What's next..??

My goal for 2015 was always to cross the finish line of one the biggest ultra races in the world, the UTMB a 109 mile race with 10,000 meter +/-. Now I had ticked that dream off my bucket list the problem I had now was where do I go from here.

Loving my time in Chamonix last month.. 

I have be very lucky so far with my running having the opportunity to compete in over 20 different countries to date and have toed some of the biggest races around the world! Trying to upstaged what I did the previous year is increasingly getting harder every year.. But as far as 2015 year goes, I'm about done for the year. I haven't trained much since the UTMB last month and defiantly haven't raced much either. I did how ever race the Clwydian 15 mile fell race with 3,600ft +/- the week after competing out in Chamonix just to see how my legs would cope and what they would be like under pressure so soon after a big effort out in the Alps. As predicted my legs didn't really want to play, I was running up hill ok but descending just wasn't happening with my tight quads, I was pleased to have taken the win overall... JUST! After thinking I had a 2 minute lead it came down to a 300 meter sprint at the end after a brilliant run from Mark Davies from the last check point to catch me on the descent. I crossed the line in 2:04:38 with Mark hot on my heels in 2:04:44.

A shot from a recent trail run I was on in the Lake District, UK

The following week I was home for the weekend and decided to have a run around the local Parkrun here in Conwy again with the legs still feeling sore but crossed the line in 1st overall after running in some tough conditions. The pathway was extremely wet underfoot and slippy on corners what made the times a lot slower than usual and also one of my slowest times on this course. This also took my Parkruns to a total of 15. A number what I wish to grow each year as these events are great for that 5km speed session each week and best of all they are all free to race!

Wet/Muddy conditions at the local Parkrun.

Looking forward I only have 2 more races in the calendar so far but I'm sure this will grow as we edge closer to the year. One being a home match at the Abergele 5mile race where I will run for the North Wales team in a match Vs Staffs County.

The big question is where and what will I do in 2016? Any suggestions and recommendations would be grateful. I will continue to explore and see as many new places I can around the world and compete in many new events around the UK. My first thoughts are to have 2 A races throughout the year and target everything towards these. I think these will end up being ultra races but am still very open minded on what! I would then like a further 3 maybe 4 B races what I will aim for but also use these races to help me achieve my goals in the A races. Again what races I'm not sure.. I have been researching and writing down many events but yet to set any in stone..

Along side these 5/6 races I will race local races and more low key events to help me keep my race fitness up and use them to develop my training through out the year. Something that I haven't always done over the previous years but I now I feel to move forward I need to target more key races and work towards them to achieve higher goals. I look forward to 2016 racing calendar!

Taking a moment to enjoy and take in the amazing views of the North Wales Coast Line.. 

Thanks to everyone as always who follows me and supports me along my adventures!
Paul x

Dreams do come true - UTMB

After nearly 10 years of dreaming about competing at one of the most prestigious ultra races in the world, this year I finally got to toe the start line of the world famous 'Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc'. 5 years ago I started collecting qualifying points to enter the UTMB by doing races around the world but had missed out on the lottery to gain a place each time till this year.

Dreams do come true!

The UTMB is basically a 170km race with 10,000 meters of vertical climb what circles around the Mont Blanc mountain range whilst crossing from France - Italy - Switzerland and back to France.

The adventure all started for me whilst still in the UK! Good old public transport delays made me arrive at the airport to be told my flight had closed and if I had any chance of making it onto the plane was to chat to customer service who gave me the chance to run through the airport with the aim of getting to the gate before the plane left. Lucky we made it and off to Chamonix we flew.

In the couple of days building up to the event I spent exploring Chamonix and collecting my number which generally started to get me excited to race with Gem and my old man as support crew..

And were off..!

Friday 28th of August at 18:00pm finally saw me starting my dream of racing in the UTMB. As I raced out of Chamonix the energy inside was building higher and higher but I controlled the speed and came into check point one right on scheduled time. The first section of the route was a great mixture of open trails and single tracks with a few warm up climbs for later on in the course. Gem and my old man was acting as support crew for me and was catching the organised transport the race had put on to get to the allow check points with food and nutrition for me to top up on the way. In my pre race plans I had decided to use each check point to take 10 minutes and recover/rest before taking on the next stage. The guys over at Mountain Fuel UK had kindly helped me with my fluid nutrition and I topped up my bottles at each station. I was using the Mountain Fuel Xtreme tropical flavour what was a great easy on the stomach drink to keep me moving forward.

Pleased to be going down for a change.

Supporters trying to keep the runners warm..

As I continued my run into the night we started running on a lot more single technical tracks winding up and down through the mountains of France towards Italy. For no reason at all I started to feel really tired and legs felt extremely heavy whilst trying to navigate my way over the rocky trails towards the next check point. I ran through the sub check points and slowly made my way towards the second check point where my support team was to help me re-fuel. On reaching 'Les Chapieux' check point I had lost a bit of time on my original schedule but I was starting to feel a little better and sun started to rise over the mountains in the distance what was making a stunning view to run into.. Again after a bit a food from Gem and some new bottles full of Mountain Fuel I was off again up the next climb towards Italy and the Courmayeur check point.

Refuelled and good to go again!

From here onwards my race was getting harder and harder by the step as the sun was now high in the sky with no cloud cover and temperatures reaching upto 35 degrees. Coming from Wales we defiantly don't get the chance to train in such heat and I was suffering every minute of the way.. At this time everything in my head was telling me stop and try cool down as I was going to over heat very quickly but I decided to carry to push on knowing that it was going to be down hill towards Courmayeur where dad was waiting to give me a good kicking and get me on my way again. On leaving Courmayeur the heat was getting worse and I started to lose more and more places as I moved towards the summit of Grand Col Ferret (the highest part of the course) which i started to climb in the hottest part of the day, lucky the organisers had put extra water out at the bottom for us to try and cool off. After a very long slog I reached the summit in a mess, I was extremely hot and as I stopped running to take a breath I just starting vomiting violently all over the side.. so much for the medic to keep me sat down for around 20 minutes till I had stopped being sick and they were happy for me to push on. As I descended down towards Champex-Lac aid station it had started to go a little cooler and I managed to pick the pace up again a bit and start picking people off. Each step I started to gain a bit more confidence and mentally I was over the worse of the race, or so I was hoping at the time! By this time I was over the taste of coke and water and really craved apple juice at this point.

Amazing mountains all around..

As it was night time again it wasn't an easy task for Gem and Dad to find me some apple juice but they managed to find me some and get it to me at the Vallorcine checkpoint, which is the last checkpoint they can assist before the finish ,  I was really grateful and it didn't disappoint . After another night of running and a the last of 3 big climbs I reached La Flegere check point just as the sun was rising up over the mountains in the distance what made the whole experience ever more special!! I knew from here it was all down hill and I was feeling strong and driving off the excitement inside my stomach to race hard (or as fast I could) down to the finish in Chamonix where Gem and Dad was waiting for me. I picked off a couple more runners on the run in down town to finally cross the line in 37 hours and 1 minute. Way off my original predicted time  but I was so ecstatic to finish, with over 900 of the starting 2600+ runners not completing the course due to this years tough conditions.

37 hours later....

The support I have received before, during and after the race has been amazing! I am so thankful to everyone who took the time to text me, fb and twitter message me. I even received good luck cards before the off from 2 good friends Em & Lar! Thank you to everybody.. It truly was one of the more amazing experiences I have had in my life and a huge running high to cross that finish line.

My run in numbers..

After dreaming for 10 years and trying to get into this race for the last 5 year, the big question is: What's next??? Any one got any ideas... And most importantly follow your dreams!

Paul xx

Good things come to people who wait...

After racing around the world for the last 5 years collecting qualifying points for the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc 107 mile / 10,000 meters of accent race. It's all come down to the final few days before I fly out to Chamonix to participate in this years event. I have tried over the last few years but just haven't been lucky enough to gain that lottery place. But 2015 is the year I finally get to toe the start line!

UTMB Course Profile..

Since my last blog post I have done a couple more races and that extra training ready for next weeks event. I am a strong believer of keeping speed work up whilst running ultras and not just going out doing long meaningless miles, for my speed work many of you know that I enjoy racing my 5kms and these last few weeks was no different! Below is a few race results from the last couple of weeks:

• 1st August - Conwy Parkrun - 2nd Overall in 16:48
• 8th August - Conwy Parkrun - 1st Overall in 16:53
• 9th August - Vale Of Clwyd 5km - 1st Overall and New Course Record in 16:36
• 15th August - 200th Anniversary Highbury Fields 5km - 1st Overall in 17:24
• 16th August - Richmond Ultra - (Joint) 1st Overall in 4:13 





Mountain Fuel UK, kindly help me with my nutrition. (www.mountainfuel.co.uk)

The 16th of August I had entered the Richmond 48km Ultra Race along the Thames Path in London. I wanted to run this race as my last longish run before the UTMB but also to run in the race environment what I often prefer than our training by myself. From the off it was clear the leading 3 (including myself) wanted to get away from the field and race towards the finish line. 10km in myself and 9Bar athlete Darryl Carter pulled away from 3rd and continued towards check point one. My aim was to keep a steady pace and tick the legs over without having to work too hard and ultimately not recovering in time for next week. We both come into check point one within seconds of each other and was informed we was easily under course record pace. A quick fuel up and drink of Mountain Fuel Xtreme Energy from Gem my support crew who had made the trip with me to look after me along the course, and off I went towards check point two. 

Arriving at Check Point one! 

Little did I realise this was going to be like running blind.. I pulled slightly away from Daz and was feeling great and fresh until I started to get lost! Somehow I managed to miss one of the Thames Path signs and ended up running along the streets of London right out side the Westminster buildings what wasn't a great idea I must admit.. After managing to escape form some Asian tourist who wanted to take pictures of me running I found my way back to the correct route only to see Daz further up the road. Picking the pace back up I caught up with 1st place again and we was running together towards London Bridge and ultimately check point two. Daz had also had a few problems with the navigation side of things with signs along the way, trying to navigate around busy, narrow streets along the river Thames is harder than you think! You miss one sign and you could all of a sudden miles from where you need to be what happened to us. We had overshot a sign somewhere and continued to race towards London Bridge and missed check point two. Working out we was a good mile and half passed the check point we made a quick call to the organiser explaining we had overshot the check point but had cover distance needed just via a different route and agreed to carry on towards the finish line. Problem was we both was running out of fuel and water not being able to top up in check point. The sun was beaming and both was getting warm/dehydrated, next second we ran past a little corner shop where we took a pit stop and topped up on water/coke and sweets to get us too the finish.

Finish Line - Shared the victory. 

Pushing on together, through gates, narrow alley ways and tunnels under the river Thames we finally found the finish after a few more hic-ups and shared the joint win overall. An adventure was defiantly had and I was very pleased at how the run had gone (apart from getting lost of course, covering an extra 4-5km along the way) my legs felt great the whole way, never felt any struggles and my heart rate was kept low most of the way. Great way to finish my training for next weeks UTMB.

Follow me here: http://utmb.livetrail.net

For anyone wanting to follow my progress next week at the UTMB, live tracking will be available online and updates will be posted along the way on my Twitter and Facebook pages from my support crew...

Thanks again to everyone who follows and supports me along the way!
Paul x

Race Hard, Train Easier..

Everyone who knows me will agree that I don't like to follow the crowds and do things the same as others. It's basically the same with my running, the original moto is "Train Hard, Race Easy" for me it's the opposite way round. I enjoy racing hard and training easy... Why? I don't know! I have always enjoyed racing a lot more than I have done training, maybe because I train a lot on my own i can never motivate my self to push harder when it needs but in a race I can! So I have always stuck by racing lots and training less, therefore I still get the same amount of recovery as normal athletes who train hard before racing then have a rest. I just do it the other way round! 

A great shot from my local Parkrun early on in the month.

July has been no different... I have done a few races and kept up a little training in between each race. I am now 5 weeks out from my first 100 mile race. It's actually a 107 miles with 10,000 meters of climb involved (Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc) I am really looking forward to the race, one for the area where the race is based and two that I love to challenge myself and see how far I can push my body/mind before it cracks! 

The UTMB is defiantly going to test my limits to the max, I will to heading over with a great little support crew Gem and my Dad. All i have to do is run.. simple right? They have the hard job of keeping me going and making sure I fuel up and maximise my chances of finishing! 

I have been slowly going through the kit list I am going to need for my challenge and one area I was really lacking was my fuel/food. I have played around with many of things of my other ultras and have a good idea on what I am going to use at this one but I was wanting new form of hydration. My answer: Mountain Fuel UK. They had a philosophy what was so simple but seamed to come across so effective - 

Mountain Fuel at the ready! 

‘Food first, supplementation second‘ – get your training and fuelling strategy right and you should not need to a) spend a fortune on supplements or b) guzzle supplements that may not actually be really helping your performance or health and well being.

Our products are naturally balanced nutritional supplements which have been engineered to deliver energy and recovery. Mountain Fuel powers individuals and teams involved across a wide variety of activities. Whether you are doing exercise for fun, fitness, as an amateur, a professional, into extreme and or endurance sports; Mountain Fuel has a proven track record that delivers results.

Trying to break away at the Llyn Alwyn Trail Race, but legs didn't want to go... 

After the guys over at Mountain Fuel helping me sort out a range to try, I have used and trailed a few different products of there's now and have been happy so far.. The major factor/winner for me personally is that even tho have all the nutritional supplements needed in a energy/recovery drink it doesn't sit like a tone of bricks in your stomach like many other brands. Their drinks are easy to make up and not sticky/messy either. When I'm running I don't particular like having strong tastes from my food or drink and Mountain Fuel is perfect for this as the flavours they use are nice and light and don't taste sugary and heavy like others. I will comment and give more feedback once I have used, and used these products over a range of distances and circumstances but so far can't complain! Thanks guys for helping me out on this matter, much appreciated! 

A little summery of how my races have gone since my last blog: 

11th July - Conwy Parkrun - 1st Overall in 17:25

12th July - Ty Gobaith 10km - 1st Overall in 35:59 in a new course record for this hilly course.

18th July - Snowdon International Race - 47th Overall in 1:25:41 Pleased with time as it was a longer course this year due to the 40th Anniversary. 

19th July - Llyn Alwen Trail Run 12km - 2nd Overall in 42:10 Legs just didn't want to play after 7km due to Snowdon race still taking boss! 

22nd July - Race The Train 5km - 4th Overall in 15:52 Super fast course, and very pleased with going sub 16 minutes.

Local Newspaper write up after my Ty Gobaith 10km win.

A couple of long runs in over the next few weeks and get some climbing in the legs and we should be good to go at this years Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc! 

Thanks to everyone who follows and always supports me! 

Paul x 

My UTMB attempt moves a month closer!

As June has been and gone I am now 8-9 weeks away from my first 100+ mile race and preparations are going well... So far! 

Any one who isn't sure what the UTMB is, it stands for the Ultra Trail Du Mont Blanc and is a single-stage mountain ultra marathon. It takes place once a year in the Alps, across France, Italy and Switzerland. The distance is approximately 170 kilometres (106 mi), with a total elevation gain of around 10,000 meters. It is widely regarded as one of the most difficult foot races in Europe.

UTMB Course Map.

This has been my target race for all this year and will be my biggest challenge yet.. Obviously I would like to run well and get a good time for the course but I feel that I am going to complete the race and will go back in time to come to be in a better place to race around! A lot can happen in a 24 hour + race but I am setting a very rough time of 30 hours to complete. Where there this will happen on the day we will find out but I'm sure I'll enjoy every step of the way and gain life time experience along the course. 

On way my to 8th at this years Snowdon Twilight race.

I have used the month of June more for speed work and shorter races, as I don't want to completely loose speed as I run distances. Many top world class ultra runners state that speed work is still as important to ultra runners then to shorter distance runners. I have raced distances from 5km to half marathons including uphill mountain races through out the month. A summary of my June races can be seen below: 

• 13th June, Rock & Roll Liverpool 5km - 16:53 (1st Overall out of 1396 runners)
• 14th June, Rock & Roll Liverpool Half Marathon - 79:49 Suffered from a very tight hamstring after the first 8km (18th Overall out of 5530 runners)
• 21st June, Stone 10km - 34:23 (6th Overall out of 512 runners) I was apart of the North Wales team Vs the Staffs team.
• 26th June, Snowdon Twilight Uphill 8km with 1000 meters of ascent - 51:56 (8th Overall out of 103 runners)
• 27th June, Conwy Parkrun - 17:43 (2nd out of 175 runners)
• 28th June, RunFest Wales 5km - 16:49 (1st out of 86 runners) 

Running for North Wales Regional Squad at the Stone 10km.

July is going to be more longer runs and building up the leg strength for the alpine climbs around my 100 mile race.. The next 10 weeks is all going to be a learning curve for me from training to racing for over 24hours in one go! But any one who knows me, I am going to give it 110% on the day and will do everything I can to complete this challenging event. 

People have asked me how I got into ultra running and what makes it different..?! All I ever say is give it a go and you'll be hooked. I've listed a couple of events below from a mixture of a starting ultra to an ultra for someone who wants to challenge them selfs! 

Ennerdale 50km - A great lower lever race around the beautiful lake of Ennerdale. A great mixture of fire road trails, single tracks and a small technical section along the return leg of the race. More details here: http://www.highterrainevents.co.uk/#!ennerdale-trail-run/c22jn

Ennerdale Ultra Trail 50km 

SkyRunning UK 3x3000 Ultra Trail - Based on the classic Lakes 3000's but eliminating the long road sections this will be an 80k off road route incorporating Scafell Pike, Helvellyn and Skiddaw, starting and finishing in Keswick.

From the boulder fields of Scafell Pike to the smooth grassy ridge running of the Dodds, the route combines all the elements of a classic Lakeland run combined with aspects of european style ultra running. More Details here: http://www.highterrainevents.co.uk/#!3x3000-/cfib 

3x3000 Ultra Trail

Or if you'd like a very friendly and experienced team to cover everything ultra/trail running over a weekend, High Terrain Events have a ultra trail running weekend in November details here: http://www.highterrainevents.co.uk/#!trail-running-weekends/ca3b

Example of the runs covered on the training weekend.

Thanks to everyone who follows and supports me through my adventures! 
Paul x 

High Terrain Events - Ultra Trail Running Weekend

March the 6th - 8th saw another addition of the High Terrain Events trail camps. I have been to a couple now and I can defiantly say they get better each time. High Terrain Events are a well established organisation what organises sporting events from trail runs to triathlons and duathlons across the Lake District and beyond, but they have turned that experience and passion into creating trail running camps of the highest level!

This weekends trail running camp was based on ultra running. On first evening the runners started to arrive at the Derwentwater Independent Hostel based in Keswick before kicking off the weekend with an easy lakeside introduction trail run to get to know each other and the High Terrain Events team. Everyone was greeted by the Lake District weather of strong winds but thankfully the rain held off till we had finished our run. On returning from an easy 7km run the group all got together at the hostel where I took every one through a presentation on equipment & kit selection for ultra running. It was great to start the weekend off with a topic that everyone can relate to and all take an interest in. After a group discussion and questions it was time to head for our evening meal. For anyone wanting somewhere to stay in close proximity of Keswick with amazing food the Derwentwater Independent Hostel is the perfect place. The food and portions they serve is among some of the best I've experienced.

Some amazing trails around the Lake District. 

The evening was finished off with a great presentation from the current World Trail Running Champion Ricky Lightfoot. I have know Ricky for many years now but his talks and discussions forever amaze me on how he manages to train and stay fit amongst his normal living life with his family and work. The evening was filled full of great questions from the group all wanting to learn how to train and gain the most out of the stretched time they have each day. It's a real opportunity for the runners who come on these camps to learn some brilliant hints and tips from some of the worlds best.

Everyone learning from Ricky Lightfoot. 

After a good nights sleep Saturday started of with a brief discussion on the events of the day and the introduction of 9Bar Athlete Vicci Mousley. We soon headed off down the trails right out of the back door of the hostel. We headed towards the far end of the Derwentwater Lake shores before making our way up the right hand side of the Borrowdale Valley following the Scafell Pike Trail Marathon course. The weather was still extremely blustery and the mist was down covering all the tops, but this wasn't going to dampen the groups moral and attitude towards the day. The run gave the group a perfect insight of what it takes to race the Scafell Pike Trail Marathon with the terrain changing almost every km from single technical trails to bogs and undulating terrain. On reaching the highest points of our run (Seathwaite Tarn and StyHead) the clag was right down to just above ground level and the tarns looked like we had reached the sea coast! I have never seen them so wild, this made a great example at how the weather can be in the Lake District and explained why we carry specific kit for when we do these races in the mountains for our own safety. The Scafell Pike Trail Marathon then follows the corridor route up and over Scafell Pike but the weather today wasn't going to make this a safe passage of route for the group so we started to head back down towards Rosthwaite where again we would test the legs of the group as there was a challenging climb over before we descended into the Watendlath and along to Ashness Bridge before ended up back at the hostel. Overall a brilliant 32km run covering a good section of the marathon course and a range of underfoot terrain.

Descending down from Styhead.

On returning back to the hostel we was given time to get sorted and fuel back up before Vicci kindly took everyone through a core stability and stretching workout. What everyone really enjoyed as it was something what most don't do.. Including me, who found it extremely hard and would take the 32km run again over another session. (I will try practise Vicci...!) A short break and we moved onto nutrition and a presentation from Ian Mulvey on training programs and principles for ultra running. Yet again another great insight for the group to learn another part of running an ultra marathon.

Vicci putting us through our paces.

The evening run was a head torch 8km run up onto Walla Crag. Petzl had kindly supplied the weekend with the head torches to try out on the trail. Again another brilliant route right from the hostel door and a rewarding view over Keswick on the summit before descending back down. The winds were still extremely strong and the group kept moving so we all stayed warm and ultimately safe on the mountain side. Our evening was finished off with a nice evening meal and an informal discussion on anything running / ultra running.

Saturdays route profile and information.

Waking up on the Sunday morning meant unfortunately it was the final day of the weekends camp. But High Terrain Events still had plenty of tricks and trails left to share.. We headed back up on to Walla Crag before making our way over to the Bleaberry Fells and High Seat. This morning runs was all about leaning how to navigate in the mountains and many of the group took it in turns to navigate the group to different parts of the map, before I took the group through a session on how to run efficiently uphill and downhill in the mountains. I took the group through several exercises and drills to try and share hints and tips to keep moving efficiently throughout the trails when they come to racing an ultra marathon before descending down of the trails for the final time of the weekend.

Sarah navigating our next route.

Overall the weekend was a huge success and I'm looking forward to the next trail camp later on in the year in November. (Date still to be released by High Terrain Events, but I fully recommend keeping an eye out and get your selfs booked on before the places fill up!)

Me taking the group through a few things on how to run up hill efficiently. 

Thank you to everyone who made the weekend one to remember including High Terrain Events, Derwentwater Independent Hostel, 9Bar for fuelling everyone with bars for the weekend, Petzl and Salomon running who provided some test kit for the group and to Ricky and Vicci for giving their time to come down and educate us all.

Final decent of the weekend. 

For anyone looking for some great trail or ultra races, High Terrain Events offer something for everyone from beginners to experienced athletes looking for their next challenge :

• 29th of March - Buttermere 10mile Trail Race
• 26th of April - Kielder Ultra 50/80/100km (UTMB Qualifying Race 100k only) 
• 7th of June - Borrowdale Trail Race 13/21km 
• 7th of June - Scafell Pike Trail Marathon
• 4th of October - 3 x 3000 Ultra Trail 80km (UTMB Qualifying Race) 
• 18th of October - Ennerdale Trail Race 10/25/50km  

More info and details can be found on http://www.highterrainevents.co.uk or follow them on Facebook at 'High Terrain Events' and Twitter on @HiTerrainevents

Thanks for following as always! 

Paul x 

Everyone making light work of the climbs! 

How many races can you run in a month?

With February been and gone, it was a month of great racing for me. I actually do often enjoy racing more than training just because I often train on my own and can never get to the pace or distance I would in a race. I have been fairly pleased with how the month played out and has set me in good spirits for a solid month of training in March.

Race Results for the month:

- 31st Jan / Conwy Parkrun - 1st Overall (New Course Record) 

- 7th Feb / Conwy Parkrun - 1st Overall (Broke my own course record) 

- 8th Feb / Nick Beer 10km - 7th Overall (Apart of 1st team prize) 

- 14th Feb / Conwy Parkrun - 1st Overall

- 15th Feb / Wrexham Village Bakery Half Marathon - 18th Overall (Disappointed with my run)  

- 21st Feb / Conwy Parkrun - 1st Overall

- 22nd Feb / Run Wales Rhyl 10mile - 3rd Overall 

- 28th Feb / Blackpool Stanley Park 10km (Day1) - 2nd Overall

- 1st Mar / Blackpool Stanley Park 10km (Day2) - 2nd Overall (In the exact time as day 1, even to the second) 

How the month looked on my Movescount.

As every running knows to race this much in a month it is impossible to also train in the middle. Therefore I haven’t really done much in the way of training throughout the month but was wanting to get my race fitness back before going into March where I won’t race much if at all and work on getting some good miles and hills in for preparation for my UTMB 100 mile race later on in the year. This will all start as of today as I’m sat on train heading to the Lake District where I will spend the next 12 days running around in the fells and trails with the guys from High Terrain Events. (www.highterrainevents.co.uk) 

February was also a good month for me as I got a return call up to the regional squad (North Wales) for a race later on in the year. Where hopefully I can run well and do the team manager proud. 

I often get asked by followers on Twitter about good ultra races in the UK where they can get points towards the UTMB. Bellow are two of my favourites what High Terrain Events organise: 

-Kielder 100km Ultra Trail (Also has a 80km and a 50km route option) - 26th April 2015

-3x3000 80km Ultra Trail (Apart of the SkyRunning UK Series) - 4th October 2015 

This picture tells you exactly what High Terrain Events are all about.

Both of these events are over brilliant courses and a great challenge if your looking for something to work towards in the year. All the details and entry information can be found on the webpage www.highterrainevents.co.uk 

Hope everyone had a great month of running in February, roll on March! 

Thanks for following as always

Paul x 

What goes up must come down...

Since winning the Vale of Clwyd Half Marathon back in December it all went a little down hill. I picked up the flu followed by a bug over the christmas period and into January... Training should we say was none existent! I was lucky to cover 8-12km of training in a week due to a chesty cough and no energy.

44km into the CTS Ultra..

As January approached I had a few events planned and just wanted to enjoy them as I knew I wasn't going to be race fit after a rough 5 weeks of flu. I started the year with a couple of local Parkruns followed by a 54km coastal ultra and finished off the month with a trail half marathon. Results of each race: 

• 3rd of Jan: Bangor Parkrun - 3rd Overall, 1st Senior Male
• 10th of Jan: Conwy Parkrun - 2nd Overall, 1st Senior Male 
• 17th of Jan: EnduranceLife CTS Ultra - 6th Overall
• 24th of Jan: Buff Winter Trail Wales Half Marathon - 11th Overall 

Over all I have been pleased with how the month progressed but have a lot of work and training to do going into February. 

I recently rejoined my old running club Eryri Harriers. I look forward to be running again for such a great club.. 

Course Profile from the Winter Trail Wales Half Marathon.

After 3 years of collecting 'points' and trying the lottery I got the email earlier this month from the UTMB organisation to say I finally got my place in this years UTMB 166km race in Chamonix.   

My golden ticket..!

Thanks for following

Onwards and Upwards
Paul x  

High Terrain Events - Ultra Trail Running Weekend 21st-23 Nov.

Over the weekend of 21st - 23rd of November I got the pleasure to be apart of High Terrain Events Ultra Trail Running weekend. For anybody into trail running I'd fully recommend looking out for next years camps. The fun all started as Ian, Emily from High Terrain Events and my self headed down to the Derwentwater Hostel in Keswick to get set up on Friday afternoon before our runners started to turn up late afternoon. Our itinerary for the Friday afternoon was as follows: 

Once everyone had arrived including Simon who is also part of the High Terrain Events team we had a great range of Salomon running shoes/apparel and Petzl head torches for everyone to try on our first trail run of the weekend. With many of the runners not ever had an opportunity to run on trails they were thrown right with a head torch night run along the trails of Derwentwater Lake towards Keswick. This evenings running route had a good mixture of single file trails, muddy tracks, lake crossings and rocky paths, the weather was very kind to us for Keswick. After a good little 7km to loosen everyone legs off from travelling I held the next part of our weekend talking and presenting equipment and kit selection for ultra running with a questions and answers session after where it was interesting to see what every one used and favourite bits of kit was.. Following our first class room session we all got tucked into a well deserved evening meal at the hostel. The food here was amazing and lot of selections for everyone from soups, fish to sticky toffee puddings! Our evening session was all about planning and training for an ultra run. My self, Phil Smith and Ricky Lightfoot had put an example of our training programs together for everyone to see and discuss, we had a good discussion on the different types or training, how everyones plans can often vary for different reason and how do you train for an ultra marathon whilst juggling a working and family life on top. I felt we all learnt something from each other and picked up many hints and tips to use for our future training plans. 

Route profile for our Friday evenings run. 

Saturday morning started off with a huge breakfast buffet spread for everyone and a brief break down on the plans for the day. After breakfast we had a great morning session on core stability & conditioning for runners from Phil before heading out along a great little trail along the Derwentwater  Lake before taking the group through a few key warm up sessions at the furthest point of the lake. The group got to see and learn how to warm up their muscles up and prepare on race morning before starting their future races. This mornings weather was very intermittent between sunny spells and rainy showers.. Again the group got the opportunity to see what the lakeland trails had to offer! We quickly started to climb up the trail towards Cat bells and many of the runners started to find out exactly what trail running was all about with the different terrain and gradients what you can cycle through a day on the trails. Half way up the climb myself and Phil showed many demonstrations on how to run up hill with different techniques including with or with our poles and advise for the whole group to take on board and try out along the way. 

What we was rewarded with after our climb up from the lake side...

Phil taking everyone through some exercises.. 

 On reaching the top of our climb we had an awesome view down the valley of the sun trying to break through the clouds. With many runners traveling up from the south of England for the weekend they were amazed at some of joys and views we got to witness along the way what made everyone more excited to learn more and see more of the trail running we had planned for them. 

Running into the sunlight! 

Shortly after reaching our highest point of the day we made our way across the tops through bogs and stream crossings before descending through the Rigghead Quarries onto a section of the High Terrain Events Scafell Pike Marathon race route were we gave the group a shorter and longer option back to our accommodation. Simon lead the small group what decided to head back along the lower trails whilst myself and the rest of the team took the rest of the group down to Rosthwaite and along the High Terrain Events Borrowdale race route back through Watendlath and along the river side trail back towards Keswick. It was clear by the smiles and happy vibe amongst the group that many had really enjoyed the route and trails what High Terrain had put together for the days route. On return to the hostel many were actually shocked at our total distance just being over the 21km mark as they had felt they had covered much more distance. It was only when we explained that the 3700 ft of ascent involved in the route it soon come clear why everyones legs were hurting and the call out for lunch was much welcomed by the group. 

A great technical descent for the group to play on!

Route profile of Saturday's run.

There is always one! (Usually always me) Why take the easy option..?? 

Saturdays afternoon was packed full of hints and tips as we covered ultra endurance nutrition/hydration and training in a little more depth with Phil running through his usual training programs and how plans don't always go to plan! The group of runners were great with interacting and asking questions on various aspects of ultra running training and racing. After a short little break we headed out on a second night time head torch run up Walla Crag what was a great challenging little run up after a tough day on the fells of the Lake District but everyone enjoyed the near perfect night we had with stars overhead and a clear view over Keswick from the top. We had a great 'peaceful' moment on the summit where we all turned off our head torches and just embraced the outdoors and that moment of pure silence! 

Making our way up Walla Crag..

After a nice 6km with just over a 1000ft of ascent we headed back to the hostel for our evening dinner where we were greeted by Salomon International athlete Ricky Lightfoot for his evening talk with a questions and answer session for the whole group. We had a great insight to what it takes to be a top athlete and how Ricky now balances his training around his working and family life. It was good to see how everyone suddenly realised that a great training program can be fitted in around a busy lifestyle and how everyone took something away from Ricky's talk. Leaning from one of the best athletes in the country is not something everyone gets the privilege to do. This was a great touch by High Terrain Events to arrange this for the runners who were along on the weekends camp. 

Saturday evenings run profile.

Hints and tips from Ricky Lightfoot on ultra and trail running

Sunday morning once again started with a superb breakfast from Derwentwater Hostel and followed by a core stability exercise class with resistant bands from Phil Smith before Ricky lead the group up along the trails towards Bleaberry Fell where we had a few navigational exercises for the runners who wanted to try their hands at navigating around the Lakeland Fells. We crossed a great variety of underfoot conditions including rocky trails to boggy ditches where all the runners got to practise what they had learnt over the weekend on the fells. Just before we reached the summit of Bleaberry, myself and Ricky took the group through techniques on how to ascent and descend on the mountains/fells the most efficient and effected way. We reached the summit and following a few pictures we started descending of the back through some great boggy terrain and up towards the summit of High Seat. 

Runners enjoying the climb up on Sundays run.

Every one wondering if it's safe to follow Ricky or just check the map once more..

On reaching the summit of High Seat the sun had just started to shine through and make the day even more perfect for us all. The sky had started to clear and the smiles from everyone were greater! 

High Seat summit group picture before descending down towards Watendlath

The descend was a cracker! We had a great variety of fast technical descents to waist deep bogs what many of people ending up in.. Finishing off the weekend with a really enjoyable run was just what everyone needed to top of a great weekend in the Lake District organised by High Terrain Events.. The final few km's of Sunday's were once again along the superb single file trail back along the river into the back of the Hostel. The location of our accommodation was just perfect to access the trails and fells within the surrounding area... 

Runners making their way through the bogs on the descent into Watendlath.

Making our way over the tops.

Overall the weekend was a huge success and the information/hints and tips gained was priceless! I know I will personally look forward to next years trail weekend and many other events that Ian and Emily from High Terrain Events organise through out the year. A huge thanks to Ian, Emily, Simon, Phil, Ricky and all the runners for a brilliant weekend of real trail running! 

Sundays run profile.. 

For anyone looking for some great trail and ultra races next year, check out High Terrain Events race calendar below: 

• 29th of March - Buttermere 10mile Trail Race
• 26th of April - Kielder Ultra 50/80/100km (UTMB Qualifying Race 100k only) 
• 7th of June - Borrowdale Trail Race 13/21km 
• 7th of June - Scafell Pike Trail Marathon
• 4th of October - 3 x 3000 Ultra Trail 80km (UTMB Qualifying Race) 
• 18th of October - Ennerdale Trail Race 10/25/50km  

More info and details can be found on http://www.highterrainevents.co.uk or follow them on Facebook at 'High Terrain Events' and Twitter on @HiTerrainevents

See many other pictures of the weekend here: 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/gklcfdd3m8pd5rv/AABRKgSjlbcpEEZhJsAMJ_Lba?dl=0

Thanks for reading as always

Paul 

Breathtaking views on our descent into Watendlath. 

(All pictures are the property of either myself or supplied by High Terrain Events)