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Stephen Morrison

Top Tips For Coping With Your Sports Injury
Health

Top Tips For Coping With Your Sports Injury

written by Stephen Morrison

It doesn’t matter whether you’re an Olympic athlete, or whether you are like me, a potter round the gym and a long walk a few times a week; there is nothing more irritating, frustrating and often soul destroying than a sports injury. Even a fairly mild pulled muscle or sprain can keep you from your usual regime for a few weeks, and it can often feel like your injury is going to take forever to heal. You may miss the social element, and be envious of your friends and teammates and you will discover that every single post on your social media feeds will involve someone having the most amazing time being active. Here are some tips for staying involved even when you’re on the sidelines:

* Be a cheerleader – you might not be on the pitch, but you can still be a fully-functioning part of the team, or a fully-supportive exercise buddy. Cheering on your teammates will not only encourage them to keep going, it helps you remain part of the social group, and keeps you up to date with new training programmes and competition strategies where appropriate. The boost to your mood can even help you heal faster.

*Be a volunteer– many organisations such as parkrun, Great Run Local and Join In provide wonderful opportunities to give something back to the sports you love and it will allow you to stay involved.

Top Tips For Coping With Your Sports Injury

My old Great Run Local Glasgow Gang

*Be confident – if you are a professional athlete, there is always the chance that an injury can be career-ending. Even for the hobby athlete, severe or progressive conditions can mean that exercise is going to have to take a different form in future. This can cause considerable anxiety and depression, and if you feel unable to come to terms with this, do seek help. However, be confident that even if life has to change, you will reach a point where taking up a different sport or activity will be possible.

* Try something new – if your recovery is going to take a specific length of time, this could be the perfect opportunity to try something new, either sports-related, or in a completely different field. Look into classes that will take you out of the house and stop you feeling isolated or lonely and think about activities, like swimming, that might aid your recovery.

Top Tips For Coping With Your Sports Injury

Dive into something new

*Stay on top of pain management – there’s always a temptation to ‘tough it out’, especially if you have been used to training through discomfort, and are used to the ache of tired muscles. Make sure that you take your painkillers regularly rather than as required, and keep up with physiotherapy and exercises which will help you to heal.

* Take ownership of your injury – this can be difficult, especially if your injury was through no fault of your own. Acknowledge that it has happened, work out why it happened (especially if it’s through overtraining or poor training management), and make plans to stop it happening again.

The final Top Tips For Coping With Your Sports Injury is to seek specialist help. It can be a good idea to have a full health-check before you return to your training programme, and to speak to a sports medicine specialist if you think you will need to do things differently from before. At places like The Wilmslow Hospital, near Manchester and Liverpool you will have access to everything from diagnostics to surgery if necessary, and the best possible care to get you back on the track, pitch or in the gym as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: Although spookily relevant, this is a sponsored post with all proceeds going to Cancer Research

Top Tips For Coping With Your Sports Injury was last modified: December 14th, 2016 by Stephen Morrison
December 14, 2016 2 comments
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HealthObesity

Tough New Rules from the Committee of Advertising Practice?

written by Stephen Morrison

Childhood obesity is a serious and complex issue and one that we’re determined to play our part in tackling. These restrictions will significantly reduce the number of ads for high, fat, salt or sugar products seen by children. Our tough new rules are a clear demonstration that the ad industry is willing and ready to act on its responsibilities and puts the protection of children at the heart of its work.

Encouraging words from the Chairman of the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP), James Best

According to CAP they have today announced, following a full public consultation, tough new rules banning the advertising of high fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) food or drink products in children’s media. The rules will apply across all non-broadcast media including in print, cinema and, crucially, online and in social media.

The rules, which will apply in media targeted at under-16s, will come into effect on 1 July 2017.

With the Child Obesity Strategy having no real bite, I was not expecting these “tough new rules” to provide me with any real hope and having reviewed the new advertising rules, I do believe that it is once again a missed opportunity, albeit with some progress.

So, what are these new rules and how much of a difference will they make?

Committee of Advertising Practice Tough New Rules

· Ads that directly or indirectly promote a HFSS product cannot appear in children’s media

· Ads for HFSS products will not be allowed to use promotions, licensed characters and celebrities popular with children; advertisers may now use those techniques to better promote healthier options

These sound great until you consider what is not covered by these rules. The packaging of HFSS products will not be affected. They will continue to be covered in the latest cartoon and film characters that our children are often drawn towards. When it is generally agreed that TV advertising has a relatively low impact on HFSS consumption, these rules seem like yet more watered down measures.

· Ads for HFSS products cannot appear in other media where children make up over 25% of the audience

With children reportedly spending more time (around 15 hours per week) online than watching TV, moves to reduce their online exposure to promotions for HFSS products is a welcomed measure, but I do have my concerns. Up to 25 in every 100 children could still be exposed to advertising and across the UK this equates to more than 3 million children.

Committee of Advertising Practice Tough New RulesA concern shared by the Obesity Health Alliance, who view it as a loophole that could (and most likely will) be exploited.  Also, has anyone stopped to consider that obesity, inactivity, screen time and poverty are closely linked? It is quite possible that children in poorer households will watch more TV and spend more time online than anyone else with their households spending greater proportions of their income on food. With obesity rates soaring, we need to do more to ensure that all children are protected.

With one third of children overweight or obese by their eleventh birthday, we need to protect them from relentless junk food marketing in all walks of life.”

-Obesity Health Alliance.

The Children’s Food Campaign go further and while they believe that the “The Committee of Advertising Practice has finally listened to the voices of parents and health professionals, after years of resisting calls for stronger measures to reduce children’s exposure to junk food marketing online” they also share concerns that “CAP has failed to learn the lessons from industry’s exploitation of loopholes in TV advertising regulations”.

Jenny Rosborough, campaign manager at Action on Sugar, called for restrictions to be extended to programmes such as X Factor, which are hugely popular with children but which are exempt from these restrictions because they fall outside children’s programming.

The response to the new rules from the Committee of Advertising Practice have been received in similar fashion to the Child Obesity Strategy with many believing that “the power still seems to be very much in the hands of manufacturers and advertisers, not parents”.

Committee of Advertising PracticeThe Children’s Food Campaign offered the perfect summation:

Ultimately, the new rules are only as good as the body which enforces them.  We hope that from July 2017 CAP and the Advertising Standards Authority will ensure companies follow both the letter and the spirit of these new rules, and close any loopholes which arise.

Rather than develop a groundbreaking strategy that puts the wellbeing of all children at its centre, it is my belief that CAP have produced a set of rules that fall short.  It’s supporters and the food industry will possibly argue that parents have a greater responsibility, but how many of us feel pressured by children who influence our purchases, based on the marketing directly aimed at them?

We will need to wait until July 2017 to see what impact these tough new rules have.
Tough New Rules from the Committee of Advertising Practice? was last modified: April 17th, 2024 by Stephen Morrison
December 8, 2016 0 comment
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UK Blog awards
Physical Activity

Can a Fat Man be an Award Winning Fitness Blogger

written by Stephen Morrison

Can a Fat Man be an Award Winning Fitness Blogger?

Google “Fitness Blogger” images and you’ll notice a pattern. Long hair, tight abs, bikinis and the obligatory instagram friendly butt selfie.

I know that the scene is much more diverse than this, but this is sadly the perception of many and as an overweight, balding and bespectacled 43 year old man, I am as far removed from the archetypal fitness blogger as you can get and you will be relieved to know that as much as I love selfies, I tend to keep them confined to my butt ugly face.

So, when I discovered that I had been nominated for the UK Blog Awards in the Sports and Fitness category, I saw it as an opportunity to address this misconception and to hopefully further raise my profile as a blogger (like my Man V Fat Reviews, I am honest).

Thermolean PowerUp 864x400 c

How Many Miles has seen a lot of traffic and posts in the past 12 months, but I am not an overnight success.

I first started blogging back in 2011 with a small workplace feature that grew as my confidence grew and as my weight reduced. Soon, How Many Miles was born and it wasn’t long before I was blogging for Tribesports, Spogo, the Men’s 10K and Paths For All.

In 2014, I hit the Big Time. Or so I thought.

Great Run made me their blogger and a wee sporting event in Glasgow picked me to be one of their special Games bloggers. I also started writing for the Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine (FSEM) and Man V Fat. I then ended the year with what I view as the pinnacle of sports and fitness blogging.

No, not the bloody Huffington Post, but my first British Medical Journal Blog. For as long as I blog (or live) my BMJ blog posts will rank alongside my greatest writing accomplishments.

For two years, I focused on my Great Run and FSEM blogs with regular guest posts for Man V Fat and others. I attended a few sports medicine symposiums and Great Run gave me the VIP treatment at all of their events. I wasn’t well known and I didn’t really care

Well, that wasn’t quite true.

I love blogging. I love knowing that my words sometimes entertain, inspire and sometimes even educate. I love the opportunities that blogging brings and I do love the occasional gifts from partners.  I also genuinely love putting my thoughts on paper (even if it is only Google docs). However, I will be totally honest. At Great Run, I didn’t feel in control of the blog and it soon became clear that my role there wasn’t developing as I had hoped.

I wasn’t reaching as many as I wanted to and I also wanted to write about more than running. Great Run were indeed great, but my run with them was coming to an end.

So, I decided to leave Great Run and to resurrect How Many Miles and for the past year, I have focused my main efforts on my own blog. I redesigned the theme, added new categories and I even got myself a wee logo.

final

The UK Blog Award nomination is a wonderful honour and culmination of an amazing but also difficult year . It hopefully reflects my efforts, but I nearly didn’t accept it.

The fitness blogging industry, much like the fitness industry, is largely driven by aesthetics and carbon copy blogs that all seem to review the same boutique London gyms or the same fashion lines. It has became too focused on product and brand placement and over the past few months, I have unsubscribed from many. I have become a little disillusioned.

However, I still have my favourites and I am up against some of them in the UK Blog Awards.

I like to think that we share a common approach. We tell honest stories and we are open about our struggles as well as our accomplishments. For us, blogging is about sharing our experiences in the hope that we can inspire others to step out of their comfort zones. I also like to think that we offer hope to people not unlike ourselves.

I unfortunately feel that we are a minority and there is obviously a market and demand for the Instagram famous bloggers and their photo led content as I enviously watch on as they go on yet another sponsored island retreat or parade in their latest sports gear, but I do hope that the public and judges of the UK Blog Awards prefer stories. I know that I enjoy writing them.

I’d love this story to end with myself (or even one of my favourite blogs) in the final, but to do that I need your vote.

Vote for How Many Miles at :

 http://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2017/entries/how-many-miles

And let us show that sports and fitness blogging is about more than bikini clad athletes attending the latest VIP fitness launch in London.

Can a fat man win a fitness blog award? Only time will tell.

Can a Fat Man be an Award Winning Fitness Blogger was last modified: October 26th, 2017 by Stephen Morrison
December 5, 2016 5 comments
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Mumbai
AsiaTravel

Mumbai- The City That Stole Our Hearts

written by Stephen Morrison

A visit to Mumbai was never on my bucket list of travel destinations.

As a city, I had been exposed to the darker side of Mumbai via its depiction in movies like Slumdog Millionaire and via online stories of poverty, filth and deprivation, while how many of us were horrified by the atrocities of 2008?

India was a country that had long appealed to my inner traveller, but I had visions of trekking at the base of the Himalayas or bathing on the shores of the Indian Ocean, not struggling to navigate in the home of one of Asia’s largest shanty towns.

However, when my gifted girlfriend Teresa was invited over by the Deputy British High Commission, to visit and to advise the city’s hospitals (read her Deputy British High Commission blog), it seemed that we would in fact be adding Mumbai to our travel plans.

And, for as long as I live, Mumbai will linger in my memory and in my heart.

It is a city that never sleeps and which overflows with everything. People, traffic and animals but also with warmth and charm. Mumbai viciously assaults your senses with smells, sounds and a sensation that you are in a different world. And sometimes, in Mumbai, you enter different worlds.

For never in my travels have I seen such a distinct gap between the ridiculously rich and the impoverished underclass.

And never have I seen it more illustrated than in the differences between afternoon tea at the Taj Mahal Hotel and an afternoon walk in Dhobi Ghat

Taj Mahal Hotel – A Touch of Class

For afternoon tea, there is only one place to be

For afternoon tea, there is only one place to be

Our hotel staff, at the wonderful Trident Hotel, had suggested that we visit the site of the 2008 terrorist attack and look for the bullet holes in the walls of Leopold Cafe that provide a constant reminder of the dangers that still exist. For us, this felt a little too morbid and a tad tasteless. Despite visiting sites of ancient battles elsewhere, it didn’t sit well to view the scene of 10 deaths as a tourist attraction, but I can understand why locals might want us to witness what Mumbai has endured.

However, we were keen to visit the Taj Mahal Hotel. Not to explore its role in 2008, but to sample the delights of its afternoon High Tea. What can I say? I’m British and the prospect of tea and scones overlooking the Arabian Sea was irresistible, although as a fitness blogger, I did spot some healthier options.

Eating clean in Mumbai

Eating clean in Mumbai

Throughout our walks across Mumbai we were often reminded of its colonial past and nowhere is it more evident than in the corridors and sitting rooms of the Taj Mahal Hotel. The walls are glistening white and are resplendent with photographs and stories that regale its history and its role in the development of Mumbai and in its role in the British Empire.

20160318_165200-1

The Taj Mahal Hotel belongs to a different era and as soon as you enter its grounds you are reminded of its most recent history. Security in Mumbai is taken seriously. Every prominent building has armed guards and metal detectors that you must pass before entering. It doesn’t feel like an imposition and after the initial surprise, you accept it as being a reassuring security measure.

Once past security, you enter the main lobby and into what dies look more like a palace than a hotel.  Despite our far flung and frequent travels , we try not to be ostentatious travellers  and at first glance  the Taj Mahal Hotel was a touch too rich for us (you can take the boy out of Pollok, but you can’t take the Pollok out of the boy ).

Even though we were treated like royalty by the waiting staff, we did feel a little out of place and I know that as I ventured each time up to the buffet carts for more cake, I felt a little uneasy.  I then felt a little queasy as the our personal tower of scones, cakes and sandwiches were delivered.  For a family of four, it wasn’t an overly expensive experience and for a glimpse into Mumbai’s past, it should be on your to do list. As Mumbai experiences go, it was one of our highlights.

One which would only be overshadowed by one place.

 

A taste of Mumbai

A taste of Mumbai

That Place was Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat

“When tourism is well-managed, it has tremendous capacity to create decent jobs, provide opportunities for inclusion and education, and contribute to preserving cultural heritage and the environment.”

 U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

I am not a huge fan of poverty tourism. I recognise that it can contribute to local economies, but I also can’t help but think that it is a little voyeuristic, exploitative and insincere to visit slums and then retire to my 5 star hotel complex to write blogs about my experiences as I sip on cocktails and post pictures on Instagram.

But Mahalaxmi Dhobi Ghat, or just Dhobi Ghat, is much more than a slum. It is a hive of activity, a centre of industry and testament to human determination to survive. It is an institution.

20160316_115925

Dhobi Ghat is the largest unmechanised laundry in the world. A place where generations of washermen are born, live and die. A place where over 1 million items of clothing are washed, pressed and folded each and every day and a place which almost brought me to tears.

Dhobi Ghat is located in the south of Mumbai and can be accessed by the train station of the same name or by using any one of the million taxis and auto rickshaws that fill every inch of every street in Mumbai, but which will still find a way to get you anywhere you want to go in the most exhilarating  and often nerve-wracking way.

Travel to Mumbai

the only way to travel in Mumbai

700 families who gather and wash much of the city’s soiled clothing, bedding and tableware have made Dhobi Ghat their home. If you are sleeping in the finest cotton sheets or sitting at a clothed table in a restaurant, the chances are that they have been washed and hung to dry in Dhobi Ghat.

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As soon as we arrived and stepped out of our taxi, we were approached by Bilal, who offered, at a price, to be our Dhobi Ghat tour guide. He asked for 600 rupees and I managed to haggle him down to 400 ( £4 GB).  As he led us through the alleys and underpasses, I could see others smirking in his direction. Did they regard us as marks or maybe they were genuinely pleased to see him leading us through the streets.

Bilal, Our Dhobi Ghat tour guide

Bilal, Our Dhobi Ghat tour guide

Bilal had visible signs of polio and as he guided us and engaged with us in his broken english, I started to regret haggling him out of 200 rupees and gave him an additional 400. For he was a brilliant guide. Not because he was providing a detailed commentary, but because with him at our side, we climbed ladders and onto roofs; we ventured into areas which we wouldn’t have dared to without him and we were able to see up close the inner workings of Dhobi Ghat.

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We felt the the heat from the boiling water while the air was strong with the smell of bleach. The vibrant colours of the linen and the blue fields of denim were made for instagram and they have left in imprint in my mind.

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By the end of the tour, we were left mesmerised by the industrial scale of Dhobi Ghat and left wondering about how they they keep track of everything. As we left, I also had my most difficult experience. Wherever you go in Mumbai, you see people and especially children doing everything they can to better their lives and often, just to survive. It must be easy (or maybe not) to become hardened to the scenes of poverty, but on this instance, I crumbled.

I never knew her name, but her smile melted my heart and before I could think, my wallet was out and I was buying all of her stock. I didn’t think about how she might be working for others and only when a crowd of children surrounded me did I realise that I could not help them all. With over 300,000 children living on Mumbai’s streets it an impossible task. We had to make a hasty  retreat and from that day on we dined in local restaurants; we tipped more and paid more for everything. The joy of haggling had disappeared and every time I look at this photo,  I just hope that she is still smiling.

How could I not help this child?

How could I not help this child?

Mumbai is a city that is rich with culture and history and which has grand designs for the future. Its designer shopping arcades outshine many in the West and the stretch along Marine Drive rivals any esplanade in the world, but I wonder how it can ensure that some of the wealth and opportunities trickle down to those who long for a better life? Mumbai is home to 32 billionaires while Dharavi, the largest slum in Asia, has over 1 million residents.  If I ever go back to Mumbai (and I want to), I will be returning home with suitcases of Dhararvi’s famed leather goods and souvenirs from every street kid I encounter.

In the meantime, we can all help children living on streets across the world with donations (every penny helps) to Railway Children, a wonderful charity that helps the thousands of children that arrive alone on trains in cities across the world, including here in the UK.

 

Mumbai- The City That Stole Our Hearts was last modified: November 28th, 2016 by Stephen Morrison
November 28, 2016 0 comment
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Total Immersion with Vigour Events
SwimmingTriathlon

Ironman Update : Total Immersion with Vigour Events

written by Stephen Morrison

 

I have regained 60lbs (having lost 170lbs); I have arthritic knees; I fall off my bike more regularly than Evel Knievel (look him up, millennials) and I cannot swim.

So my decision to sign up for an Ironman event in 2018 may seem a little reckless and a tad foolish. And it probably is. Ok, it definitely is.

However, I am a man of dreams and according to followers of the Law of Attraction, I just have to visualise myself crossing that Mallorca Ironman 2018 finishing line and it will happen.

Can’t Swim, Need to Swim

Of course, I may also want to do something about that whole unable to swim thing.

I say unable, but that isn’t strictly true. At the tender age of eight, my father instructed me. The instruction being not to drown as he pushed me into the water at Pollokshaws swimming pool. I didn’t, but as you might see from the video below, my technique since then hasn’t changed much. I basically flap my arms and try to stay afloat.

For years, I have vowed to learn how to swim and for years my fear of feeling embarrassed by my weight has stopped me.  Even when I lost weight, I didn’t feel completely comfortable and any time I have tried to swim, my complete lack of talent has been clear for all to see. Even the brilliant Olympian Robbie Renwick failed to turn me into a swimmer when I trained with him for my Strathmore Water DoMore Blog.

So, if I was going to conquer my fears and feel confident about a 2.4 mile swim in the sea (what am I thinking?) I decided that I would need some expert coaching. Now, I don’t know any expert swimming coaches but I do know Robert Hamilton (sorry Robert, I couldn’t resist), of Vigour Events, and I also know that Robert teaches Total Immersion, the swimming technique that is seemingly quick to master and which makes swimming almost effortless and less exhausting.

Sign me up!

I had watched videos of Robert’s class in Hamilton and as the weeks passed, my doubts started to drain away. Robert and I engaged in a game of Facebook Messenger tennis. He would serve me an invite to a class and I would volley back an excuse not to go.

I didn’t have the time, it was too far way’ I had child care issues and I wasn’t competent enough to try Total Immersion. I used all of them and more. Eventually however, he broke down my barriers and for the past few weeks, I have been receiving and even enjoying his expert tutelage at Shawlands Secondary School.

With the changing room and pool almost to ourselves, my inhibitions didn’t surface as I approached the pool and climbed in for my first lesson.

The first thing Robert asked was to see how I normally swim and he must be a great poker player as at no point did his eyes or face reveal what he thought about my er, swimming “style”.

He simply advised that over the course of the next few weeks that he would instill upon me the basics of Total Immersion swimming and that the secret to success isn’t about the power or a high turnover stroke rate but in the positioning and alignment of my head, leading arm and body as I glide through the water.

At his request, I allowed him control of my body and relaxed as he coaxed my head into a neutral position under the water. It felt so relaxing and so right that my usual desire (and urgency) to break the surface and seek air was replaced by a calmness. Robert had managed, with a wee tweak of my head, to release the tension that courses through my body whenever I attempt to swim.

Total Immersion with Vigour Events

Floaty McFloatFace

Next he worked on my leading arm position. Again, I allowed him free reign and control of my limbs. He gently maneuvered them under the water until he found a resting point at which my arms automatically returned to when relaxed. Everything felt natural. I knew that I was in safe hands.

Over the course of two weeks and two hours, Robert continued to describe, display and direct me in the many small but vital components of the Total Immersion stroke and the result of our efforts is below.

I am far from finished and over the next few months my lessons and my practice sessions should help me progress even further. However, I have a wee confession. As I watch this clip over and over again, I am beaming with pride.

In just two hours, I had learned the basics of Total Immersion and the prospect of swimming 2.4 miles is a little less daunting.

Just a little.

If Total Immersion swimming sounds like something that you would like to try, then Robert has Swim Sessions on Monday nights at Hamilton College and in January  and March he will again be at Hamilton College for his full day Total Immersion Workshops.

And if you want to support my efforts, please consider making a small donation to my Ironman Cancer Research page.

Ironman Update : Total Immersion with Vigour Events was last modified: June 1st, 2017 by Stephen Morrison
November 25, 2016 4 comments
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Top 10 Running Books
Guest BlogsRunning

Top 10 Running Books for Inspiration, Knowledge and Enjoyment

written by Stephen Morrison

It’s time to accept that I will not be running for some time. My knee isn’t yet ready or willing to pound the streets and instead I will spend some pounds reading about the sport I love and miss so much while I sit on the injury bench (or injury spin bike, in my case).

 

There are so many wonderful books about running available, so I asked my friend and running expert Colin Thomas for his recommendations and we have picked our Top 10 Running Books. How many have you read and which of these books will you add to your collection?

My top 10 running books for inspiration, knowledge and enjoyment.

Born to Run, Christopher McDougall. Top 10 Running BooksWhen I first read this book it was a real eye opener to what the human body is really capable of. The majority of the book is set in Mexico’s Copper Canyons, the true story of Caballo Blanco and the Taramuhara Indians running barefoot for 50 to 100 miles, sometimes for the pure pleasure of it is remarkable. This book kicked off the barefoot running craze which swept through the western world a few years ago and it’s easy to see why. The stories of strength, courage and commitment to running proving once again that we humans truly are Born to Run.

 

Running with the Kenyans, Adharanand Finn. Top 10 Running BooksA captivating true account of the Finn family leaving the comfort of their family home and setting up a new life in the magical little town of Iten, Kenya. Many of the world’s top distance runners come from Iten so much so that it is now known as “The Home of Champions.” This book follows the story of the author’s quest to find out the secrets of the fastest people on earth and if living and training amongst them would revolutionise his own running performance.

Top 10 Running Books14 minutes, Alberto Salazaar. Most people will know Alberto as being the legendary distance runner most famous for his marathon performance known as “The Duel in the Sun” or possibly as the head coach of The Oregon Project. He famously coached Mo Farah and Galen Rupp to Olympic medal success in 2012 and 2016. But did you know that he had a tough up bringing as a boy in Cuba before his family fled to the US? Or more importantly, did you know that he essentially died when his heart stopped beating for 14 minutes while out on the training field? This is an insightful account of how life may give you more than one chance and if it does, be sure to take it with both hands!

Top 10 Running BooksRun, Swim, Throw, Cheat, Chris Cooper. Athletics in recent years has been dogged by allegations of cheating and drug abuse. When we see great world beating performances these days is it right to be skeptical or should we just accept what we see as being a clean athlete putting in hours of hard work and dedication? This book gives an understandable account of the science behind drugs in sport. If you have been interested in the Armstrong lies or you are suspicious about some athletes performances then you will love this book. Is the possibility of drug free sport realistic? What next with scientists now gene doping? It’s a scary thought but in reality we have got a very long way to go.

Top 10 Running BlogsPre, The Story of America’s Greatest Running Legend, Steve Prefontaine, Tom Jordan. So you have probably seen or heard the famous quote To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift. Well Steve Prefontine certainly gave his best. Pre was a hard running front runner who was almost unbeatable in distances over a mile for 5 years. At the tender age of just 24 he tragically lost his life in an accident and his legacy lives on.

Some people create with words or with music or with a brush or paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run”.

Top 10 Running BooksRunning Beyond Limits, Dr Andrew Murray. If somebody told you that they were going to run from the North of Scotland to the Sahara desert in Morocco you would think they should be sanctioned! Well that’s what Dr Andrew Murray did for charity (run I mean, not get sanctioned!) and I’m guessing, he might even have enjoyed it. Being a GP, Sports Medicine Doctor, international ultra runner and winner of many endurance races, you would have to assume that Andrew is not insane himself, but at the very least, extremely determined, hugely motivated and largely inspirational (he is Stephen’s hero). This book is an almost diary like account of that journey. In his role as a Physical Activity Champion for the Scottish government, he actively encourages a healthy lifestyle including exercise and hopefully this book can inspire others to get off the couch and find out if their own bodies can start Running Beyond Limits.

Top 10 Running BooksLore of Running, Tim Noakes MD. Sometimes known as the runners bible, Lore of Running is over 700 pages of scientific research, graphs and stats with a plethora of information from Acute Muscle tears to Zinc deficiency with the everything else in between. Perhaps not a captivating story like some of the other books on this list but if there’s something that you want to find out about running, this book is a pretty good place to start.

 

Top 10 Running BooksThe Ghost Runner, Bill Jones. This is the true story of John Tarrant, the man they couldn’t stop. He was banned from competitive running for life after accepting a £17 expenses payment as a teenage boxer. However this wasn’t going to stop John. Gatecrashing races, he would turn up on the start line wearing a disguise, throw it off when the gun went and started his run with everybody else. Before long he was a record breaker and one of the greatest long distance runners the world has ever seen.

 

Top 10 Running BooksFeet in the Clouds: A Tale for Fell-Running and Obsession, Richard Askwith. (Stephen’s pick). With road running off limits for a while, this amazing book will have you pinning for the forests and fells of the Lake District. I for one was entranced by the wonderful tales and descriptions of stunning but often brutally demanding races. I dare you to read this book and not consider jumping on the first train or bus to the Lake District.

 

Top 10 Running BlogsWhat I Talk About When I Talk About Running , Haruki Murakami. (Stephen’s pick again). I was given this book as a gift and instantly fell in love with the prose and the passion of Murakami’s writing. In a Top 10 Running Books list full of amazing talent, Murakami is a plodder but exceptionally disciplined and his advice can be applied to life as much as running:

pain is inevitable, suffering is not”.

 

If you are looking for a bit of running inspiration to kick start your 2017 training plan, be sure to pick up one of these Top 10 Running  Books. If bought through one of the links, Stephen earns commission for his Cancer Research Ironman Challenge, so stock up for Christmas and help raise valuable funds.

And, if suitably inspired, why not  join Colin and his mixed ability group for a couple of weeks running in Kenya. Either will be sure to get the juices flowing!  You can find out more about this arranged, group trip to Kenya at http://www.performancerunningspecialist.net/kenya-training-holiday.html

colinkenya

You can also read all more about Colin’s services at www.performancerunningspecialist.com

Top 10 Running Books for Inspiration, Knowledge and Enjoyment was last modified: November 13th, 2016 by Stephen Morrison
November 13, 2016 0 comment
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Feet For LifeHealth

Feet For Life – Taking Care of Our Feet

written by Stephen Morrison

Damn, those are some nasty looking feet.

The podiatrist at Hampden Foot Clinic didn’t exactly say this and at no point did he even give me a look that might reveal any sign of disapproval, but I just knew that behind his really friendly welcome, he would be disgusted at what he was about to witness.

Before I had my first shoe off, I was making excuses and preparing him for the sight that awaited him.

I’ve ran a few miles ( I didn’t tell him howmanymiles) and I possibly haven’t taken as much care of my feet as I should have”.

Even as I said it, i knew that it was a lame excuse. I own dozens (and covet many more) of pairs of relatively expensive running shoes and I have merino wool socks that I take great care in washing. I take great pride in adorning my feet in the latest designs and the brightest colours with only the best running shoes worthy of encasing my feet.

In fact, as soon as I learned from Magic Mandy that some orthosis should help me run, I went out and bought myself the brightest and best shoes that I could find (using my Vitality discount, of course).

Looking after feet

my usual idea of a treat for my feet

As a runner (I am running again), I might very well have all the gear, but I am guilty of neglecting my feet and were it not for the Feet For Life campaign, I am not sure that I would have taken the steps that I have.

However, with Magic Mandy (I WILL make this stick) having discovered the cause of my knee pain, I was intrigued to see what other mystical powers podiatrists possessed and deep down I knew that my feet were gradually worsening even though I hadn’t even been running.

This is what brought me to be sitting in Hampden Foot Clinic with podiatrist Graham Bone, a former student under Magic Mandy at Glasgow Caledonian University Podiatry , preparing to treat my feet to some much needed care.

Podiatry is a medical profession and it was therefore not surprising to see that the clinic resembled a hospital theatre or dental surgery. It was white and bright and in Graham’s room he had a tray of surgical instruments….wait, a tray of surgical instruments?

Was I booked in for a £29 podiatry treatment or for an amputation?

Hopefully it would not be the latter, but as an obesity campaigner and someone who is overweight, I am painfully aware of the very real danger that diabetes poses to our feet

But first up, he needed to see the task ahead and if you are reading this at lunch or at dinner, you might want to skim over these before pictures. Or, with Halloween on Monday you might want to print them off to scare the local kids.

Feet for Life

Frightful Feet

Graham must be a fantastic poker player, as he didn’t flinch at the sight of my feet. He simply looked them over and then explained what needed to be done and how he would do it.

Although I wasn’t experiencing the usual tell tale sign of itchy toes, Graham explained that the white residue around my toenails was symptomatic of a fungal infection. He would remove the cuticles and a layer of my toenail, using what looked like a drill piece and then apply some anti fungal cream that I would reapply in two weeks using the application technique that Graham coached me to perform.

Feet for Life

a wee treat for my feet

He then set about reducing the mass of hard skin that had developed on my heels and along the outside of my feet. While doing so he explained that the hard skin was my foot’s way of protecting it from the force and friction that I apply to it and subsequently he would not remove all of it, unless I wanted it removed. As I am not currently considering a career in feet modeling, I decided to retain some level of protection. He also identified and skillfully removed at least four corns on my right foot which correlated with my tendency to walk on the outside of that foot.

Feet For Life

The transformation complete

Feet for Life

Even with some hard skin seemingly retained, Graham left my feet dolphin smooth (yes, the departure of Abraham is hard) with a mass of skin that seemed to symbolise the ashes of my past life as a neglector of feet.

Feet For Life

sorrynotsorry skin pic

For having seen how Graham has transformed my feet in one session, I have decided that I will take more care of them and undertake some basic daily care.

  • Rather than just standing in dirty soapy shower water, I will actually bathe my feet at least three times each week. Gordon would have me do it daily or twice daily like brushing my teeth, but I will aim for making it a regular feat first.
  • I will actually use that pumice stone sunk somewhere deep in my toiletry box and keep that dolphin smooth feeling.
  • I will wear even more shoes. I have my favourites and I sometimes wear them days on end and when you consider that our produce about half a pint of sweat each day, it’s no wonder that my shoes stink. I will use my ever growing collection of shoes to aid my feet. By alternating shoes, I can hopefully keep my shoes and my feet fresh.
  • I will get myself a “proper” pair of toenail clippers and use them more regularly.
  • I will moisturise them (no, I don’t mean peeing on them in the shower) and apply some cream to them every couple of days
  • And lastly, I will treat them to a massage. Not only as possible content for a future Feet For Life post, but because I genuinely quite fancy it. After all, our feet carry us for miles and deserve the same respect and care that we afford to the rest of our lower limbs. After a race, we queue to have our legs massaged… so why not our feet?

Can you look at your feet (go on, take off yours shoes and socks) and honestly say that they are in good health or do you also have the odd black or fungal nail and some excess skin?

To him whose feet hurt, everything hurts.

My corns are gone and my feet feel great and somehow, I feel much better. I am walking taller and straighter ( see my previous Feet for Life post) and I have a spring in my step.

That Socrates was quite a smart fella.

 

Feet For Life – Taking Care of Our Feet was last modified: October 31st, 2016 by Stephen Morrison
October 29, 2016 0 comment
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Feet For LifeHealthRunning

Feet for Life – Bow down to the Podiatrist

written by Stephen Morrison

I had seen a physiotherapist and an osteopath; I had consulted my personal trainers (yep, I have two) and I had even spoken to fellow runners, but after 10 months and endless numbers of leg raises and squats and even some sessions with the Core Momentum Trainer (that deserves a post of its own) and a stint in barefoot shoes I was still no closer to putting on a pair of running shoes in earnest.

So, when the College of Podiatry suggested that I should see a podiatrist, my only thought was that it might make for another nice Feet For Life post.

I would never have guessed that six days later, I would be out running 5km.

I was referred to Podiatrist Mandy Abbott (now forever known as Magic Mandy) at the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital and right up until I entered the clinic, I wasn’t completely sure what help a podiatrist would be, although she certainly helped me with my obligatory selfie!

Feet for Life

Feet for after Life

Sure, I do possess typical runner’s feet and I could benefit with having some hard skin removed, but just how would a podiatrist help me to run again or even walk without pain again?

Well, I soon learned that in addition to being a lecturer at Glasgow Caledonian University, Mandy Abbott also specialises in biomechanics and she offered to review my gait and examine my feet, ankles and knees.

This wasn’t like the standard treadmill gait analysis found in your average running shop. Mandy checked my range of motion in my ankles before asking me to walk up and down the clinic. After what felt like about 300 laps, she told me to stop.

She had seen enough.

I had excess hard skin along the outsides of my feet and especially in the heel. The latter wasn’t a surprise, as I know that I am a heavy heel striker (when my foot lands, it lands heel first), but the explanation for the outer foot was more of a shock.

During my walk up and down the clinic I displayed signs that I have Genu Varum or bow legs as they are more commonly known. I walk on the outside of my feet (supination) and my my lower legs are inverted. This is yet another sign/symptom of osteoarthritis and I am close to finally accepting that I cannot continue living in denial. At some point my knees will require further investigation.

 However, at the very least , I now have a more than viable explanation for my knee pain. Something that I have been searching for. With this knowledge, I can move on.

 

So what does it all mean and why is it causing pain?

medialknee

Whenever I walk or run it is most likely that my tibia and femur are making contact which is increasing my knee degeneration and causing the associated pain. I am also possibly stretching the lateral ligaments and this might explain my reluctance to attempt any movements that involve bending or twisting my knee.

Training sessions with Scott Devenney (using the HUB and the CMT) prove that I can perform lunges and that I can apply load to me knee. I will continue to train and I will keep strengthening my body and lowering my body fat. This will all help me move better and without unplaced fear. I will not lunge into anything too quickly, but I will lunge.

As as well as an explanation for my mobility issues, Mandy also recommended and provided me with an orthosis for my shoes. It has a lateral wedge that will enable me to walk with less pronation with the force of each landing being absorbed more centrally thus increasing knee joint stability.  It will also help with my knee alignment and increase the space between my tibia and femur which should help ease my symptoms and reduce the pain.

Feet For Life

The thin edge of the wedge

This a temporary orthosis that Mandy fabricated in a matter of minutes and should it continue to work, I will look into getting a more long term orthosis produced. I don’t particularly want to wear an orthosis for the rest of my life, but it is much more preferable than walking in pain and not being able to run again

 Mandy provided me with something else too. Hope. Hope that I will run again and hope that my dream of being an Ironman isn’t over before it even starts.

Even after only a week of wearing the orthosis and making a conscious effort to walk that little bit more straight, the frequency and the intensity of the pain has decreased. It hasn’t gone completely, but it is no longer ever present and I don’t feel that it is restricting me as much as it has in the past.

Feet For Life

I ran!!!!!

 

So much so, that when my girlfriend Teresa suggested that we go for a short run this week I agreed. Without hesitation. It wasn’t fast but it was  pain free and even after 5km I felt that I could have kept going. However, taking small steps has always been my approach and 5km was far enough for my first run.

I’ll rest my knee and I will look forward to my Cancer Research Tough 10 event on November 6th for which I am an Ambassador. It will be my first (and possibly only) event of this year and although I will not be fast I will run and after 10 months out, I hope you all appreciate just how much this means to me. I’ve lost and given up a few things in the past year and I had begun to believe that I would never run again.

 

Feet For Life

I will run!!!

It’s too soon to say that I’m back and I doubt that I’ll ever again fully consider myself as a runner, but I can and I will run.  And I will be an Ironman.

And if that wasn’t good enough, Mandy provided me with an excuse to buy new running shoes. With my supination and bow legs, my current shoes are undoubtedly worn away on the outer edges and it is in my best interests to replace them (I’ll ignore the fact that I do already own several as yet unworn pairs). My first pair arrive on Wednesday.

When I partnered with the College of Podiatry to promote the Feet for Life campaign I never envisioned that it would be a podiatrist that would hold the key to my knee pain and to me running again. I simply wanted to show that our feet deserve more attention and more care. Now, I also want to show that Podiatry is about much more than treating athlete’s foot or removing corns…..although that will probably be the content of the next Feet for Life blog.

Feet for Life – Bow down to the Podiatrist was last modified: October 27th, 2016 by Stephen Morrison
October 23, 2016 4 comments
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How to Breathe when running
Guest BlogsRunning

How to Breathe When Running – Steven Bonthrone

written by Stephen Morrison

At the end of this month I will be attending an  “It’s All About the Breath” seminar with my Triathlon “coach” Mark Russell. Breathing is something that I take for granted (don’t we all?), but deep down (in my lungs perhaps) I know that I can do it better.

So when running coach and Faster Master Trainer, Steve Bonthrone  suggested a post on How to Breathe When Running, I  didn’t waste a breath and immediately said yes.

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Steve Bonthrone is a Personal Trainer and Running Coach in Perth, Scotland. Steve first got into fitness in the late 90’s after a back problem prompted him to get fit and he did this by training for and running the London Marathon. Completing the marathon changed his life and inspired him to quit his job as a pizza chef and trained to become a Personal Trainer so that he could inspire others to go after their dreams just as he had done. He still runs marathons to this day and also coaches runners in his 0-5k and Run Faster groups. His motto is “Anything is possible if you can dream it, believe in it and willing to work hard to achieve it”.

A question that is often asked is “how should I breathe when I run?” Sounds crazy eh? In and out has been the tried and tested method used by humans for centuries so if it isn’t broken then why fix it? Joking aside, breathing is a big issue for many people when trying to run so if you’re reading this and find breathing difficult when you run, keep reading and I’ll hopefully help you solve the problem.

How do you breathe when you are running?

If breathing is an issue for you when you run then there’s a very good chance that you’re running too fast or to put it another way, the intensity is likely to be too high for you. If you’re trying to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth when you run and the intensity of your run is high then breathing that way is going to be a bit of a challenge that will likely result in you having to stop. This can be very demotivating, especially if you’ve been inspired to run by watching friends run or hear of how others are buzzing after a run yet you feel like you’re struggling and a natural reaction could be to quit as running doesn’t seem to be for you.

What if there was a better way to do it? What if there was an easy way for you to be able to run and begin to love it just as you’ve seen lots of others do it?

There is…..slow down! You may be thinking that you run slow enough as it is and if you were to run any slower, you’d almost be walking. If that’s what it takes then that’s ok but I want you to know that you won’t always be there and you’ll progress much quicker.

I should say at this point that the majority of the population make the same mistake when they start running so you’re not alone. There are many reasons for this. First, much of what we read in articles and from other runners is about pace and distance but seldom about how the pace should feel. Secondly, most of us are used to going to fitness classes that are high intensity so the natural reaction when trying running as a form of exercise can be to replicate that intensity we’re used to however, that doesn’t always work very well.

It’s natural to think that when we go running that we should go from A to B in the quickest time but what if that strategy is actually holding us back rather than taking us forwards? Like many other things, when starting out, we should be looking to master the basics before trying to do what everyone else seems to be doing.

What should you be doing then?

Let’s be selfish here and let’s focus on you and how your pace feels when you run. The first step would be to feel comfortable when you run and your breathing should be relaxed enough to be able to hold down a conversation or if you’re running alone, be able to sing a line of a song between breaths. It’s up to you if you want to sing that line out loud or just in your head! The aim should be to build the distance and be able to run a distance always feeling you can keep on going. The feeling of being able to keep going at any time will also give you a lot more confidence in your run where maybe there was a feeling of a struggle before.

It’s important to remember that slowing down doesn’t mean that you are taking a backwards step. If anything, you are taking a sideways step in order to take a greater leap forwards. Slowing down a little bit means that the demands on your lungs won’t be as high and you’ll be able to run for longer before you feel tired. Would it help to know that Triathletes Alastair and Jonny Brownlee spend about 90% of their training at conversation pace? Even if said conversation would put many of us to sleep:

“We keep our motivation up by chatting all the time,” says Alistair. “Even when we’re running or cycling. We talk about football, ideas, what’s going on in the world. I’m very conservative, really. I believe in lower taxes and fewer rules. Sometimes we talk about that.”

What to do now?

On your next run, try paying more attention to feeling comfortable when you run, feel like it’s easy, that you can run for an indefinite period and see how that feels for you. It might take a bit of patience to get used to it and if you do it consistently, you will progress quickly and it won’t be long before you’re running further at a quicker pace than what you were doing previously where you felt it hard work.

Happy Running and Run Happy!

How to Breathe When Running – Steven Bonthrone was last modified: October 22nd, 2016 by Stephen Morrison
October 21, 2016 0 comment
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Triathlon

Ironman 2018. Identify Your Dreams and Work Backwards

written by Stephen Morrison

 

“Identify your dreams and work backwards, using milestones to track and celebrate your progress. Progress doesn’t have to be becoming the best, but simply by becoming better. Better today, than you were yesterday and better tomorrow, than you are today.”

This is an excerpt from my Faculty of Sport and Exercise Medicine Lay View and it will guide me on my journey from Fatman to Ironman

These words were original spoken by Frank Dick OBE. As the President of the European Athletics Coaches Association and one the world’s top sport coaches, he knows a thing or two about training great athletes.

I am not nor never will be a great athlete, but my dream, as revealed in Man V Fat, is to be an Ironman, even if it does take me the full 16hrs and 10 minutes allowed (although I do hope to complete it a little faster) to complete it.

With the Kona Ironman 2016 World Championships happening as I type, it seems as good a time as any to lay down my plan for Ironman 2018.

Before anything else, I have to decide on an event. Ironman is a truly global event, but as I am fundraising for Cancer Research, I wanted to minimise costs, so I first looked for events in the UK.

Unfortunately, the UK options are Bolton and Wales and while I have nothing against either location, I am from Glasgow and the prospect of competing in the rain isn’t appealing. I may come across as a fair weather athlete, but my fellow Glaswegians (especially Travis) and anyone in Manchester and Cardiff will understand my desire to avoid the rain. So somewhere with some sun and warm water would be nice.

I am not expecting an invitation to Kona, anytime soon, and while a return to Noosa, Queensland in October 2018 would be wonderful, I have to look closer to home and Europe. In addition to warm water. I would like somewhere nice to celebrate and recover.

Everything points to the wonderful island of Mallorca in September 2018 as being my final destination.

Stephen Ironman 2018

The 26.2 mile run might even be pleasant…..ok, maybe not.

The run route is relatively flat (and lined with palm trees!!); the swim, in the Mediterranean is both seawater (i.e floaty) and relatively calm (and warm), while the cycle contains some amazing switchback roads and a wonderful backdrop.

Mallorca is a popular base for triathlon training and I might need to arrange a wee reconnaissance visit to the island and sample some cycling on these awesome roads.

Ironman 2018

What goes up, has to come down

With Ironman Mallorca normally held in late September, I have approximately two years to prepare. No, that doesn’t mean twenty months to procrastinate about my preparations and then four months of panicking about the lack of them, it means twenty-four months of discipline, determination and dedication.

The three “D’s” that help make so many East African runners so successful.

It isn’t their DNA, their diet or the altitude, it is their attitude that makes them winners and I have to adopt it.

The countdown to Mallorca starts now and I cannot lose focus. The past two weeks have seen my training stutter as I have been sitting an exam and caring for my mum. As I type this, I recognise the need to decide upon a plan and stick to it.

So having identified my dream, it is time to work backwards. I reckon that my milestones should be at least one Olympic Triathlon, a Sprint and possibly some Duathlons, Open Swimming and Cycling events

However, If I am honest, I don’t actually have any idea what it takes to prepare for a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile cycle and 26.2 mile run, especially as I am not the greatest swimmer or the most confident of cyclists. At the moment, I am not even a competent runner.

I’ve done some Internet searching and the general consensus is that two years should be enough time for me to prepare. However, I will seek support from the experts at Triathlon Scotland and from Ironmen (and women) such as Mark Russell and Team GB Athlete Anna Symms. Both have generously offered to guide me and help prepare a proper schedule. One that will prepare me for the greatest challenge of my life, but one which will also recognise that I have others roles and responsibilities that present their own challenges.

There will be no intense or special training for me, just a consistent approach to being better tomorrow, than I am today.

And regardless of my training and event schedule, there are some essential milestones that I need and want to achieve:

  • I want to lose at least five stones of fat. I am currently sitting at 250lbs and having been 180lbs in 2012, it is a good weight for me and hopefully I won’t look too ridiculous in a tri-suit.
  • I also want to build more muscle. Ironman is an endurance sport and I need to be both physically and mentally strong.
  • I need to learn to swim and swim well. Currently, the 2.4 mile swim is the most daunting aspect of the Ironman for me and it will possibly make me or break me.
  • I need to master the art of the transition and learn the rules of triathlon. I won’t be trying to beat the Brownlee Brothers, but I do not want to attract any unneeded time penalties.
  • I need to remember to book a place. Ironmen events are becoming even more and more popular and they sell out almost as quickly as they open.
  • I need to raise as much as possible for Cancer Research and everyone can contribute here at Stephen’s Ironman 2018 Challenge for Cancer Research.
  • Finally, I also want to raise more awareness of the links between obesity and cancer. Too many of us believe that we are fit and fat and fail to understand the real danger that carrying extra weight can bring. Hopefully my efforts will inspire more to follow their dreams.

So, Mallorca Ironman 2018 is the dream and there will be many milestones to achieve and many barriers to overcome. It will not be easy and it will not be something that I will take lightly. There is much to do and I hope that you will continue to follow my progress here and at Man V Fat.

And remember, anything is possible.

howmanymiles

Ironman 2018. Identify Your Dreams and Work Backwards was last modified: March 11th, 2018 by Stephen Morrison
October 9, 2016 5 comments
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Once 354lbs, I now use physical activity to add years to my life and life to my years

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