My previous post was about the ups and downs that I finally accepted were inherent in training, but was written when I was on a crest: I had recently set a 10k PB after years of start-stop efforts, and I was faced with new exciting challenges in my working life, so I could be philosophical…
Author: Leonard
Sisyphus and the myth of linear progression
I named this blog “Sisyphus AC” as an expression of my frustration at the up-and-down nature of my training and running performance. You see, the way I see it, we train to get better, faster, leaner, until we reach some optimum state (based on each person’s inherent ability and genetic make-up) and then try to…
Keep exploring!
One of the things I love about running is how it keeps teaching you stuff about yourself: the latest lesson, finally learned a month or so ago, is that I am much happier after runs that take me through new – or at least rarely visited – territory. I have since made a conscious effort…
Between the fields and a spreadsheet
Not a brilliant couple of weeks’ running I am afraid… Bad nights’ sleep (Philip is transitioning seamlessly from a cold to teething!) and a cold of my own conspired to keep me under my weekly mileage and away from Parkruns so far this month. Still, I’ve managed three runs per week regardless, even if there…
Hiems ante portas!
I took my hoodie off to warm up for Saturday’s Parkrun, and 200m later rushed back to the car to put it back on – where it stayed till just before the start! On Sunday I got caught out by the changing clocks and the much earlier evening, and had to tweak my long run…
The spice of life
I am always happier after a run, but there were two (otherwise unremarkable) occasions this month that left me particularly euphoric. One was a cheeky run by the Seine when I had popped to my parents to collect Dash and the other a run to the opposite direction of the Grand Union Canal to which…
Nerdy runner!
You left me dear readers, basking in the onset of summer, and already there were indications that after my marathon training in the winter / early spring and the focus on speedwork in the late spring, summer was going to be much lazier… And indeed, in typical Sisyphean fashion I let my fitness roll down…
Summer Solstice
The weather of late has been more conductive to sipping wine or (in my case) gulping beer by the bbq than sweating it out on the trails, and that has begun to show not only on the suspicion of a tan, but unfortunately also on my scales and the Strava fitness metric I’m beginning to…
Jasmine and Spreadsheets
I was a bit remiss with my running last week, managing only one run and one bike ride, but I am not beating myself too much about it. The weather was hot and sunny and I ended up spending a lot of time in the garden, clearing away half a tree that had fallen (narrowly…
Sisyphus AC 