What is GTPS? Right, let’s start with the disclaimer. I’m not a medical professional. If you’re looking for a medical professional, don’t look here. Okay? Good. So, what the hell is greater trochanteric pain syndrome (GTPS for the sake of this blog)? In short, it’s a pain in the arse. Well, it’s a pain the hip and down the leg a bit. At least, that’s what it is for me. Also called gluteal tendinopathy, lateral hip pain or trochanteric bursitis, it typically affects women and people between 40 and 60 years old. Hi, I’m people between 40 and 60 years old. Pleased to meet you. (Not you, GTPS. I w ..read more

Or, musings on an injury and setting Not Goals Early 2023, I posted a post about not posting a lot in 2022. The reason I didn’t post a lot in 2022 was, mostly, because I didn’t run a lot in 2022. What I did, was learn about intention, motivation and not setting unachievable goals. With those lessons in mind, I chose not to set myself any goals for 2023. Instead, I went with Not Goals. My 2023 Not Goals were: Get my injury sorted, Don’t be despondent, Do yoga, Lose weight, Try harder to write this blog. It’s fair to say that I was semi-successful in achieving these Not Goals. How were my Not ..read more

It’s a strange time, the bit between Christmas and Normal. In place of work, we float in a dazed and lazy haze. With nothing to do, we get restless and jaded. The world passes us by and we watch it go, too bloated to do anything about it. Of course, I’m projecting. Many people have more will power and restraint than me. Not everyone feels the need to polish off all the alcohol and eat all the cheese. Others can simply stroll past the Quality Street without dipping in, every single time. I don’t even really like Quality Street – that’s how feeble I am! To make matters worse, I’m one of those pe ..read more

Parental advisory, this blog contains swearing. I’ve recently read Rob Deering’s Running Tracks and was reminded of a time when music and running played in perfect harmony for me. Running Tracks brings together Rob’s love of music, running and travel, plotting those moments where they create sweet symphonies. Each chapter paints its own, visceral picture. You feel like you’re running alongside him, listening to the music, pounding the ground, and seeing the scene unfold before your eyes. From leisurely plods over Cypriot hills to the business end of a tough marathon, Rob leads us on an adventu ..read more

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” So says Confucius. It doesn’t matter how big the task, it’s possible to succeed when you break it down into small enough pieces. Whether you’re moving mountains, learning the piano or attempting to best your parkrun PB, you begin by moving small stones. If we extend the small stone approach to include the Dave Brailsford philosophy of marginal gains, then the challenge seems more achievable. For anyone who hasn’t heard of marginal gains, the idea is simple – you break a process into individual components, then improve each of ..read more

On Saturday the 18th of May 2019 I achieved my parkrun PB. For me, 20:06 is a great time, yet I was disappointed. As arbitrary as it seems, I was desperate to beat 20-minutes. I don’t know why we place such stock in certain milestones, but we do. And I was so close to that 20-minute target. I approached the milestone cautiously. Slowly building over the months, I interspersed half marathon training with gradually quicker parkruns. Determined not to rush anything, I waited for peak fitness and perfect conditions. After coming close a few weeks before, the ideal day finally rolled around, and I ..read more

Some would say A friend of mine, we’ll call her Gemma, will tell you, unequivocally, that running is bad for you. And, in her experience, she’s right – it’s awful. She once ran a charity 10k. It took “ages”, caused countless blisters, and guaranteed she didn’t run again for several years. Since then, she hasn’t run more than a grudging 5K. You could argue that her heart isn’t in it. And, if that is the case, then it’s fair enough – she hates running. And that’s also fair enough. No one has to like running. After all, there are ‘other’ types of exercise. There’s also No Exercise, if that’s what ..read more

When I wasn’t getting slower Back in 2019 I hit two PBs. One I’m happy with, the other I’m determined to beat. The latter is a parkrun best of 20:05. It’s a frustratingly near miss of an ambitious target. Does it matter if I can’t go sub-20 minutes for 5K? Possibly not. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to. On the other hand, my half marathon PB is good enough. It wasn’t my best race – I started too quickly and tired way before the end. With a little self-control I probably could have gone quicker. But the fact that I finished in under 100 minutes, means I don’t mind. In the cold light of d ..read more

How long is long? In the film of the same name, friendly simpleton Forrest Gump ran for three years, two months and 14 days. He covered over 15,000 miles – twice around the UK. It was a long run, by any standards. In comparison, I’ve managed less than 2,000 miles over the last three years, two months and 14 days. The equivalent of Lands’ End to John O’Groats and back, plus a little trip up to Chippenham in Wiltshire.  However, despite my distinctly un-Gumpish distance, I’ve done what I consider to be some pretty long runs in that time. Others may disagree, and that’s fine – a long run is ..read more

New year, new running goals On Friday the 1st of January 2021, the world woke up feeling a little different. 2020 is behind us. For some it was the worst year of their lives. For almost everyone it was a year of change and challenge. It’s certainly the strangest period in recent history. And it’s one we’ll struggle to forget. As ever, the new year offers new hope. Although only another day, we see the 1st of January as the time to cast off the previous year and set course for a better version of ourselves. For 2021, that hope is more profound than ever. We resolve, make goals and set targets f ..read more