Skiing in Scotland with a bit of running

I'm not really showing off, but it was a quite a surreal experience coming back from Scotland after three days skiing. No flights were involved, no waiting at airports, just lots of driving. Despite the weather being gloriously mild and sunny, there was still plenty of snow for skiing. OK I know its not the Alps. The pistes were short and narrow and some runs had tufts of grass poking through, but it was skiing in the UK and it was fab.

We stayed in Aviemore and arranged ski hire at Loch Insh Watersports Centre - a short distance away. We weren't that organised with ski school and ski hire and thought we would just leave all that until we got there. Being half term we were lucky to get any skis at all and ski school for the kids was fully booked everywhere. But that didn't matter. Dave and I drew on our rather limited knowledge of skiing and gave the girls a very relaxed introduction to skiing.

Intially we thought we would ski at Cairngorm, but it seemed everyone else had the same idea and the place was packed. Instead we took the quieter option by driving to The Lecht ski area - about 40 mins from where we were staying. This was perfect for the kids - lots of easy runs - and Dave and I took it in turns to ski down the blue runs. By the end of the three days Jess had also mastered skiing blues. All without ski school! So a big thanks to the lady I spoke to in the swimming pool changing rooms who gave me the tip of trying The Lecht.

I also managed to squeeze in a 8km run through the forests near Aviemore. I often run with other people so it was quite a treat to take myself off and run on my own through this beautiful woodland.  This is what running is all about. The only sounds were the wind blowing through the trees and the nearby river. Perfect. The Aviemore 10k looks very inviting.

So if you fancy a bit of cheap skiing, there is still loads of snow in Scotland, so get on up there!

Winter running motivation

It’s tough to keep motivated about running in the cold, dark winter months, so if you made it through January and February give yourself a pat on the back and keep the enthusiasm going.

To keep this momentum going through March, push aside any excuses not to run. Make sure you keep yourself feeling fit, healthy and motivated and take care to avoid any strains or injuries. Here's a few motivational tips in an article I wrote for The Running Bug.

Running the Race for Life with your daughter

I've just booked myself and Jessie, my eight year old daughter, to do the 2011 Race for Life in Bristol.

We did the race together for the first time last year and I had no idea how Jessie was going to get on. I thought I could probably take it easy and gently trot around the course behind her. How wrong was I?

From the moment the race started she was off - darting in and out of the crowd leaving me and all her friends behind. It was difficult to keep up with her and I felt sure she would run out of steam very quickly.

Tiny as she is, she simply run through the gaps between various groups of ladies while I politely repeated "excuse me, excuse me" whilst attempting to squeeze past and keep up.

At first I was concerned that she was going to get knocked over by other runners and walkers as they wouldn't see her. As the race continued and I realised it was more a matter of keeping up with her - I cursed my alcohol consumption from the night before. When she did finally stop, it wasn't because she was out of breath but because her feet were hurting. After a little rest, a sip of water and a mini water fight, her mate caught up with us and we all finished together.

I can't explain how proud I felt about my little girl. I just remember everyone cheering her on and fellow runners praising her and smiling. It was a great day for everyone - well everyone perhaps except her sister who had an attack of hayfever. Jessie did so well last year that we thought we would do it this time for charity.

Jessie is particularly tiny for her age and she continually complains about being small and light. Yet being small obviously has some advantages like being a mean runner!! The race also gave her confidence a massive boost.

I wonder how we will get on this year? Certainly more enjoyable than my Longleat 10k that I did last week. That was tough. The hardest 10k yet.

Weekly Rant - WHY?

Ok I've decided to have a weekly rant. I love running, I love being able to walk outside in open green spaces, forests and nature reserves. I love the great British coastline and I love being able to see the sky, the wildlife and nature. Is it TOO much to ask to preserve just some of this for my children and their children's children to enjoy. Why is the Government so determined to sell-off all our green spaces and beautiful forests. It's all very well building carbon neutral houses in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint, but taking away our green spaces and forests is just exacerbating the situation. Once it's gone. It's gone forever!! Has the world gone crazy?

Christ I need to go for a run! Check out the following links and spread the word.

e-petition to try to get a debate on the whole green space proposals at the Bristol council house, at http://epetitions.bristol.gov.uk/epetition_core/community/petition/1403#div_sigs

Save Our Forests petition:
http://www.38degrees.org.uk/page/s/save-our-forests

OK. Deep breath. Slow. Now back to work.....