Subscribe- Gear Review: Jabra Rhythm HeadphonesWhile the rich bass and crisp treble will appeal to the audiophiles amongst you, I have to say that what really makes them great for runners is the perfect fit that keeps them snug in your ears even in gale force conditions, and which also ensures you can turn the volume down quite a long way and still hear the music: which I'm told is good news for you […]
- Gear Review: Cygnett Sports Armband for iPhoneHowever, having tried numerous cheap armbands for the iPhone, most of which have been an incredible faff, I've just acquired what must surely be the Rolls Royce of armbands for geeky runners, in the shape of the beautifully made Cygnett Action Sports Armband you see here. Continue reading →
- Cold weather running. No, your lungs won’t freeze…The bad news though, is that there is a well documented case of a runner in the States who, while testing the theory about cold air freezing the lungs, actually received the first inklings of frostbite in his, well, his, er...well, let's just say it was in an extremity that most chaps wouldn't wish to lose anything off the length of and leave it th […]
- Gear Review: Inov8 Skins Running Shoes (Part Two)However, what I've now realised about Inov8 Skins is that they're the Marmite of running shoes. You really are going to love them or hate them. Continue reading →
- Gear Review: Inov8 Skins Running Shoes (Part One)However, while I had planned this review to ring with lots of easy prophylactic jokes, there's really not much to go on there. For starters, you're never going to roll these babies on one-handed in the dark while your thoughts are elsewhere... Continue reading →
- Gear Review: Lucozade Sport Body Fuel Energy GelThey tasted far better than I expected and weren’t at all harsh on my stomach; and as they were absolutely the only source of energy in my body (unless 8-hour-old Tesco Finest Chablis sloshing around in one’s bloodstream has life-giving properties that have so far gone unnoticed), they certainly delivered every single bit of the massive 68g per 100g of carbs […]
- Gear Review: Polaroid Habanero Sunglasses for RunnersSo which way would Polaroid's designers go this year I wondered? Understated elegance or all-out sportiness? And then I opened the very stylish hard case to find out that they've embraced the world's current love affair with being orange, and created the Polaroid Habaneros. Continue reading →
- Race Review: Hellrunner: Hell in the MiddleAs a three-time loser at Puma's Hell Up North event, I've been all agog for months waiting to find out what the all-new Hell in the Middle event was going to be like. Billed in advance by the organisers as the 'hilliest, hardest and helliest' of the three Hellrunner races, it certainly had plenty to live up to. Continue reading →
- Gear review: Nike+ GPS appOK, so the website it comes with is pretty hopeless, concentrating on flash graphics rather than hard analytical data. But the actual App works perfectly, and even allows you to get audio updates every half mile if you so wish. Continue reading →
- Gear Review: Garmin Forerunner 110 GPSAdvanced runners who want to analyse every nuance of their performance might as well look away now, because this thing really isn't for you. It's clearly aimed at the new and only moderately serious runner, and does a very good job of providing just the information you need and nothing that you don't. Continue reading →
- Shoe Review: Salomon Exit AerosBilled by Salomon as 'multi-sport shoes', I have to say that they look more like lightweight hikers than bona fide trail running shoes. However, with so much mud and gravel on my mind, the least I could do was strap them on and take them out for a slow but sludgy 11 miles through the dunes and along the beach. Continue reading →
- Do Oxfam do XXL running vests?And so, on the very day that I decided to go for a Golden Bond place with someone or other, I got a very nice email from someone called Hannah at Oxfam, asking if I'd give them a mention on TJBFS.com Continue reading →
- Runner’s Nutrition: Lucozade Sport Jelly BeansThe small problem for me when running, was getting these slippery little suckers into my mouth. More than one of them bit the dust of the dunes as I ran. Continue reading →
- Gear Review: Polaroid Vector Running SunglassesYep, all it takes is for me to idly wonder where my shorts are and all precipitation will magically cease in order for the sun to put his hat on to make me as hot and sweaty as possible. So, as an inveterate plodder with a faulty thermostat, lightweight sunglasses that will stay in place regardless of the rivers of sweat pouring down my face are something of […]
- Snow 1 – Me 0As I lay there trying to catch a breath and working on my epitaph, an old dear who I had passed 20 seconds earlier came scurrying through the dunes, having heard me hitting the ground from around 50 yards away. Naturally, she was quite concerned, but quickly realised that the awful cracking sound we had both heard was me shattering a 2 inch-thick plate of ic […]
- Happy New Year from SouthportThen, of course, they sent me the picture you see above, which was taken from a local website, proving that my 'follow the tyre tracks' theory may have the odd flaw in it somewhere along the line. Continue reading →
- Gear Review: The North Face Multisport SocksSuffice it to say that the combination of Merino wool and polypropylene creates the kind of comfort usually associated with mink-lined slippers: and while I like to think of myself as the rugged, manly, outdoorsy type, I for one could get used to such cissified levels of comfort from my running socks. Continue reading →
- In praise of the mighty Buff. Every runner needs one…Just for once, here's a product that is even better than the good-natured and fairly silly in-store video says it is. And I'm a copywriter for goodness sake. But I still spent the whole week of that holiday thinking (and probably speaking aloud) such old hat American ad-clichés as 'I don't know how I ever managed without one!' and […]
- Gear Review: Polar RS800CX Run Heart Rate MonitorIt will even allow you to view your actual heart rate, as well as that heart rate expressed as a percentage of your maximum heart rate while you're running. And don't even get me started on the number of ways it offers you to evaluate your performance once you've gotten home, had a shower, and put the fabric chest strap from the HRM in the was […]
- Shoe Review: North Face Hedgehog GTX XCRWhether you're heading out for a hike or a serious trail run, I simply can't recommend the North Face Hedgehog GTX XCRs highly enough. While at a little North of £70, they're not cheap, they seem like immense value for money when you factor in the Gore-Tex lining and awesomely comfortable ride. Continue reading →
- Gear Review: Jabra Rhythm Headphones
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Category Archives: Races
Race Review: Hellrunner: Hell in the Middle
As a three-time loser at Puma’s Hell Up North event, I’ve been all agog for months waiting to find out what the all-new Hell in the Middle event was going to be like. Billed in advance by the organisers as the ‘hilliest, hardest and helliest’ of the three Hellrunner races, it certainly had plenty to live up to. Continue reading
Dear Richard, please could you fix it for me to get a place in the VLM?
And look, Mr Branson. Or may I call you Richard? On you, the beard looks good. Your cameo in Casino Royale? Stellar. Your trains? Like a Swiss watch. Space Ship One? The stuff of dreams. Virgin Money? Astonishingly good APR. The abseiling thing? Just jolly bad luck and not funny at all. Continue reading
Hawkshead Trail Race 2009: Beaten by a Hill called Ron.
Yes. It was that Ron Hill. You know, running legend Ron Hill. Former marathon World Record Holder Ron Hill. The man whose name features in the little logo on the corner of my shorts Ron Hill. Continue reading
Posted in Races
Tagged hawkshead 15k, hawkshead trail, hawkshead trail challenge, hawkshead trail race, ron hill
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Don’t taper for short races. Just put your feet up.
You see, there are actually two overlapping events in Hawkshead on Saturday: the Puma Hawkshead Trail Race and the Puma Hawkshead Challenge. I blithely entered for the Race, assuming that the Challenge would be, well, more of a challenge. But, as is traditional on these occasions, I have cocked up badly… Continue reading
Posted in Races, Running knowledge, Training
Tagged hawkshead 15k, hawkshead trail, pre-race tapering, tapering before a race
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In the days after running a race…
Well, it’s now five days since Hellrunner, and despite aching like I haven’t ached since my last marathon, I thought it would be a good idea to go out and do a few miles today, just to try and loosen … Continue reading
Posted in Races, Running knowledge
Tagged hell up north, hellrunner, running after illness, running with a cold
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