But after a good few years I’ve decided to retire this blog and migrate to a new blog.
If you’d like to keep track of my adventures, please follow me on my new blog A Little Rae of Sunshine.
Thanks for all the follows, the comments and the shares.
Lots of love
Rae x
Jane winning the Standard Chartered Hong Kong half marathon this year
I caught up with Jane recently to learn more about Mums on the Run, the inspiration behind it and her own crazy running antics as a mum.
Why did you start Mums on the Run? I absolutely love running, but understand how hard it is to fit in a run or any kind of exercise when you have kids. It’s a juggling act that doesn’t seem to get easier! I want to share my passion and show other mums how they can enrich both their own and their kid’s lives by being fit and healthy.
But why running when there are so many fitness options out there? It’s so important for busy mums to feel fit and strong and good about themselves, and I believe this can be achieved through running. Read More
Two years ago I gave up full-time work to chase my dreams and a new career; I also gave up my full-time gym membership and made running my “thing”. It’s cheap, it’s cathartic, and if you actually train right, it keeps you in great shape.
Plus, I find my best ideas and stories flow as I float over the trails.
But recently I’ve come to learn that only running can do more harm than good. While I used to think little of clocking up double digits of running hours each week, it’s finally catching up with me.
All that repetitive strain has left me with a string of running injuries, and after months of serious training over winter, my adrenal system and immune system has taken a pounding. I’ve been lacklustre, consistently fatigued and always a little sick.
Long story short: it was time I mixed it up.
Mac on a long, cold and wet run
Good question, brain. Is there any point, at all, to running in this foulness?
Although it’s hard to get going, cold weather = optimal running conditions. Studies have shown your body takes longer to tire when running in the cold compared to hotter weather – so you’ll get more out of your run. Plus, believe it or not, it’s actually good for you. Exercising in the cold apparently increases your immune cell count (good for warding off bird flu).
But, top of the list? How good does a warm shower and hot cup of tea feel after a long, cold, miserable run? You’ll be appreciative and grateful for the rest of the day, not to mention have oodles of energy.
Right, now I’m motivated, tomorrow, things are going to be different. Here are five things I’m going to do/think to get myself the hell out of bed and go for that run.
I had the absolute honour and pleasure of spending an afternoon with Lizzy talking about her achievements and her approach to life a month ago (and she had the annoyance of having to deal with several emails from me post interview following up on fine details afterwards – again – all to which Lizzy responded so honestly, friendly and patiently I felt like hugging her through the screen).
Being not just a passionate runner but a writer as well, I feel a huge sense of responsibility to tell the stories of fellow runners whose incredibly courageous stories don’t play out on TV screens but often late in the night under just the lumens of a headlamp. And not just to tell them, but to tell them well. Capturing the subtle details that make them who they are and able to achieve what they do. What makes them truly, truly brilliant.
Lizzy’s story was finally published this morning , and I was a little disappointed to discover it wasn’t in the way I’d originally written it. I know I’m a professional, and I shouldn’t worry about these things (I mean, I get paid anyway, right?) But I really wanted her story to be told the way I originally wrote it.
So here ’tis. Lizzy’s story. The way I told it.
Me with my favourite racing pack, the Ultimate Direction AK pack
The short answer is yes but the practical answer is, preferably not.
Trail running shoes are different from ordinary runners in two ways: (1) they’re more robust to handle tree roots, rocks and other obstacles that you may subject your poor tootsie to while on the run, and (2) they provide better grip when running on common trail surfaces, like rocks and, if it rains, slippery, muddy surfaces. So while you can run with your ordinary runners – no problemo – you may find that over certain terrain you’re not as speedy or as well protected as you may be in a trail running shoe.
So, which shoe?
