The Inside Lane

I've just returned from Val Thorens in the French Alps. It's been a long-standing ambition of mine to experience a proper ski resort, ever since watching Ski Sunday as a child. I can vividly remember seeing the athletes flying down the slopes and thinking: "I'd love a bit of that." My closest prior experience was a handful of Snowboard lessons on the dry slopes at Sheffield Ski Village around 20 years ago. I ended up injured and miserable but still harboured a deep yearning to try it on real snow. It would probably have been wise to take some more lessons before the trip. But, to my own surprise, I was fairly good at it. We had two full days on the slopes and by the end of the second day, I was confident picking up speed and felt reasonably competent. I  was happy on the green runs, tried a couple of blues and even survived an accidental red. It was an unforgettable experience, in the beautiful French Alps with my friends, and the time flew by.  When I was in hosp...

I've been in my own head a bit lately. After a few too many beers over the weekend and disrupted sleep, I started to dwell on the possibility of cancer (Cyril) making a comeback. It was the one year anniversary of my diagnosis on the 11th of January. I'd posted about it on Social Media and received an outpouring of support from my friends and family. Some of the comments really moved me. Maybe we do seek validation by posting on Social Media, it's still nice to receive it sometimes.  I touched briefly on being grateful for what I have, in spite of what I've lost. But the full story is - I still get down about what I've lost from time to time. This is entirely normal. There is solace to be found in the gentle act of continuing to put one foot in front of the other.  On the 11th, with a slightly fuzzy head from the weekend's festivities, I finally stopped procrastinating and signed up to a Personal Trainer course. I'd love to go part-time at work and do a bit ...

The recent cold snap has kiboshed tomorrow afternoon's trail race at Cannock Chase in Staffordshire. Plan B is to get out in the Peaks for a steady one after the school run. I'm approaching the six week mark, when my broken toe should be healed, so I'll be ramping up the training. It was the first cross country fixture for my local running club on Sunday. My legs were still a bit shaky from Wormstones Fell Race but it was a good day out. Despite sub zero temperatures in the morning, we were treated to bright winter sun and clear skies.  The course starts and finishes close to Retford United Football Club. There's just over 350 feet of elevation through fields, trails and woodland. The numerous stiles become increasingly difficult to negotiate. It's a difficult one to pace, as it finished earlier than I expected and I still had a bit left in the tank. The highlight was a high five from my Daughter, close to the finish line. My partner captured the moment brilliantly ...

Happy New Year! Running Wormstones Fell Race on New Year's Eve seemed an appropriate way to end 2025. It starts with a mad dash on the tarmac to reach the first bottle neck where you jostle for a good position at the stile. There's a steep drop down a grass bank before a short uphill scramble into the woods. For the next 2 miles, it's pretty much uphill all the way.  I'd not been able to train properly for this one and felt incredibly unfit for the first half of the race. The constant climb, cold air stinging your lungs, ground that was frozen solid in places, soft and energy sapping in others. Much like the start to my year, it was tough. At a certain point, I thinks it's not long after the flag stones, the course relents. You level off for a while before two miles of downhill. It's an absolute joy. Brain off, brakes off. Bombing down the hill like a child. Nearly losing a shoe in the boggy bits. Almost falling. Recovering. Actually falling. Recovering. Feeling...