Fighting On

Once again a while since i blogged! 

Today found me north of the Border, in Scotland, with my buddy Mark for a taste of trailrunning in his neck of the woods.

I was, as usual, pretty anxious headed up there, the usual doubts and anxieties trying to convince me against going! 

I'm finding that whilst still anxious in new situations, or out of my comfort zones, i'm coping much better, and felt quite relaxed shortly after arriving.

The run itself was 12 miles of field, trail & fell running, with the highest point on Penchrise.

I really struggled with the ascents and the distance today, having been hospitalised with a severe infection a few weeks ago, a strained muscle in my shin and a recent kidney infection that is just clearing up! Mark had also been pretty ill last week with norovirus, and was still sweating out the lingering effects! 

When i returned home i went for a meal with my girlfriend. Meals out are a big trigger of anxiety and panic for me, so i figured after the anxiety of being away & running etc, it would be good to really push myself. Gladly the meal was perfect, the foam roller session when i got home wasnt!

A great day on the trails with Mark, and another big step towards banishing my undue anxieties 👍

Photo: Mark Lyons

Sunglasses

Hello readers :-) bit of a different blog today. Most of you know that i work for a national outdoor store (@blacks_online) and as a very active end user of our products, i was asked to do a test & review of the Adidas TERREX fast sunglasses. 

Firstly, all of these views are my own, the glasses are on loan, and i recieve no reward for testing and reporting back. 

Plus there'll be some running craic ;-) 

Adidas TERREX fast

The glasses come in a tough hard shell case, with the option of using a cloth pouch to save space and weight. They come with two lenses, regular 100% uv protection lense, and an antifog lens, with Light Stabilization Technology. Both scratch & impact resistant.

The glasses break down in seperate parts easily, and swopping out the lenses, or changing from the arms to the elasticated, helmet compatible, head band. 

The removable inner is vented with Climacool technology, and has a soft foam bumper for comfort, and for wicking sweat. 

The arms are built on TRI.FIT technology, which allows you to change the angle for a perfect custom fit. I found this really useful, as apparently my head is mega wonky!!

So how are they? 

Luckily the first chance i got to test them it was actually sunny!! First impressions was that they were very big on my face, but after 1/2 mile i was impressed with the range of vision that the bigger lenses afforded me. 

I was surprised with the lack of movement whilst running, bobbing along uneven ground usually moves sunglasses quite a bit, while they weren't stuck fast, i didnt notice any movement. 

The only drawback whilst running was the lower edge of the glasses blocked any vision of your feet (remember though i take short steps as a forefooter, so not throwing my leg forward) and on technical footing it did get a bit sketchy! 

All in all on the first run i was pretty impressed, they also fit quite easily into a chest pocket and my shorts pocket, and light enough not to notice!

Second Test 

Obviously these glasses are designed for multiple uses, so myself and a colleague (@parki228) headed to the wintry conditions on the fells to see how they faired! 

The weather was awful. Pouring with rain before we left car, not ideal for testing sunglasses! 

We made our way to Blea Tarn on Red Pike, then up into Chapel Crags, to find some snow!

The gullies were still in pretty decent shape with 3-5ft of snow at least, perfect for testing the glasses. 

These glasses are really at home in the snow! The headband is super comfy and holds the glasses comfortably on your face, and the ClimaCool ventilation aids the anti-fogging massively. 

It was still pouring down, and spin drift was blowing down the gully, thankfully the glasses, pretty much in goggle mode, meant that neither were an issue, allowing us to see perfectly whilst climbing the gully.

Verdict:

In the fells, especially in the snow, these  lightweight glasses, which you can make into a goggle, are absolutely perfect. Comfortable, due to the foam padding, and pretty much unnoticeable due to the weight, they're a great addition to a fell runners pack, and indeed hillwalkers and mountaineers. Being impact resistant is a nice bonus too, as not everything goes to plan in the hills! A successful summit of K2 was made in the same model - no easy feat! 

Flat out running they were comfortable but a little on the big side for me, and i do prefer rimless, purely for vision on the technical trail & scree that i tend to run on.

A day on the bike would have been nice, as i feel they would be perfect.

The ability to change lenses or the arms to headband so quickly is a major advantage, as are the adjustable angles on the arms! 

For people looking for a pair of glasses to cover everything though, you can't go wrong with these, they are very adaptable to every activity, and removing the inner framework leaves them looking good for casual use/driving. 

Little by little

Yesterday marked another significant improvement in my running. I have a 5k route with just under 200ft of ascent that i run regularly, either as recovery runs after longer days out, or when i have little time left in the day. 

The first time i ran it, towards the end of 2013, it took me around 35minutes. Which was a sure sign of my ability to plod along at a snails pace! I took little comfort in the knowledge that the route includes crossing 2 main roads and 6 stiles & gates. I set my sights on sub 30.

Slowly i worked my average time down to around 32/33 minutes, still feeling slow. My PB had improved to just under 31mins. 

I January i lowered my PB again to just over 30 minutes, and my average was now sub 31, no matter the conditions (a mile of swamp like fields, sometimes waist deep in flood water) or how tired my legs were on recovery runs. 

Yesterday i woke from a nap (don't judge, i'm on a weeks holiday!) and felt the urge to run. Nothing felt particularly different, and by the start of mile 3, the constant glue like mud was tiring my legs quickly.

I got home and stopped my watch, 29'52! A new PB by 26seconds and the first sub 30 on the route! 

Still slow for 3 miles for a lot of people out there, but a great achievement for me! 

Sights firmly set on sub 29 now!

January Recap

Hello! 2 blogs in 2 days i hear you cry! Just a quicky today to recap January for all you stat lovers! 

17 runs

100.95 miles

17'880ft of ascent

Avg 5.9miles per run

Avg 177ft per mile

Beaten quite a few of my pb's and reset new targets accordingly, even scoring a pb this morning on what was supposedly a recovery run after Wednesdays 16miler! 

February needs more ascent! 

Thanks for the continued support! 

Onwards & Upwards

What can i do? I can take one more step

Hello, 

I know it's been 2 months since i last wrote here, and on todays long run i was wondering why i go through floods & droughts of blogging. The answer, i think, is that in the past i used the blog when i was struggling in life, as a way to voice my inner self, a therapy of sorts. 

The reason i haven't blogged for 2 months is because i'm pretty happy at the moment! I've had things to blog about, shoes, kit, routes and my running in general, but havent needed the outlet that blogging provides. 

I met an amazing lady in November who accepts me for who i am, heart stuff, anxiety and my ugly mug! 

I have been promoted at work, and despite initial anxiety at being left in charge for the first time, i'm really enjoying the new challenge & responsibilities that accompany it. 

I have faced down my anxiety demons and i'm winning the fight, there are stumbles along the way, but i'll be damned if i can't beat this affliction. 

Finally, there's running. Which is the reason you're here! 

For the most of November & the entirety of December i rarely ran more than 3 miles per outing. Running 3-4 times a week, building a solid foundation for 2014, and losing 14lbs in the process!

I introduced hill reps to my running as a structured training session. 210ft in 0.5miles,3 times for 3 miles total including descent. My uphill times rarely change, the way my heart works just doesn't lend itself to steep climbs. The descents are getting faster, hitting sub 5 minute mile pace, i like downhill ;-) 

Come Jan 1st i was feeling pretty good, i hadn't over done anything for nearly 2 months, and so upped my mileage and ascent. I took my long run upto 9 miles, a simple lap of Derwentwater with 400ish feet of ascent. The first outing brought with it a pb of a couple minutes, which had stood for almost 12 months. 

I moved my hill rep workout to a steeper hill (yes im crazy!) so now in 3 reps i clear around 1000ft in 0.5 mile reps. 

I've also made a return to logging some bigger ascents, Sunday Skiddaw runs are making a bit of a comeback, and double reps of Dodd Fell are a new addition for over 2500ft in 7 miles. 

Today i decided to up the ante, and really take myself out of my comfort zone. The Ennerdale 25k route isn't new to me, i ran it 4/5 times last year, but had ran it, or any similar distance since July 2013. 

It turned out to be one of my greatest runs ever. Ever. The first time i ran this loop it took me 3hrs 37minutes. There's 1200ft+ of ascent, and miles 14&15 are rock & tree route strewn rivers basically, and at that point in the run i would lose time like water through a sieve! I got my pb to 3:24:00 though my 'dream time' was 3hours.

Despite my hill reps and building a good foundation, i was feeling a little disheartened with the lack of uphill or speed improvements. I was finding i was feeling better post runs, but still plodding along at my snail pace.

I set out with the knowledge that i could run 8/9 miles without issue, but i also knew that there was more uphill in the first 8/9 miles here than around Derwentwater. 

One foot in front of the other i made it through the first 6 miles comfortably, taking the undulating course in my stride. Around 6 miles i realised that i hadn't walked once, where normally i would have hiked a few of the uphills. 

It dawned on me that the hill reps and building a strong base were working wonders. I was just looking in the wrong place!! 

I was covering ground i'd normally walk at the same pace as the bits i knew i could run. 

I was still running strong after 11 miles, but finding the ascents a little tougher. As i said earlier, miles 14 & 15 are tough! I still lost time on them compared to my average miles so far, but i was running along them competently, picking my footfalls seemingly by intuition rather than thought. Once again i came to the realisation that crazy torchlit runs up & down Skiddaw in foul weather had improved my foot placement on technical ground. Descending Jenkins Path, at speed, in darkness & cloud with only a headtorch for illumination apparently works wonders!! 

I was still running at the end, calves cramping, thighs aching, but smiling. I knocked 21minutes 18 seconds off my pb, 3:02'42!! So close to my goal of a sub 3hr loop!

A distance i'd not even come close to running for 6 months, and a huge pb, have shown me that even when i think my training is doing nothing, it's actually working wonders! Never give up! 

Thanks for making it this far!! As a new addition to the blog ill be listing the shoes/clothing/kit that i'm using at the minute too!

Shoe(s)

Open Fell - Inov8 Trailroc 235 - uppers aren't brilliant but it's my go to shoe for everything, 3mm drop, super grippy & comfortable over any distance!

Trail - New Balance 1010v2 - 4mm drop, mega comfy, use for most runs that have little or no mud, perfect for river & canal paths! 

Road - i've been doing a bit of work on the tarmac this winter, Skora Base is my shoe of choice, 0mm drop, anatomical last, perfect with or without socks 

Clothing

Berghaus Smoulder Pullover - made with Polartec Powerdry it is my favourite full sleeve top, super wicking, breathable, and warm!

Haglofs Gram Smock - seriously impressed with this, made with Gore-Tex Active Shell it has barely been off my back this winter! Breathability to the max, 100% waterproof, a genuine must have!

And a special mention to inov8 mudsocks, bought them on recommendation of a friend, best socks i've ever ran in!

Ok, i've talked enough! I'll leave you with some recent photo's! 

Hello Bob

Evening peoples, this week i once again had the pleasure & honour of being joined by Mark Lyons (@runner786) for a few gentle miles in the Lakes. 

Now, when i say gentle miles, i don't really mean it! We'd decided to do leg 2 of the Bob Graham Round. Leg 2 runs from Threlkeld to Dunmail Raise, via 12 peaks, in around 13 miles, and over 5k of vert, and around 4500k of descent. See, nice & gentle! 

We agreed to meet at Dunmail Raise layby to drop one of the cars, and head to Threlkeld to the start. Leaving home the weather was perfect, cool with clear blue skies and sunshine. As i hit Keswick it started to cloud over but nothing too bad, and the cloud was higher than Skiddaw summit which is always a good sign. Toward Dunmail the very top of Helvellyn was in cloud, but everything else was clear. 

From Threlkeld you head straight up Clough Head. Straight up! In less than 2 wet, boggy steep miles, you climb over 2,000ft! Not surprisingly when we reached the summit there were high winds and about 30ft visibility.

We ran on to Great Dodd, Watson Dodd and Stybarrow Dodd. I was coping ok on the flats & descents but the climbs were literally killing me!

I'd started out with compression calf sleeves on, but i rolled them down half way up Stybarrow Dodd, my calves just felt restricted, so they'll be staying purely for recovery from now on!

Heading up to raise the weather started to deteriorate, the wind was picking up, it was cold, and visibility was reducing by the minute. 

We made the summit, and i boosted a Gü energy gel to try and pick me up on the climbs. Then we took off over the rocky section to Whiteside. 

                      Mark on Raise

The next climb upto Helvellyn Lower Man just about saw me off, and Mark looked a bit cold with my pace slowing us. An icy rain had also started by now, which was just wonderful. Not! 

We reached the high point of the route on Helvellyn, Took a very quick photo, of absolutely nothing as it was so cloudy, and then legged it to the shelter to hide from the wind for a minute and grab a drink. 

           Views on Helvellyn - Mark

We had decided at this point to skip the final 2 peaks (Fairfield & Seat Sandal) which still left Nethermost Pike & Dollywagon Pike. We ran on from the shelter, and hit the ascent to Nethermost Pike, where i promptly stacked it and burst out laughing! The ridgeline to Dollywagon Pike usually offers amazing views over High Crags & Ruthwaite Cove, today however we were more intent on finding the fenceline descent to Grisedale Hause. Which as Mark called it 'a line so steep i thought i was dropping into Lucifers toilet' and gave our quads a pretty good beasting! 

We took the Raise Beck trail path back to Dunmail Raise, a technical, rocky descent which was just enough to finish us off! 

All said & done we'd covered 11.2 miles with 4475ft of ascent & 4088ft of descent. Soaked the bone, cold, muddy, and happy as Larry :-) 

Next time i'm heading to Marks playground, Rubberslaw! 

2 Skiddaw Runs & A Buttermere Wander

Hello Peoples!!
Firstly thank you for the responses to my last post, much appreciated.

So it's been a couple of weeks since i wrote on here, as usual! In the last two weeks though i've had 3 really good runs with a few short ones thrown in for good measure!
Firstly Agent A and I had an early morning jaunt up a frozen Skiddaw last Monday before i had a day at work. The temperature in town was cold, but manageable, and i set off before Adam arrived, he's faster than me anyway! I got up Latrigg in average time, but had bad stomach issues as soon as i hit Jenkins Path which slowed me down a bit. Adam soon caught me at the first gate on the ascent of Jenkins and we power hiked up the zig zags and resumed a very slow pace to the stile below Little Man.
My legs were like lead, i had no strength for some reason, but we ran on and then power hiked up the last climb to the summit plateau and jogged to the summit.

 It was a bit cold on the summit!

 As proven by the ice on Adams legs!

 Agent A braving the elements too

Agent A descending from the summit

The descent was fun as always, steep technical trail interspersed with hard packed paths, leading into Latrigg which is a fast path back to the car. I then went to work, which was fun on knackered legs!

The next day Matt text to say he was up for a run of our local route, a mixed bag of tarmac and muddy fields for 3 miles. My legs were sore and tired after about 100 metres, and Matt was pushing a decent pace! I was happily surprised at the finish of the run to see we were actually faster than the same route the week before, and even got out on the bike the next day and felt ok!

The Sunday night tradition of running Skiddaw was reinstated this week after a hiatus for surgery and without me heckling people to run it, they never do! The weather was perfect, clear skies and sunshine, and the tops were covered with a healthy dose of snow.

Agent A was nursing a mega hangover at work and was in no fit state to join us (pansy) so myself, Matt and George decided we would skip Latrigg and start from Underscar Carpark. Matt & George are fit guys and soon left me for dead on the ascent, waiting every few hundred metres to make sure my headtorch was still heading up hill.

Just above the zig zags on Jenkins path the snow took over and it was a welcome return! The crunch of each footstep was amazing, and the jog up to Little Man stile, and onward to the summit stile was pretty magical under a starlit night sky. The summit plateau was enshrined in a thin cloud which dissipated quickly thankfully. 

 George (seated) and Matt on the summit

 me, stood on the Trig Point on the summit

George & I on the summit

The descent was great fun, the snow allowed for a fast descent from the summit, and Jenkins path was a joy to bound down under the moon light to the car park, once again a thoroughly enjoyable jaunt up and down a hard fell!

The weather for yesterday was forecast to be perfect for a run, so Agent A and I headed to Buttermere to run my favourite route in the mountains, and a route that Adam had never walked nor run. 

We started out with the run from the hotels along the farm tracks to the base of Red Pike. The climb up RP is a little over 2000ft in less than 2 miles, and it's a real slog!! we made the summit in 70 minutes from the car, a ways off my pb, but still pretty good going!

 Agent A (above) and Myself atop Red Pike

From Red Pike we dropped down to cross the top of Chapel Crags and climb up to High Stile. From High Stile we ran the technical ridge line above Comb Crags over to High Crag, taking us to over 3000ft ascent in less than 4 miles! The Gamlin End descent off High Crag is a quad crushing mix of loose scree (talus to the Americans) and hard stone staircase to the foot of Seat. We walked over Seat and took in some GU Chomps and Clif ShotBlocs then ran the descent to Scarth Gap, where we decided to carry on over Haystacks to stretch out the day a little longer!

 Running the ridge line above Comb Crag

 Descending Gamlin End

The first scramble on Haystacks 

Haystacks was Wainrights favourite mountain, and it's easy to see why, a mixture of steep path and rock scrambles leads the way over the fell to Innonimate Tarn, which is generally where i eat lunch if hiking the route! We briefly discussed heading over to Honister and completing the full horseshoe, but dismissed it and instead decided to cut down the sheep trod to the bothy. A quick drink and more energy blocs at the bothy and we descended to Gatesgarth in the valley bottom, and followed the lake back to Buttermere village. We quickly spruced ourselves up (deodorant and a change of t-shirt) and we went to the little cafe and destroyed some amazing sausage baps and a few cans of coke! all in all an absolutely fantastic few hours on the fells, and i think Adam was suitable impressed with the choice of route!

 Innonimate Tarn on Haystacks

The view of Crummock and Buttermere from the Bothy is worth the hard work!

The End 

(until next time)