The bloggers
The blog on the front of this page brings you a variety of runners with different levels of experience and types of motivation.
When you’re reading a post, click on their name and you’ll be taken to a page of just their posts, so you can see their story in a single thread.
Mike
I’m 44. I’m a member of Bristol & West AC.
I’m reasonably fast for a man of my age, I run when I can, but it often plays second fiddle to other commitments. So, I probably average about 70km per month.
I generally only aim to do 5k and 10k races, hoping to finish in the top 10%.
I’ve been running “regularly” for 18 months. My goal is to be running as fast when I’m 55 as I am now, which I guess means I need to be getting faster for the next 5 years! I’m a skinny asthmatic, and I’m definitely happier and much more cold free since starting to run regularly.
I love running. I can do it wherever I am, I love the feeling of exhilaration and strength, and the justified tiredness at the end of it.
I love the fact, despite being a bit competitive, that when we run we are all equals sharing in the pain and pleasure of fulfilling our potential.
Steve
I started running in 1996 as a way of keeping fit during what I thought was a temporary break from competitive cycling. I never made it back to cycling, and have been running ever since. I’m 31 and tend to run about 30-40 miles per week when things are going well, but fitting it in with work means a few missed days, and a few days with two sessions.
I race about once a month – mostly on the road and between 5k and 10k. I also run occasionally in cross country races and very occasionally on the track. Last year I did my first few duathlons and a triathlon.
I have always enjoyed reading about running, and collecting running books. I’m planning to blog about running books and sites I’ve enjoyed and to digest a few lessons from the stars.
Jan
I started running the day before my 50th birthday, and did two miles at a run/walk. I could hardly move the next day and felt a 100! Now I’ve done 14 marathons and a 35 mile ultra-marathon - none fast, but quicker than walking. I joined Thornbury Running Club, and am still at the back of the pack.
Since hitting 60 I’ve been first in my age-group in a couple of races; I was the only one in the category but hey: I was there. I make the ones at the front look so much better.
Apart from getting fitter I’ve met great people through running and done things I’d never have dreamed of: I’ve taken part in a 24hr relay race in the US, and been covered in mud in Chipping Sodbury. I’ve changed career (I was a school teacher, and now manage Sweatshop Bristol) and raised over £7000 for charities. This year I’m celebrating 10 years of running by raising £6000 for Marie Curie Cancer Care after a young running friend was diagnosed with terminal cancer in December 2008.
I’ll be here as the small-but-loud one from the back - still surprised, after dodging games lessons at school, to find myself even thinking of running, let alone doing it.
Read Jan’s posts | Read Jan’s old blog
Emma
I’m a fairly new convert to running. As a 29-year old gym bunny and occasional Race for Life runner, I decided I needed a new challenge for Spring and thought I’d try running. At school I was always annoyed that I couldn’t run the cross country due to asthma and figured that maybe running wasn’t for me.
But when my job as an events organiser led me to meet Paula Radcliffe at the World Half Marathon Championships in Bristol in 2001, and then go on to organise the Bristol Half Marathon in 2002-3, I developed a lasting interest in road racing.
Naturally, I’ve always wanted to try life on the other side and run the Bristol Half Marathon myself. After joining a running club at the gym, and with a bit of perseverance and a very loud ipod, the running is slowly getting easier and the distances are gradually getting further.
I recently completed the Bristol 10k and injury-permitting, I’m daring to set my sights on the half marathon.