Petite Feet Runaway

Yes Hillary, this Marcothon business is serious stuff We had no heating for a month. So if running the Marcothon in temperatures of -5 wasn’t enough, I’ve also been living in a flat where none of my running kit will dry. To add to my hardcore-ness my running tights also have holes in them. Now you’ve probably got a picture of me as a heroic runner, pounding the icy pavements whilst wearing a cape and spreading the love of running and Christmas joy to all. And obviously, that’s totally what I looked like (just don’t ask Scott). So if anyone saw a big-haired lycra-clad ninja tearing through shoppers on Princes Street, that was me. The key is quick side-steps, dropping the shoulder for the duck and dive between shoppers, and plenty of ‘oops, sorry’.  I also find that making zooming noises as I run is a good way to lighten people’s moods. It doesn’t make you look nuts at all, especially when you’ve got bottles clanging and bells chiming in your backpack from the Christmas shopping.

The challenge: run every day in December The rules: minimum of three miles or twenty-five minutes The benefits: gloating and a smaller bottom The obstacles: snow, ice and general can’t-be-bothered-ness  All the cool kids are doing it so I thought I’d join in. Whilst I can run, I only do it 3-4 times a week.  So lacing up the shoes and pulling up the lycra everyday will be a challenge for me.  I'm  a whopping two days in and already grizzling about sore knees and smelly running kit so I can imagine that I’ll be a joy to live with for the rest of the month. My legs were set to fly on day one. I negotiated the Haymarket tram works without smacking into any fences or swearing at any suitcase-pulling tourists. Unfortunately this early success was short-lived as my chosen route along the river had succumbed to the frost. That’s ok though because on day one of the Marcothon I probably  shouldn't  be running too fast anyway.  So I try a bit of ice-skating. This

Well, nearly.  I have appeared in my first New Zealand magazine; That'sLife! The article is on page 11 - just before the bumper crossword section. You'll have to buy it to read it folks as it contains racing secrets such as how to braid ones hair to ensure the best aerodynamic flow. The article is written as me but not by me and contains a wee bit of artistic license.  It looks like the Johnson's are taking the world by storm... one running adventure at a time!  And while I was waiting for this beauty to arrive in the post I actually went for a run. In the snow. Because I'm hardcore like that. Happy winter recovering to you all.

Don’t you wish your dad was cool like mine? To be honest, my father is quite popular with the media and it makes me jealous. He’s been in newspapers and on the radio for his running. People love that he’s a local bean counter with three daughters who loves a bit of adventure on the side. However, this is the first time he’s gone international and appeared in an e-zine. Check him out in the latest edition of Ultra Tales – he’s on page 63 with his report on running 50km consecutively for five days. All to celebrate his 50 th of course. Wonder where I get my crazy gene from?    To read Ultra Tales – Edition Three visit www.ultratales.com Don’t pity me too much though because I am also soon to appear in a magazine also. It’s published in New Zealand so I’ll claim that as international since I now use Scottish slang more often than the locals. I’ll keep you posted… Oh and if you are wondering about my 50km time in my recent track race; I did beat dad’s time.

Let's do another lap... Eighteen months ago I didn’t even know 24-hour races existed. A year ago I crewed for Matt Bixley and watched my very first one. Things went downhill after that as I got sucked into their crazy circular world. Training over the last three months had consisted of the following: -           A handful of 15 minute jogs -           Less than a handful of 30 minute jogs -           Completing the Speyside Way -           Learning to swim a mile -           Increasing my stamina on the rowing machine to a whopping 15 minutes It might not be the training schedule that you’d find if you googled ‘training for a 24-hour race’ but I worked with the body I had after a slow WHW recovery. In hindsight the Speyside Way might not have been the best idea for my whingeries but I’ll have a word with hindsight later. I had an image of Athletics tracks as bouncy. They are not. They are just red and very, very flat. I fancy a good hill in my n