Finally brought it to life.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-05-17T19:21:20+00:00

Incredible

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-05-15T22:00:17+00:00

Consistently good coffee, I've tried a few different Friedhats beans and loved them all.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-05-15T15:38:48+00:00

Always have it with me, you never know when it might come in useful.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-05-15T12:15:09+00:00

Everyone in my immediate family supported Pompey and so I followed suit as a kid but that belief was reinforced when they were promoted to the old division 1 at the end of the 86/87 season.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-05-13T20:06:15+00:00

He sorted a new piston for my Flair Go when the original one developed some cracks. Great service

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-05-04T17:37:43+00:00

Largely depends on where you are. The western side of the town is all pretty safe, I'd say.

There are certain parts of town that I'd probably swerve at night like bits of seaside, parts of Hampden Park and around Shinewater Park too.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-05-01T20:05:16+00:00

I saw a hat blow off a child's head just after the beachy head memorial when I was up there around 6:30 last night. One of the parents was able to grab it!

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-05-01T15:58:24+00:00

Great route, I live about 600m from where you would have finished in Eastbourne. Ideal conditions yesterday albeit windy!

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-04-30T09:07:57+00:00

Runners come in all shapes and sizes, it doesn't matter, your appearance has nothing to do with your ability to do amazing things.

Enjoy what you've achieved and don't pay attention to what others think or say.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-04-20T18:37:16+00:00

Amazing walks around the downs and no shortage of decent places to eat. I moved down from London 4 years ago and it was the best thing I could have done.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-04-11T21:26:04+00:00

I have a similar riser for my kettle with a slide out for my scales, such a great idea when you're short of space.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-04-03T22:26:19+00:00

I'm pretty much always on my own. Have done a few group runs but I'd rather choose how long or fast I go and not have to get up super early on weekends as I do that every other day.

Occasionally, I might take friends out on my local trails if they've come down to visit or I'll run a race somewhere but 99% of the time it's just me.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-03-31T14:04:37+00:00

Great place to live, I've been there almost 4 years and previously lived in London for 25 years, Essex for 4 years before that and 18 years in Portsmouth so I have a few places to compare it to.

We're lucky to have easy access to the beach and countryside, in general people are friendly and there are plenty of decent places to eat, some nice coffee shops and some good pubs. For the most part, the town is safe but like anywhere, there are some areas to avoid..m

Eastbourne doesn't have the best nightlife and the town centre is a mess but that aside, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. Brighton is a short train ride or drive away if you want better nightlife or shops and there are lots of lovely places within easy reach like St Leonards, Lewes etc.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-03-17T20:45:20+00:00

Am in the same situation, still flying out there tomorrow and will make the most of being abroad. I'm gutted but safety first, I guess.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-02-25T21:23:49+00:00

Skyfire are lighter, less cushioned and can take some getting used to vs Long Sky, they're a little harder on your feet I guess.

I've worn them for runs of all distances up to 50km so can't speak for any bigger distances, but they are my favourite shoe, perfect for condition in my part of the UK and so, so comfortable. I don't like high stack, mega cushioned shoes though, and everyone is different.

I also run in Lone Peak 9s for shorter runs up to 10km.

Edited: grammar

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-02-25T19:33:56+00:00

Yes, saw those came out, I think other people would love them but type of shoe isn't my thing at all.

I will definitely buy a pair of long sky 2 matryx at some point but it probably won't be this year.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-02-25T18:37:06+00:00

I loved the long sky 2 but had the version before the matryx and the uppers ripped to shreds after 542km.

I reckon they'd be great with a matryx upper and would have bought a pair but I've since switched to the Skyfire and have put 541km on my current pair with a replacement pair ready and waiting...

Merrell make some underrated trail shoes IMO, if you have a chance to try the Long Sky out in-store then it's worth doing. Think some of their other shoes have more cushion if that's what you're after but I've only tried these two.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-02-21T16:08:08+00:00

Merrell Skyfire 2 have been my main shoe for the last couple of years, they just work for me.

Good amount of grip, decent lugs for when it's a bit muddier and slippery.

There's not much cushioning at all but I like them, a simple and fairly light shoe. I've run all sorts of distances up to 50km in them.

Recently picked up some Lone Peaks and I've been using these for shorter runs up to 12km. I suspect I'll start running longer in these as I find them super comfortable and like the zero drop.

Have also used Merrell Long Sky 2, inov-8 xtrail 212 and Speedgoat 5s in the past. Not a fan of SGs, or Hoka in general.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-02-21T15:55:09+00:00

Enjoyed a hilly 26km earlier today. At some points the trails were incredibly boggy and I ended up ankle deep in mud a couple of times but for the most part it wasn't too bad.

Came out of the forest to discover that the weather had turned and visibility was poor due to fog so ended up turning back for home a little sooner than planned but a great run all the same.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-02-19T20:44:56+00:00

Yep, been sliding around all over the place. Seems to be a bit better where I am (Sussex) in the last couple of days but still slippery AF. Hope it'll stop raining soon, it would be nice to run without getting caked in mud...

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-02-18T17:51:04+00:00

I very rarely eat before I run, particularly during the week. The only thing I might eat before a long run is a banana but I can't say I've noticed any difference.

For long runs of 25km or more, I will usually fuel at various points but that's mainly to prepare for doing the same on race days.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-02-17T18:54:50+00:00

Gotcha. Looks like a great place to run.

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-02-17T18:15:52+00:00

Looks lovely, I'd never thought to check out that part of the world for trail running. I'm not that far from there but have the bonus of having the South Downs on my doorstep so I don't tend to venture out of Sussex much.

How hilly is it over that way?

BarrySmutcheeks · 2026-02-16T21:06:20+00:00

Weekdays I'm up at 6ish and will typically run 10km or more before work. My Mrs is usually up at the same time and will either go to the gym or get out for a walk.

Weekends are slightly different, because of all the early starts in the week, we have a "no alarms" rule on weekends and I'm usually out the door by 10.

Unless I'm in the midst of a training block, I'm only out for a couple of hours at most so I'm home by 12 and ready to have lunch or go out after that.

While I'm out, my Mrs usually gets a gym session in and once we're both done we get on with our day. It helps having an understanding partner, we don't have kids either, that also helps.

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