About

Graeme Murdoch

I am in my late 50s and I currently live in Dundee, Scotland.

Having worked for over 30 years as a public servant in places as far ranging as Hong Kong and North Uist, I am now fortunate to have retired. I had a challenging and incredibly enjoyable career but I am glad to have moved on to the next chapter and to be able to spend more time on the other things I enjoy and find rewarding.

Running was a big part of my youth but in my late teens and early twenties running largely gave way to an interest in bodybuilding. In my mid-twenties my interests shifted drastically to career, smoking and a gradually increasing consumption of wine, finally culminating in a health and fitness crisis in my late forties.

Motivated to get my act together, I acquired a pair of running shoes and ventured forth, fully confident that I would quickly regain the speed and vigour of my youth. Several injuries and some general disappointment followed but I persisted for a couple of years, running shorter distances a couple of times a week.

Not surprisingly, I did get fitter but didn’t really get much quicker. Thus, I asked myself. If I could no longer match my 15-year-old self, what if I just started to run further instead? So, that is exactly what I set out to do. I started to increase my running distance without any clear training plan and as I explored online the subject of running, I first became aware of the mysterious but fascinating world of ultra running.

I entered my first ultra in 2016. It was the Cateran 55 and I picked it as it was the closest race to home that I could find. It was that simple. Should I have started with a 50k or something ‘easier’ rather than jumping straight into a hilly 55-miler? Of course I should have. However, I trained long and hard and I was determined.

I finished the Cateran 55 in May 2016. I think my time was about 12:48 and although my legs and feet were in bits, I did manage to drive home straight from the finish, vowing never to do anything so stupid again. Within days, I was looking for my next event. Sound familiar?

In the following eight years or so, running has become my passion. Yes, I run and train on the road and I mostly enjoy my tarmac training. However, I have never entered a race or event on tarmac with the exception of a single half marathon. It just doesn’t appeal. I also worry that if I applied maximum effort over short distance on a hard surface, my calves would simply explode.

I love trail running, particularly in hills or mountains and I love the challenge of trail ultras. In recent years I have also developed a real passion for fastpacking which I do consider to be a niche of its very own. I am also very fortunate to have had the time and the means to travel and run, particularly since retirement. Many of these trips have been absolutely fantastic experiences, although with mixed fortunes on the running front. As great as these trips have been, I am acutely aware that there is such a wealth of running adventure to be found here in Scotland and the wider UK, the surface of which I have only scratched.

I have called myself the mid pack runner because that is largely what I am. If I have a single goal in every race, it is to try and finish in the top 50%. I usually manage that and sometimes do better still. Overall, even if I do say so myself, I think I do pretty well for someone of my age. That said, I have also had my fair share of DNFs, each one cause for critical self-reflection and hopefully some learning too. Perhaps more thoughts on that subject elsewhere.

I have also tried things which I now know are not for me. For example, 24-hour events and backyard ultras are in this category. I have tried both at least once and have always stopped well within time and well within physical limits. They are just too boring, but I still follow them with great interest, and I doff my cap to those who excel at them.

Why the blog then? That is fairly straightforward really. I love running and will keep going for as long as my body lets me, and I still enjoy it. I have time to spare. I like to write, and I have opinions on a great range of topics, although perhaps not always opinions that align with majority thinking!

There are of course a great many online blogs, websites and video channels dedicated to running and the outdoors. I follow several that I like and can relate to. I just don’t think that video is for me despite my good looks and sparkling personality! Nonetheless, I believe I have experiences and content to interest like-minded individuals, but I’ll let you all be the judges of that.

Lastly and for the record, I am not employed by any company or organisation associated with sport or running in particular. I have no affiliation to any commercial enterprise, nor am I sponsored by any commercial concern. I am not even a member of a running club. At the time of writing, I do not intend to produce or post any structured kit or gear reviews. I do not want to receive any kit for the purpose of review. However, I may well refer to and comment on pieces of kit that I own or have used. If I do, this is merely reflective of my personal experience or opinion and nothing more.

Thanks for reading this far. I hope you find other content to interest you.

All the best with your own running endeavours and ambitions!

Graeme