FionaOutdoors

As many of you will know I have set myself a challenge this year. I am trying (I still find it hilarious to think about!) to qualify for the World Age Group Triathlon Championship. I teeter over into the next age group this year and so I thought I’d run with the old birds and [...]

At the risk of being all showy offy – well, to be honest there is no other way to do this – I have a new outdoors column in the Sunday Mail. This is Scotland’s biggest selling newspaper, which means I will be able to go on and on – and on!  about the great [...]

I am not rich and I don’t have huge sporting aspirations but I have found that spending a few hard earned pennies on a  triathlon coach is very much worth the money. My coach is a good friend, the Mighty Vickster, who is studying for her Level 3 Triathlon Coaching qualification. I am her case [...]

The 2013 British MTB Marathon Championships are set to be staged in the Scottish Borders, as part of the Selkirk MTB Marathon. The event will take place on Saturday June 8 over an 80km single lap course. The popular Selkirk MTB Marathon (previously known as the “Merida” and the “CRC”) is under new management and [...]

A new mountain bike “enduro” will kick off the week-long  Highland Perthshire Cycling Festival, taking place from May4 -11, 2013. The Highland Perthshire Enduro will see riders of all abilities cycle 49km off-road on a host of fantastic trails surrounding the village of Dunkeld. The event includes muscle zapping climbs and smile-inducing technical descents, laid back singletrack, fast fire road and stunning views. In [...]

Last week, I ran my first Parkrun. This Saturday, my guest blogger and friend Debbie was encouraged enough to run her first Parkrun, too. Debbie writes:  Setting out on my first Parkrun, I still harboured vague hopes that competition (or at least running alongside other people) would bring out the best in me. Maybe the [...]

I have written about Park Runs before – but never run one. ParkRun started in 2004 with just 13 runners in Bushy Park, Teddington, London and has become a worldwide phenomenon. A Park Run is 5k, timed and free. Bushy Park parkrun won the Runners World Best Small Event in 2007 and parkrun founder Paul Sinton-Hewitt [...]

Isn’t it fantastic to see so many more women taking up cycling? I have written and blogged about this before and during the recent warmer weather I saw so many more women out on their bikes than ever before. Recognising that women do not always want to take part in the cycling events with the [...]

These are some bonkers outdoors events held in Scotland – and this Man versus Horse race has to be up there! On Sunday, April 21 dozens of horses and their riders will line up above Loch Ness against a similar number of runners in the region’s second annual 26km Man vs Horse Challenge. Starting from [...]

This cycling event looks like something a bit different – and it’s raising funds for a good cause, too. The Borders Ciclista is unlike any other Sportive event in the UK. Based on a Spanish sportive format, it combines the fun and relaxation of a mass ride, the challenge of covering a large distance and [...]