Author Archives: R.J. Southworth

About R.J. Southworth

Hi there. I've been blogging since January 2014, and I like to talk about all sorts of things: book reviews, film reviews, writing, science, history, or sometimes just sharing miscellaneous thoughts. Thanks for visiting my blog, and I hope you find something that interests you!

Manchester Marathon – The Big Day

As the day of my first ever marathon approached, what I found the most peculiar was that I wasn’t really all that worried. As I saw it, I had followed the sixteen-week training plan and was feeling in excellent physical … Continue reading

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Manchester Marathon – 5 Weeks To Go

I’m well settled into my marathon training plan now, and for the most part, I’m continuing to enjoy it. One slight downside is that I can’t run at parkrun as often as I’d like, since I don’t want to risk … Continue reading

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Back to Titanic

Last year, Top Gun: Maverick became the first film that I’d ever watched three times in the cinema. As of this weekend, James Cameron’s Titanic is the second – though, obviously, with much bigger gaps between viewings. I first saw … Continue reading

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Manchester Marathon – 11 Weeks to Go

Since the end of last year, my main focus running-wise has been on preparing for the Manchester Marathon event in mid-April. As I love The Running Channel and tend to trust their advice, I’ve been following the 16-week training plan … Continue reading

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Parkrun Adventures

If your New Year’s Resolutions involve getting more outdoor exercise, parkrun is an excellent opportunity for it. Since it happens every Saturday morning, it can be factored into your routine; there are plenty of other people there to keep you … Continue reading

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Looking Back on 2022

Even with the issue of Covid-19 being scaled back (though far from eliminated), 2022 has been a tough year all around: the cost of living going up, the war in Ukraine, extreme weather, disruptive strikes, and the sad passing of … Continue reading

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Short Story: Voyage Interrupted

I wrote this historical short story back in October, before NaNoWriMo. Thought I’d put it on here. Voyage Interrupted As Muriel Stockley registered that she was awake, she hoped that this time, it would be at a decent hour; a … Continue reading

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National Novel Writing Month – Year 14

Yesterday, I finished National Novel Writing Month for the fourteenth year in a row! This year’s story was titled An Englishwoman in Hollywood, and was the fifth instalment in my historical fiction series which began with the Titanic in 1912, … Continue reading

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The Great North Run – 2022

In the days leading up to the Great North Run, I had two targets. The first was to try and at least get a time similar to my half marathon PB (1:43:39, set last month), even if I couldn’t be … Continue reading

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A New Half Marathon PB!

This September, I’ll be taking part in the Great North Run, one of the biggest half marathon events in the world. I’ve never been to a running event of that size before, and as I don’t know when I’ll get … Continue reading

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