People often take the piss because most of my runs are the same loop. Out the house, turn right, turn left, over the two bridges, turn right, out and back. Up and down that same stretch. Boring, apparently.

Ben and Fletch kick off a weekly, fly-on-the-wall coaching chat on the road to Badwater 135 (entry not yet confirmed). They unpack how much speed work an ultra actually needs, why most runners overdo mileage, and how to balance stress and recovery when life is busy. A quick dive into lab testing (lactate/VO2) shows how data shapes smarter, more human training.

Two parts to this one. Last week was different to normal. It is the time of year I usually head down to Devon to go sailing with my dad and my uncle. This year was not an option. Uncle Steve’s partner, Bea, is undergoing treatment for cancer and his boat is out of the water with some dry rot. With Steve at home caring for the two women in his life, I decided to head away with my dad instead.

Back in the lab with Fletch this week for a lactate and VO2 max check-in. Same protocol as always: 3 minutes on, quick ear lobe prick, then straight into the next 3 minutes, starting at 10 km/h and stepping up by 1 km/h each stage.

Sorry for the silence. Summer happened - Wales, Norfolk, Greece - and fitting training around work and three kids at home was a juggling act.

Rest day, and I’m twitchy. Last Monday kicked off with a nasty 3 × 5 km session..

Thought I’d try something new and drop a quick ramble instead of one of my epic race reports. Call it a Monday-morning postcard from the pain cave.

I have been plagued by issues since I stopped rowing years ago, in fact it’s the reason I stopped. Twenty something year later and I might me emerging from what has been a quite challenging episode at times. With Badwater135 now (hopefully) looming on my calendar, getting this back issue truly solved is no longer optional – it is the difference between starting Death Valley with confidence or not starting at all.

So here we are again, a few weeks have passed since crossing the finish line at Nove Colli Run (NCR) for the second time and it's time to reflect: what happened, what went well, what didn't and what's next.

On a Wednesday, I typically have two runs - two interval sessions. I like it. It’s a big day, and I enjoy the somewhat contrary take on “hump day.” Why not make the middle of the week a bit more brutal?

It’s the 10th December and for the second year running I’m doing the “advent accumulator” - the premise is simple, run the number of kilometres of the day of the month up until Christmas Eve. It’s a bit of fun as a concept, but it’s harder than you think.

Strava was once celebrated as the epitome of a community-centered app. It wasn’t just about tracking runs or rides; it was about connection - a digital space where athletes of all levels came together to celebrate, compete and share. But as Strava matures into a corporate behemoth, the very community it fostered now finds itself questioning whether the platform is shifting away from its roots.

A year ago today I woke slightly bleary-eyed, it was Monday morning and we’d had some friends round for lunch on the Sunday.

I met Fletch in Farnham, where the OneTrack Running HQ is, a small studio office and gym. The gym is kitted out with a a state-of-the-art running machine (obvs) and a rather serious looking squat rack, alongside a splattering of extras. It’s not a gym for workouts, one for assessments. Next to the running machine a sharps bit for all those lactate testing ear prick lances and a few gadgets lying about.

My journey into trying EVERYTHING to sort out my back issues has brought me to the foam roller, a history of failure first. Such an innocuous looking device, but one wrong move or location and you can be screaming.

For years I’ve been running in TwinSkin, I haven’t been blister free the entire time but they really have served me well. Don’t fix it unless it’s broken they I hear you say?

Nick, Graham and myself all jumped in a taxi to head to the start. Nick has joined me on many a challenge, but this was the first time I’d met Graham, a mate of Nick’s - what better way to get to know someone than over the course of 100km of meandering towpath.

It’s Thursday, I ran this morning only about 6km, I had managed a similar distance yesterday. I’m recovering and not in as much pain today as yesterday, and certainly not as bad at before.

Make no mistake, this is a page turner. Allie tells her story with a brutal honesty, heartbreaking at times, comical at others. Her “straight from the heart” account of her journey to recovering alcoholic is eye opening.

The Nove Colli Run, 200km across northern Italy, is a course more famous in the cycling world, but one that Mario Castagnoli decided should be run.  And, 25yrs ago, he did just that.