Typecast

I often over-share my running journey on  my Instagram account  with 2018 being a fantastic year for achievements, new challenges and lots of personal best times. 2019 was a bit up and down with a dreaded knee issue (osteoarthritis) flaring up again and threatening to push me into retirement. I still managed to complete a few races, including my first 10-miler and a half marathon for charity . 2020 was going to be my ‘comeback’ year but with emphasis on running for fun rather than chasing any specific times, although I did want to crack a 30-minute 5k at some point. I started to find my feet again by jumping on board as a volunteer with the Blackburn Couch to 5K community running group, being part of the pacing team for the Blackburn Road Runners Winter Warmer 10K as the back runner and doing a few 3 mile social runs with some of my old crew.  But then we went into lockdown and all the fun races that I had booked started to be cancelled. I’m the type of person who ne...

When you start any new hobby it's important to have the right tools for the job. Last year I filmed a little video which showed you what I wear when I go running (you can watch it at the end of this blog post) and whilst the basic tools and rules are the same, I'm a little bit more serious about the whole running thing now, having upped my distance and having set a few long term goals. I have winter and summer variations but the basics are the same, so here are my top tips for clothing and accessories for when you are running or jogging. 1.  High Visibility Outerwear There is a reason that a lot of running clothes are available in garish neon colours - it's so you can be easily seen day and night by other road and footpath users. I really recommend wearing something with reflective strips too if running in the dark (or early morning/late night). My jacket is bright yellow and is from  Ron Hill (via SportsShoes.com) . 2.  A Hat I favour a lightwei...

If you want a work/office/hangout space in Manchester then hunt out Ziferblat on Edge St . I had to attend a Really Important Meeting this month and it was held here. The concept is amazing ; everything is free (refreshments, wifi, etc) apart from the time you spend inside and for this you are charged 6 pence per minute. There is also meeting room hire which follows the same principle. Oh and I shared a picture of the clock wallpaper in one of the meeting rooms there. My friends were divided. What do you think? My addiction to London stays strong . This month I have ordered bunch of fridge magnets and three scarves that have London-esque prints on them from Amazon. The magnets sit on the radiator next to my armchair and they hold mini reminder notes for the morning or crochet instructions so that I can glance up and see them. Also, I've always wanted to wear a stylish or jaunty scarf and now I'm addicted to little 'how to' videos like this one and this one a...

I keep meaning to update you all on my " Couch To 5K " volunteering.  I am now leading my second group through the programme (we're currently on week 7) and I'm absolutely LOVING it.  I'd campaign for a C25K group in every single town in the UK if I could. The NHS-supported plan is brilliant for solo or group training, however, for me, it's more the motivation and community aspect of our running club that spurs me on.  I also want to buy ALL THE SPORTS CLOTHES (now, there's a sentence that I never thought I'd write...) and have recently treated myself to some new running leggings. I like to think that they make me more streamline *wink*   Next on the list is some new trainers - my current ones are OK at the moment - so I've started to save up.  In the meantime, Mainline Menswear  told me about their competition to  win some adidas Original Trainers   so I entered for my husband, passed it on to both my sons and I'm sharing with you to...