SportsShoes Blog

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.

we started off 9th seeds and in our group we had poland, czech rep, hungary and gibraltar. we topped the group relativly comfortable and drew spain in the playoffs.
 
losing the opening ties 3-0 and 3-2 but winning the next 3-0 it came down to my match and id to win 3-1 at worst. had a slow start losing the 1st 11-1 but snook the 2nd in a tiebreak which gave me the momentum and won the next 2 11-3 11-4..
 
we played Scotland next, which was a really tight match again. We lost the opening matches 3-0 and 3-1 but securing the next 2 ties 3-1 and I won 3-0. With the match tied on matches and sets it went down to points and we lost by 3!
 
In the final match we played Finland and again it went on points countback but this time we managed to win by 8 points.
 
7th overall which wasn’t bad but we were aiming for 5th. The main thing though was to secure a place in the top 8 for next years event. Personally it went quite well as i won 7 matches out of 7 and a stretch of 11 unbeaten matches wearing the irish shirt..

21/09/09

Well I’ve now moved into my new flat in Manchester and I’m back into track training for a competition in Barcelona later on this week! After Trophee d’Or stage race I flew back home for a 12 day break from the bike! I was pretty busy, seeing friends and family, shopping, going out etc.  I also went to Barcelona for a 3 day holiday, it was really nice to get a bit of sun and see the sights! I’m sure my next experience of Barcelona will be a bit different though, a lot less lazing around in the sun and eating tapas and a lot more hard work!!

I’m really enjoying being back on the bike though and getting back on the track.  I’m sharing the flat with another cyclist, Dani King at the moment until the other girls get back from the World Road Race Champs in Mendrisio.  It’s really nice, situated in the student area of Fallowfield, Manchester.  It’s pretty busy around Fallowfield at the moment as its Freshers Week- we’ve stayed away though- don’t want to be catching any freshers flu!

Training on the track has been pretty mixed really, on some sessions I’ve felt quite good and on others, terrible! I guess it’ll take a while for my legs to adjust to riding the track again and get used to pace judgement necessary for individual and team pursuiting. I’m going through the motions though and hoping I’ll be able to do a decent time for the 3k individual pursuit in Barcelona.

I’ve been getting in the miles on the road after the National Senior Track Champs. The Nationals went really well, I came away with 3 silver medals and 1 bronze and a new PB for the 3k pursuit, 3.43.3

After then it was back on the road for a 24 hour week of road and rollers! My new flatmate Katie had moved in so we did some really good rides, occasionally getting lost as we explored! One particular 5 hour ride turned into a 6 hour epic where we only just got back before it got dark!!

We’ve also been doing quite a bit of test work at the moment, with ramp tests, skinfold measurements and submaximal power tests at the EIS, with the aim being to repeat them in 6 weeks time to test for specific improvements.

This year whilst I’ve done plenty of interesting fell races my big challenges have been on the bike (the Fred Whitton and La Marmotte) and whilst I thoroughly enjoyed both these events I feel I’ve missed out on a good running challenge.

So, to make up for it I’ve entered the West Highland Way (WHW) race in June 2010 - 95 miles from Milngavie near Glasgow to Fort William in the highlands.

I’ve known about this race for years and thought about doing it a few times but never actually got round to entering. It must have been fate as the other day the WHW popped into my mind for no apparent reason and I thought I’d take a look to see when entries opened. I accessed the site and found that I was bang in the middle of the entry window so after a quick check on family holiday commitments I took the plunge and sent of my application.

I’ve not yet had my entry confirmed but as they’ve increased numbers to 175 this year and I have all the required entry qualifications (previous experience of races over 65km) I’m pretty sure of a place.

This race is a little unusual as you need a support crew of at least 2 people and to make things even more difficult one of them has to be capable of running the last 2 sections with you should the need arise.

A quick text to my pals Steve and Robin and the team sheet was complete. These are two chaps that I’ve been through a lot with (sleeping on the summit of Scafell Pike and in a cow barn under a foil blanket to name but two) and they both understand long distance running. Steve has done the tour du Mont Blanc race and run the UK coast to coast solo in 3 days and Robin and I did the 3 Peaks yacht race together in 2008. Together we’ll make a great team.

So, how do you run a 95 mile race? Well, a lot of it is in the mind so in addition to putting in the miles, my first and most important task is to get the race fixed in my head. Just like Linford Christie used to visualise himself crossing the finish line in first place (after 9 and a bit seconds) I’m picturing myself trotting into Fort William - hopefully in time to beat last orders - and hopefully inside 24 hours (the cut off is 36).

I’ve already planned a few interesting training runs for next year that will build me up to the big day in June and will tell you more about these in due course.

Tomorrow its just a steady 2 hour+ run around Ikley Moor - this can be hard enough so as I said earlier I need to get my mind round carrying on for another 20+ hours…..with enough jelly babies and flat coke anything’s possible!!!

The Shepherds Skyline runs from the Shepherds Rest pub on the hillside above Todmorden and is a real classic fell race - 6 and a bit miles long with an uphill start then a long run along the skyline (believe it or not) to Stoodly Pike monument. From here you drop down a steep hillside to London Road before turning and pulling right back up to the skyline and retracing your route to the finish.

I’ve done the race a few times and really enjoy it and this year I was even more motivated to run well as my lads, wife and dog all stayed to watch.

More than that, both my boys ran in the junior races before the senior race and both did brilliantly so the pressure was really on dad to perform!!

The junior races at Shepherds are fantastic - proper fell courses even for the Under 8s - which I think is superb. The looks on the faces of the kids who ran proved to me that given the chance to get muddy, wet and tired - THEY LOVE IT.

My youngest son ran in the Under 10 race which featured a long steady climb from the start followed by a sharp descent into a stream then a hands and knees scramble back up to the highest point of the course before a plunge down the hill to the finish. As an under 10 Ben had to complete the lap twice and showed real determination and commitment to come home in 4th place. He also had his friend Jack with him who raced around the course to finish a very creditable 10th place - well done to both of you!! 

Max then ran in the Under 12s race which started in the same way but then after the steep downhill they had another serious climb straight back up the moor before dropping down and looping round to the finish. Max did exceptionally well especially as he was up against the under 14s who ran the same course. His sprint finish (which he won by a nose) was superb - but what was even better was that the lad he beat came straight over and shook his hand - a true sporting gent!!

My race also went well and I felt strong all the way around finishing in 14th place out of 263 starters. Full results here http://www.todharriers.co.uk/shepherds_skyline/skylineres2009.htm

No racing next week as it’s the second weekend of my Fell & Mountain Running Coaching Course.

Just in case any of you are interested (and to remind me for next year) here’s a listing of the kit I took on this year’s OMM 2 day mountain marathon :-

Inov8 X-talon 212 shoes (worked a treat once again!!)

Thorlo Trail socks

Hummel leggings

Hummel base layer

Ron Hill Gilet

Montane DT waterproof jacket

Buff

Karrimor KIMM Sack Rucksac - 25litre - with shoulder bottle holder and 600ml bottle - emergency whistle - Silva compass

Alpkit 400 down sleeping bag in dry bag

Trangia Pan (small) - lighter - matches - coleman F1 stove - coleman 100gm gas cannister - pan handle - titanium spork - Life Systems pocket first aid kit inc spare batteries, swiss army knife and Ibuprofen.

Day 2 clothing - Nike leggings, Under-armour short sleeve base layer - Endura arm warmers - buff - gloves (not used) - all day 2 clothing packed in sealable sandwich bags

Wild Country Solace Inner tent + poles (partner carried outer and pegs)

Food - tea bags - pork pie - brown sauce - pot noodle - Mountain House Spag Bol - cup-a-soup (not used) - cashew nuts - porridge with sultanas and coffee-mate!! - 2xSnickers - 2xBrunch bars - 2xZipvit power bars - dried apricots - peanut butter sarnies - bottle of Ben Nevis Whisky (small!!)

Waterproof bottoms (not used)

Alpkit headtorch

Survival bag

Sleeping mat cut down to 3/4 length and width trimmed to fit in rucsac.

All equipment packed in to a bin liner inside the sleep mat.

As always the first time you pull on the pack it feels quite heavy but after a few minutes you get used to it……