Sharpening my teeth.

I will begin this post with a flashback, its necessary to set the scene and make sense of the bizarre title to this blog.

About 14 years ago I ran up a hill. Well I tried to run up a hill but halfway up my body gave in, I threw up and limped home holding my stomach. I ran because I had to and I ran badly. But perserverance paid off and I learned to run, the hard way on the local Downs. When I'd lost the weight and passed a fitness test I was training for, I stopped running.

The view from up here is pretty awesome, I'm very lucky to live here.

I always felt like I cut my teeth running on these hills. I've returned countless times since. Run these hills, done two races here and been here in all weathers. If I have a favourite place to run it is here. I mix of open grassland, chalk trail, woodland, mud and pathway, with infinite combinations of route.

And so it was that once I found out what trailrunning was, I realised I was already doing it. At the time I'd bought some Adidas Kanadia TR3's and I thought they were the business.




The view has changed since then. I'm 2 stone lighter, running further and faster than ever before and this week upgraded my shoes to match my new passion for running and form.


As usual I did my home work. Minimalist was a definite for me, I wanted loads of grip, because the trails round here turn to mud and bog very quickly. Imagine crumbling chalk covered in clay mud that has been churned up by horses and grazing sheep and you're getting there.
I've always been a huge fan of the inov-8 brand. I like their image and style and they have some great ambassadors on Twitter @Inov8Guy and @terryconway.

Terry's review of the Baregrip 200 sold me on this shoe. And I found it 20% cheaper on Up&Running's website. The shoe has zero drop and a very sticky sole. It grips everything and feels surprisingly supportive for such a pared down shoe. It weighs in at just over 200grams. The toe box felt narrow after the Merrell trailgloves, but not uncomfortably so.
Out on the trail, this shoe excels. Crazy levels of grip. Exposed tree roots and loose mud were no issue. The lugs on the bottom are made of very sticky rubber, they dig in and propel you forward.


These are a good quality shoe, comfortable and supportive, but aimed at those who have already become competent in barefoot/minimalist/posed running.

I love the styling and the feel of these shoes as much as the performance it offers. I did two runs on the same, short 2.5 mile route this week at my pace threshold. A mixture of on and off trail, both days were wet and very cold. Both included steep hills and a fast hill descent.

Using the inov-8 knocked three minutes off my time. Over a short route, that is awesome; especially as it was the second day. Plus, it snowed on the inov-8 run. Right in my ear!

On day three I wore these for a 10k off trails. As a steady paced run with no intentions of blasting it I was only 4 minutes of my 10 k best. These shoes don't make you run faster, but they are ridiculously light and give you the confidence to do it if you want to.

I learnt to run on these hills and I cut my teeth on the trails here. With these shoes, it's time to sharpen them.

Listen to your heart....

Having made the decision to "go ultra", this week the training started.
I never fail to be impressed at the amazing level of support you can get from social networking. On twitter I have been able to get advice and support form lots of amazing people. Some are professional runners and athletes and others are keen amateurs, but as I've always found with runners, it's an inclusive sport.

From words of praise and support to lengthy technical advice, with the help of these great people, I have got the confidence and the plan to get ultra fit by next summer and Marathon ready in April.

I've had to reassess my goals along the way, all for the best. There is now no point in me leaving the marathon training for next year. My marathon in April means I could start to train in the new-year, but by July I need to be able to do 70 miles, so the marathon in MK has become a training run along the way. The best news is that I have the chance to run with my brother in MK now. He's a great guy who got me into the sport in the first place and for this and so many other things I will be eternally grateful.

 So the goals have become:

a) Be running 40 miles p/w by January.

b) Finish MK Marathon in April in sub 4 hours.

c) Be running 50 miles per week by April.

d) Complete 70 mile ultramarathon in July (I'm not putting any time limit on that one).

So this week was a 27.5 mile week, including a 13.2 mile road run in my new Brooks Gelatine trainers, a 6 mile trail run in Trailgoves and an early morning 8.3 miler. These are all runs I have done before, but I have taken a new approach to them.

What has changed is the training methods I'm using. After listening to an interview with an amazing ultra runner called Lee McKinley, I have started using the HRM on my Garmin to set an upper limit for my heart rate. If during the run I reach that limit I slow my pace/effort to bring it down to my target. I have used the target of 75% of my max HRM which is 150bpm. Using an external measure of your effort (hrm) rather than "how you feel" means you never start too fast it push too hard, important as the distances increase. The trade off for losing a small amount of pace is a massive increase in stamina. To give an idea of the benefits of this method, I ran a half marathon yesterday in 1:49:37, only four minutes off my PB and with the strength in my legs to keep going a lot further if I had to.

As the distances increase I'll consider dropping this to 140 bpm, but as a method for increasing distance and stamina it's second to none.

Once again running has surprised me with how good it makes you feel and how you can improve with effort. And runners have impressed me with huge levels of support along the way.

Northface Blacks single track trailrun.

One year ago exactly I completed my first trailrun and was immediately hooked on being closer to nature and engaging with the countryside. Along with a free copy of Trailrunning magazine I got some nice kit and had a great day, well satisfied with my 49:06 time.

But what a difference a year makes....

Last year I attended as a Trail virgin, nervous and excited, buzzing with excitement. In 12 months, the excitement hasn't gone, but my focus and determination have increased hugely. My wife came with me today, looking to do her first run, the equally challenging 5k. The weather was immense, chilled and with a heavy dew, but bright and windy. A great day to be outside.

I can't talk about the 5, but the 10k route starts with a quick first section, bringing the first mile in under 6 and a half minutes, before plunging into the shadows and single track on undulating terrain.
After tackling Bison hill, nearly 300ft of ascent, the course opens into woodland and farmland before returning to the start on open chalkland.

I put myself near the front of the pack for the first time in a race and gave it everything to keep up, instead of starting near the back and working through the pack. It seemed to work and without the pressure of overtaking, I settled into a fast pace, averaging 7:29 min/miles over the entire course.

I ended up in 31st position out of 430 runners. A good result for me.

On reflection, I enjoyed the day, I love the trails round here and I'm happy with the result. But most of all I loved sharing the day with my family. They were all there and its the support at these events that gets you through the tough parts.

God knows how much support I'll need to complete an ultra!

Prelude to a race...

It's been a busy few weeks. After my (relative) success at my last run, I started to look back over my previous blogs. I love when people read it, but the truth is that it's mostly a place for me to put down in words my thoughts about running so that I can maintain some focus on my running.
In the past I've picked up an interest and ended up nowhere near my original goal, so the blog has kept me moving forward at a good pace (pun intended)

Getting more involved in the running community has made me realise just how far I have to go. I started running two years ago and am really happy with what I've achieved, but I can't help but feel that there is more to come.

I've been asked to join a XC team at work and have a number of races planned through the rest of the year and into the spring.

I love that I have got others running, some at work and some at home. Tomorrow my wife take part in her first race, a novice runner who started training six weeks ago.

I have a 10k trail run tomorrow, it's a tough trail set on the Downs in Dunstable. 10 k of hills, field and mud on single tracks. I did this race last year and posted a time just ove 49 minutes. Tomorrow I go hunting for a PB. The recipe for the day; trusty trailgloves and Garmin GPS. No music this time, seemed to help previously.

Being unsuccessful on getting into VLM left me disappointed but I found a "rebound-run" in the shape of the Milton Keynes Marathon. After tomorrow the training begins to put a decent time in for a marathon in April.

I've been asking myself what I want to achieve out of running and one word lurks in the shadows and won't leave me alone; ULTRA-MARATHON.

Dirtrunning 8k - Ashridge

After a late entry, a hastily put together training plan and a shedload of overtime meaning I've struggled to meet every date with the trails, race day finally arrived. I woke to clear skies, bright sun and gentle breeze, perfect for a run in the hills.

About a week ago I got my race pack from Dirtrunning, as ever it was promptly received, the instructions were clear and the race number and (disposable) timing chip were enclosed. I always think of receiving your race pack as the most exciting part of your pre-race prep. I turn into a right girl at this point and start considering which kit to wear and what shoes would do me best.

But the days passed, the weather improved and race day arrived.

Ashridge is a huge forest not far from where I live and part of the National Trust. Getting there an hour early, the Dirtrunning guys were present and well set up and over the following hours a total of 173 runners arrived for the inaugural Ashridge5.

I didn't get pictures of the trail, it is a race after all, but the start line was about 500 metres downhill from the Bridgewater monument. As I lined up near the front, the usual sense of trepidation crept in. Was I too far forward? Would I be swamped off the start line and left for dust? Was I too far back and about to be swallowed in the masses? The trail on which the start was located was very narrow!!

Looking back at the crowd I saw someone I knew and went back to see them. At this point I realised I'd made a mistake. The crowd surged forward and I found myself a lot further back than I'd planned.

On the sound of the start my saviour arrived in the form of a Cani-x runner and his monster of a dog, who between them were cutting a nice path up the outside of the crowd. I nipped in behind him, took some creative approaches to the high banked sides and emerged onto wider paths much nearer the front of the pack.

Garmin showed the first mile passed in 6:34 and I was feeling strong, the Merrell trailgloves were exellent, finding traction and making me feel lightfooted, the perfect mix. Once out of the descending woods, the course skirts some fields and heads past a golf club, a welcome change to the gnarly roots and soft path in the first mile.

After levelling out and crossing a minor road, a few right turns opens to a vista of desending hills. The beacon hills are steep and constant and while I was still moving through the pack, I realised these could be my undoing. So I focussed on my training. On the step uphills I leaned forward, took shorter steps and found my rhythm. On the downhills I leaned forward and increased my stride. I was moving up the field better than I could have hoped.

Mile3-4 was nasty. The trails went back into the woods and up a series of paths with cut in wooden steps, they varied in height and length so the footfall was uneven and technical, but it was great fun and I really started to find my groove.

By mile 4 the course heads up one last and long hill, so far I'd not had anyone pass me and was aware that I'd moved up the field but no idea how far. On this hill though I decided on tactical slow-down. A fast walk, with two runners doing well to retake me, got me to the top, re-energised and ready for the last mile.

I got back on my original pace, retook the two guys who had done me on the hill and steeled myself for a strong finish. I didn't go as fast as I'd hoped yesterday, but the course was more hilly than I'd predicted. The garmin data  speaks for itself at this point. Once I'd seen this I was very pleased with the result. When I saw the published results, I was even happier.

http://www.racetimingsystems.com/public/results.aspx?raceid=1934

I placed 17th, inside the top 10% which is great for me. I felt like I ran hard and got a good result, which is what it's all about really. But the beauty of trailrunning is that along the way I saw deer, went through some amazing woodland and saw the beauty of the countryside.

As usual with dirtrunning events it was well organised and the t-shirt and medal were suitable rewards. Up&Running sponsored the event so I got a £10 voucher for them too as a bonus.

The location was amazing, great trails and right on my doorstep, couldn't ask for more.

Top marks to Merrel for the Trailgloves I was wearing and Garmin for the GPS watch, both worked perfectly.

A great run, a great day and now a bottle of wine.

For tomorrow, training starts for the next one. And I can't wait.

What an amazing day!!!

When Jake and I signed up for a run at the zoo nearby I was a little bit worried.

For starters taking three kids anywhere is like planning a military operation, especially when one is four  months old.

Secondly, this would be my first "proper" run of the year, with other people and a big scary clock.

Thirdly I had all of the concerns about Jake running his first ever race and I know how he heaps pressure upon himself.

I can't imagine where he gets it from

Now all my previous blogs will attest to the changes I have made in my life in an attempt to improve myself and my running. And the more bizarre ones suggest those two things are somehow entwined.

But after losing over 20 lbs, getting the right kit, reading all sorts of training techniques and training my arse off on trails I was hoping for a good performance.

My previous PB for a 10k was 49.08, which was on the trails,but I'm equally slow/fast on road/trails so any improvement on this would have been good.

I concentrated on form today.

I checked my pace regularly, I kept my back straight and head up, I was light on my feet and smiling as I went.
I used the first of three laps to identify features and ascents/descents for the following laps and relaxed on the way down. On the way up the hills I took smaller steps and sped up my pace.

I constanttly concentrated on maintaining form and an amazing thing happened.....

I smashed every record and PB I have had, finishing the race in 43.03, better than my planned time and faster than I would have hoped for.
I also set a new PB for 5k, fastest mile and fastest kilometre.

Next up was Jake's 2k race. He was nervous on the start line, but set a really steady pace. After a few people went past him as they set off too fast, he slowly started to carve his way through the field.

He overtook people older than him and was one of the youngest there.

He kept a good pace all the way round and when he saw the finish line, he sprinted the last 300 metres.

He finished in about 13 minutes and made us all very very very proud.

A great day all round.

Strangest part of the day was me not being able to finish a McDonald's for the first time in my life. I'll say it before you do....

I've changed.