The 4 Ps: A Week of Firsts

Week 5 of 16 was about building strength - through some alpine hill-training, and my longest run so far. Here are the highlights as recorded by my Nike Plus app: But the real highlights of my week were a couple of firsts... I participated in my first Parkrun, AND I had my screen debut at BAFTA … Continue reading The 4 Ps: A Week of Firsts

The 4 Ps: Building a Base

Week 4 of 16 was all about building a base... Appropriate as I write this overlooking a snowy Bruson, opposite Verbier in Switzerland, where the snow base is still building after an unseasonably mild winter so far. I arrived last night for a few days to celebrate 10 years of Bramble Ski - my brother's … Continue reading The 4 Ps: Building a Base

The 4 Ps: No Pain, No Gain

3 down, 13 to go! According to my Nike Plus Coach Programme, last week was about "Laying the Groundwork" for the remainder of my Paris Marathon training by increasing distance and taking on the longest run of my training so far. The highlights of my week's running was my tempo run with the BeaRCat Runners on Wednesday... and … Continue reading The 4 Ps: No Pain, No Gain

The 4 Ps: New Year, New Shoes!

Week 2 of 16 complete! Week 2's Paris Marathon training was focused on the "Fundamentals", following the "Warm Up" week before. Although I only ticked off 11 of my requisite 29 running miles last week (during Sunday's long run), I covered many more than that on skis during an amazing ski break to the stunning resort of Söll in Austria. Given … Continue reading The 4 Ps: New Year, New Shoes!

The 4 Ps: #15WeeksToGo

Week 1 of 16 done! This week was considered a "Warm-Up" week, aimed at getting me back into the swing of training six times a week after some time off post Norwich Half Marathon in November. It was a tough week all-in-all - I felt quite stiff and achy at the beginning - and it's been hard … Continue reading The 4 Ps: #15WeeksToGo

The 4 Ps: Paris PB Project Plan

If you're familiar with marketing, you'll recognise the 4 Ps as the Marketing Mix of product, price, place and promotion. Just as a marketer would plan the perfect launch of a shiny new product, I've applied this thinking to my campaign to successfully realise a Personal Best (PB) at the Paris Marathon on Sunday 12 … Continue reading The 4 Ps: Paris PB Project Plan

2014 – A Year of Two Halves?

Well actually three half... marathons, a 30km trail run, a 10-miler and a 10k. I can't quite believe it but tomorrow is December. 2015 is suddenly around the corner. Festive lights and decorations adorn the streets. We wore Christmas jumpers to work last week. And all the talk is of Christmas parties and holidays. So as is tradition at this time of year, … Continue reading 2014 – A Year of Two Halves?

Trails and Tribulations

On Saturday I took part in the Liddes-Verbier 29km trail run in the Swiss Alps, the baby race of the Trail Verbier St-Bernard family. In the lead up to the run, I've been following a 14 week training programme of around 500 miles, and definitely not enough hills! It was my friend Tori that first introduced … Continue reading Trails and Tribulations

A tale of three cities…

Over the last few weeks, there's been a lot of talk about marathons... Running bore alert! It all started a couple of Sundays ago, when I went to watch the London Marathon with fellow BeaRCat runners. London was looking resplendent in the sunshine and the iconic landmarks of Big Ben and the Embankment provided a … Continue reading A tale of three cities…

Back to Basics with Bikram

While I've been following a strict running programme since January, my Bikram Yoga practice has suffered. On Monday night, after 10 weeks off, I finally plucked up the courage to head back to Bikram... It was gruelling. I had forgotten how much of a heart-pumping, limb-stretching, sweat-inducing workout it is! To try and combat the … Continue reading Back to Basics with Bikram