2026 marked my third attempt at being part of the Totley AC Team for the Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relay. As a club we’ll generally only get one entry so in 2024 I was over-the-moon to get to do one of my bucket-list races. I had a good summer running season but was struck down with … Continue Reading
If you have ever struggled up the hills in the Graves Park Cross Country races, cursed the hills of Concord Park Run, or questioned your life choices whilst running up Devil’s Elbow on Blacka Moor, you have one man to thank: John George Graves (1866–1945). While his name is etched onto park gates and art … Continue Reading
When I’m running I use ‘pace’ on my Garmin watch to know how well and how fast I’m running. For example, if I’m running 10k at 6 minute kilometres, I know it’ll take an hour to finish. But what if my pace is 4 min 34 seconds? Below is an explanation of running pace and … Continue Reading
If you’re new to fell running or just browsing race listings, you might have noticed races described with two-letter codes like BM, AL, or CS. These are part of the FRA’s race classification system, designed to give runners a quick idea of a race’s difficulty, length, and terrain. The first letter of the two-letter code … Continue Reading
As we’ have ‘ve all no doubt experienced, phone signals can be very intermittent or often non-existent when you’re out on the remote hills meaning it’s not always possible to make a phone call in an emergency. However, even if there appears to be no mobile signal, a text message will sometimes get through when … Continue Reading
As races go, the Exterminator is right up there as one of the Peak District’s toughest. It’s a very easy one to underestimate, as I always do, but with over a kilometre of ascent over about 17 miles, it’s that has that funny position where you can only really compare it to Lakeland races. Also, … Continue Reading
By chance I was up in the Lakes on the day of the Arnison Crag Horseshoe so couldn’t miss the opportunity to run this classic fell race. Just a few kilometres away at the Helvellyn youth Hostel, we set off early Saturday afternoon to take the scenic route down the hill to the Patterdale Playing … Continue Reading
My favourite thing about running was the racing. And my favourite thing about racing was the occasional race where you get to over the finish line having had a great run and knowing you’ve given it everything. I ended 2023 running really well. I was reasonably fit, and not injured, so I decided to make … Continue Reading
Strava routes are a very useful tool. When you’re running off-road, the heatmaps show you routes that may not be on an OS map or where paths have shifted. You can also create your own routes or save routes that someone else has done. This brief tutorial shows you how to save a route from … Continue Reading
A few weeks ago we visited Costco, and as usual, we came out with a trolly full of multi-packs which including 12 cans of chickpeas and 24 cans of chopped tomatoes. I’ve been wondering what to do with the chickpeas since then. I’ve only ever used canned chickpeas to make houmous so was a bit … Continue Reading
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