SportsShoes Blog

Yesterday I ran the Wadsworth Trog - a 21 mile race from Old Town near Hebden Bridge.

The race is run by Calder Valley Fell Runners (CVFR) who always do a great job in planning and delivering high quality and challenging events.

Last year the race was run in snowy but clear conditions but this year whilst most of the recent snow had disappeared, the weather threw us all a new challenge in the form of thick fog which didn’t lift from the moor tops all day.

In many races this wouldn’t be too much of a problem but in the Trog, fog is exactly what you don’t want as there are quite a few miles of trackless rough moorland to contend with.

Last year I had some success in this race so this year I set off with the other 100+ runners with a personal target of making the top 10. 

After a steady start there’s a long  drag up to the 1st checkpoint on decent tracks before a drop down through the tussocks to the reservoir. From here it’s a pull straight back up a steep bank onto the moor top where all the tracks disappear and the fun starts.

I was running with 3 Clayton-Le-Moors (CLEM) harriers and the four of us headed out on a rough Northerly bearing aiming for the fence line about 2 miles away. Unfortunately, as often happens on long range bearings we drifted over to the West and had to pick up the return path to find our way to CP3 at Cock Hill.

From here the route is flagged or obvious up to the Top O Stairs but then we were back into the mirk and following a rough track past the Stoop stone and over to the Withins Ruins and CP6.

After CP 6 I dipped into my pack to try a new Maxim gel which comes in a screw top foil packet. This is a great idea as it allows you to take a couple of mouth fulls of gloop then replace the top and put the rest back in your pack for later. As anyone who’s ever used gels will tell you, the standard rip off top packets can leave a very nasty sticky mess in your pack if they;re not completely empty before they’re stashed.

From here right back to Cock Hill myself and a CLEM runner paced each other well taking turns at the front and pulling each other up hill and down dale.

Then came the toughest part of the race - finding our way back to the High Brown Knoll checkpoint and then down to the finish. The fog was still thick and despite running on a bearing we were soon lost once again. Eventually we reached a track that I recognised from my mountain biking days and I led myself and 3 others up to the CP. Here we met up with the other 2 CLEM runners who had pulled away from us an hour or so previously but had then been lost in the mist and all 6 of us set off on the home leg.

Despite another navigational error that added distance to the already long race we eventually reached the last manned CP where we were told it was flagged all the way to the finish. A mad 1 mile dash down off the ridge took us to the lowest point of the course from where it’s a killer 1/2 mile climb back up to the finish.

My legs could not transition from down to up and I lost a place to a CVFR runner but still came home to finish in 8th place overall which I was very pleased with.

Ahead of me my regular sparring partner Jason Stevens from CVFR had a storming race to finish 4th.

My Bingley team mates Ian Hill, Dave Stevenson and Helen Jackson all got round successfully and Helen won the womens race adding to Lee Athersmith’s win in the Half Trog earlier in the day.

At the finish everyone had tales of being lost on the moors and one chap claimed that his Garmin suggested he’d done over 25 miles!!

All in all a good day out and my efforts won me a pair of gloves!

Next race is the Ilkley Moor Fell race at the end of Feb - a short but tough blast around Ilkley Moor - with or without hat

I’ve always had a fascination for climbing or more specifcally climbers.

I’ve never been a climber and I doubt I ever will be but I’ve always held a deep rooted respect for what they do and both how and why they do it.

I guess to many people, probably most people actually, climbing is a rather strange, silly, pointless and downright dangerous thing to want to do - and thinking about it rationally I suppose they’d be absolutely right.

Having said that, I also once read in a book that the urge to climb, to get to the highest point and to reach the top is a trait that is engrained into a human’s DNA in much the same way as it is in forest trees that race upwards against their rivals to reach the sunlight.

We’ve all heard George Mallory’s response to the question why do you want to climb Mount Everest? - ‘because it’s there’ is what he’s reported to have said. There’s some debate as to whether he ever actually uttered these words but even if he didn’t I think they perfectly capture the spirit of climbers and climbing in general.

George Mallory, as most know, is famous for dying whilst trying to climb Everest, he’s probably even more famous because nobody really knows whether he and Andy Irvine actually reached the top or not. What is for sure is that he never reached the bottom - he died trying as so many others have done since and will continue to do in the future.

To be honest it’s stories like Mallory’s and Joe Simpson’s near death experience recounted in the book Touching the Void that make me intrigued nah fascinated by climbing - in all honesty it’s the dice with death that both attracts me and repels me from the sport in equal measure.

Why am I writing this - because I’ve just read a story that’s got me thinking. I happened upon a brief note that was requesting sponsorship for a Lands End to Jon O’Groats bike ride. Money raised is going towards buying a special wheelchair for a young girl named Beth Monks who was, until last May, one of Britain’s leading climbers. She’s now a tetraplegic paralysed from the chest down. Now I know what you’re thinking - what a waste of a young life - I bet she slipped and fell - I bet she failed to place some gear properly - I bet she was soloing and a hold pulled out - I must admit that’s exactly what I was thinking so I did a little search and discovered that none of this is true. She had a car accident and broke her neck…..

The reason I write this is that I think we as a society have, in general, lost our sense of adventure, our willingness to push ourselves, climb higher and reach the top. Unlike Beth who, in her short career visited some of the most amazing places in the world and truly experienced life on the edge, most people these days shy away from challenges and choose to lead a sedentary, safe, middle of the road life. They’ll ‘experience’ the amazing things the world has to offer in HD in the comfort of their living rooms and they’ll admire the wonderful scenery on the otherisde of the glass as they whizz along in the climate conrolled ’safety’ of their cars……

Well, almost a month has gone by now and my training seems to be going well.

I can definitely notice a difference. I have reverted to the good old classic split of 4 days a week.

Monday: chest & triceps

Wednesday: Shoulders & Abs

Friday: Back & Biceps

Saturday: Legs & bodyweight press-ups.

I feel like I am stripping some fat away and building muscle again so over all I am quite pleased.

However, it could all go a bit wrong this weekend as I am away seeing some friends and we are going for a slap up tapas meal. That means buckets of chorizo…. umm, I can taste it now! All washed down with numerous beers ( and a cheeky tequila) I predict.

Ah well, back in the gym on monday… pretend the weekend never happened!

James

Anyone reading my blog will know that this year I’ve signed up for the West Highland Way Race which is a 95 mile run between Glasgow and Fort William.

The WHW is on the 19th June so between then and now I need to get my mind into ‘going long’ mode and get some miles in.

On the 6th Feb I’m doing the Trog, a 20 mile route around the moors above Calderdale and on the 13th March it’s the Hobble a 33 mile jaunt around the moors above  Haworth. In terms of distance, both of those are just tiddly little warm up jogs although I will be going out hard in both to try and lay down descent times.

What I need before the big event in June is a long distance challenge to really test the mettle - and here it is…..

In 2007 in training for the Ultratrail Tour Du Mont Blanc I ran the 3 Peaks in the Yorkshire Dales twice back to back in 10.5 hours solo.

This time, we’re going for a triple round - yes three laps of the famous Yorkshire 3 Peaks in one go and in less than 24 hours.

To make it even more silly we’re going to attempt the stunt on the 3 Peaks Race day - 24th April. Me and my pal Steve Fry have both entered the race and the plan is to start our first lap at around 2 or 3am, do a steady jog round to finish around 9am then sign on for the race which starts at 10am. We’ll then run the race and, if we can still stay upright, have a quick swig and a bite to eat on the finish field then turn round and do it again. If we have a good third round we’ll hopefully make it back to the pub before they stop serving - now that would make a grand entrance!

The plan is to try and raise a few quid for Cancer charities as I lost a friend last year and a clubmate of Steve and mine also lost her battle with the disease in 2009.

This is the first time I’ve gone public with the plan so I guess it’s now official….

Well I can’t believe it - we’re nearly a month into the new year already. Where does time go????

So far my training has gone pretty well running most days and getting a long run in at the weekend.

I even managed to run through all the snow and ice although I can’t say it was much of a pleasure.

To be honest I think the bad weather actually increased my mileage as I had to run and bike to work a few times as I literally couldn’t get the car out.

This coming weekend it’s the Stanbury Splash fell race - a traditional New Year 7 mile shakedown around the moors above Haworth. Earlier in the same day it’s the Junior quarry run which is the first race in Bingley’s Junior Fell Championship. I hope we get a few juniors to give it a whirl as I’ve arranged the championship this year and would really like to get more kids out on the hills.

Looking a little further down the line I’m doing the Wadsworth Trog in February, Noonstones (which this year is an English Championship race) and the Haworth Hobble in March. Last year I managed 3rd in the Hobble so will be hoping to have another good run this time around.

I’ve also entered the 3 Peaks race in April but me and a friend are planning something a little bit special for that day so watch this space.

Believe it or not we are all now watching the Ben Nevis Race website to grab an entry for the race which is not until September. Entries open in the last week of January and last year all places were taken within 2 days.

The Inov-8 330s are still working well and what with all the snow we’ve had they’ve hardly been off my feet since I bought them (still think they need a dual compound sole though…)

Well, a new year again already! New year’s resolutions and new promises to myself ( some I have already broken ).

Towards the end of last year my training really fell at the wayside! Other commitments and grief from the Mrs about too much dedication to the gym ( and not other stuff that is equally as important ) really stopped any training in it’s tracks and I was lucky to get to the gym once a week!

I have decided though that I just can’t spend so much time in the gym so I have had to rethink training and goals to make them more likely to achieve.

I am now training 4 times a week…

2 full upper body workouts and 2 full lower body workouts.

I have decided I can’t commit to splitting it all down and training each body part individually so I am having to find another way and this is a 4 week trail to see how it goes.

I have done a couple so far and believe me, if you stick to mainly compound exercises you really ache the next day!

I am interested in other peoples’s opinions on this matter. Has anyone else done training like this and do they believe that it works just as well?

Snow coming down hard today so it may be a long walk to gym! If it is even open that is!

The year finished off with the National championships commencing the weekend before Christmas.

First two rounds went smoothly and not taking to long beating Ronan Peyton and Rory Byrne in straight sets to keep the legs nice and fresh for the semis.

Here I met former world no.7 Derek Ryan. Exchanging the 1st two sets 11-9 I quickly won the 3rd to go 2-1 up only for Derek to pull up injured in the 4th.

In the final I met John Rooney the 1 seed losing the 1st 11-8 a crucial stage came at 6-6 in the 2nd only for John to pull away and again take it 11-7 and unfortunately a similar pattern followed in the 3rd and losing the match 11-8 11-7 11-8… Gutted-next year!

Earlier today me and 379 other fell running loonies ran the famous Auld Lang Syne Race from Penistone Hill near Haworth.

This race has grown in popularity over the years due mainly to the tremendous enthusiasm of the organisers Dave and Eileen Woodhead (AKA the Woodentops). Dave could rightly be described as one of fell running’s more colourful characters and he and Eileen do a fantastic job of laying on superb events throughout the year and encouraging young and old to pull on their fell shoes all in the name of fun.

This year, due to the event attracting over 500 runners last year, entry was restricted to ‘just’ 400 but what a field it was. In addition to Santa, a sheep, a group of nuns and a skeleton (more about that later) the start line also contained Alistair Brownlee (world Triathlon champion), his brother Jonny (European Triathlon Champion), Ian Holmes (all round Fell Running legend), Andi Jones, Simon Bailey etc. etc. etc.

As my pal Steve Firth said in the pub afterwards, what other sport sees world champions running against folk in fancy dress - Fantastic!!

The course is a little brute - only around 4 miles in total but with snow and ice still lying thick on the tops it was a very tough race.

To sign off my fell running year, I decided not to take the event too seriosuly and dug out my skeleton suit along with my sons rather fetching skull pirate mask. This little get up went down a storm and even earned me a prize although the problem was that nobody recognised me. There were loads of folk I knew on the course both competing and spectating but instead of them seeing Andy trotting along I was just some faceless nutter in a skeleton outfit!!

To say I only had very restricted tunnel vision (the mask was made for an 8 year old) and I was rebreathing carbon dioxide with every strained breath, I think I did OK. What’s really funny when you’re in costume is watching folk react when you overtake them - it’s a funny thing but nobody likes to get beaten by somone in fancy dress and there’s a notciable acceleration or a special effort to repass you whenever you make a move (I should know I’ve never got over being passed by Captain Hook in the last couple of miles of the London Marathon - there was I in full marathon gear dying on my feet when Mr Hook came flying past with his raven curls blowing in the breeze, waving his sword around playing to crowd - Mentally scarred!!)

Anyway, that’s another year of fell running consigned to the hsitory books - my high point I think was 3rd in the Haworth Hobble and my low point dragging my sorry ass round the 22 mile Wasdale race after blowing in the first 2 miles.

I wonder what next year will bring - the West Highland Way in June is my main focus so lots of long steady miles need to be dripped into the old legs.

Right, time to get ready for a NYE party where I can quaff my Daleside Old Legover beer - curtesy of Dave Woodhead and the 2009 Auld Lang Syne race.

Happy New Year everyone  - see you next year!!

Click here to view the Inov-8 330 Mudclaw

Anyone whose read my earlier posts will know that I’m an Inov-8 convert.

I’ve been using their trail shoes for a number of years and recently tried and liked their lightest race shoe the 212 X-Talon.

As the trails have recently become a tad on the slippy side I needed to find something with a little more grip than my Adidas Kanadia trail shoes. The X-Talon’s have fantastic grip but they offer very little support so whilst they’re great for racing they’re not that good for churning out the miles in training.

I’ve never been a big fan of Inov-8’s fell shoe styling (212 excepted) but recent changes to their colourways and some subtle changes to the uppers have, in my opinion, improved the range considerably. We all know that what a fell shoe looks like shouldn’t matter a hoot but we also all know that it does and how things look can have a big effect, even if it is all in the mind.

When looking for a grippy trail shoe the 330 caught my eye and whilst I know it’s designed to be a fell racer the upper does look more like a trail shoe.

The shoes do feel slightly larger than the same sized 212 but I guess that’s to be expected as the 212 is supposed to be a tight fitting stripped down racer.

Following the obligatory walk around the house for a day, my first run in the 330s was a 90 minute trot around Baildon Moor and the first thing you notice is the massive amounts of traction that the heavily studded sole supplies. The shoes really inspire confidence in muddy conditions and certainly live up to their name.

The shoes are extremely comfy and although nice and low as a good off-road shoe should be, they offer descent cushioning from the midsole and also a noticable amount of welcome ‘bounce’ from the studs on hard surfaces.

The heel is very low, a feature of Inov-8 shoes which I still don’t fully understand, and initially I could feel a little movement when climbing steep ground. This has all but disappeared now the shoes have been wet and dried a few times and started to mould to my feet but I would prefer a higher heel to make sure the movement is not there in the first place.

The other issue is the shoe’s ability to handle wet rock - put simply, they don’t! Once you know this it is possible to use them very effectively but the first few times you try them on a wet, hard, cambered surface the results can be very un-nerving. What I know about shoe design / manufacture you could write on the back of a small stamp but I would like to have seen two lines of studs running along the length of the sole unit that were made from super soft sticky rubber.

If you have a reasonably efficient style and keep light on your feet these shoes can be used for just about anything from hard packed trails to the high fells but I think they will really come into their own on long distance fell races where comfort, support and grip are needed.

I’ve now done around 15 hours in the shoes and overall I like them very much and would gladly recommend them. If  you try before you buy to make sure you get the right size and be aware of their dislike of wet rock, you’ll not go far wrong.

Click here to view the Inov-8 330 Mudclaw

Sorry forgot to mention this little race that I sneaked in November.

It’s run every year by Bingley Harriers and it follows a very unusual format in that cyclists race against runners over the same course at the same time. You would think that one or the other would have a distinct advantage but due to the widley varying incline and ground conditions this race can be won by either (and often is!!)

It is also quite unusual as it attracts some of the countries top names from both the fell running and cyclo-cross communities along with some very steady weekend warriors, again on both two legs and two wheels - a real mixed bag.

The race starts near to the Leeds Liverpool canal between Bingley and Shipley and runs / rides to the top of Hope hill before looping around the hill and descending back via the same route - in all around 6 miles of field, track, rocky crag and exposed moorland.

Last year Alistair Brownlee (who has just been crowned World Triathlon Champion) showed up to take on Rob Jebb on his cross-bike and came off second best - that gives you some idea of just how quick Rob is on a bike - rumour has it that he passed Alistair going up to the summit with his bike on his back!!.

This year Rob was on his bike again but Simon Bailey (English and British fell champion) turned up and made use of the very wet weather to take the win.

Just for fun I did it on my bike again (cross-bike this year) and whilst I enjoyed it I found it very hard work.

Following my puncture riddled disaster at the 3 Peaks earlier this year I changed my tyres to Schwalbe Landcruisers and they made short work of the rocks, bumps and lumps found on Hope hill - I hope they’ll be just as good next year at the peaks.

Since the Harriers v Cyclists I’ve been getting some nice solid training in with a few good 2 hour + runs at the weekend during which I’ve been training my mind to ‘going long’ in preparation for the West Highland Way race next year.

Tomorrow it’s the Calderdale Way relay race where I’m running leg 1 for Bingley’s V40 (old duffers) team with my ‘old’ pal Steve Fry. Steve’s full of cold right now so I should have a relatively easy time although I’m not looking forward to the 6am alarm call.