Posts by Alex
The endless pursuit of more – why are millennials burning out?
Being busy seems to be a badge of honour nowadays. It’s the automatic excuse for our daily routine of spinning so many plates, rushing around and over-committed. Sound familiar? This routine might seem average to many, and cries of “snowflake” spring to mind – but these expectations are exactly the problem. It’s often assumed that…
Read MoreRe-homed, Relapsed, and Running in the Right Direction
In seven days 40,000 people will hit the streets for London Marathon 2019; from the elites and record-breakers, to novices, first-timers and the Sunday plodders; the lifelong athletes and those who swapped pints and cigarettes for isotonic drinks and heart rate monitors. It will be my third marathon and I can’t wait. Lots has changed…
Read MoreWhy hitting the wall might be a wake-up call
Firstly, a happy new year to my followers, old and new. I hope 2019 is as good as you choose it to be. Whether you’ve ran a marathon or not, you’ve probably heard the phrase: “hitting the wall”. Wait! Don’t go… my first blog of 2019 isn’t all about running. Stop! Come back! … I’ve…
Read MoreFundraising Tips for a Sponsored Charity Challenge
Be it a marathon, cycle, hike, mountain, skydive, team challenge, volunteering project, or a sponsored silence (which my family are still encouraging) – the list goes on – more people than ever are taking on personal sponsored challenges as a means of raising money for charity. With so many issues in our world, these everyday…
Read MoreThe Mountains are Calling
In November last year, I received a message from Jonny Muir, an Edinburgh-based author and hill runner, asking if I would consider writing the foreword for his upcoming book, The Mountains are Calling. Jonny Muir was well known to me. We are the two members of a very exclusive club – only we know what…
Read MoreHow I Took on Mental Illness in a Marathon – and Won
Whether it’s London, Boston, Manchester or another, they say you can’t run a marathon without telling everyone. Each April brings a sudden spike in those joining the 26.2 mile club, where entry involves weeks and months on end, the heart-ache of injuries, ballot rejections and other setbacks. It’s a Marmite affair of physical endurance that…
Read More5 Tips to Overcome Setbacks
Besides the usual bank statements and junk mail, don’t you just love getting something in the post? This week my race number for Manchester Marathon arrived! After various setbacks, it brought excitement, nerves, and reality. But a few weeks earlier, the response could easily have been different, and I could have torn the thing in…
Read MoreWhy Your New Year Resolutions Should Scare You
It’s that time of year when Facebook is plastered with New Year resolutions, motivational quotes and renewed promises of change ahead. The gym will burst with Duracell bunnies who fall limp after a couple of weeks and we inevitably slip into old habits again – the new hobbies, fitness drive, adventures or jobs we swear ourselves…
Read MoreBack to Nepal and a Christmas Closer to Home
So, are you going back to Everest?! I should have known that posting photos of Lukla Airport would send the Twitter sphere into a frenzy. It’s like when I met Noddy Holder from Slade recently at Pride of Britain. Thirty years later and he can’t go anywhere without being asked if it’s Christmas yet… Obviously,…
Read More