Excited to be giving three talks over the next month. January I'll be at the National Running Show on a panel with Sophie Power + Lisa Jackson. Then in Feb I'm with @emmajourno.bsky.social at @inov8.bsky.social Sheffield followed by a solo talk at Fort William Mountain Festival. Pls come say hello!

Today, I've mostly been making #marmalade. Classic Delia Smith recipe, with a few spoons of black treacle.

Until the end of the month, Franco Manca - who do very nice pizzas - will give you £1 off for every kilometre you run (as long as your run is in the shape of a pizza). Ultra runners could be eating a lot of free pizza this January! www.francomanca.co.uk/stories-and-...

This time last week I had no idea what an adventure I would be having on the Pennine Way #spinerace. (I've already downloaded the race pack for the Winter Challenger North!)

Oh no! Kevin Munt has retired at Housesteads. His race has finished with about 50 miles to go. Juan Patjane still trails behind the red lantern by about 2 miles and needs to get to Bellingham before ?midnight to make the cut off..

The department I lead on this race is 170+ people strong. I place teams at 10 locations along the 268 mile Pennine Way to care for athletes as they tackle their brutal challenges. I am so proud of the work that they do More info in ALT texts Please show them all the love ❤️ Edale 👇🏻 #SpineRace

Kevin Munt #205 and Juan Patjane #221 have been together for a lot of the #SpineRace yo-yoing with the black lantern. Now there is a little gap & Juan has fallen behind. Perfect pacing?

Big news! The world famous Tour de France is coming to Merseyside

A long post about my experience of the Challenger South #SpineRace. This was my 1st 100-mile race. My longest race before this was Lakes in a Day (50 miles), & a BGR attempt that finished at Honister. However, I had trained hard since October, doing 32-35 mile runs, and felt ready to give it a go.

I made it to Hawes, 47 hours after leaving Edale. Very pleased to finish my first 💯 miler. Feel we had the full range of Spine weather. Day 1 beautiful snow with packed snow underfoot. Day 2 intermittent rain/sleet, sheet ice underfoot & strong wind that made the final leg from Horton interesting.

I've made it to CP 1 at Hebden Hey. Meanwhile the leaders are beyond Gargrave. Great weather today. Very icy and have mangled one of my YakTrax. Fortunately a very generous runner who is not continuing has lent me his pair. #308

We made it! Kit all checked & raring to go tomorrow morning! 🏃‍♂️ 💯 miles ❄️ 🏔

This is the kit I'm hauling 100 miles up the Pennine Way through the snow ❄️, will probably be wearing half of it!

Storm Goretti is due to make the @spinerace.bsky.social interesting. For those dot-watching, the start of the Challenger South race & Sprint South have been put back to 10am & 1pm on Saturday morning. This is due to train cancellations planned between tomorrow & Friday.

Went for a slog up the very wintry Carneddau in North Wales. Testing out my Spine layering to see how it fares in the cold. Waist deep snow in some places.

8 days until my Spine CS! 2 planned runs left next week, one gym visit and two clinical shifts this weekend where I'll be trying to dodge any last-minute viruses. Last minute race organisation in full flow, mainly sorting out my CP routine & printing it & useful notes to myself.

The Spine Races start next weekend. There are some outstanding runners in all the races. The full Spine Race has Allie Bailey, John Kelly & Eugeni Sole. Jack Scott is competing in the Challenger South, Nicky Spinks in the longer Challenger North. Damian Hall is competing in the Sprint North.

Happy to finish the year with some pre-work hill reps. Takes me over 300km for the month & over 6000m ascent. This is the most distance I've run in a month, and takes me to within a marathon of my yearly target. Think I am physically ready for my southern Spine adventure. #SpineRace #UltraRunning

Delighted to be appointed as interim Divisional Medical Director for Broadgreen Hospital from 1st January. This will mean looking after operating theatres, preop services & pain medicine as well as the Medical services and wards on the site.

Finished my biggest volume week with a run from Crowden to Black Moss reservoir (& back) on the Pennine Way with my full kit on. Weather was mizzly and misty. (No good in glasses!) Underfoot was pretty wet & muddy. Easy week coming up now. #ultrarunning

I've received my time slot for registration today...just over 3 weeks to go!!

Last month I fulfilled my longtime dream of running 100 miles in a single day. This is the story of how it all unfolded, one mile at a time. #running

I've done my planned longest run last week (35 miles)..picked a beautiful day for it on the Clywdian Range in North Wales, running from dawn until dusk. I was pleased with how I felt at the end. I have a big couple of mileage weeks coming up, including a bimble on the Pennine Way. #ultrarunning

Proud of my training this month. I've run 300km (nearly all on trails) and climbed almost 6000m in the month. Just need to keep it going in December! strava.app.link/Pj9L2rZCIYb

The youngest child took me to see Seb Lowe in Manchester last night. He was amazing, and only 22. Folky/rocky protest songs, like a very sweary Billy Bragg. Best songs are Love Bomb & Dogs and Cats.

We saw the amazingly funky Say She She in Birmingham last night. Thanks for a great show again.

Never get tired of listening to this album. Nearly every track is perfection. Their early stuff was amazing.

Those of us working in hospitals knew this delay in lockdown in March 2020 would be catastrophic. Poor leadership cost lives. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

A good race at the UK athletics cross country challenge in Sefton Park, Liverpool today. Finished the 8km course in 36.15, getting lapped by the leaders! Great muddy course.

Blencathra (also known as Saddleback),English Lake District. #photography #landscape #lakedistrict

It's 2 months until the start of the Spine Challenger South. I'm stepping up my training this month, with a 7hr trail run followed by a 25km run the next day. There's also a lot of kit to source, so I've managed to buy it all 2nd hand so far (staying on Brand though), & will try to borrow the rest.

A single shared source of truth is essential for a functioning democracy. Without it you’re left with fragmentation, polarisation and a perpetual culture war where the discourse focuses on what divides us rather than what we have in common. My column from last week: www.ft.com/content/5060...

"It makes us feel really vulnerable." With far right rallies being held across the UK, a group of medics decided it’s time to speak up. Omnya Ahmed joins our latest podcast to talk about the impact of racism in the NHS 🎧 open.spotify.com/episode/1zS9... 🎧 podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/d...

Well, I have booked my accomodation for my Bob Graham attempt next May. Seems like I've chosen the same weekend as the Keswick Mountain Festival... which is something my support runners might enjoy?

🧵 | Today we’ve released data showing a 55% increase in calls to our advice line from members experiencing racism at work since 2022. We now receive on average three calls a day on this topic. This is beyond unacceptable. (1/2)

Training plan for Spine Race Challenger South: 1. Stay well! 2. A bit more distance in November & December. I'm chunking up the race into 27-mile sections. I'll do 3 slow sessions at that distance or more, with one followed by another longish run the next day. 3. Run with the kit (there is a lot!)

I'd love to say "rubbish", but this is a real study ... still, all depends, right? www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

‘Frightened to get out of their cars’: Britain’s toxic race debates threaten overseas care workers

Ok,it's 3 months until I start my first 100 miler "run"/jog/shuffle. Feel OK having trained for last weekend's 50 miler that was cancelled. So, I just need to push on from here. The biggest barrier might be being daunted by the distance. But any tips specific for that distance would be welcome.

Well that's a shame.... but understandable and worse for the organisers. 😔

Kit all ready for tomorrow's Long Mynd Hike. I've packed plenty of layers and another waterproof top as the weather looks "character building" 😲 🫨 💨💨

Looks like I'll be on the starting line in Edale in January 2026! I'm happy having given up my place for the summer version in June. 😊 🏃‍♂️

Absolutely right from Streeting. But then government/Mahmood need to make crystal clear this applies to people who have arrived since 2021 and are working in NHS/care right now -and that government is not going to change the rules and leave them at the mercy of a future Reform/Conservative govt

Very pleased with my training in September: I've done 250km on foot, 200km running and 50km of hiking, with 6500m of climbing in the month. I'll be taking it easier this week, with the Long Mynd Hike coming on Saturday. Lots of stretching, some Pilates, and some gym work. 🏋️‍♂️ 💪

I sat down with the Prime Minister and asked him if he’s been doing enough to counter the shocking rise of the far right in this country. It may have taken too long, but it’s good to hear him speaking like this now. www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpo...

At the Reform UK party conference, Dr Aseem Malhotra made the incorrect claim that Covid vaccines are unsafe. We emailed, asking him to correct the record. (1/2)

It's nearly 3 years since we moved into the new Royal Liverpool Hospital. We wrote up our experience of moving the Critical Care unit & the lessons we learnt from it here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....

The vacuum at highest levels in talking about this dark turn in British life over the last few months HAS to end.

Farage wanting to kick people out of the country because they migrated here made me angry and made me think about which best of British people and things wouldn't have happened were it not for the brilliance of immigration to the UK.

Another beautiful day in the Lakes. We did a 10 mile loop round Great Langdale, summiting on Loft Crag, Pike O Stickle, Harrison Stickle, Pavey Ark, Thunacor Knott, High Raise, Tarn Crag and Blea Rigg. Had a nice swim in Easedale Tarn as well!