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

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

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