LauRunning

While running is still important to me, I didn't enjoy racing in 2023. I'm hoping to make racing more social in 2024. Manchester Half Marathon was the most enjoyable race of 2023. A year of unfulfilling races Like 2022, I ran 5 races in 2023. I'm actually surprised my race total was the same as last year because I felt like I wasn't looking for races for most of the year. Most of those races didn't feel worth my time. I regretted signing up for the Edinburgh Winter Run 5k and paying money to run a route on my own I've done quite a few times before. Edinburgh Winter Run 5k 2023 recap Fox Trail 16k was beautiful and ultimately worth it, but I didn't get any sleep the night before and it was a long, early bus journey to get to the race. Beach running at Fox Trail 16k. Fox Trail 16k at Fox Lake recap Edinburgh Half Marathon didn't feel very special this year without getting a PB like I did last year.  Edinburgh Half Marathon 2023 recap The Loch Ness Marathon

I took advantage of being in Manchester for a conference and came a day early to run the Manchester Half Marathon. Why Manchester Half Marathon I'm speaking at the ContentEd Conference, which I noticed conveniently fell the Monday and Tuesday after the Manchester Half Marathon. Wanting to take advantage of work paying from my train down to Manchester, I came a day early so I could do the race. The journey John came with me for the race, and we took the train down. Nothing exciting to report about the journey other than for the last half hour, the train got very busy with young folk going to see a big fight happening in Manchester with a YouTube star.  Canal walk and finding the start line We didn't do much before dinner other than checking into our hotel. To make the walk interesting, I chose a route along the Bridgewater Canal Tow Path which had some pretty sights along the way. The only other thing I did was while John took a quick nap, I went to find the race start line so I

I ran my third (and slowest) marathon in the Highlands along Loch Ness. It was a tough race where I felt so close to stopping many times, but managed to never stop running. It doesn't look like it, but I'm tired. Why Loch Ness I was looking to run another marathon this year. I originally set my sights on Valencia, but when I went to book, travel and accommodation prices had skyrocketed. I then looked for a UK marathon to run and learned choices for end-of-year marathons are actually quite limited. I wanted a large-scale race with an interesting route that didn’t involve multiple laps, nor was too hilly. Loch Ness was the only one I could find that fit the bill; although as you'll read later, it was pretty hilly. Training by time, not distance Last year I ran the Yorkshire Marathon with my partner, John. Not keen to endure 26.2 miles again, John opted to be my supporter for the marathon this year instead. This meant training on my own over the summer. I really enjoye