January 2025

     

        Hi there, I’m forcing myself to write something once a month whether something happens or not, and to be honest, not a lot happened in January for me.

I ran a leisurely marathon which I wrote about in my previous blogpost. I ate healthily for about a week… The Piriformis syndrome has been a hindrance and annoying the hell out of me. I also had a shock when I stepped on the scales at 84.6 kgs! It’s fair to say that I really don’t like these winter months. We have now arrived in February though and this does fill me with a little bit of excitement and hope.  

         I kind of started January out by smashing my toes into the bathtub and turning them black. It was an accident obviously. Sciatic pain on most of my runs too and carrying an extra 4-5 kgs. Something has to change right?

      I did manage a few climbing sessions this month including a solo effort at Boulder Shack. I went climbing at Golden Gecko with my lovely girlfriend Clare who never loses any strength or form despite not going for ages!

 I also made a long overdue visit to Red Spider in Fareham where I had to update my 3 year waiver. Then I decided to run home from Fareham. A route along the A27 that I hadn’t done for years. I actually enjoyed the rolling hills and they weren’t as bad as I had remembered. I am definitely a lot fitter than when I ran my previous efforts. I was exhausted at 16 miles for some reason and decided to quit at Cafe Thrive. The 90 minutes of climbing probably had something to do with it and the 5 mile walk to Red Spider too. I was so tired the following day at work as you can imagine.

      I am currently reading two books at the moment. “Granite Kingdom” by Tim Hannigan and “The ultimate ultra running book” by Claire Maxted.

Granite Kingdom is a book about Cornwall. It really had made me want to go back and revisit a lot of places and people I know from living there in 2009 and 2018. I will have to book a week off at some point and organise it. Hopefully Clare will come too :)

The Ultra book is full of great information on nutrition, training plans etc.. Not that I haven’t run ultras before, but it’s good to read something to inspire you and get your head in the right mindset for it. I just have to do some training and enter a race now.

        I only managed one parkrun in January and that was Bartley park. I ran there and it was a lovely surprise to see both Jax and Helen, two old friends. I ran and chatted to Helen and we did some extra miles afterwards. I managed 15 miles in the end.

 

     The next day, Clare and I went to Romsey and we bumped into our friend Darren. We walked a loop of Squabb wood which I hadn’t really done since the Testway ultra a few years back. It was still boggy but there were no cows to scare me out of the fields.

Clare and myself also did a lovely loop of Romsey canal path where we saw 2 or 3 kingfishers which was a nice treat.

 

       At work I had signed up to help out at the Run Show in Birmingham. I was kind of regretting it to be honest. Friday would be a very long day and Saturday would be hectic and I wouldn’t see Clare or get to do a parkrun. Why was I doing this again?

I did get free trainers, tracksuit, t-shirts and shorts, plus the hotel, food and travel were paid for.

 

At 5.30am I had to walk in a storm down to Millbrook roundabout with all my stuff to be picked up. There was an accident on the A34 near Oxford and they closed the road but we made it to the NEC just in time.

No time for breakfast or coffee though!

        We put on our hi-vis vests and flashed our passes. It was hectic already with all the erecting of the stalls. Metal framework everywhere. Trying to navigate pallets with a pump truck was challenging. It had been a while since I had done a lot of heavy shifting. I did removals about 30 years ago moving furniture in and out of schools. Lifting pianos up and downstairs. The bad memories of hard labour were coming back to haunt me..lol.

 

   I spent a lot of time organising the running shoes in order in the stockroom. Before we knew it, it was 6.45pm. It was back to the hotel for a quick sit down before our food. We were booked in at the “Gourmet Burger Bar” for 7.30.

Have you ever been to the NEC in Birmingham? It is huge! It was almost a two mile walk to our hotel which is still in the NEC grounds. They must have about 20 Starbucks outlets in that place too.

 

        The food was overpriced and kind of average but work were paying :) It was a nice surprise to see Paula Radcliffe and Chris Thompson come in and sit down on the table next to us. I tried not to stare too much.

Somehow their burgers arrived straight away while we still waited for ours..lol.  

 

       An early night ensued and it was up early and out. I wanted to run a 10 miler but didn’t get up early enough. 6am was early enough for me. Where would I run? Could just do laps around the lake at the NEC? After some research, I discovered that Ozzy Osbourne was born just up the road in a village called “Marston Green”. Also, lead singer of “The Wonderstuff” Miles Hunt grew up there.

       It was hard work trying to get out of the NEC. Google maps didn’t have a clue where to go, so neither did I. I got out eventually and then ran the wrong way again. I got to Marston Green eventually. No Ozzy statue that I could see sadly. It was still dark though. I headed back and made up a 10k and took advantage or the free breakfast buffet at the hotel.

       I had trouble getting to the location of the Run Show. I got lost with a few other people. Then I saw this massive queue to get in. Luckily my pass allowed me to bypass this and I made it just in time for our work briefing.

It sure was hectic after 9am. I was running backwards and forwards from stockroom to the show with apparel. The crowds were tough to navigate at times. Weaving in and out, trying to get stock to the customers.

       It was a good day though but I didn’t really get to see much of the Show. It looked a lot of fun. Maybe I’ll go next year and do a parkrun first and just help out on the Sunday? I did bump into Paula and Chris again who were doing a talk but I didn’t have time to listen sadly. I also saw Sophie Power on the treadmill who broke the world record for 48 hours on a treadmill. Incredible stuff.

        I decided to leave Saturday and get the train home. I wanted to have a bit of a weekend still and see Clare. The train was delayed due to football fans fighting. Pompey had lost 5-1 and I was on the train with all the fans travelling back. There were other football fans too, so it was all kicking off. Soon as I got on the train, someone threw a punch at someone. We were already crammed in like sar-deans. More delays and at the following stop (Coventry), another fight kicked off. It sure was a long journey back. I was so glad to be greeted by Clare at Southampton parkway.

Would I do it again? Maybe?

        Anyways, that’s about it. I did write my letter about working flexible hours so we’ll see the outcome of that this month hopefully. I bought some new trainers too. I was talked into it at the Run Show by a speedy runner I know called Richie. The Adidas Adistar BYD range. I’ll let you know about those too. The piriformis is getting stronger and the sciatic pain weaker. Hopefully on the mend.

Have a wonderful February and thanks for reading. x

It's a start..

         New Year's resolutions? Yeah, I’m one of those people and can’t even remember when I wasn’t. For as long as I can remember, I’ve always set myself goals to achieve at the end of a year, for the following year. It usually involves a lot of the same things too. Lose weight, run a certain race, eat healthier etc.. They’re never really big goals, just something to give me a bit of focus for the year and something look forward to. And this year is no different. I had decided after a year of 5k, 10k and half marathon pb’s that I would like to run some longer distances. Back to the ultras maybe? We’ll see…

 

A few goals that I do have written down are to “lose the tummy fat”. I have been living off junk food the last few months. I seemed to have done a lot of comfort eating in the evenings even during the summer months.

 

I want to cook more homemade meals rather than buying packaged foods. I would like to “eat vegetables at least 3 times a Week”.

 

I would like to “build up more weekly mileage”. 50 miles a week is a good target for me I think. Lots more easier runs as well.

 

I want to strengthen my core and abs. A few little goals like a “10 second handstand” and a “2 minute deadhang” would be fab too.

 

“More climbing and running with my lovely girlfriend”

.

“10 new parkrun locations throughout the year” for a bit of sightseeing.

 

“Catch up with more Friends”. Make time for them and hang out, whether it be running, climbing, just coffee or breakfast.

 

I would also like to “Write more” and “Read more”. It would be nice to write a blogpost once a week or once a month?

 

I think I would like to “run a couple of marathons” and possibly an ultra this year too. Not necessarily fast times, just good times.

 

I would like to “visit or revisit a few places” too. “Back to Devon and Cornwall to catch up with friends. Back to the Cotswolds. The Malvern hills. Germany would be nice. Exeter, Gloucester, Wales etc..

I would also like to “cut my hours at work” but we’ll see how that one goes..

 

So there, you have it. Pretty basic stuff really. Now, onto my year so far…

 New Year’s day saw Clare and myself say “Sod it” to doing parkrun in the wind and rain. We had a nice lie-in and walked a 5k for breakfast later in the day instead. I don’t think I’ll be the parkrun obsessive that I have been for the last couple of years, but we’ll see..

 Thursday and Friday I was back at work and I ran in and out of there both days. It sure was cold but I had enough layers on. I seem to be running a lot slower lately due to having Piriformis syndrome. It is literally a pain in the arse. The sciatic nerve gets trapped and causes pain all down one side of my left leg. It moves around a lot too. I’m hoping it’ll just get bored and leave me one day, just like my mum did.

I’m over that now though..lol.

 

Finally managed to get my mate Fast Kev some Adidas Pro 4’s from work. It’s been ages trying to get them out of there! He was doing his 300^th Parkrun at Southampton this Saturday but I couldn’t face that horrible congested start when I wasn’t going for a faster time. The plan was to run to Itchen Valley and meet Clare for a slow trot around in my new Adidas Speed Pro SG’s that I haven’t worn yet. Not even sure why I bought them I have way too many pairs of running shoes at the moment!

 Things came up and Itchen Valley got cancelled due to the icy conditions anyway. I drank coffee after coffee while I read my Arnie book. It was still dark and very frosty from my bedroom window. I’ll just do a long run to Winchester to pick up my race number for the Romsey 5 I thought. This would mean running to a running shop in Badger Farm. It was only when I got there that I realised it’s called “Badger Farm” and not “Badger’s Farm”.

 

I messaged Clare to see if she fancied meeting me in Chandlers Ford for a coffee. I sure drink a lot of coffee! It was a bit last minute really. I estimated that it was about 7 miles and would take me about an hour to get there. I decided to swap from my shorts to a pair of running tights that I haven’t worn for ages. It really did feel very cold. Clare will tell you how cold it gets in my bedroom, if you ask her nicely. There is never any heating on. If you want to get warm, you do push-ups. This is what I should have done, push-ups. I packed my rucksack with spare apparel. Long sleeve T, Gloves, Hat, Socks etc..

 A start of the Coros pace 3 and I was off with my limpy sciatic leg. Off towards Lordshill, past Sainos and into Rownhams. The first couple of miles climb until you get near North Baddesley and then you have a lovely descent. The North Baddesley Sign is exactly 5k from my house, which is 3.12.5 miles for us oldies.

 It was great running weather and not too slippery out so far. More downhill into Valley Park. I decided not to do the cycle path as there are usually quite a lot of dog walkers out. Lots of friendly folks out this morning though. Multiple greetings and smiles from everyone. I got to Chandlers Ford station and then the climb up the hill to meet Clare. Something I had very much been looking forward to. I could stop running and enjoy a coffee as well. I put at ETA of 10.45 out to Clare. I got there a bit early and there was no sign of her. I checked my phone and noticed that she hadn’t read my WhatsApp messages. Maybe she had gone for a run or back to bed?

 

Bad news for me, as it meant I had to keep running. I had to take off my Jacket, gloves and hat. While doing so I was checking out the menu in the window of a new cafe that had opened up. They had a “Vegan breakfast” on there. I must visit/revisit. The place is called “Brunchin Brasserie”. The listings weren’t very clear though as there was just a Green V for both vegetarian and vegan stuffs. You’d think this shit would be basic enough for a menu! This somehow still happens a lot at many places I have been to. They seem to struggle to differentiate from Vegan and Vegetarian and the staff usually haven’t got a clue either. I’m quite used to this now though. Ignorance is bliss right?

Anyways, on I trotted up another hill and towards Otterbourne. I saw this other running dude in front of me. I wasn’t far behind him and we ran down the big hill. He kept on looking around as if he had the lead in a race. I had my music blasting out in my ear buds. This wasn’t a race for me.. or was it? I looked at my watch and realised I was almost running at sub 7 pace. “Shit! Slow it down dude”. After about 15 more look backs from the dude in front, he had almost disappeared out of sight. I climbed another hill just past Compton. I hate that hill but told myself it was good for training or something along those lines. “Be Positive, Dean”.

After all, I was just trying to shift some weight right? I am currently at my heaviest in a while of 82.4 kgs. In the summer I was around 79 kgs. I used to weight myself in Stones and Ounces but I gradually changed for some reason. I still can’t see me converting to Kilometres over Miles though.

   Now, I had a plan to get to Badger Farm. I was originally going to run through Hursley but have you ever run through Ladwell just before it? It has no pavement and is a very fast road. It scares the hell out of me. I decided on a different route. I would cross the Motorway bridge just past Shawford and go onto the trails of Compton Down. I’m not sure why I thought this would be a good idea in a pair of Adidas Pro 3’s. It has been a long time since I had run these trails and I usually came from the other direction at Oliver’s Battery via Port Lane. Something told me that I needed to climb, and climb I did. Then a downhill would come. The trails were muddy here and I had very little control. I decided to slow my pace as this wasn’t a race right? I was wobbling all over the place like a drunken mess in a pair of stilettos on a Saturday night. Luckily those days are far behind me now.

I bumped into a couple walking their dog and asked for directions. For some reason I told them I was trying to get to Oliver’s Battery and not Badger Farm. The two places are pretty much next to each other anyway right?

  They were both enthusiastic with their directions and kept on interrupting one another. I think the woman was starting to get a bit annoyed by her husband/boyfriend/Tinder date.

From what I could make out, they said to go right, stick to the right, follow the path around. From previous times here it didn’t look right to go right. I swear I need to climb more I thought, and so I did. This doesn’t look right I thought. I tried to look at google maps but I didn’t have my glasses on and I couldn’t be bothered to retrieve them from my jacket pocket inside my backpack.

I’ll just keep running, not long after, the trail looked familiar again. I knew I was running towards Winchester at least.

 

Another runner came by and I asked for directions as I’d reached a crossroads but not really a crossroads, just 4 different directions to choose from and travel in. It was his first time on the trails but he seemed to google it ok and didn’t need glasses. As soon as he mentioned a Starbucks I was all over it. I knew that this wasn’t where the Running shop was but I had had no breakfast or water and I had done 12 miles already. What happened to running fast 20 milers with no food or water like I did last winter? It was very humbling to plod up all these long hills too. Something that this road runner was no longer used to.

 

I crossed a very icy bridge and followed a concrete path down to the Sainos. I had found civilisation again. Sadly no Gingerbread latte with vegan whipped cream. There seems to be a nationwide shortage of Gingerbread syrup. Ask any Starbucks or Costa you visit! I settled on an Americano with oat milk and a “No chicken fiery wrap” thing, which I love. So much for the healthier food right?

I had done a half marathon, I could eat what I wanted right? This was the type of thinking that made me put on more weight after marathons rather than lose it in the past! I had this crazy notion in Starbucks that I could possibly run to Romsey and catch a bus home from there. A half marathon felt pretty easy. I was in no rush. I still hadn’t heard from my so called girlfriend Clare. Why did she hate me so much?

Anyway, the running shop was only 0.62.5 miles away.. or one kilometre.

I got there, had a brief look around, not much to see. A small shop with not a lot in it really. I suppose I see millions of items at work on a daily basis though..lol.

I collected my number. The name on it reads “Dea” they had missed off the “n”, or I missed it off when I filled in my race details. They said they’d change it on the system but the numbers were already printed so I would have to black marker my own “n” in there. No real harm done.

 

I thought I knew where I was as I recognised part of the Winchester half marathon route. I just needed to find Port lane. Again, this was usually done from the other directon when I previously ran or cycled it. I got there eventually, it was just further down the road than I had thought. I’ve always loved Port lane. I ran up it a lot but now I got to run down it. A couple of miles of country lane. There were fallow deer in the fields, A red kite was hovering above me and I saw a gracefully poised collared dove at the top of a tree. A few cars came, so I stopped to the side and let them pass. It was blissfully peaceful.

 

I was trying to make a decision now. Home or Romsey? Home or Romsey? I already mentioned the horrible Ladwell road. I didn’t fancy cutting through the school in Hursley to do the Ampfield trails in my Pro 3’s. I decided to turn right and head past IBM. There is a field to cut through but it would be muddy. I was in luck though as there was a pavement beside the busy road. I couldn’t remember the pavement being there, so it was an added bonus and there were more fallow deer in the field to my left.

As I turned off, I remembered this massive hill. I had to walk up some of it. Memories came back to me of how scary it was to cycle down. Brakes hard pressed and leaning backwards behind my saddle. When I reached the top I saw a makeshft memorial there. Probably a cyclist whose life had been taken. So sad to see but the sadness didn’t last long as I saw a Dad and young son approach in the opposite direction. I first heard the squeeky brakes from the child’s bike. “Yes, you want make sure that your brakes are working before you go down this one” I said cheerily. The Dad laughed and agreed with me. This made me smile along with the thought of a nice descent coming into Slackstead. Just country lanes until Braishfeild now. I saw another red kite in Pucknall and avoided some more ice. Some of these country lanes have water running down one side and you can’t quite work out if it’s water or ice until you get there. Better tread carefully!

 

21 miles to Braishfield. I stopped at a bench and drank some water that I bought from Starbucks and ate a cereal bar thing that I got from the Sainos in Badger Farm. At last, a message from my lovely girlfriend. Her phone had be doing updates (or so she tells me). I wouldn’t get to see her today but was very much excited about seeing her tomorrow. You sure get to think a lot on these long, slow runs and she was in my thoughts a lot. I sure am a lucky man.

 

I may as well do a marathon now right? I reckon it’s only 3 miles from Braishfield to Romsey. I know you can run either a 2 or a 3 mile route from Ganger farm parkrun which I would be passing. I decided to do a loop of Braishfield taking in Newport lane as if I was doing the Romsey Beer race. That would add on a mile at least and then up the hill to Hillier’s garden centre and near Ganger farm. I chose to run via Belbins and past Lemon and Jinga. I did think about stopping there for food.. Mmm, cinnamon swirls.

Onwards I went, a nice downhill and a right turn past Fishlake meadows. Not far now but I was absolutely spent despite feeling fine at 21 miles. A couple of miles later and my arms were really aching. I was starting to feel dizzy and my vision was starting to distort. Would I collapse before the 26.25? Those last 2 miles were so hard but then they would be wouldn’t they? I had done no long distance running for a year and my last marathon was 2 years ago!

As I shuffled into town and weaving among people like a zombie apocalypse, all I could think about was the “Red ambulance”. For anyone who hasn’t read the Allie Bailey book “There is no wall” it is simply a reference to a can of coke.

I made it to Co-op and went one better. A Huel chocolate protein shake and some salty crisps. I then realised that I had sweated quite a lot and was getting cold quickly.

 

Josie’s was rammed as always. I was going to get food from Costa but they had no use of a microwave for 20 minutes for some reason. I was too tired to ask. I ended up at “That little tea-shop”. Was I even that hungry? I think I just wanted to sit down with a coffee in the warm. I had 30 minutes until the place closed. I’ve been there quite a few times and love that they have a Vegan menu. The food is very basic and the place looks like you’ve stepped into the 1970’s with the decor. Heating? What heating. But what you do get is very nice and good value for money food, along with very accommodating and friendly staff. A proper independent cafe with lovely coffee too and Vegan scones that I’m yet to try. I put on a few layers of clothing from my rucksack and forced down my lovely garlic mushroom cheesy baguette and salad. Healthier food on Monday I promise.

I checked my bus times and off I went to get the number 4 home. It was a very uncomfortable journey home with the sciatic nerve pain returning. I had to try and sit with my left leg straight to ease the pain. I was surprised that my legs didn’t ache at all despite running a marathon on no training. And I think that’s where my level of fitness comes in. I am in pretty good shape and not carrying too much excess weight really. It definitely makes the difference.

Now, do I take a free Manchester marathon place at work next week?

 

Anyways, that was my first week of 2025. I’ll probably have a rest day today as I’ve done 65 miles for the week already.

Thanks for reading if you made it this far. I hope you weren’t nodding off like me on that bus journey home. Xx

 

P.S I think a monthly update will suffice.

This month I have Romsey 5 if I can be bothered to turn up for it and I’m working at the Run Show in Birmingham. No other plans yet. 

The second half of 2024

          

          Continuing on from my last blog post means that i’m currently in the month of July.  I went back to Hove promenade parkrun with Clare to try and get a quicker time. And on the 27^th of July I got a time of 18.17. My second quickest parkrun time after my 18.11 at Swansea Bay, 2 weeks previously. Not too bad really.

The following week (4^th Aug) saw me smash my half marathon PB of 88.14 and reduce it to 86.07 at the Sturminster half.  

This is a race I love and have done many times. I got a lift with Toni and her brother, who threw up a few times on the way there which made for an exciting journey.

We met Fast Kev and afterwards we had a really nice pub lunch but I can’t remember where? Somewhere in Wimborne I think. I was over the moon with my time and my endurance training had been pretty slack too!

 

A couple more weeks later (17^th Aug)  I went back to Alice Holt parkrun on the new course. I went with Clare and a couple more of the Itchen Valley parkrun volunteer crew (Helen and Donna). We had a great time and I told them it was one of, if not, my favourite Hampshire parkrun.. and yes, I have done them all until the new Wickham one starts up in the Spring!

Anyways, they cursed and panted at me cos of those big hills. It sure was funny and I just snuck in a sub 20 (19.56) so a course PB for me :) This was followed by a great vegan breakfast that they do there and sitting on the benches in the sunshine.

 A week later I got my all time parkrun PB of 18.08 at Southampton. That was a lovely way to end the summer and just before my big birthday. I was soon to be 50!

Sadly I didn’t make it to Overton 5, for some reason I just couldn’t be bottered with it despite entering the race. A similar thing happened with Gloucester half earlier in the year. The last few years, I had a habit of entering races and not turning up for them for some reason. This year was the most I had raced in ages.  

 

I had a lovely birthday morning (12^th Sept) climbing at parthian with a few friends in Southampton on the Thursday. On the Friday, Clare and I were climbing again in Exeter! This meant we could do some more parkrun tourism. We went to Cranbrook and met Di and Mike Mattingly there. I jogged around with Di and we had a good catch up while Clare ran solo and Mike was off to pick up his phone that had been run over by several cars on a roundabout somewhere on the M5? He rejoined us though and we had coffee in the local cafe but Clare and I endured the long  train journey home.

The next day was the Totton 10k. It was a wonderful race and one I really enjoyed. I ran pretty well and got a time of 38.00. My first race as a V50 and first V50 on the day but sadly no age cat prize was to be had. A wonderful race though and I would definitely do it again.

 

I had the 10k bug. A late entry would see me running the Utilita bowl 10k on the 29^th of Sept. I was hoping to get another 1^st V50 but kinda blew up after 5k and struggled to hold on and the pace began to drop! 38.02. Still a great time but a poorly run race in my opinion.

 Solent half marathon soon came around on the 6^th of Oct. My endurance training hadn’t been the best again but I was feeling pretty good. Another half marathon PB of 84.16! I really couldn’t believe it. I was running quite low mileage compared to recent years but I guess I had more focused sessions. Speedwork and Tempo runs. The latter being my favourite. I was now favouring the Adidas Pro 3’s over the Bostons that I had been religiously running in this year. Most of my 5k’s and 10k’s were run in the Takuni Sen 10’s though.

 

Less than a week later and I ran an 18.30 at Moors Valley parkrun. Despite my legs feeling trashed from the half still, it was a big course PB for me.

Sadly the Great South Run had been cancelled due to a storm. I was on for a 10 mile PB as I passed 10 miles in 64 minutes at Solent half (Not this doesn’t count as a PB!)

I decided to go back to Southea parkrun on the 26^th of October. I was hoping for a speedy time and a low 18 something. I was also determined not to run the wrong side of the finish line this time, like I had done in the summertime! A slightly disappointing 18.27. I thought this strange after running an 18.30 at Moors Valley. Surely the Southsea course was a lot faster? Another course PB though and another would follow on the 9^th of Novemeber at Ganger farm with a time of 19.21.

 

The times seemed to be slowing a bit, but I was still loving it. I did a slow one at Preston park with Clare and then the Brighton 10k on the 17^th of November.

I didn’t think I was in very good shape, so I wasn’t holding out for a PB. I wanted a sub 38 and I would be happy. Despite struggling around 5 miles, I managed to high five some kids and thank the crowds on the way around. I finished in a time of 37.38. I was only 7 seconds away from a PB. If my eyesight wasn’t so bad, and I could actually read the screen on my watch, it probably would have prompted me to run a bit harder at the finish. I was made up with the time though. Some consistent 38 minute 10k’s and 2 sub 38’s for the year. And to think that it wasn’t that long ago that I ran my first sub 40.

 

Last race of the year was the Victory 5 miler. A race I hadn’t done for years and it was still my PB course of 31.34. I was confident of a 5 mile PB. I wanted to try for a sub 30 but it wasn’t to be. Clare said I was looking very tired on that race but a PB of 30.14 at least. I even won some money as part of the 1^st Vet Team with Lordshill Road Runners.

It has been a great year doing the shorter distances with PB’s in the parkrun, 5 mile, 10k and half marathon distances. It wouldn’t have been possible without the love and support of Clare. I am forever grateful to her. People often ask me how I got faster. I just say that I got happier in life. I believe in myself more and so do the people closest to me.

 

Maybe next year I will go longer. Do some marathons and ultras. Take it a bit slower. See some more places. More parkrun tourism. Try and eat healthier again. Climb more. Work less. Work on my flexibilty as it is awful!

 

I leave the year on 357 parkruns @ 103 locations. Clare had inspired me to voluteer more as well. I have volunteered 7 times this year. That’s adult parkruns and not the Junior ones. Gotta give back to the ones you take part in right?

It may not seem like many to someone like Clare who has 103 volunteer credits at the time of writing! It’s a step in the right direction though ;)

     P.S.. I had almost forgotten about the epic walk I did to Worzel Gummidge land with David Baker. David has MND and also has a great blog you can read called "MND can get in the sea". On a very hot, sunny day. David and I covered 12 and a half miles... or more if you include the bus ride to Romsey and back. I pushed him in the buggy from Romsey to Braishfield and up the big hill where 10 acre farm is secretly hidden away behind a big oak tree. It was a wonderful day out. We were exhausted after the epic journey and were looking forward to refueling at Lemon and Jinga but alas it was closed, so we went back into Romsey town for "a cup of tea and a slice of cake", no sign of Aunt Sally though. I sure slept well that night as it was the day after my PB at Solent half. Thank you David. x

   Thanks for reading. Stay rad people. Look forward to seeing you in 2025 for more adventures. Go vegan. xx