My need to vomit is strong and immediate. It rose the instant I crossed the finish line. I slow to a walk, hips and legs already seizing. Runners all around me, jostling, stumbling, bumping. Behind me runners flood across the finish line. It’s November 2015. I’ve just completed my first marathon. Within seconds the elation […]
Runified Podcast
This week I had great fun speaking with Matt Sorenson of the Runified. As it went live I was way outside of my comfort zone listening to myself. Does anyone actually like hearing themselves? But I am embracing that discomfort in the interest of learning and self development. If you haven’t found the Runified podcasts yet […]
Berlin Marathon Race Review
“Awesome! Go run the amazing Berlin marathon. Move it off your bucket list and on to your 2019 calendar right now. Find a way to do it. 9/10” It’s one week since my first visit to Berlin and running this year’s BMW Berlin Marathon. It was my sixth marathon finish and my second fastest time. […]
How to survive the post-marathon blues
You just completed your first marathon! An incredible achievement that you never thought possible! You are amazing! For four months you worked so hard to be ready for those 26.2 miles. Take a moment to reflect on all you’ve been through; the sacrifices of family time, countless training runs, aches, pains, chafing, hobbling, sweating, freezing […]
Berlin week 8 training summary
Weekly distance: 62.3 miles (100.2 km) It’s back to a volume week. Knowing this is the first of 3 volume weeks has me feeling a little apprehensive. Week 6 taught me I can hit 100 km in a week and that was followed by a low mileage recovery week. This time I have 105 km, […]
5 Lessons I learnt the hard way training for my first marathon
My name is Duncan and I’m an accidental serial marathon runner. In three years I have 5 marathon finishes, one DNS, and too many hospital trips to my name. Those experiences form a collection of experiments. Trial and error. Lots of error in fact!
United Airlines NYC Half Marathon
On March 18th some 21,965 runners completed the NYC Half Marathon in the cold and the wind on a brand new course. I enjoyed a first by starting from the back of the pack and running for fun rather than a PB. (More on that later). The NYC Half is a headline Spring race from […]
Race Review : ASICS Manchester Marathon 2018
A race review of the ASICS Manchester Marathon 2018. My first time running the ASICS Manchester Marathon has been a strange and fabulous experience. (I’m a marathoner that hadn’t previously run in the UK.). There is undoubtedly bias in my recollection of the event due to the circumstances under which I arrived here. For the […]
Injury, setbacks and the ego
I’m struggling with a few things right now – injury, setbacks and the ego. Usually I respond by withdrawing. I internalise and overthink everything, which invariably gets me stuck deeper. This time I’m doing it differently and putting it in black and white. It feels risky to be honest, but I’m telling myself these things […]
How many people do you need to run a marathon?
How many people do you need to run a marathon? That’s a seemingly odd question, like how long did it take to run your fastest marathon? But if you change the wording to instead make it how many people helped you run your marathon?, then you see where I’m going with this. The role of […]