The Running Review

Marathon preparation

I’ve been training for the London Marathon for months now, but it has only dawned on me in the last few weeks how soon and how real the race will be. When my running vest arrived in the post, it gave a sense of immediacy.
Each week I’m pushing myself harder with the training. Last weekend I managed to run 21 miles solidly. Others have advised me not to push all the way to run a full Marathon until the More

Shoe Review: New Balance 759 (2E)

You need a new running shoe and you don’t want to spend the earth, but you want something that’s going to last. What do you buy? Well, there are tons of shoes on the market of course, and below you’ll find a basic overall review on one of them from New Balance.

Let’s start with the most important things first: 1) the Acteva Lite midsole provides the base, and it also utilizes Stability Web technology. This makes for a comfortable More

What I’ve Learned From Running Over The Years

I love running, it’s the perfect activity for me for a number of reasons. But one of the main reasons I love it so much is because of how much it teaches you about life. This is what I have learned about running over the years, in no particular order. Feel free to mine it for information and pass this off as your own if you need to impress someone fast!

1) Physiology: jogging and running with my friend Jonathan More

Buying my own treadmill

If like me you’re on the plus side of the body shape and size you’d like, then perhaps you may find running on the road a bit daunting. There’s a good few reasons why I don’t like running outside, the first is that at 17 stone I’m putting a lot of weight down on my ankles and knees and after more than 30 minutes out there I can really feel it, I’ve tried using things like Glucosamine etc to supplement More

The New York Marathon Running Race

One resorts to running mostly as a means or method for keeping good health. The sport of running however has much more than just health in its ambit. There is excitement, there is euphoria and then there is the sense of achievement that one gains at the end of a well run competitive running race or event. The marathon running event has its added excitement and popularity amongst the races that are run because it needs no specific arena but More

Running on Sunshine

Wow – running in Dubai is really hard work! That heat is so heavy and oppressive that you feel like you’re having to work twice as hard for every step you take. But I’m proud to say I went running every day I was at the resorts. Well, almost every day. We had a bit of a nightmare journey which saw us arriving at 4am the morning after we should have got there. The rest of that day was a More

Running games

Someone recently showed me an ad for a pervasive game Nike were running in London. It was a pretty transparent marketing gig, but it looked kind of fun and I wondered what the possibilities would be for making crowd-sourced versions if any runners are interested in playing!

The Nike game worked a bit like this: a number of phone boxes were set up in various places across London. Players would sign up on a website, get their own personal login More

Rest and Relax

I have a pretty strict running schedule that I follow to make sure I hit my weekly distance target. Not only do I get a great high from the exercise endorphins, but when I manage to hit my target, despite pressures at work and home, it makes me feel great for the whole of the next week! Part of the schedule obviously involves rest days, which are really important whatever type of exercise you enjoy. Your body needs time to recover when you’ve been pushing it hard. Not taking the time to recover can increase the risk of injuries and strains. Plus, a day off here and there can be seen as a treat.

I usually run two days followed by a rest and I always try and arrange something fun to do on the off days; mainly so I don’t miss the running too much, but it also helps keep that slot in my day free, in case I need to alter my schedule! Sometimes I’ll splash out on a big treat, like arranging a massage. Other times I might just arrange to meet a friend for coffee.

Try and keep your schedule going, no matter what else is going on in your life. It’s much easier to follow an exercise programme if you stick to the rules and set yourself targets. I even managed to keep running last year when I went on ski holiday to Europe – thought I wouldn’t recommend running on snow! I tried it once and then decided to stick to the treadmill at our hotel. I didn’t feel too guilty, though, as I was getting plenty of fresh air and exercise on the slopes. And I discovered that my running had set my body up perfectly for cross country skiing. If I lived somewhere snowy, that would definitely replace running as my true exercise love!

Christmas Shopping

Christmas isn’t that far away now, at least not if you believe the TV adverts that are already appearing! So it might be time to start dropping some hints about what I want to be unwrapping with glee on Christmas morning–

There are some great running gadgets on the market at the moment, any of which would make my early morning jobs a more pleasant experience, but I have to say number one on my list would definitely be a new running watch. My current one is fine – after all it does the job it’s supposed to do, but nothing more. As a bit of a gadget freak I’d like a watch that has a few extra bells and whistles. The Timex Ironman models are all great – they look good and most have lap time capabilities. A couple of the top of the range ones even have a pedometer, which I’ve never used when running, but there’s a first time for everything! I would mind a gps running watch though.

The other gadget I desperately need is a new arm band for my ipod. I used to have one of the smaller models, but was given a new bigger one for my birthday which has been bouncing around in my pocket on every run since. I’m sure all the jiggling up and down can’t be doing it much good. I guess while we’re on the subject of ipods, a new set of headphones would be a good idea. I’ve never had a set of those specialised sports headphones that promise to stay nice and secure in your ears and it would be good to get through one job without nearly tripping over the dangling wire of my regular ipod ones!

It’s not necessarily a gadget, but I could definitely do with some new tunes for Christmas too. Much as I love my jogging, I can’t do it without my music and the current playlist is getting a bit repetitive! Remember, present buyers; plenty of upbeat stuff with guitars and a catchy chorus.

Why Jogging Will Put A Smile On Your Face

I recently got a garmin running watch for my birthday and it got me back into running again. So, I want to talk to you about why jogging is good for you and makes you feel far happier than just sitting around all day at work wondering what kind of pizza you will eat when you get back home and…oh, I don’t know, sit back down on your backside, again:
1) It puts you in a good mood when you More