Challenge Stu

I started running in about 2003, when I first came to Sheffield and discovered the Peak District. At first it was an occasional distraction from a concentrated lifestyle of drinking, wasting taxpayers money, and not really doing any work. Over time I started to run a little more, drink a little less, and perhaps work a little harder. Then, through friends at the University orienteering and fell running club I started a bit of racing, which turned into more racing and longer races. Over the next few years the running addiction seriously took hold. Fast forwards to 2015 and I have great support from Accelerate and Scott, a coach and a training schedule. Running is now very different. However, there's one thing I've always dreaded and up to now managed to avoid... Injury. Not any more. Let's not get too overexcited, it's not serious and all my limbs remain attached, but after a persistent ache in the inner upper part of my right leg (can you tell I didn't study anato...

I went out running last night. Normally on a Friday I do a strength and conditioning session at Accelerate, then 30 minutes or so of drills later, but yesterday I decided to drive out to Edale and run a loop to Blackden trig on the edge of Kinder, Win Hill, down through Hope and Castleton, then over Mam Tor and back to the car. This is a small part of a bigger route I'd like to do soon so a good chance for a recce. All went well from the car park at Barber Booth to Edale then up Ringing Roger and to the Blackden trig, which I found pretty easily. I ran round to Win Hill in the fading light and turned my torch on at the summit. It was a lovely evening but I was short of time so checked the map for a shortcut. There wasn't one, so off I went, down through Twitchill Farm and into Hope, then along the road to Castleton. From there my route up Mam Tor would be up the road to Blue John caverns, then up the steep but short grassy climb to the summit. Planned route up Mam Tor...

Just a very quick post to say I'm chuffed to have been nominated in the RunUltra blog awards! Thanks guys. I'm in illustrious company: Anna Frost, Tim Olson, Emelie Forsberg and Accelerate's own Marcus Scotney are also on the list, as well as loads of other great blogs. It's an honour to be on the list! Have a look here - http://www.runultra.co.uk/News/October-2015/BEST-RUNNING-BLOGS-WORLDWIDE

If you've not been to the Isle of Man, you should go. It's a fantastic place with great people, brilliant running, and a range of terrain and scenery I've never experienced in 30 miles anywhere else! It's a few years since I've run the end-to-end race (which was then called the Manx Mountain Marathon) but this year I was back to run the "Isle of Man Ultra". I entered the race a long time ago, and soon realised that the end of my summer was going to be busy! After the Matterhorn Ultraks I was doing my Paris-Nantes ride, then working in France, then back home for a bit, then to Florence for more work and a conference, then back from there last Thursday, and off to the island on Friday... A fantastic exciting month or so, but slightly chaotic! So, here we go... - - - Friday. I arrived back from Florence last night, quickly unpacked, washed my Scott kit and packed again (albeit a smaller bag). I was going to get the early afternoon ferry from...