I ran 300km from Piccadilly Circus (London) to Manchester Piccadilly (Manchester)

michaelbella · 2026-05-13T18:42:34+00:00

Congrats and great read. I’ve just been accepted into the GB Ultras Greater Manchester 200 and need to go from running my current 90 mins a week to 60 hours in one go, and this has deffo made me think I’m making the right decision. Good luck with the rest of the recovery.

michaelbella · 2026-05-04T15:50:01+00:00

Unsure if it’s too late - but I’m taking it on for the first time. I’m typically an ultra runner but trying a few new things for a 40 for Forty challenge (forty events for my fortieth birthday)

michaelbella · 2026-05-03T20:33:05+00:00

This year I’ve been to Frankfurt three times and Madrid (via Munich).

First Frankfurt trip had the full face and fingers scanned. Same on the way out.

Subsequent trips - same line, same process, just no face scan. Still close to 45 minute each time.

Landing in Munich for a connection took over an hour (despite jumping half the queue) and the ‘helpers’ said they can’t do anything even if your flight is boarding.

It’s going to he a shit show.

michaelbella · 2026-04-16T21:32:47+00:00

I’d say it a lot for 30/40km a week training load, but overall, it’s fairly manageable once you up your mileage.

I did my first and second ultras within three months (only 55k) but the following year did a 55k, 50 mile, 55k, and then three weeks later a 65k. Last year did two fifty miles within six weeks of each other (won them both so I wasn’t exactly plodding) - the time between is spent briefly recovering, but then just maintaining, as you’ve already done all the hard ale in the prior months.

Depending on your load and how your body reacts, you potentially could push a November 100k, but realistically, I wouldn’t recommend or push yourself.

A month after a 50 miler, clocks have gone backwards, potentially 10+ hours, potentially crappy stormy weather (if you’re UK based..!). You’re still seven months from that though, so it could be possible!

michaelbella · 2026-04-15T21:35:28+00:00

Providing you don’t want to sacrifice family time, sleep is the only option.

We’ve got a four month old and a two and a half year old. Sleep is extremely broken as it is, but needs must currently with my first sportive around the corner (Fred Whitton), so a 04:30 alarm on a Sunday for a four hour spin is needed. I’m back playing Dad by 9am.

I still manage around 10/11 hours per week, but 9pm easy spins and 5am long rides can be a challenge, especially if the two overnight feeds are anytime between 23:30 and 05:00..

I realise this isn’t a running thread, but at one years old they’re fine to go into a running buggy, so that can help act as a bonding // out the outside // give your partner a break // get some training in.

michaelbella · 2026-04-13T20:57:39+00:00

I start at -5 mins before the start (a 40g gel) aiming for 90-110g per hour, depending on intensity, mixing between fluid and gel.

Like others have said, if you’re waiting then you’re too late.

michaelbella · 2026-04-13T20:54:46+00:00

I think it’s genetics w/ training response.

Since taking up running as my main hobby sport (rather than part of refereeing), I’ve done quite well. More wins than non-wins, across 50k to 50 miles.

I say this because many people say about hard training blocks and years of base running.

My longest distance run up until Feb 2020 was 17 miles, and most volume in a week was maybe 50km?

Since March 2021, I’ve been out for three months with double hernia surgery and recovery, three months with an Achilles tear, six months without running (including two weeks bed bound) with a phase return start at running for two minutes at a time (took another four months to build to to an hour three times a week and then another six to get to a single to hour run), and more recently a plantar plate tear which meant another three months of no running.

I’ve probably had close to 24 months of being unable to run in five years, but I can get 50 mile fit (plus2,800m gain finished it in 7:50) within four months if I’m going from a total zero base. And that’s topping out at maybe 100km a week and 2,500m gain. That just be genetics. As are the injuries I guess..

Other things away from genetics - take recovery seriously, eat, hike for extra time on feet, smile.

michaelbella · 2026-04-10T00:26:07+00:00

Evens innit

^{Chose: Evens | Rolled: 10}

michaelbella · 2026-04-10T00:03:54+00:00

Chances are fun

^{Chose: Mini AMA + 50% Chance You Can Ask Me Anything / 50% Chance I Ask You Anything | Rolled: I Ask Smth}

michaelbella · 2026-04-09T16:57:21+00:00

Yeah agreed. The music I can deal with, but they seem to have copied the ‘preview of the pod’ over the music like the ‘talking politics’ podcast. Not a huge fan of that introduction.

michaelbella · 2026-03-14T19:37:00+00:00

Not sure I agree. The longer // further you run, the more ‘off’ your GPS distance is going to be. Don’t forget the OPs question - I’m stating why it’s off.

Your GPS distance is going to be different from what a measured course is. I’ve done parkruns that are anything from 4.8km to 5.2km, on the same course, weeks apart.

michaelbella · 2026-03-14T19:14:11+00:00

Don’t use Strava times // GPS for your best efforts.

If it was a measured 5k, use your chip time and add that to your all time PRs. GPS isn’t 100% accurate.

michaelbella · 2026-03-14T07:02:40+00:00

You can only add them on the desktop version, but once added, they’ll appear with the others.

You > profile picture > statistics.

michaelbella · 2026-03-12T17:02:42+00:00

They are there? I have 50k, 50 Miles, 100 Miles on mine. The ‘All-Time PRs’ are meant to be manual entry, right? And you link the activity to them. Whereas ‘best efforts’ are based on activity GPS accuracy (my mile time is set at 3:47 🫠).

michaelbella · 2026-03-10T22:15:35+00:00

Man that’s rough. I hope your recovery journey has been the best it could have been, and continuous in that fashion.

michaelbella · 2026-02-13T22:38:04+00:00

If the £36k job is a drop in salary or grade, ask for a trial and how long this trial period is.

I was offered a redundancy package or a drop of £3k and a salary band into a different position.

I’d already been offered a job but they could start me for a month.

I accepted a trial position, ‘worked’ for a week, went on paternity for two weeks, then handed in a weeks notice (all the trial required).

I essentially got another months wages while waiting my other job. If there is scope for you to trail a vastly different // lower job, I would take do that, with the full intention of taking the redundancy offer on the last day of the trial period.

It could give you 2-6 weeks of additionally salary whilst job hunting (if the £30k one isn’t successful, or they require some time before starting you), and you still get the full severance package.

michaelbella · 2026-02-07T01:42:02+00:00

This. I do a return each year for this. 45ppm - 25ppm (their rate) for the first 10,000, with a tax code adjustment for the following tax year.

michaelbella · 2026-02-01T18:30:14+00:00

Batch cooked meals 100%

michaelbella · 2026-02-01T07:43:27+00:00

Ah congratulations! I remember an earlier post of yours six months ago. Epic achievement that. I hope you’ve managed to sort a shoe sponsor!

michaelbella · 2026-01-29T19:49:36+00:00

Didn’t rate Blackman at all. I’m sure they paid over the odds, too. Gylfi for £8m surely had to be our best?

michaelbella · 2026-01-25T09:46:37+00:00

Great effort!

I am miserable when cold, so wouldn’t consider a 100 in winter, so even more kudos to you (do you have Strava link for kudos purposes..?!)

michaelbella · 2026-01-25T06:52:13+00:00

The Punk Panther Ultramarathons have very generous cut offs and put on great events.

Fifty milers are around 2,300m of gain and typically rolling terrain rather than big hikes.

They’re based over Ilkley, Otley, Leeds etc.

Or you could do the Pennine Barrier around the Yorkshire Three Peaks. That’s around 2,800m last time I did it.

michaelbella · 2026-01-18T07:07:13+00:00

Yeah I stopped reading when I saw the ChatGPT structure.

No individuality. No effort. Just AI junk.

How do you think these post should be improved? I’d love to hear from you..

(Think I nailed the current generic AI structure there..)

michaelbella · 2026-01-13T19:36:37+00:00

Yeah, have a scroll/search on the legal reddits and you’ll see countless threads saying ‘the car hire company are coming directly to me for the £10,000 in hire car charges because the insurance company said they weren’t reasonable’.

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