Tom Roper's Profile

On Sunday, the day I turned 67, I ran the Brighton Half Marathon, my seventh time at this event, and my thirtieth half-marathon overall. My lack of training told, I’m sorry to say, and I finished in 3:05:11. My fastest... Continue reading

Posted Mar 2, 2022 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Five weeks to go

I write this later than I should, but by Sunday just gone I had five weeks left to go, and had done another run that covered a distance greater than I had run at any time since June of last... Continue reading

Posted Jan 26, 2022 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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A week of runs at sunset

This week went reasonably well. I ran three times, as required by the training programme, culminating in 4.9 miles today. The last time I ran as far as that was in June of last year. For some reason, all my... Continue reading

Posted Jan 16, 2022 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Training for an accidental half marathon

Whether I had drink taken, or had an episode of memory loss, I cannot say, but I apparently entered the Brighton Half. I discovered this when I decided to volunteer to marshal the event, and on registering was told I... Continue reading

Posted Jan 9, 2022 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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2021 in running

I was feeling unhappy with 2021 as a running year: few races, but then that’s true for everyone, and I had to do Couch to 5k twice to get back from injury, as well as leading the Seaford Striders C25K... Continue reading

Posted Jan 1, 2022 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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The week in running: back to the Twittens

The highlight of the week was a return to Lewes’s fabled Twitten run, which approaches its sixth anniversary. I last tackled it on 11th July 2021. By chance, as I ran it with Rob, Nick and Bec, we happened upon... Continue reading

Posted Nov 14, 2021 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Video, videre, vidi, visum

I have ventured into the world of the YouTube influencer. I am unlikely to make my fortune, as the number of people interested in the finer points of biomedical database searching is finite, but I was asked by Health Education... Continue reading

Posted Nov 10, 2021 at Tom Roper's Weblog

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Life in the old dog yet

Today, 8th November, is an anniversary, though an event whose anniversary we mark the day before, the Great October Socialist Revolution, may have had a greater impact on the world. The October revolution happened on 7th November on the new... Continue reading

Posted Nov 8, 2021 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Roaming in the gloaming

There’s something special about the first late afternoon run after the clocks go back. I went out into fierce winds blowing foam over the Seaford Head golf course, and down to the seafront. It reminds me of the winter Sunday... Continue reading

Posted Oct 31, 2021 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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It's been quiet, Carruthers, too damned quiet

I haven't written anything here for a ridiculously long time, but today I completed the Couch to 5k programme, and this is worthy of comment. I have turned to this to recover from injury several times in recent years; this... Continue reading

Posted Oct 17, 2021 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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I’ve never read Don Quixote. Now might be the time to put that right. There’s some compensations in the current state though, for example the goats of Llandudno would still be on the `Great Orme https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/mar/31/llandudno-goats-herd-running-riot-coronavirus-lockdown

Commented Apr 1, 2020 on For the sake of argument at T. Scott

Shane Godbolt, 1943-2019

Shane and me at the launch of the North Thames Regional Documents Database Shane Godbolt died on 24th November 2019. I am not qualified to write a full obituary, but these are some memories. I first met her in the... Continue reading

Posted Jan 29, 2020 at Tom Roper's Weblog

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Annual running totals: distance and elevation, 2005 to 2019

I went on to look at annual totals from 2005 onwards, to put this year in perspective. In particular, I found that 2019 was not the lowest distance I’ve ever managed: both 2013 and 2014 were worse. This is heartening. Continue reading

Posted Dec 31, 2019 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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2019 in running: worse things happen at sea

The year started well: I fell from a wall while giving the Seaford Striders a pre-run briefing for their New Year’s Day run, breaking my arm. Before After Then at Easter I fell during the Seaford beach parkrun, while discussing... Continue reading

Posted Dec 31, 2019 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Progress: weeks 5, 6 and 7, including a Cambridge run

Week 7 concluded this week, with a run in Lewes, through the Priory as members of Southover Bonfire Society prepared their fire site, then up Juggs Road. It was a beautiful sunny day after yesterday’s storms. When I’m doing greater... Continue reading

Posted Nov 3, 2019 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Out of action

There’s been no running since I injured my knee at St Mary’s park run in Bridport in mid-July. i took too long to consult a doctor, and now, after a second consultation, have a referral for an x-ray and physio.... Continue reading

Posted Sep 3, 2019 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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The Twiathlon, 2019

What, pray, I hear you ask, is a Twiathlon? It is an annual event comprising two athletic disciplines, Twitten running and outdoor pool swimming. The first requires, as I may have explained before, runners to meet at 9 am on... Continue reading

Posted Jun 3, 2019 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Seaford Half Marathon: the original, beware imitations

With my fellow Striders at the start The 2019 Seaford Half Marathon took place in the best conditions, if you like something to look at while running. It was bright, clear, but still cool in a breeze from the north-east.... Continue reading

Posted May 26, 2019 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Mid-Sussex Marathon Weekend

We are into the fifth month of the year, and I have just completed my first races of 2019, the Mid-Sussex Marathon Weekend. Made up of three races at the May Day Bank Holiday weekend, the East Grinstead Ten Mile,... Continue reading

Posted May 6, 2019 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Text Mining and Machine Learning in Systematic Reviews

A group of librarians from NICE, Public Health England, universities and NHS Library and Knowledge services were privileged to attend a workshop on Text Mining and Machine Learning in Systematic Reviews, led by James Thomas, Professor of Social Research and... Continue reading

Posted Apr 25, 2019 at Tom Roper's Weblog

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A set-back

I was pleased with myself; I had a plan to get the much-needed long runs in. On Brighton Marathon weekend, I was to go to the Marathon Medical Conference this afternoon, helping with some of the administration, exhibiting on behalf... Continue reading

Posted Apr 15, 2019 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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And what of the running?

'All this is marshalling is all very well, but what about the running?’ That is the question on the lips of every reader of this blog. And I must say that things have not gone entirely to plan. On New... Continue reading

Posted Apr 8, 2019 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Marshalling the Moyleman: 2019: gentlemen have told me they find it extremely invigorating

The Moyleman is a marathon covering the downs around Lewes, which we organise in memory of Chris Moyle, whose running nom de guerre was the Moyleman. When I arrived at Moyleman headquarters on the morning of St Patrick's Day, Ash,... Continue reading

Posted Apr 4, 2019 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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The running year: 2018

Looking back on 2018, I feel a certain smugness. My aim was to do a long, that is half-marathon distance, or further, race in each quarter, and that I achieved. On the other hand I am slow, much slower these... Continue reading

Posted Dec 31, 2018 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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Beachy Head: first marathon for five years, first Beachy for ten

I took the notion to enter Beachy Head a year ago, after marshalling the 2017 event. I hadn’t done a marathon for a while, and hadn’t done Beachy since 2008. The 2017 day was fine, the runners who passed me... Continue reading

Posted Oct 30, 2018 at Tom Roper's Running Training

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