Posts by Alex
Peaks and Troughs: dealing with the post-challenge blues
‘Flattening the curve’ has been of national interest this year. Peaks and troughs is one way to describe the emotional rollercoaster that we never volunteered to board. This emotional cycle is perfectly natural, and we can’t have one without the other. But just because these emotional shifts are expected doesn’t make them easy to deal…
Read MoreThe Power of Human Connection
World Mental Health Day seemed the perfect opportunity to talk about isolation. The outdoors can be a lonely place. Maybe that’s part of the magic. I’ve mostly ran, walked and cycled on my own, partially for preference, and partially because I’ve found few people willing to run up hills at ungodly hours in the cold.…
Read MoreRelentless Forward Motion
Life’s pretty simple when you just have to run, eat, sleep, ice, elevate, and repeat. The 9 1/2 days spent running/hobbling the National Three Peaks feels like a blur now, but the inflamed tendons and lingering fatigue remind me it wasn’t just a dream (or nightmare). Sharing the stories always helps with the post-challenge blues.…
Read More3 Peaks Run Challenge: the Kit List
After conveniently spraining my ankle a couple of weeks ago and having to delay the start of my 3 Peaks Run, fine-tuning my kit list and preparation was one way to prevent going stir crazy. And even that only offered mild relief. Originally I had planned an entirely self-supported attempt, but given the injury and…
Read MoreRunning out of Lockdown: Challenges come in Threes
You couldn’t imagine the irony. I’d just climbed Scafell Pike on the Stairmaster machine of my local gym whilst the fells beckoned in the sunshine outside. A foot tendon injury was the latest setback after spraining my ankle on week two of the training plan. I was due to start my attempt to run the…
Read MoreUpdate: National Three Peaks Run Challenge
Hi folks, I hope you’re keeping well, which has albeit taken on a very real meaning recently. In 3 weeks I was due to begin my attempt to run the National Three Peaks Challenge. This involves climbing Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike, and Snowdon, and running the entire 450-mile distance between them, self-supported, in the fastest…
Read MoreHow do we keep going when we can’t see the top?
How do we keep going when we can’t see the top of the mountain? I wish I had the answer. Perhaps the scariest thing is that nobody really does. Even as a motivational speaker, my own positivity levels have dwindled like the supermarket stocks of loo roll and flour recently. As an adventurer, I wrongly…
Read MoreFinding Your Reason to Change in 2020
Most of us are trying to change something. Get better at that. Move there. Earn more. Drive less. Give up that habit (…again). And so on. Then, at the end of the year we scoop up all the energy we have left, fuelled by our frustrations, and sketch a shiny new list of things we’re…
Read MoreHow to Get Started in Public Speaking
So, you want to get started in public speaking? Well done on embracing the most common phobia in America – with over 25% of us estimated to have a fear of public speaking, or glossophobia. It’s even estimated that fear of public speaking can even cut wages by 10%! As a professional speaker I often…
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