SportsShoes Blog

The Lakeland Hundred takes place on 31^st July 1^st and 2^nd of August.

Competitors set off at 7.30pm on Friday and have 40 hours to complete the course.

The race route starts and finishes in Coniston Cumbria, circling the outer reaches of the national park.

The route avoids the high fells but with 100 miles and over 20,000ft of ascent, it is certainly not to be taken lightly. To put it into perspective, four times around the route of “The Three Peaks,” would be four miles shorter and take in 2000ft less climbing.

Taking part in such a long event brings with it many different kinds of running related problems.

Obviously there is the distance, the time spent on your feet. Should you sleep or not. Running in the dark and how to best navigate at night. What and when to eat and drink. The best kit for the job and how to transport that kit around. Finally for me the killer….how to avoid what I term as…. “The Archimedes Principle”

Wikepedia describes Archimedes as a mathematician and philosopher, and tells us he is his famous for making a startling discovery. Now we are supposed to believe that as he lowered himself into his bath, he suddenly realised that his weight, placed in the water, caused the water level to rise. So thrilled with this realisation was he that he jumped up shouting, “Eureka – I have it” This does seem a bit obvious and I think as usual, history has a slightly distorted view of things. It’s my belief that his moment of enlightenment was for a different and more painful reason. Was Archimedes a long distance runner?

Running, whilst requiring physical effort, could not really be described as a contact sport. Long distance running is a whole different kettle of fish. How often have you seen marathon runners with a blooded vest because they forgot to cover their nipples? Ultra distance running is even more open to this heavy body contact. Running 100 miles with a ruc-sack or bumbag brings pain in places you did not know you had. Add to that what can best be described as the sanding of your nether regions that no amount of Vasaline will prevent, and you are ready to discover what our Philosopher friend had on his mind. Only then, after your first really long run will you make a startling discovery of your own. As you gingerly lower yourself into your bath water, you will discover the true meaning of the Philosophers cry “Eureka I have it ”.

Chuffing Chaffing = the Archimedes Principle.

If you’re reading this, you are probably a runner or an endurance athlete of some kind. If that is the case, you are not normal. Believe me, your friends think you are strange. Your family, your loved ones, your nearest and dearest, even those who have known you all your life will walk away shaking their heads when you announce your latest race or challenge. They may tolerate your behaviour but rest assured they don’t understand it. Despite the fact that 40,000 people ran the London marathon last week, taking part in an endurance sport means you are not normal. You are some kind of strange wired being, different from the rest of the world, or are you?

I used to feel strange, different in someway and not sure why. When I started work, my colleagues thought of me as a bit weird. I am sure some still do. They would ask me if I was going to the pub after work and look down their noses when I told them I was going running. I am sure there were times when I would have liked a drink with them, I just wanted to run more, and I think they viewed this behaviour as anti social. This feeling of being anti social or abnormal stayed with me for many years, I did not really seem to fit and couldn’t really understand why, until I read a book by Mike Stroud called “Survival of the Fittest”

Mike Stroud is a doctor of nutrition and accompanied Sir Rannulph Fiennes on many of his expeditions including trips to the Poles. To me this book is absolutely fascinating. I regularly lend it to running mates. It compares early man and his hunter, gatherer way of life with today’s static couch potato existence. It explains how we used to run after food for 3 days before catching it, and now how we drive to McDonalds. It describes many seemingly super human feats of endurance, and explains just what the human body was and is capable of doing. It answered many questions for me and did a massive amount for my confidence and self esteem. In today’s western world, we endurance athletes are not normal, but rest assured, we are natural, so in answer to those who will ask, why have you entered a one hundred mile race? My answer is “because it is the natural thing to do”

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing more information about the Lakeland 100, What it is where it is, when it is, how I plan to train for it, how the training is going, what equipment is required, and finally how I get on, but before that… A short scene from the kitchen table when I broke the news of my race entry at breakfast the following day.

“The Lakeland 100! What’s that”? Angela my wife asked,

It’s a 100-mile race in the Lake District.

“What possessed you to do that”? Vicky, my daughter chipped in.

“Dad have you gone mad”? Tom, my son volunteered.

Angela said nothing and just looked out of the window.

They don’t understand. Why would anyone want to run 100 miles in one go? Why would anyone get up at 6am day in day out to go running? Sometimes in the dark, sometimes in the rain or worse, then in the evening, come home and do the same again? Is this absolute madness?