Being sensible

Taking a few days off to rest and then let’s give these a try ….

Inov8 trail talon 275

Maybe this year’s racing shoes. Gonna go for a little less technical and a bit more ride comfort this year. Let’s see how they go

Sundays run & stuff to remember

I followed up saturdays long run with another 7 miles on saunday to recover slowly. After a short period of ow shit that hurts everything loosened nicely and even better it’s now monday and I’ve been pretty much serious pain free all day including the left foot.  I can feel the twinges though so a day off today.

Between the two days there are a few things I ned to remember – You can switch off here this is for my own benefit so I remember.

I got my fuelling working better on the saturday.  I took bananas and the homemade honey bars and started eating after an hour and then every 3 miles or so which seems to sit well with me. I can get calories in without feeling nauseous without problems but I do wonder about how much I can carry for ultras, bananas are surprisingly heavy for the calories they provide. Might need to test a few other smaller, lighter and more calorie dense options. I mean I like the honey bars but after 30 miles I’m not so sure if they’ll digest easily.

I also ran with one bottle of plain water and one with some electrolyte supplements. Seemed to work well and although I prefer plain water I know I sweat so much I need to replace some salts and minerals. At least I felt fine after 15 and no harm done so i can keep testing this.

I wore the Inov8 ultra 290 which are GTX which I’m finding might be ideal for ultras thanks to a bit more cushioning, I lose some grip and feel on technical terrain but how much of that will I need compared to not screwing over my feet.  I noticed tightning of the laces around 8 miles on and thats my feet starting the swell so remembering to loosen the laces for once helped.  I dont need GTX for the ultras this summer as I dont want hot feet with no way of removing sweat so might have to invest in a non GTX pair.

So if you stuck around through that little lot you get some photos!

I was running out of sand and needed to get to Witches so between waves it was fartlek time along this stretch

I never look up – theres some cool stuff up there!

Hauled this heavy bastard back – Now its here I’m not quite sure what to do with it but I’m sure I’ll think of something. Sometimes I just see driftwood and think “want”

Recovery run of a different kind

After a weekend at my friends place that involved little sleep, much Guinness and a hardcore punk festival I was tired by the time I got home from work yesterday and the chances seemed high I was sofa bound but it was a sunny day and I hadn’t run in what 3 or 4?  And having read about my blogging buddies getting up and going for it I decided to do the same – thanks for the inspiration guys and gals.

It was definitely worth it, I flew! On rested legs it all felt so easy, down in the 8’s for much of it and it felt sustainable. 7 miles in just over an hour for a Witches Point run is good going for me. Perhaps I’ll be more ready for Cornwall than I thought.

Low tide on the “reef” – Slower progress but more fun

Happy accidents – I managed to take this photo of my feet while changing music and liked it

Old to New

Time to semi-retire my Inov8 xtalon 200’s I think. They can go in the back of the van for impromptu runs.  I think probably the best recommendation for running shoes is that I bought exactly the same pair to replace them. I find them that comfortable (for a stripped down shoe) and wouldnt run in anything else if I know I’m doing technical stuff. The grip is utterly fantastic and I love that I can really feel the rocks under my feet. I feel confident in my foot placement so much more in the 200’s.

But after around 3-400 miles I can see materials starting to tear and I want to run Cornwall in them – or the same model at least so I’ve got a new pair to break in ready.

This is what hundreds of miles of battering on all sorts of terrain does to a shoe. Im mystified as to how they appear to have shrunk but both old and new shoes fit me perfectly well (they are both size 11) Its a testament i think to the quality of Inov8 shoes that they have lasted this long and to be honest there are miles left in them.

To be honest the new ones don’t even take any breaking in, I did 7 miles in them yesterday and felt perfect from the off.

We did seaweed and rocks

We did more rocks and revelled in the grip

We did sand in lovely patterns

We did forest trails

Welcome to the world new shoes – I’m gonna wreck you!

 

 

Just a run

No hangover this Sunday due mainly to everyone being depressed by the Welsh rugby game and going early and my apparent determination to run so calling it quits was easy.

So off I went into the blue skies and sunshine for a quiet 5 miles or so along the cliffs – Damn you tide dont you know its the weekend!?  About half a mile in I realised i’d forgotten my camera =(  Ahh well

Two things struck me about this run. Firstly for the first 2 or 3 miles I feel like it’s hard work and I can’t get into a rhythm and then it suddenly just clicks. Now I’m treating anything under 6 miles as “short” this isn’t too bad but it does mean that every single run I’m questioning myself about how I feel for a good while and I’d much rather be enjoying myself.

Secondly I ran in my old Adidas Kanadias and the difference felt huge after running in the Inov8 Xtalons (As I was going to visit my parents on the way back I knew there would be a mile or so of road which doesnt suit the talons)  The Xtalons give sooooo much more grip on the trail. They are without a doubt my go to technical shoe now.  They give a much more comfortable ride too. The Kanadias are fine but I wouldn’t want to do anything more than a short run in them these days.

As I had no camera there are no photos but with everyone talking about cold snaps and the approach of winter I give you some photos from 2010

Soaky loved the snow> Here she is outside the pub I ran 

One of her favourite games was chasing snowballs hence the snow nose

Our attempt at a snowman ….

 

 

Find your rainbows wherever you can

Yesterday I had planned another longish run of around 10 miles, I questioned why I was doing it – Or rather a friend questioned why I was doing it which in turn made me wonder. There’s always the small improvements each time I run which have led to a 20 mile run last week.

My next event won’t be until May next year though, I’m looking to move up from the Presceli Beast half to full race which will be tough as it’s part fellrunning.  So what am I training for now? Perhaps I should be letting everything rest before a fresh assault in the new year?  Perhaps I should just be enjoying running full stop?  In fact I am so to hammer this point home to myself Sundays run wasn’t focused on anything but running all over the beach and enjoying the technical terrain.

And what better shoes than the Inov8 Xtalons for this, I’m amazed by how grippy these things are, the rubber cleats hang on to rocks like the Boston Strangler to a neck. Someone asked me for a closeup of the soles the other day and I forgot so here you go.

They also grip superbly on slippery mud too, the only drawback being that they can clog up if the mud mixes with grass and sheep shit which does bind up and cling to the soles like thus.

Pit stop required to remove 4 pounds of wet mud from feet

Overall though I’m absolutely loving these shoes and even better the foot is healing well now, I actually covered 8 miles on the beach just running about like a loon with no pain despite the rocks.

Check out the wiggles!

The run was of course beautiful, less beautiful I suspect was that it was so warm I had my top off :p  Hey it’s Enjoy Yourself Sunday so I can do what I like!

Tide going out revealing the playground

Waterfall powered rainbows!

So yeah, lifes short so find your rainbows wherever you can!

I’m back with shoe report!

So a week off running and it wasn’t too bad, I must admit it was tricky to not go out when the sun shone on the way home but I stuck to it for a whole week. And today I got to try out my new shoes (I had to hide them this week in case my will broke)

Inov8 X-Talon 200

First impressions – very comfy, at first they felt a little snug but they are so soft – like a baby deers furry ass – that they soon felt like they were already worn in.

The reason I got these was for better grip as the weather turns and I’m going to be spending much of the next six months sliding around in mud. I also wanted something for wet rocks on the beach, It’s not like I ask a lot or anything.

It’s been raining all week and so I was sure to find mud

Mud glorious mud – Sheep track in fact – And the shoes handled it superbly. The bigger lugs certainly grip this kind of stuff. No loss of traction.

Next test – Wet slippery rocky path with fallen wet leaves.  There were a few hairy moments here but then there always are in the wet. I did feel more confident in the Inov8s compared to say the Altras especially on downhills.

Sand test – Well lets be fair even i cant fall over on sand but and I was delighted to discover they kick up cool little spurts of sand behind you. I spent the next mile runing while looking over my shoulder.

They really come into their own on technical rocky terrain, they feel very nimble and precise and covering these rocks was loads of fun. Plenty of spring in them for bounds and leap and they grip superbly even on angled rocks  and slopes.

Water – I was very surprised by how water resistant they were, nothing got in at the beach but this made me a little concerned, I wasnt expecting them to be waterproof and alas if water does get in (to be fair I was sloshing around in a stream) it doesnt drain out very well.

So overall I’m more than pleased with the Xtalon 200 – They are definitely going to become my technical shoe of choice and I expect to give them a right hammering this winter. The grip is fantastci on mud and rock and they provide an immense feeling of confidence and stability. My only worry is the drainage but with some care there shouldnt be too much water getting in – basically it has to go in over the top anyway.

Oh and I have new shoes but this dude has a new coat – With chickens on! How cool is that (I was kinda jealous)

Uber cool horsie

Quick runs and new shoes

Got home today and they had arrived already – Have to recommend sportsshoes.com for extremely quick delivery!  And they fit perfectly too.

My new winter mud shoes – Inov8 X-Talon 200. When the trail gets slippery I shall grip!

I didnt actually wear them out today as I wanted to wear the altras as the foot had been feeling a bit wonky this week so new shoes might not have been the best idea. Plus they stay shiny for a while longer. But when the rain and mud arrive I am ready!

Just did around 5 miles today, my garmi wouldnt and wont pick up signal for some reason …. Hope it’s not buggered as I just spent the money I’m earning tomorrow on the track on shoes :p

Caught this moment of sun shining through on the sea

Sheep with non matching ear piercings

Long beach & cliff run plus news!

How do you keep an idiot in suspense goes the old joke. I’ll tell you later.

Anyway today it was time to see exactly how much fitness I’d lost through injury, there was a reason for this test but first the run. As I knew I was likely to be going at least 10 miles I knew I’d need water and fuel so I cracked out the salomon squishy bottles and made myself some new fuel – I hereby announce to the running world the invention of the Honey Bomb!

Working on the principle that you don’t eat with your eyes I present the first batch of Honey Bombs. I swear they taste so much better than they look … honest

Ingredients – all chucked in a bowl with no measuring.

Raisins, dates, flax and chia seeds and a dollop of honey all mixed together and placed carefully in scientific manner on a baking tray and then wanged in the freezer.

Result? I have discovered purest energy! Well I ate three of them on my run and they certainly kept my energy levels topped up. The only drawback being their incredible stickiosity. I wrapped them in silver foil so when unwrapping them I must have looked like the worlds healthiest junkie.

I was also glad to have taken a litre of water too as it started to get hot towards the end although I did actually hydrate myself all the way through which I’m disproportionately proud of. All this I packed away in my Inov8 race pack 4 which is just so comfortable I don’t even notice it’s there. The salomon soft flasks work great as once you’ve had a gurgle out of them they fold up and can be carried in a pocket until empty.

Anyway I managed just over 12 miles which didn’t feel like a struggle until the hill into Wick to my folks (another shout out to the folks) near the end which just felt like it was going on forever, plus it was half road and as we all know I hate roads. My body felt fine above the waist, the legs simply haven’t got the miles back in them yet but I’m sure that will come.

The beach was as usual beautiful even though I was going into a headwind on the way out and I managed to remember to breathe through my nose pretty much for the whole thing. This is becoming second nature which I’m especially pleased with as I know I’m no longer blowing myslf to bits early on.

Enough text they cry! Where are the photos?

Outward bound – I tried to capture the headwind but failed :p

Cliff stack – I’m waiting for this one to come down (as long as I’m not under it at the time) Also spot my superb accidental capture of a seagull

Green! I knew I’d get some green in for CeeJayKay. This is actually a very rare phenonemon called cliff snot

View from the cliffs again plus some green

WARNING! Rockpool ahead!

View running back along the cliffs (more green plus fluffy clouds for SRG)

Foresty bit (included for its greeniosity)

Field of unripened corn – Note colour!

Oh yeah so the news ….

I’ve signed up for a race in August. In Cornwall! It’s a trail run along the Cornish coastal path. A friend of mine and I are going to camp down there for the weekend as there is a bar and DJ and stuff to entertain him while I run on the saturday.

Thing is … the 20 miler I was originally going to do was full so I kind of ….. signed up for the 32 mile option. I have 6 weeks to prepare. I may well die (note to parents this is a lighthearted throwaway line I won’t really die)

Ultra or bust! Probably bust but I’m going to give it my best.

When it clicks it clicks

Despite a minor hangover I got out running this afternoon, for the first time ever I scared the world by wearing running shorts as in the lycra type ones. Along with a new Inov8 top I bought with a zip neck I was all proud of my new look :p  And the placebo effect was in full swing as I ran 7 miles at 9.37 pace which is quite frankly unheard of for me! I’m not sure why this happened but as soon as I started the legs felt awesome so I just let it all go. Weirdly my kneee did not play up once – I’m wondering why – I wish I knew but if it stays quiet I’m happy!

It was such a beautiful day at the beach and they say a picture is worth a thousand words so I won’t keep on ….

Traeth Mawr

Looking back to Monknash from Witches Point

Like a millpond

We’re in rock hopping territory here