alice morrison
Love is in the air
May 13, 2015
The rose-coloured walls of the city glow in the sun, the tall elegant palms sway in a cool breeze, "Gazelle, Magnifique, Ravissante," call the men as you walk on by. Marrakech is the city for love.
A mini adventure
April 23, 2015
Two days is long enough for a mini adventure. Especially when getting to the Atlas Mountains involves a battle with a bus driver, a hair raising ride up and a brakeless ride down a very twisty road, and a final safe haven in a tree house.
Behind the scenes at the Marathon Des Sables
April 14, 2015
They came back heroes! The finishers from the 2015 Marathon Des Sables, It is the toughest footrace on earth with six marathons across the desert in six days. Headwinds, sandstorms, blisters, dunes and heat. They battled them all and triumphed. And there I was, waiting at the end with a key to a hotel room complete with soft bed and hot shower.,...
Three diets for fitness: paleo, vegan, calorie counting
April 4, 2015
I piled on the pounds towards the end of last year. Lack of a clear running, cycling or adventure goal for January, the delights of Christmas and a lack of will power all came together and helped me gain that extra fat. For the New Year, I decided to combine some research with a quest to lose weight. Three months - three diets that different nutritionists swear by - paleo, vegan and calorie counting. I thought that a month for each was a fair crack of the whip.
Run Until You Drop!
March 13, 2015
The next time Charlie Shepherd says, "Alice, I've found this really good challenge, you should do it and write about it...", remind me to shoot him!
Fancy a cuppa?
February 17, 2015
I'm currently taking part in the Run Until You Drop challenge. You run the number of miles that correspond to that day in the month. Sounds easy. Well it is pretty tough going, and relentless, but, as always, there are moments that gladden your heart.
“Thank God for Hezbollah” – the strangest of statements
February 8, 2015
Back in Beirut to lead a two day workshop on reporting women's issues, I was struck as always by the diversity and vivacity of the city. The war in Syria and the advance of ISIS is just across the border. I wondered what its effect would be.
Marrakech Half Marathon
January 26, 2015
Palm trees silhouetted against the snow of the Atlas Mountains. Cold air but hot sunshine. A carnival mood and a scenic route round the ancient city. It is time for the Marrakech Half Marathon.
Not so fast in Fes
January 11, 2015
Running through history, literally. A morning run that started off in the ancient alleyways of the Fes medina and then took us up to see the sunrise from the Merenid Tombs perched on top of one of Fes's many, many hills
MdS Kit: What did and didn’t work
December 11, 2014
You would think that running would be a kit-free zone but somehow I managed to spend a fortune, kitting up for the Marathon Des Sables. In fact, because you have to carry everything for the week, it is incredibly important to get the necessity versus weight ratio right. Food was one of the really crucial factors and bizarrely I found that less was more.