A bit of background

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Welcome.

I thought it was about time I combined my two hobbies, writing and jogging. This blog will be a record of the ups and downs (literally and metaphorically) of my journey from this point on.

Why jogger?

Everyone refers to themselves as a runner these days but I prefer the term jogger. It's just more real, more earthy, more descriptive of my level. I won't be winning any races or challenging for best in age categories. I jog for two main reasons:
  • It makes me happy.
  • It makes me healthy.
There are many other benefits too; the freedom, the space to think, the friendships, the sense of achievement, the challenges, the self discipline, the list goes on.

I'm sure all of these will come out as I share my experiences. For me running is as much a spiritual activity as a physical one. In fact for me jogging is attractive because it impacts every area of my life.

Where I'm at.

At the moment I am running around 100 miles a month. This includes two regular group sessions each week.

On Saturday mornings I join with 150-250 others for a 5km Parkrun in my home town of Northampton. On Monday nights I attend Parklands Jog & Run (PJR) which involves one hour sessions ranging from hill work to interval training. When I can I also go to an OCR (Obstacle Course Training) session run by PJR.

Parkrun
This year I have set myself a challenge to run many different events including OCR, 5km, 10km, half marathons, marathon and ultra marathon distances. I'm aiming for a personal best (PB) in all of these. That is my competitive side coming out! 

Parklands Jog & Run
The most important goal this year however is to enjoy jogging and remain injury free.

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A bridge too far?

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A post on Facebook caught my attention. This is how many of my running adventures begin. Bex Band, founder of the women's adventure community Love Her Wild had walked across all the bridges in Greater London. Obviously this meant the Thames River. Less obviously there are 33 bridges in total starting at Hampton Court and ending at Tower Bridge. Of these, 26 have pedestrian access and she had crossed them all. 'Hmm, that would make a good run' was my first thought. Seed planted. A couple of months later on a mild, bright January day I travelled to Richmond. My first run was Richmond parkrun with my friend Vicki and her pal Nicola. 3.1 miles, no dear and a warming coffee later, I ran the nine miles to Hampton Court. Twelve miles done and I was ready to start my run! My goal was to cross each bridge when I came to it. That meant crossing Hampton Bridge and a sign denoting entrance to Surrey before turning and re-crossing it to begin. Yes, I am a pedant. Hampton Court Bridge I
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Bushy, crewing and an Epping ultra

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What a weekend. It involved some running, some supporting runners and a bit more running. Saturday dawned wet and windy. 300 runners were assembling in Wendover ready for a 43 mile run into London. The fields were boggy, the paths were waterlogged and it was cold. Well, what do you expect on January 8th. These hardcore runners set off while I was driving from east to west London. My first stop was Bushy Park. This, as many will know, was the birthplace of parkrun. On 2nd October 2004 13 runners completed the first 5k with support from Paul  and Joanne Sinton-Hewitt. 17 years later it is a global phenomenon. This was my running pilgrimage. I have wanted to run Bushy since I ran my first parkrun in September 2012. This would be my 291st. A gentle rain was falling as I parked up by the Diana Fountain just across from Hampton Court. To stretch my legs - and kill some time, I was an hour early - I ran around the park exploring the tree lined avenues, gated gardens and open marshland.  Tiny
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The Druid's Challenge

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