My name is Tom Smallwood and here you will find my posts and those of guests, on the positive effects of time spent outdoors.
Around two weeks ago I woke up from a general anaesthetic to the news from my surgeon that he could do nothing to improve the cartilage in my left knee. It looks good but doesn’t function, well I am half Italian after all.
I have been told, at 43 years old, that I should never run again. Whilst going up a mountain is painless (relatively), going down the other side seems to be too high a stress on my knee.
Read MoreIf you’re new to trail running and are stumped on where to get started, consider my recommendations below, a primer, if you will, for trail running. Taken together, I think my recommendations will help get you on the right foot, right away.
Read MoreOne month into 2017 and I have managed one 10k run in January. Since then problems with my knees have prevented me doing anything but 3km jogs and strength training much of which was of my own design and based on my own diagnosis.
The 17th of June doesn’t seem so far away and I am now staring at the prospect of potentially having to find an Ultra marathon later in the year. In the meantime I nurse two sets of slightly bruised quads. Not from any punishing run as I might like, but from the ravages of a physio. “Have you ever had a sports massage?” was her question after listening patiently to my jabbering repetition of how unfortunate I am to have one pain after another. "I don’t think so”, I hesitated.
Read MoreSo what happens if you love hillwalking but are very busy with work or family or simply have too many other interests to devote a lot of spare time to walking up hills?
You want to make the most of the few opportunities you get so how can you get in shape and stay in shape for the hills, thus ensuring enjoyment of this beautiful passtime.
Last year I had a dilemma. I agreed to do the Three Peaks Challenge with some friends but my work and home life was, lets say all-consuming. I was not in tip top physical condition having not been to the gym for some time and had not seen a mountain for a few months.
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