Night running / LED Lenser review

The RAT was the first time I'd raced in the dark. And I've done very little running in the dark full stop. This made me a bit nervous going into the race but there wasn't a huge amount I could do about it given that the race was in August - training in the dark would have meant missing out on sleep and I decided that sleep (and so not risking getting sick) was more important.

As a member of the Trail Running Team I was lucky enough to be given a LED Lenser head torch. And I'd had the chance to practise using it when we were out in the Alps in June. I was really pleased about this as it meant I knew what I could expect from the torch and that definitely gave me confidence. In the Alps, I had felt comfortable running up and down technical Alpine trails. And so I was fairly certain I'd be ok on the Cornish coastal footpath.

I was more nervous about navigating in the dark. Whilst the race was on a well-marked long distance trail, my experience (e.g. Our trip to the Isle of Wight) has taught me that this doesn't always mean you can get away without knowing the route. We bought a map and spent the days before the race recce-ing the tricky bits - mainly when the route passed through villages. This wasn't the best option but it had to do as we couldn't head all the way to Cornwall twice and we couldn't run the whole 50k (it was a there-and-back route so that would be sufficient for recognising the whole 100k route) in the days running up to the race when we needed to be resting.

So when I stood on the start line at midnight I felt pretty  comfortable with what lay ahead.

The LED Lenser head torch was really impressive. It lit up the path brilliantly and I felt I could run in pretty much the same way as during daylight. In reality, I probably wasn't quite as fast but that's not exactly a bad thing at the beginning of a 100k race! About 30 mins in I realised that the torch was a bit tight and was pressing on my head. But I was able to adjust the strap while it was on my head and I kept on moving while I did this. It was easy to change the direction of the beam (helpful on steep downhills or uphills) and its brightness.

My one problem was my batteries running out. But this was my fault - I hadn't put in new batteries for the race and dawn was about 2 hours later than I'd expected. So the torch lasted 6 hours on not-new batteries - I don't reckon that's a bad statistic. And it had a helpful red warning light that flashed when the battery was low. Given it was almost light I didn't change my batteries. Once the batteries were low, the torch would switch itself off to preserve the battery that was left.  I could see enough to run most of the time and I was then able to switch it back on for the bits where I needed a bit of extra light.

And what about getting lost? There were a few parts where I went marginally off course or went round the perimeter of a field when I could have taken a direct route across the middle to the next stile / gate. In fact the only point where I got lost to the point that it bothered me was after dawn!

In terms of running in the dark, I now feel much less scared about this aspect of longer races. In an ideal world I'd still want to recce the night time bit of the course in advance. But a section of night time running is definitely not something to put me off a race anymore.

Nutrition - single- versus multi-day events (Hannah)

I'm really interested in nutrition and so, off the back of my recent article on multi-day versus single-day events, I thought I'd compare how I fuel myself for each of these...

Until last year my running events had mostly been on road and had maxed out at marathon distance. After my two first half marathons taught me it wasn't sensible to race on water alone, I became a committed user of energy gels. I'd use them in my long training runs and that plus water got me through a lot of races. I never particularly liked the idea of putting such concentrated sweet stuff into my body but it did the trick. I also discovered TORQ gels fairly early on - at least I knew they were pretty natural so I didn't feel I was putting something from the chemistry lab inside me!

When I started training for the Transalpine last year I did a quick calculation and realised I'd need about 60 gels over the course of the week. That just didn't seem like a particularly good idea. I also figured I would lose the taste for them pretty quickly - even towards the end of the Ironman day I find that all I can stomach is coke and that I don't fancy anything sweet for several days.

So I thought back to how I'd fuelled myself for multi-day treks and cycle rides. These had all been done on "proper food" and so I started applying this concept to my running. The intensity I'm at when I'm doing ultras is so much lower than straight road races that digestion hasn't been a problem and I've transitioned pretty well. Most of my Transalpine running was fueled by plain cake or Kelloggs Elevenses bars. During the Transalpine itself I also enjoyed orange segments, cucumber and watermelon at the feed stations. But recently I'm a convert to TORQ bars - I love the fact that the flavours aren't too sweet and that they taste natural cos of the dried fruit inside them. And thanks to the clever science of the guys at TORQ, they're obviously made in a way that gives me exactly what I need from a  performance point of view.

The other thing I've learned with multi-day events is the importance of "fueling for tomorrow". When I'm out running, I need to make sure that I don't deplete my energy reserves to a point that will be hard to recover from in time for tomorrow's run. I might sometimes take on more nutrition than is totally necessary to make sure I am always comfortably fueled. I'll also still have a couple of "emergency gels" in my pack just in case - though on the 8 days of the Transalpine I didn't touch these once.

Linked into this is what I eat after I finish each day. Through practice and  experimentation I've learned that the difference between eating within 30 mins off finishing versus not is massive when it comes to running the next day. And when I don't then the next day isn't pretty! When I'm doing training runs I'll leave some TORQ recovery powder in the car and some water. I can mix it up and have it inside me within 10 mins off finishing. It goes down really easily, contains everything I need and it's really convenient as it doesn't need to be kept cool. It's less practical if I'm light-packing though (e.g. when we were in the Isle of Wight) as I want to keep my weight down as much as possible. In that case I'll find  somewhere that can sell me a chocolate milkshake. I'll usually have a sandwich as well. And on the Transalpine they had a massive vat of quinoa at the finish every day - perfect!

Single day versus multi-day (Hannah)

Last year was all about training for the Transalpine. So our focus was on getting to a place where we could get up day after day and run the marathon distance. This year I'm training for a 100k race (the RAT) and so my training focus during this peak period is a bit different. At the moment it's all about massive days on Saturday - the sort of days that almost make ironman training sessions look short!

And this, combined with my recent trips to Chamonix with the Trail Running Team and the Isle of Wight with Brett and my bros, has caused me to compare single and multi-day racing / training and think about what I prefer.

What I've realised is that I prefer multi-day. And that it doesn't have to be about doing a race. I enjoy the journey, the adventure and the camaraderie. I enjoy the fact that the adventure is spread over several days and that at the end of each we can reflect on the day that's gone as well as plan for and look forward to the next.   Recently, I've found my Saturday runs getting longer and longer to the point where they're not much fun anymore, especially given all the hot weather we've had recently (not that I'm complaining!).

At the extreme end of the multi-day concept is Jez Bragg's journey that took him the length of New Zealand. What he did earlier this year really inspires me. The places he saw, the people he met, the wealth of experiences he built up. But there are more accessible adventures closer to home and I've found myself building a list of these - the GR20, Offa's Dyke, the Southwest Coastal Footpath, Hadrian's Wall, the Welsh Castles relay route,..... Suffice to say that there's enough I want to do to keep me going for some time. And I want to spread it over a few days and savour the experience rather than rushing to do it in one go and pushing myself into a very dark hole.

So I guess this is all a useful learning and will help me know how to plan future seasons to make sure I'm enjoying myself as much as possible. One thing's for sure - it certainly doesn't mean I'll be slacking off,  especially given the list I've now committed to "paper" above! Here's to it...

Trip to the Alps with the Trail Running Team (Hannah)

I've just got back from a really inspiring weekend in the alps with the Trail Running Team. It was just brilliant being back in the mountains spending long hours out on the trails. And I loved being able to spend time being to know the other team members. A huge thank you to Julie and Simon from Freestak for making this possible.

We arrived on the Thursday and the weather was a bit dodgy in Chamonix. So that meant we had a very chilled afternoon sitting around and getting to know each other before Julia from Tracks & Trails came to brief us on the next few days. Julia lives and works in Chamonix and was our guide. It definitely made a difference (and felt like a real treat) having someone to show us good routes rather than losing time fiddling around with maps. Julia was also full of all sorts of facts about the area (flora, fauna, history etc) and that added something to the whole experience.

The start on day 1 - pretty special!

Day 1 (Friday) was a loop out from Chamonix - we pretty much followed the Mont Blanc marathon course. It definitely threw us right in at the deep end especially given we hadn't acclimatised at this stage. But the fact that everyone finished with a smile on their face showed that Julie and Simon had picked a team of tough and determined individuals! The uphills were the perfect opportunity to get to know each other. Alpine climbs are totally different to the short sharp hills of Surrey and you can often time your ascent in hours rather than minutes. So we power walked them at a determined pace but one which was slow enough to enable us to talk - i.e. we were still aerobic. We talked about all sorts of things and I have definitely left the weekend with some new friends who will inspire me to do some exciting things.

Getting ready for the descent...

The downhills were less about talking and more about focusing. Apparently you slow by about 20% if you natter! On the first day Julia gave us a lesson in descending which I found really helpful - I wish I'd been lucky enough to have had that experience before last year's Transalpine. The tips that really worked for me were:

•  Keeping a wide stance and using the edge of the path (a bit like a bobsled)

•  Dropping your shoulder and head into the corner to bring you round (like on a bike)

• Staying light on your feet and accepting that your footing might not be perfect and you'll move on quickly

• Constantly flicking between looking ahead and looking in front (long vs short sight) - and making sure you really do look ahead and think about what's coming up

What was great about being in the mountains was that we were able to practise this technique by doing downhill reps. We had a long descent of around 1000m and split this into chunks. We'd go one at a time and leave good space between us. Then after about 5 mins we'd stop and regroup before going again. It meant I was able to refine my technique and let my brain and legs recover a little between reps. But my legs didn't get the full recovery they would at home where I'd have to climb all the way back up before being able to descend again. I felt my technique change and my confidence increase - for me this was a real benefit of the weekend and something I will take away and practise.

At the end of day 1 we returned to  Chamonix where we enjoyed the local cuisine (i.e. variations of cheese, bread, ham and more cheese). And we also had the chance to tweak our kit and nutrition before the two day adventure that was to make up the rest of the weekend. Day 2 (Saturday) was long and tough but saw us finish up high at a mountain refuge. Day 3 (Sunday) was the return to Chamonix.

Stunning view back to Chamonix after our first climb on day 2

Day 2 involved a huge amount of climbing - over 3000m of ascent and that made it bigger than any day of the Transalpine in that respect. But we were incredibly lucky with the weather and throughout the day we were treated with the most breath-taking views. At the beginning of the day Mont Blanc towered above us looking so amazing it almost looked superimposed. As the day progressed we could turn around and look back at our whole route and give ourselves a pat on the back!

Climbing...

Top of the first climb - spot the mountains peeking through the clouds...

Our big climb for the day was the Col de Tricot. The last little bit was on snow and ice and the top felt quite exposed. The descent was the type I struggled with on the Transalpine - steep and long with lots of loose rocks. But I was really pleased with how it went - partly as a result of the previous day's lesson but also cos of the leg weights and plyometrics I've been doing since January. My legs felt strong and that also helped on the uphills.

Almost at the top of the Col de Tricot

Looking back at the descent off the Col de Tricot - you can see the path zig-zagging down

After the descent off the col we were rewarded with a really delicious blueberry tart. One of the joys of running in the Alps is the alpine cafes you come across - a chance to rest for a while and refuel. That said I found that regular stops made it trickier to get my fuelling strategy right and also meant my muscles seized a bit. I've been carrying a slight muscle spasm in my right calf since the Isle of Wight and this was really sore after some of the breaks. However wearing a Compressport calf guard (hyperlink) on that leg did seem to help. I would also try and do friction work whenever we stopped to keep the muscle warm and mobile.

Blueberry tart - yum!

One of my favourite parts of the weekend was our stay at the mountain refuge. I love staying somewhere which is only accessible to those who've made a physical effort to get there. The refuge was a 2 hour hike up a very steep rocky path. The views were 360º and were amazing. The whole experience felt really special.

Mel & me at the refuge - behind us we could see our route all the way from Chamonix

Sweaty smelly clothes hanging up to dry

The view in the other direction

 As we were going to sleep (all bunked up mountain-style - side-by-side in a massive dorm with serious mountain climbers and about 30 children) there was a rush of excitement as the children all ran out of the room shaking the floorboards as they went. There was a red glow so we all wrapped ourselves in our duvets and huddled by the window to see what was going on. A beacon had been lit outside the refuge and dots on the distant mountains suggested the same had been done all around the valley. It was St John's day and this is how they celebrate.

Flares for St John's day

It was a short night as we crept out of bed at 4am so we could do some night running and test out our LED Lenser head torches. It's the first time I've run in the mountains in the dark and I really enjoyed it. I was also super-impressed at the head torch which lit up the path so well that I was confident ascending and descending on the thin rocky mountain paths.

After our early morning high altitude hill rep session we were all ready for breakfast before heading off down the mountain at 6am. I love being up at that time before the rest of the world has woken up. On this occasion we were lucky enough to see a group of make ibex grazing on the mountain - a rare treat.

Ibex

Day 3 was still long but easier in terms of ascent and descent which was welcome as we were all getting tired. That said, Julia was good at making sure we ran when we could. When you're walking the long steep climbs it's easy to get lazy and keep walking when the terrain flattens out. Julia wouldn't let us do that and I appreciated that.

As I've already said, it was brilliant being back in the mountains and I'm now feeling motivated to go back for more. I'm also now feeling confident that I am well again after my chest infection and my running is getting back on track. So it's time to start planning my race schedule for the rest of the year and committing to some events...