Adam in Runderland

On October 17th I attempted to run the Capital Ring with Matt Shimwell. You can read my account of our run  here . I made it all the way from Grove Park to East Finchley before having to call it a day.  Sometimes you need to know when to push through and when to stop. I had certainly pushed through to get that far, but I also knew I would have to split the Capital Ring into two sections and return to complete the last part. Just over a month later, the 28th November to be exact, I returned with Matt hoping to finish the route. We took the train to Finchley from Lewisham and arrived at 7 o'clock in the morning. It was very quiet, in part due to the lockdown, and incredibly cold as we set off. I knew the first few miles as I had finished in Highgate Woods in October. This time there were less leaves on the trees and the darkness and early morning mist made for an eerie atmosphere. Highgate Woods became Queen's Wood and in no time at all we found ourselves in Highgate itself and ...

Since finishing my run around the streets of Lewisham I have enjoyed heading out with no plan in mind. London is full of green spaces so I have primarily headed for these. The Green Chain Walk is a 40 mile route that links over 300 places between the Thames and Crystal Palace. I decided to roughly follow some of this, but only in a sense of weaving in and out of it rather than following it religiously. This took in Mountsfield Park, College Meadow, King John's playing fields, before arriving at The Tarn. This was a small park with a lake, lots of Canada Geese and an ice well. I then headed through Eltham to Eltham park south, crossed the A2 into Eltham park north and entered Sheperdleas Wood. The floor was carpeted in golden leaves and I broke off the main track to explore. Arriving at another road, I crossed over and passed through Oxleas Meadows before diving into Oxleas Wood.  Trails abound here and it is very hilly which had resulted in thick mud tracks along the bottom edge. I...

'If you have ever wondered what makes you lace up your trainers, and why you keep coming back for more...' So ends the back page summary of this book. A good hook for a good book. I think I know why I run, but it is always good to read what someone else thinks. The book was also a tale of Robin's attempt at the Spartathlon and I was interested to read how he had made the journey to attempt one of the hardest races in the world. What I actually discovered, along with his account of the Spartathlon, was a great summary of many other running books I have read. It contains quotes and lessons from Richard Askwith, Scott Jurek, Roger Bannister, Haruki Murakami, James Fixx, Dean Karnazes, Paula Radcliffe, Emil Zatopek, Chris McDougall, and Alan Sillitoe. I was surprised there was no George Sheehan however. Other authors quoted include some of my favourites such as Roger Deakin, Antoine Saint-Exupery, Henry David Thoreau, Richard Mabey, William Feinnes and Sara Maitland.  The book ...

On one of my recent trawls through the nether regions of Amazon I came across this small gem: Running's strangest tales by Iain Spragg. I was in search of running books I had not yet read and this came along on my fifteenth click of the NEXT button. The author has put together a miscellany of stories and anecdotes from the world of running. At times funny, at others beguiling, it covers elite athletes, amateurs and everything in between. It covers marathons, sprinting, cross country, obstacle courses and any other type of run you can imagine. From running naked to being attacked by animals, people knitting 12 foot scarves while competing in a marathon to Olympians being too drunk to complete the course, it has something for everyone. I found it a good book to pick up and put down when I had a spare few minutes. There are 95 tales altogether, each no longer than two pages. It is quite a feat of research and editing.  My favourite chapters include: Lily Groom winning the London to Br...

Photos: Paul Stafford It is over. After months of pounding the pavements and staring at Google Maps I have finally managed to run every street in the Borough of Lewisham. I completed the last road - Angus Street, Deptford - on the 17th November.  It has been an interesting experience for a London newbie. I have discovered hidden parks, creative graffiti, tower blocks and mansions. Lewisham is a diverse location in terms of economics, culture and ethnicity which make it a fascinating place to explore. The route had begun back in April with my first run from my home in Hither Green to Mountsfield Park and has spiralled out over seven months. No doubt some roads have been run dozens of times as I have headed out and back. This makes it impossible to know how many miles I have covered, but needless to say it is more than the number of miles of streets. This is also due to the cul-de-sacs that need running both ways and doubling back to connect streets. People have asked which was my fa...

This year's Autumn Ranscombe Marathon with SVN had to be cancelled due to the Lockdown. However, I decided to go and run it anyway as it is one of my favourite places to run. The weather was forecast to be pretty bad; heavy rain and wind, but I thought it would be fun to experience the conditions. Not so fun was the pain in my foot the night before. I had been watching a film and got up to turn the TV off. As I stood I felt a sharp pain in my left foot and thought I had stood on a Lego brick. There was nothing there. I took another step and had the same feeling in the centre of my sole. I had run about 60 miles the week before and felt fine. After sitting still for two hours I had managed to pick up an injury! Not that the two aren't connected. I went to bed hoping it would be alright in the morning. It wasn't but I headed out anyway determined to start and see how things went. I left at 6am and arrived 45 minutes later having driven through torrential rain and pools of sta...