Now What?
Ten Months, Two Marathons, One Big Lift In the ten months between 2 November 2025 and 29 August 2026, I ran my first two marathons and, for good measure, deadlifted a shade over 140 kg, which puts me in the advanced category for my age …
Monterey Jazz Festival 2026
Number 69 At 69, I travelled from London for the 69th running of the Monterey Jazz Festival. The first was in 1958, when I was one year old. The three days of music had a strong lineup, but I was there for the final evening …
Back to the Bar
New Month, New Sport, New Goals A month ago I ran the London Marathon. Didn’t enjoy it; see my account here. That’s two major marathons inside twelve months: New York in November 2025, then my recent ramble around East London. Somewhere around mile sixteen of …
London Marathon: The Last Dance
Tough Day In East London London Marathon was tough. I believe any endurance event decides what it gives you. London decided to give me a tough day. But if it was easy, what would be the point? Right? Pheidippides died at the end of his …
2026 Goals: I’m Raising the Bar
It Matters More With Each Year My 2026 goals: I’m raising the bar. Next year I turn sixty-nine, and instead of easing off, I’m deliberately making things harder. The plan is simple on paper: two major marathons, not one, and a clear step up in …
Average Is Good: My New York Marathon
The Start Line When the cannon fired on Staten Island, I felt calm. That surprised me. Coming back from serious injuries, the months of training, the self-doubt all melted into one thought: just run your race. Remember, average is good. Ahead of me I could …
NYC Marathon Minus Two
900 KMS NYC Marathon minus two weeks. I’m at the business end of my running adventure now. I’ve run 900 kms in training now, far enough to have left my front door, turned east and started running like Forrest Gump, and running through Calais, then …
Beating The Odds: Training For New York at 68
I recently appeared on a podcast hosted by Coach Parry, a world-class coach who specialises in training over-50s runners. We discussed my training leading up to the New York Marathon. If you’re an older runner – and that can be any age from 50 onwards …
New York Marathon – Six Weeks
Enough Already New York Marathon – six weeks away. It’s been far too long coming. Tomorrow will see me go past the 800 kilometre training mark. I’ve plodded—and I mean plodded—through a 5km training plan, then 10km plan, then half-marathon plan, and I’m now on …
New York Marathon – Misogi Time
8 Weeks to the New York Marathon Eight weeks from today, I’ll be crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge out of Staten Island, headed for Manhattan. The New York Marathon will be my first marathon. My first at age 68. And one that’s been a long time …