Arrived at the in plenty of time, so a good warm up done with plenty of drills and strides to get myself in the zone so to speak. This 10k was the event I was shooting for this year to bring down my PB.

I was feeling quite nervous on the start line but I knew the pace I had locked into (5:50-5:45) so as soon as the gun went off I got myself into the pace as soon as.

I was shooting for a low 36 or sub 36 if possible.

As the race was going I never felt settled like I have done in other races for some reason!? 🤔just felt tough, now it could be the heat, as it was getting warm, who knows but it was gonna be one of those races where I was gonna have to grind out a result.

Went through 5k in 17:48 ish, but as soon as I hit the duel carriageway it was definitely getting tough, I even slowed to get a cup of water as I felt I was overheating, but got back into my rhythm and pushed on to the finish straight.

Now coming off that carriageway was such a relief and seeing that final stretch was sooo nice 😂.

Crossing the line in 36:50 which is a 2sec PB, yes another 2sec PB, I knocked 2sec of in back in Lincoln last month 😂 . Chipping away at it as best I can. Was hoping for something a bit lower, but a pb is a pb so I’ll take it and move on to the next one.

Next race is Derby Half Marathon. Hopefully a sub 80min on the day figures crossed 🤞 for that….

So I thought I’d just write a post just to let my readers know how my training and just life in general was going, I’ve been writing a lot of race reports recently, which are always fun.

So this year I decided to change my running clubs my 1st and 2nd claim clubs, seeing as we’ve moved to Grantham I changed my 1st claim to Grantham RC and 2nd to Midland Masters.

The reasoning behind that was I suppose I wanted to meet new ppl and I just miss training with ppl to be honest, so joining my local club has helped with that, now I know I train on my own 90% of the time maybe 95% of the time 😂 but I have the opportunity there on my doorstep to change that, and I have, I’ve met some new club members ( Russell and Flash ) and gone for some great runs with them, and even a local guy ( Andrew) contacted me to do session with him which was so much fun, it really does help to have someone with you, hurting with you 😂 while doing a session, just motivates you and you help each other round 👍🏻

I’ve been enjoying playing around with my training over the past few months and finding out what works and what doesn’t. My long runs have been a bit experimental which I’ve enjoyed, not just going out at easy pace for 14-17 miles I’ve been either progressing the run from steady up marathon pace and a bit quicker or either combining a session in there like a 2-3 mile warm up 2 miles on 1 mile off , the on efforts done at Marathon pace, and keeping the effort at that pace not quicker, so there is a discipline factor there to, but there are loads of variations you can play with in the long run, just makes it fun I personally think.

Training in general has been going really well, not in marathon training yet, as I have entered a Autumn marathon ( The Yorkshire Marathon) so volume has been hoovering around the 50-60 mile mark but not been putting any pressure on myself to hit mileage targets as there’s no need.

A lot of my training is done on effort based, in the past I used to be a stickler for pace and hitting targets and getting pretty down on myself if I don’t hit them, I am getting older now and getting faster somehow 😂 but also getting wiser with training, so like I said effort based and not beating myself up if I haven’t hit those targets cause tomorrow’s another day 😉

Making subtle changes in training and day to day life hopefully will help long turn, things like cleaning up a bit of my diet, now I’m not saying my diet was bad, but changing things like cutting out a lot of sweet treats, more quality meats, no alcohol, and I know I don’t eat enough greens so I’ve added a green supplement into my daily diet.

Strength training is something I’ve neglected over the years, so it’s something I’m aiming to improve on, I have weights and a few bits and pieces at home so there shouldn’t be any excuses really, I have started implementing it once a week for about 30 minutes a day. Hopefully these little changes alongside the running will see me hit the targets I’ve been wanting.

I have 4 races booked in this year, Grimsby 10k, Splisby Show 10k, Heckington 10m, and Yorkshire Marathon, not sure if anymore will get booked in around those but shall see 👍🏻😉

Sunday May the 5th was time for the Great Birmingham Run 10k & Half, Anna and I were taking part in the 10k.

We arrived in Birmingham pretty early ( well about an hour and a half before we had to start). We got parked up and made our way to find the start, but as you do when you are at on of these big events, we just followed the crowds of runners and headed in that direction 😂, as we was walking through Birmingham we did notice how beautiful the architecture was, the buildings were amazing.

When we found the start we wanted to find the baggage drop and of course the loos 😂 the baggage was about a mile from the start and loos dotted around the start.

As we got closer to the start of the race, Anna and I wished each other luck 😘👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 and I headed to do my warm up.

The atmosphere was buzzing and the heat was definitely warming up, to the point I was thinking 🤔 🤨 I’m definitely gonna have to take on water at half way, anyway I got into my starting block which luckily was at the front, it was so crowded at the start, shoulder to shoulder in fact, horn goes at 9:30 and we was off, with a slight down hill at the start, but couldn’t get into my pace or rhythm as it was so crowded!

Soon the crowds thinned about a 1k in tho, but within the first 3k the course was very rolling with some sharp turns so it became apparent that this was definitely not gonna be a quick course and combined with the heat, but the support was fantastic around this part of the course and it definitely pushed you around.

Hitting the 5k mark and seeing the water station was a relief as I definitely needed to take on some water, I just felt like I was overheating, so I grabbed a bottle of water, struggled to take the lid off 🤦🏻‍♂️ 😂 and poured most of it down my back and over my head ! Off I went again and tried to get back into some sort of rhythm, I did and the water definitely did the trick, just wanted to finish strong now so I just gave what I had in the last couple of kilometres, but have to admit the last 1k was a bit crap 😂 they took us down some back street which was a bit dingy and you could hear a pin drop as they was no support there until the last 100m to the finish, it was a nice sight seeing the finish line which I crossed in 38:13, sweating buckets I walked around the finish area waiting for Anna to finish, she crossed in 51:20, congratulations darling very proud of you 😘😘💕💕💕

Below are a few race photos from the event

And a short video

Okay so it’s been a week since I raced the Lincoln 10k and coming away with a new Pb, this race is always a great one to do, the atmosphere and for me it does hold some great memories, when I use to race for the Lincoln club I use to train on this course a lot over the winter, and it was my 5th time running this event.

Anna and were both racing the event this year, Anna’s first time running it.

After completing a good warm up and seeing some familiar faces, I got myself into the starting position and we were soon off, I set out with intent, and got myself into the pace I wanted to which was around 5:45 pace, I settled and got into a good rhythm, ticking off miles 1and 2, the crowds where amazing and seeing my coach around 2.5 mile mark gave me a boost. There is a very slight incline headed back towards the start line but nothing major, the pace was start to pinch around mile 4 but was digging deep and kept pushing through, but hitting around mile 5 and a bit I got a horrible stitch down my right hand side which slowed me down from 5:50 to 6:20 but I just ran as hard as I could through to the line and came home in 36:51, a 2sec Pb happy with that and I know that come the summer I’ll have another crack at that time.

Walking round the Cathedral square see ppl finishing and some of my club mates, sharing race stories and congratulating ppl is always a nice part of finishing a race. Anna finished sub 50 minutes which is amazing, so proud of her xxxx

First Half Marathon of the year and it wasn’t going to be one that was going to be a full out race effort, due to the elevation and terrain, part road and part trail, and on the day the weather conditions were pretty awful 😂 , somethings are just out of our control.

So this was a challenge that me and my partner Anna was taking on, arriving there on the day we had about a mile or so walk to the start line first! 😂

Did my usual warm up and remembered the first part of the course, I’ve ran round Rutland many times in the past and the hill they started the race on was a killer, so I had to remember this was right at the finish to.

Got myself onto the start line, Anna saw me and wished me good luck xx

Gun goes off and we’re away, there’s about 5 of us in a pack but with in the first mile that breaks up and the first hill down, I head out in front, wise decision 🤷‍♂️ who knows but the pace was slowing down a lot so I just took it on and wanted to see what would happen, the road section through miles 2-4 ish were good and I could settle into a good rhythm, but that wind was still bartering us and was only going to get worse when we got towards the lake.

As we come off the road and around the lake the road becomes trail and the elevation starts, rolling hills gravel underfoot with the odd muddy section thrown in. Coming to around the 5 mile mark and I got over taken, now mentally I tried to put that to one side and not let my head drop, concentrate on my own performance and how my body is feeling, this seemed to work, he was pulling away from me inch by inch but my own performance wasn’t falling apart. We hit an out n back section and he could see how far behind I was, and as I rounded the turnaround I could see how far behind me 3rd place was, which I did and I never panicked when I saw him.

So now it was head down and keep working through as best I could, the conditions were tough but everyone was going through it to, god those winds where brutal 🌬️ !! And hills were rolling at this point so no chance of setting in a rhythm just be brave and grind it out. I remember coming to a gate and we was back onto the road section!

So now I’ve got around 5k to go, but it was a strange feeling cause it took me a while to find my legs from those rolling hills, managed to pick up the pace, my legs were pretty much gone but the flat roads where a blessing at this point, but I just wanted to keep these legs turning as much as I could. Coming into the final mile I remembered those 2 final hills, the first of those was tough and my legs were screaming at me to stop but as soon as i crested the top of that it was a sharp down hill which got the legs turning again and rolling down this hill I thought I was gonna fall over ! 😂 but I stayed strong and powered up the last hill to the finish line with great relief that was over and I managed to keep my 2nd 🥈 place, and great podium finish.

Went over and chatted to the winner and we exchanged stories of the race. Thank you Tim for a great race 👍🏻🏃🏼‍♂️🏃🏼‍♂️

The day finished off with the trophy presentation and an interview with local radio..

And also I have to say a huge congratulations to my girl, Anna got her sub 2 on that course and in those conditions which was amazing, very proud of you darling xxxx😘😘

This was my debut in a Grantham Running Club vest, so thank you to Grantham for all the warm welcomes 👍🏻

Nottingham Holme 10k

So on Sunday the 10th March 24 it was my first race of the year, the winter’s training has been good, no knocks, niggles, or any illness, so I was feeling confident to give this a good go 👍🏻 sadly I can’t control the weather conditions and on the day they where awful! But I didn’t let this put me off my race plan I was still gonna give this a good crack and see what I’ve got.

Warm up done and I make my way to the start line, gun goes and we start. I soon find myself at the front and in the lead pack, the 1st and 2nd guys soon pull away so that race is between those 2, I find myself with a group of 6 guys so I settle in the pack, but within 1/2 a mile or so the pack starts to slow, around 6:05 pace, now at that point I remember making a decision to myself, do I stay in this pack or push on, I decided to push on so I went the front of the pack and kicked on, got my pace back to around 5:48 min mile, but I was running on my own, I was fine with that so pressed on, within the next 1/2 mile or so 2 of the other guys had caught me back up and we worked together for the majority of the first lap ( up until 5k)

Now when we came through 5k ( I came through in 18:10 ) the one big factor here was the weather conditions had worsened, driving rain and brutal head winds, this really made us work, the pace was slipping away and I really had to battle and dig deep, the 2 other guys who I was running with started to pull away and I couldn’t go with them, so I sat at the pace I could manage in the wind which was around 6:20 min mile, but I knew when we hit the turn around point we’d have back wind so I held on for that point, but just before the turn around I got over taken by 2 other guys, so respect to them cause that was tough going, we turned and it was the long stretch to the finish now so I dug in and kept telling myself to pump those arms and get on your toes! So I sorted my form and got my legs moving again for the final push, felt loads better on that last stretch and managed to pick the pace up again.

The last turn around before the 1/4 mile run to the line, working right through the line and crossed in 37:16, my 2nd fastest 10k ever. 8th position overall and 2nd vet 40, I’ll take that in those conditions 👍🏻🏃🏼‍♂️🌬️🌧️💨

So that’s the first race done of the year, and very happy with that performance more yet to come definitely 👍🏻

So what’s next ? Well now I’m turning my attention to the Half Marathon, next race is in 4 weeks at Rutland water on the 7th April.

So far this year my racing schedule is looking a bit like this

Rutland Half. 7th April

Birmingham 10k. 5th May

Grimsby 10k. 2nd June

Heckington 10 mile. 27th July

Definitely room for more this year but the above are booked. I shall keep you informed with how I get on with those and how training is going 👍🏻👍🏻