SportsShoes Blog

Next Saturday is the 3 Peaks Fell Race  - for me this is one of the highlights of the fell running year.

The 3 Peaks are pretty special to me as I’ve been walking, running and biking over them since I was 8 years old.

I know my way around the course like the back of my hand and could describe every step of the way in minute detail so navigation won’t be a problem.

This year I’d really like to try and get under 3.5 hours but this is a big ask as 3.39 is the best I’ve done and I felt very strong that year. Having said that I’m running OK right now so if there’s ever a chance this could be it.

The big question is how to start - do I go off fast and hang on or go off steady and try and crank up the pace as the race goes on? My head tells me to do the latter and my heart says go for it from the gun.

I’ve not done much this week but feel very tired today. Last Sauturday I cycled 70 miles to my parents in Kirkbymoorside North Yorskhire then the family and I spent Sunday, Monday and Tuesday pounding the streets of London - as tourists not runners but it was still very tough…

Wednesday I cycled to work, Thursday I ran the dog in the morning and did a club run at night and Friday (today) I just did the dog run.

I’m now entering my recovery week leading up to the race where very little training with plenty of sleep and lots of grub is on the cards.

Recovery / tapering and pre-race eating are very hotly debated topics amongst distance runners and me along with tens of thousands of London Marathon (next Sunday) runners will be trying to get it right this week.

Personally I think there’s a lot of tripe talked about it and lots of folk seem to believe that having a perfectly planned and excecuted taper and final week’s diet will grant them a star performance.

I think you need to go into a race feeling fresh and if it’s a long one well fuelled, but a good performance will only come off the back of good hard training - not good hard resting. If it’s not in the bag now, no amount of tapering or noshing will make it happen next week….