It’s 6am and I’m removing my newly purchased visor (I’m trying to blend in) and standing in silence as they belt out the national anthem to 2000 crazies gearing up to run 26.2 miles. Patriotism over, the commentator shouts GO! (where’s the gun dude?) and I jog over the start line and focus on… umm… focussing. To my left…
Tag: Running
Scottish girl plods
In essence I didn’t want to leave Myanmar. I summed up my reasons in a typically biased manner in 5 Reasons I Love Myanmar but the 28 day visa had only one day left on it and so I had to cross the border into Thailand pronto. Perhaps I should have followed up the previous…
The Reluctant Trekker in Nepal
I actually hate trekking, but now I’m in a country real trekkers would be envious of … Nepal. Well, I’m here now and it would be rude not to take a closer gander at the monstrous Himalayas towering above. I was delighted to meet a Dutch girl who exuded the same if not more negativity as me…
Singapore Marathon Joy!
2:30am Sunday morning in Singapore and I am creeping round my dorm room scooping up all my marathon related paraphernalia and hope there’s no one around the common area – I look like a total weirdo dressed to run at this time of the night, pouring boiling water into my ready-made porridge. The whole situation seems absurd. Due…
Final Stop in India…
The only time I ever feel nervous when travelling is before a night journey – this time I get dropped off at a large, dirty and crowded Calcutta train station for the night train up past Bangladesh towards Nepal. The train rolls into the station at exactly 11pm and I begin the search for my carriage and…
Calcutta Days
So it wasn’t love at first sight – Calcutta that is – my night time arrival and the worst hotel ever put a stop to that, but the coming days in the old capital city of India proved there’s more to this place than first meets the eye. The warm and friendly people, the yummy street food and melting…
When things go wrong in the Himalayas
I’d been in Rishikesh a week and was keen to get up north before winter set in and the opportunity gone; I must have missed the winter has already set in memo. The planned 4 day / 3 night trek up in the Indian Himalayas close to the Tibetan border began so well. It took 2 days in a jeep to…
Rishikesh Running
Back to the task in hand. Marathon training. I’ve arrived in the foothills of the Himalayas – surely there’s no better place to run? I’ll literally just step out my door and set off in any which way I like and it will be wonderful. Or not, as the case may be. I’m met with…
Delhi Lies
It started the way it was always going to in Delhi – with a lie. I never really expected the driver from the guest house to turn up at the airport, I barely even bothered to scan for my name on the scrappy bits of paper being held up before phoning him to hear the lie road…
Half Ironman High
Who knew you could make yourself so ill with nerves? I certainly didn’t until last Friday rolled around, the night before my first ever middle distance triathlon (The Vitruvian) and I found myself doubled over with cramp and pain despite having not eaten anything for hours. Yep I was that nervous. Would the past 16…
Who doesn’t love a proper inspirational tale?
OK. I admit it. I’m a sucker for an autobiography / memoir / anything non-fiction, but the above three are my current favourites. I decided this earlier as I pounded the streets on an 11 mile run in the most torrential downpour and spectacular thunder and lightning I’ve run in for a while. I also…
What? You’re going to run when you’re travelling?
Singapore Marathon… ENTERED!
Scottish Girl Runs 