I'm not running this race which is part of the UTMB family of races. But the video is superb and gives a real flavour of what running any of the UTMB races is like - superb mountain scenery and such local support you would not believe all the way through.
George Reid and Andy Cole are running this race in 2010 - it'll be great guys!
TDS 2009
Wednesday 20 January 2010
I'm not running this race which is part of the UTMB family of races. But the video is superb and gives a real flavour of what running any of the UTMB races is like - superb mountain scenery and such local support you would not believe all the way through.
Monday 18 January 2010
Sunday 17 January 2010
Top ten!
Top 10 (out of 90 finishers) position for the 45 mile Country to Capital race on Saturday with a time of 6:45. A cracking start to the season. I am very pleased.
I ran the race and came in with fellow Family member Drew Sheffield, each of us going through bad patches when the other was running fine. It worked very well. A 3rd guy we hooked up with en route called Stephen came in at the same time.
The official results have our timings and positions a little out. Basically Drew came first in 7th position as he did the nav for the first section having scoped the route out a few weeks back (many thanks for that - I owe you), me next in 8th and Stephen in 9th.
But anyhoo, top ten. Only my second ever top ten (Marlborough Downs 33 in 2008 being the other). Full race report describing the world of pain and psychological battle that is canal ultra running to come ... :-)
I ran the race and came in with fellow Family member Drew Sheffield, each of us going through bad patches when the other was running fine. It worked very well. A 3rd guy we hooked up with en route called Stephen came in at the same time.
The official results have our timings and positions a little out. Basically Drew came first in 7th position as he did the nav for the first section having scoped the route out a few weeks back (many thanks for that - I owe you), me next in 8th and Stephen in 9th.
But anyhoo, top ten. Only my second ever top ten (Marlborough Downs 33 in 2008 being the other). Full race report describing the world of pain and psychological battle that is canal ultra running to come ... :-)
Friday 15 January 2010
Clothing dilemma for tomorrow's race
Running a 45 ultra tomorrow from Wendover in the Chilterns to Maida Vale in London. Forecast for heavy rain, windy and max 5C temp all the way. 7 hours or so of running in what will probably be pretty cold conditions, with the possibility of slushy snow underfoot in the Chilterns.
I'm having a clothing dilemma. I usually run with a helly hansen long sleeve and a pertex jacket if it is windy and wet, but tomorrow will be cold as well. I'm thinking instead I should wear a short sleeve t-shirt, a lightweight running polartec long sleeve top and a pertex jacket to give a extra warmth without the risk of overheating.
An insignificant dilemma given what is happening in Haiti (if you've not donated to the DEC appeal yet you can do so here) but any clothing advice given will be gratefully received. Thanks.
I'm having a clothing dilemma. I usually run with a helly hansen long sleeve and a pertex jacket if it is windy and wet, but tomorrow will be cold as well. I'm thinking instead I should wear a short sleeve t-shirt, a lightweight running polartec long sleeve top and a pertex jacket to give a extra warmth without the risk of overheating.
An insignificant dilemma given what is happening in Haiti (if you've not donated to the DEC appeal yet you can do so here) but any clothing advice given will be gratefully received. Thanks.
Tuesday 12 January 2010
Ultra running tips
This guy, James Adams, has written a long, informative and humourous set of ultra running tips (or things which have helped him). Check it out. Good stuff.
Sunday 10 January 2010
What ever happened to our stiff upper lip?
I must admit that I have a very stiff upper lip. So stiff, well actually, so tiny and non-moving, in fact that deaf people trying to lip read me have serious difficulties. Seriously. My wife takes the mickey out of me about it.
But that's not why I post today. If, like me you watched the ITV news on Friday night you'd have been forgiven for thinking that Britain was about to collapse into an apocalytpic doom within days Gas supplies running out, nobody able to get out of their house, half the nation unable to make it to work and almost half the nation's schools closed (probably the reason why half the population can't get to work). What on earth is going on?
Leaving aside the usual media hyperbole (what was to be a further 10 days of solid freezing appears by tonight to have turned into a slow thaw) we appear to have coped miserably with this cold weather. Litigation culture means we have hamstrung ourselves with plainly ridiculous health and safety laws and practices that no-one with responsibility is willing to ignore and say 'get a grip' to those who whine and try to make profit out of genuine accidents. People seem unable to cope with risk unless it involves lane weaving at 90mph on the M1 or drinking too much booze. We've lost our stiff upper lip. Where has it gone?
But that's not why I post today. If, like me you watched the ITV news on Friday night you'd have been forgiven for thinking that Britain was about to collapse into an apocalytpic doom within days Gas supplies running out, nobody able to get out of their house, half the nation unable to make it to work and almost half the nation's schools closed (probably the reason why half the population can't get to work). What on earth is going on?
Leaving aside the usual media hyperbole (what was to be a further 10 days of solid freezing appears by tonight to have turned into a slow thaw) we appear to have coped miserably with this cold weather. Litigation culture means we have hamstrung ourselves with plainly ridiculous health and safety laws and practices that no-one with responsibility is willing to ignore and say 'get a grip' to those who whine and try to make profit out of genuine accidents. People seem unable to cope with risk unless it involves lane weaving at 90mph on the M1 or drinking too much booze. We've lost our stiff upper lip. Where has it gone?
Thursday 7 January 2010
Caring family man
Google throws up the oddest results sometimes. I think it may have developed a sense of fairly sick humour. I wanted some kind of cheesey, super white teeth smiling family man photo with which to illustrate this post, but instead the first image result for 'caring family man' was this ...
Not really what I had in mind. Anyhoo ...
In my efforts to combine running with being a caring family man and generally good dad I have been trying to figure out how I can increase my mileage and at the same time drop my weekend long run. No idea why I didn't think of it before but I have decided to run to my running club (a distance of 6 miles), do the run (5-8 miles) then run back (another 6 miles). I'll do this every Wednesday with the 4th one off for recovery purposes giving me a mid-week run of 17-20 miles. That way I have Saturdays free to be a dad and my wife is much happier with the whole ultra running daftness. Super.
I did my first such run this week with a nice 17 mile snow and ice filled escapade in my new Kahtoolas. Marvellous.
Not really what I had in mind. Anyhoo ...
In my efforts to combine running with being a caring family man and generally good dad I have been trying to figure out how I can increase my mileage and at the same time drop my weekend long run. No idea why I didn't think of it before but I have decided to run to my running club (a distance of 6 miles), do the run (5-8 miles) then run back (another 6 miles). I'll do this every Wednesday with the 4th one off for recovery purposes giving me a mid-week run of 17-20 miles. That way I have Saturdays free to be a dad and my wife is much happier with the whole ultra running daftness. Super.
I did my first such run this week with a nice 17 mile snow and ice filled escapade in my new Kahtoolas. Marvellous.
Monday 4 January 2010
Running on snow and eyeing up the year ahead
I started up my training for the 2010 season just before Christmas and have been building up the miles and time on feet. I found that running on snow whilst up in Scotland meant I had to cut back my mileage aspirations and change them to time on feet aspirations. Cumbernauld, where I was staying, was, like most of Scotland, snow bound so 9.5 mile fast trail runs turned into 1hr 30 mins events as I worked hard through knee deep snow in places on the moorland around the local country park. I used to live in arctic Sweden and love the snow. Soft and fluffy or hard and icy. It's all good. I can see from Ian B's and John K's blogs that they don't share my love here though. I can't understand it. Snow is great to run on, much better than pavements. :-)
I had a great 14.5 mile run around the Trossachs with Stan B and John Malcolm just before Christmas. Nice powdery snow and a hilly circular trail with good company and crisp blue skies. What more could you ask for? But my munro bagging, microspike wearing ambitions came to nothing when a brief but sudden kidney / UT infection hit me on the 27th, putting me out of running action for a few days. C'est la vie. All I can do is read about Pete Duggan's exploits in microspikes and gaze lovingly at how to put them on now that I am back in snow-less MK.
What's coming up first racing wise then this year? The 45 mile Wendover to London Country to Capital race is in less than 2 weeks. Drew Sheffield and John Millen should be running it so it'll be a good chance to catch up with them as we pound out the miles. Before that there's a sneaky wee hilly multi-terrain 5 miler in the Wendover Woods. Stoating down a clay mud forest trail then back up another one as fast as possible. Superb fun. 2010 here I come!
I had a great 14.5 mile run around the Trossachs with Stan B and John Malcolm just before Christmas. Nice powdery snow and a hilly circular trail with good company and crisp blue skies. What more could you ask for? But my munro bagging, microspike wearing ambitions came to nothing when a brief but sudden kidney / UT infection hit me on the 27th, putting me out of running action for a few days. C'est la vie. All I can do is read about Pete Duggan's exploits in microspikes and gaze lovingly at how to put them on now that I am back in snow-less MK.
What's coming up first racing wise then this year? The 45 mile Wendover to London Country to Capital race is in less than 2 weeks. Drew Sheffield and John Millen should be running it so it'll be a good chance to catch up with them as we pound out the miles. Before that there's a sneaky wee hilly multi-terrain 5 miler in the Wendover Woods. Stoating down a clay mud forest trail then back up another one as fast as possible. Superb fun. 2010 here I come!
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