Orkney Backyard Ultra was my third big race of the year and I had deliberately taken it easy since Ultra Scotland 100 four weeks before. This felt quite strange and left me nervous that I wasn’t doing enough, but was definitely the correct approach for me as my final two runs felt great and IContinue reading “Orkney Backyard Ultra 2023”
Author Archives: Julie Bethune
Thames Ring 250
Scroll down to the bottom for Strava link (spoiler alert!) The Thames Ring 250 is organised by Challenge Running, with race director Lindley Chambers. It is a 250 mile loop starting and finishing in Goring and made up of stretches of the Thames path, Grand Union Canal and Oxford Canal. I have been preparing forContinue reading “Thames Ring 250”
Thames Ring 250 Preparations
I have been thinking about and planning for the Thames Ring 250 since last year. After a great end to 2022 with the Sunrise Ultra I took 3 weeks break in December to give my body a rest and focus on Christmas. The plan was to start 2023 fresh and ready for a big trainingContinue reading “Thames Ring 250 Preparations”
Ochil Ultra 50 Miler 2022
The Ochil Ultra is our local ultra, with the route literally passing our front door. Iain and I thought we weren’t going to be able to take part this year with Iain having Glasgow to Edinburgh at the start of October and with my parents planning to stay. However plans changed and my parents weren’tContinue reading “Ochil Ultra 50 Miler 2022”
Loch Ness 24 2022
An inaugural event and my first ever 24hr looped race! The course was a 7km loop on the banks of Loch Ness just outside the small village of Dores and incorporated approx 300ft of elevation per loop, forest paths (with a lot of tree roots), a pebble beach and some fields. The organisers advertised itContinue reading “Loch Ness 24 2022”
Kennet & Avon Canal Race 2022
I had become interested in the KACR after Iain raced and finished second in the LLCR last year. I was interested to see what it felt like to run for that long (and if I could) and it had the added bonus that being in the summer holidays the kids could stay with my familyContinue reading “Kennet & Avon Canal Race 2022”
Glen Lyon Ultra 2022
This was an unexpected addition to my race calendar after the Stirling marathon was cancelled. The route looked interesting and it wasn’t too far to travel. A 50k race fitted in well with my training plan for the KACR which is my A race this year. As it got nearer to the race date IContinue reading “Glen Lyon Ultra 2022”
Race the Kelpies 2022
Organised by UK Running Series, and the second race in their Central Lowlands Challenge, Race the Kelpies was a flat loop course offering 5k (1 loop), 10k (2 loops) and half marathon (4 loops and a bit!) distances as well as a kids 3k race. I signed up for the half marathon as part ofContinue reading “Race the Kelpies 2022”
Birthday Musings
Last year on my birthday I ran my first ultra distance of 35 miles and it was the start of something amazing. Since then, in the last year, I have enjoyed being consistent in my running, increasing my mileage and learning to listen to my body more. Running has become a time I treasure andContinue reading “Birthday Musings”
Kendal Mint Co. NRG Gels and Other Products
I stumbled across the Kendal Mint Company energy gels by chance when looking for an alternative to the Science in Sport gels that Iain uses. I wanted to try something different as I was often getting stomach cramps on longer runs when using the SIS gels. I had previously really liked the flavour of theContinue reading “Kendal Mint Co. NRG Gels and Other Products”