It is totally normal for me to have race wobblies. In the days or weeks prior to any event, I suddenly have a breakdown in confidence … wonder whether I can finish, ask myself why I didn’t train with a little more discipline and structure, berate myself for succumbing to that extra glass of vino […]
July 19, 2013
Runners … and indeed any other sports guys and gals, tend to fall into one of two camps. On one side, there are those who train as a means of participation … to work towards events and compete. They love to set goals and have a tangible purpose to their daily efforts. And then there are […]
April 17, 2013
When thinking up blog material, I try as I might to think of a positive spin … top takeaways, lessons to learn, messages to marvel over and so on … but when tragedy strikes, I find myself lost for words. Sometimes, shit just happens, without rhyme or reason, and it’s impossible to find a silver lining […]
January 30, 2013
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” Friedrich Nietzsche I listened to a thought-provoking discussion the other day about what we need to take to our races. Gels and gear aside, a vital thing to remember was your why … your reason for running. When the going gets tough, everyone […]
December 5, 2012
This past weekend I, for the first time, flew far for a race without the intention of racing. You see, I was on official WAG duty … or should I say TWAG duty … standing for Triathlete Wives and Girlfriends … for the ever-present ss (someone special) in my life. As always, I reflected back […]
October 2, 2012
Did you know that every 30 seconds, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer? It accounts for over 30% of female cancers and sadly, the statistics dictate that at some point you, your mum, your sisters or your girlfriends will be victim to this horrid disease. Scary but true. Your support then in raising awareness […]
August 24, 2012
The end of August is fast approaching which hails time for one great issue of Outdoor UAE to be replaced by another. Before the September issue hits the shelves, check out August’s issue and my Adventure Chick column about my running rendez-vous in Val D’Isere with a little race planned in between girly catch up time!
August 13, 2012
The 2012 Olympics came to a fabulous end last night after 16 days of spectacular competition and whilst we’ll all be left with lasting differing memories of tears and triumph, I personally loved that British teams ran, cycled and rowed their way to the highest medal count since Britannia ruled the seas in 1908. London […]
August 7, 2012
It seems the entire world is currently gripped by Olympic fever. I find myself glued to the screens at the gym, swept up by all the excitement and motivated by the guts and glory of these phenomenal sports men and women. From the spectacular opening ceremony through to countless outstanding performances to date, it’s been […]
July 15, 2012
I write this from our fab hotel in Val d’Isere, the coolest place with animal print galore, pink chandeliers and super kitsch accessories. I am utterly exhausted yet pretty euphoric … you see today was the Ice Trail, a race I fancied for a bit of a jolly combined with a girlie weekend but one […]
June 14, 2012
Some Thursday funnies that on reading will see long distance runners of every shape, size, distance or form, nod and giggle in agreement … from terrible traits, hilarious habits to just the downright weird and wonderful, there are some things in our lives that only other runners will ever understand! You know you’re a runner […]
February 7, 2012
I never thought there would come a time when I would blog on cricket. Firstly, it’s a total boy’s game and secondly, it’s possibly the only sport that I could watch for hours and actually have no idea who’s winning. In fact, with my eyesight these days, just catching sight of the ball is a […]
September 15, 2011
… in one easy step! Every so often you come across an invention so simple yet so fiendishly clever that you wonder how you ever managed life without it. And when you find out that said invention actually comes in pink and or animal print, it’s rating overshoots the ‘must have’ scale and fit chick […]
August 21, 2011
Comments Off on Get out the heat
Imagine being in any city in the world and finding a giant centrally-located venue that is literally transformed into a giant world of sports in order to keep residents entertained and active during the hot summer months. Sounds pretty cool right? Well unbeknownst to many, we have exactly that … here … in Dubai … […]
July 18, 2011
Wouter Kingma, the much-loved Dubai photographer who has wowed hundreds and hundreds of Racing the Planet competitors with his awesome ability to capture the blood, sweat, tears and joy of adventure runners from all four corners intent on living life to the full, sent out an email the other day that I can’t help but […]
July 8, 2011
The other day I was asked by a magazine to give my top five health, fitness and wellness tips. Only five I thought?! Ask yourself the same question and you soon realise that this is pretty hard as between living, eating, training, working, wellness and more, day in day out, there are countless tips […]
May 22, 2011
A normal Saturday evening in Tori world is spent either tapping away at my key board, preparing for the week ahead, collapsed in a heap post a hot and sweaty run or perhaps even across the road at Caribou catching up on the weekend gossip with a girlfriend. Not this Saturday though. This Saturday I […]
May 12, 2011
My friend Briony has made more than one comment of late re not getting mentions in my blog posts so today Briony, this one’s for you, although you might regret having ever said a word when you read on …. I first met Briony boxing. We would both be on the mats, thrashing it out […]
May 2, 2011
Last week, in response to my article in Aquarius a few months back – 9 STEPS TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS, I received this email from a girl called Hafsa: ‘I started eating healthy, and started using the treadmill which my mom gifted to me 2 years back but I never used it. Now it’s been 3 […]
February 11, 2011
Wadi Bih. What a day! Despite having risen at 1.30am to get there and despite having a poor tattered knee to contend with, today has been nothing short of fabulous and everyone involved in the day has done themselves proud. Two things now occupy my mind: 1) Wadi Bih is the oldest expatriate sporting event […]
February 9, 2011
Tomorrow is Wadi Bih-eve. For those not in the know, Wadi Bih is an annual relay event comprising teams of five running a total of 75km over (very) hilly and rocky terrain in Oman. It’s the longest running sporting event in the UAE and an institution amongst those lucky enough to participate. Last year was […]
January 24, 2011
Since the marathon last Friday, I’ve had loads of people ask me how I did. And no doubt every other runner has too. We reply with thoughts on the day … perhaps our times too … and the common response tends to be ‘Wow … I could never do that,’ or ‘I can’t run for […]
January 21, 2011
So this morning was of course the Dubai Marathon. For anyone who doesn’t know, it’s a popular one, attracting countless professionals thanks to the super fast course and the huge prize money at stake … a million US, tax-free. But for people like you and me, it’s a pretty uninspiring run … one long drag […]
January 18, 2011
In the run up to the Dubai Marathon and 10km this Friday, I’ve had more than a few people say to me that they’re feeling a little nervous. And no wonder. Whether you’re running short or long, whether a race virgin or not, everyone I think gets nervous … because it’s simply impossible to know, […]
November 25, 2010
I’m currently rallying up runners to join me on the Women’s Health & Fitness team for the Dubai 10k / Marathon on January 21st. The level of interest has been great – and for quite a few people, it’ll be their first 10k. No surprise then that the three little words, “How to train” have […]
November 12, 2010
Published in Aquarius – Nov 10 So you’ve decided you want to hit the road? Congratulations! Whether to lose weight, improve your fitness, enjoy some quality ‘me’ time or to relieve stress, the benefits of incorporating running into your life are endless. Follow my top ten tips to help you get off to a flying […]
November 12, 2010
Excerpts from my piece in Men’s Fitness – Nov 10 Random top tips to stay on top in the ring: Food for Fuel At least five meals per day consisting of fist-sized portions Focus on complex carbs, such as sweet potato and wholewheat pasta, protein, good fats (low saturated) and low sugar foods Plenty of […]
August 1, 2013
1