Paddington at Work Interior decorators available. Specialist contractors for pain caves, difficult domiciles, or just awkward situations. The colour palette can be a soul sucking black, pale, anaemic, bland yellow or a kaleidoscope of exotic colours so vivid, so varied that to try to pcik just one affords for confusion, discord and unpleasantness. It's easy to take for granted that just because you get to the start line, the finish is possible. Strength, conditioning, mob

Paddington At Large Duncan can I squeeze by you, one of the students asked at dinner. Johnny looks up from his dinner, suddenly remembering something and said something along the lines of 'I took a lass out to dinner the other week, I asked her if I could push her stool in?' Lets see how dinner goes first.' Star Wars Day today, 'D0 or do not, there is no try.' From the very off today, something did not feel right and I was in my own head from the start. Eight years ago I

Paddington Abroad Have to say I wish I was on holiday in France at the moment. The quads were 'crying out' for help this morning and the doubts about finishing today resurfaced. You sort of need a plan a, b, c and maybe even d for this event. In my opinion you can only look as far as the day you're on, there's a lot can happen over the course of a marathon. Quite a long time ago, I was lucky enough to work with Steve Winch, he was hard working, funny and the team loved him

Paddington Helps Out This morning I sat up in bed with a puzzled expression on my face. Happenings at Brathay, particularly breakfast always followed a strict timetable and it was most unusual for me to awaken so early and before the alarm even went off. Dashing down several flights of stone steps, the now well established, almost regimented second day pre-race preparation included the consumption of crumpets, porridge, coffee, orange juice and now marmalade. Taking no care

More About Paddington It was quiet in the physio room this morning, and a little subdued in the 10in10 meeting room. Perhaps people had things to worry about? Maybe it was the ominous shadow? Routine becomes established quite quickly, breakfast, treatment, briefing, run, treatment, prep fuel and hydration for the next day, dinner, blog, sleep, rinse and repeat. Personal admin they call it in the services, it's where we have to organise our electrolyte bottles and food we t

Deliberate, definite, focussed. Except I'm not. For years I've tried to work out how to be more consistent, more on the level, less fluctuating in my efforts. It's still not something I've worked out, not for the lack of trying. Happy times, when I felt like I was part of something special, static moments of grateful existence, family holidays, special places of work (when everyone is with you), special efforts and rewards and, the Brathay 10in10. Looking back, each of tho

Someone once said, that if you stop challenging yourself you stop growing? Who knows? Two years ago, enticed by the advertising as the 'World's Toughest Mountain Race', I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring. I deferred last year as it was giving me sleepless nights. Like a year is going to make any difference? I've had more than a few sleepless nights. Anxiety levels have been through the roof. For the last 12 months, there's been a genuine fear that I simply couldn

Doesn't everybody have an Aunty Dot or at the very least know an Aunty Dot? I bet she got invited to the wedding? Most month's on waking...

Many years ago, when running became a ‘thing’ for me, I decided to try and raise funds for Brathay Trust through (in part) writing this...

Diary Day 10 of the Brathay 10in10 (ten marathons in 10 days).

The penultimate day! Pensive, almost proud, perhaps it's still possible, but, the pain! The quad has been rock-taped over night, I've...

Diary entry - day 7 of the Brathay 10 in 10 2021

STEPS! It's time to begin, now count it in, 5, 6, 7, 8. No, no, no! Not those Steps. Hopefully, the thirteen colleagues I'm sharing...

When I decided to re-enter the 10in10, I was working full time as a self employed driving instructor. One of the ideas I had when I was...

Hello? Hope? Here again? Health? Help? Decent Human? You choose ... At Brathay we know everyone has the capacity to do extraordinary...

Yet another example of how not to prepare for or even run a marathon. Sometimes, I shake my head and wonder when will I ever learn? ...

I'm famous again? Or rather not. You, could tell it was my ugly mug (at a distance) on BBC Wales. Able to find myself just because of...

Friday evenings, simply the best night of the week. A child of the 70s, the start of the weekend is vaguely remembered as being spent at...

A day or two ago, I nearly peed the bed. Half dozing off, a friend messaged me. I was at the point just at the edge of the cliff where...

Starting to feel like I've missed out. Last year about this time I was cock-a-hoop that I'd been accepted for another stab at the...