This is undoubtedly the question I’m asked most often by those who don’t call themselves runners. It's a difficult question to answer, but perhaps even experienced runners should ask themselves it more often. Let me start by trying to give a simple answer to the question. On an easy run of say 30 to 90 minutes, I could be thinking about anything. A typical run might start with, ‘ooh, my legs are sore’ and progress to, ‘ah, I need to send that email’. Once I hit the middle of

The Lead-up This was the main focus of my year running-wise. After a disappointing DNF 80 miles into Spine Challenger South in January, the next six months were meant to be a sensible build towards South Downs Way. The preparation wasn't entirely smooth sailing, but in the crucial weeks before the race, I found a real groove in training and arrived at the start line as ultra fit as I've ever been. As part of the prep, I planned to race the Hundred Hills 50k in March and the I