Видео

It's a lovely race! Did leg one as part of a relay team last year and ran the whole thing back in 2021 as well as this year, getting quite familiar with the route 🤣

I enjoyed most of the route a lot. The last 5km is a bit of a drag beccause it's mostly along a busier main road but overall a great course.

I do still have a couple of bits of Sundried gear! I had quite high hopes for them I think because they're a UK based brand and I wanted to support them, but I did in the end find that a lot of their bags didn't really fit my needs or weren't that well designed, so I dropped my affiliate link with them. They still seem to stock a reasonable range of sweat wicking tops and active shorts outside of their main cycling range so I may revisit them if the current bits of kit I have of theirs ever wear out. It can be easy to forget about the food! It's a huge element in the success of any physical endeavour!

@@AMostlyFunctionalJess Hey yes I think Sundried are a UK firm so good to support. I like my older wicking top and would like to replace it. If you re-link with them please do let me know how you get on with them. Cheers, Warren :)

That sounds like it's probably some plantar fasciitis! The pain typically manifests the worst in the heel. Heat treatment will do it good and also if you can massage your foot very first thing in the morning massaging across the tissue rather than long it that will help as well. Recovery is still going smoothly. Easing the knee back into running on a nice steadily upwards trajectory!

@@AMostlyFunctionalJess awesome, thanks 👌

Nice to hear how you go about your recovery Jess. I liked your part about protein intake as I know I lack that. Both in training and recovery. I’ve been using an online shop called nutricircle to bulk by protein bars (most are half price boxes) to try and add some extra grams into my diet. I’ve also just ordered my first tub of protein rebel collagen. I want to see if it can play a part in my recovery and stop my legs feeling so heavy all the time (not training heavy, just old lady heavy) Ali Bailey has recommended collagen supplements for woman who are peri-menopausal so I want to give it a whirl. I’m also going to try a bit harder in cutting a bit, not all 😁, of the rubbish out of my diet 🍏

Diet does play a huge role! I typically aim to have all my main meals contain a minimum of 20g protein, but preferably 30g+, then on lifting days and long run days I'll use a protein shake to help boost intake by another 25-30g. Snacks are usually things like yoghurt (soy yoghurt in my case) or a giant bowl of popcorn on the evenings we play D&D haha. It's just a case of striking a balance. I have a horrendously sweet tooth so I try to feed in some sweet stuff regularly otherwise I'll snap and binge a whole pile of rubbish in one go 😬 I just aim to make sure the overall diet is balanced and I'm getting enough micronutrients in as well as the macros!

@@markg99 - sorry I hijacked your thread Mark 🤦🏻‍♀️ I was reading your comment then instead of starting a new one, I ended up writing mine as a reply to yours…ooops 😁

*makes notes* never do a multiday run with Harriet

Thank you Rachel ❤ I think I've maybe learned a lot of lessons the hard way since getting into fell and longer distance running. Really I'm still relatively new to it and I think I expected far too much of myself despite my fairly low levels of experience and historic training volume. Now that the training consistency is actually stacking up now it feels like I'm a lot more prepared and more in control. Yes it is effectively a wave start race. When you enter you select the time you want to start your registration, registration takes maybe five minutes and then you set off. The walkers all start really, really early and the runners start a bit later with the really fast beans typically starting from 7am onwards. We started around 7am mostly because we didn't want to get up any earlier 🤣

and to answer 'What's next?', next structured training block starts around mid November so there will be a lil video then to go over the next big goal 😉

@@AMostlyFunctionalJess there’s so much to be learned in the first few years. Every race has its own challenges but put them all together we just get better at knowing how to tackle them. From training to racing. Biggest and best advantage you have is that you live in the perfect area to get the best trails. I’m still learning all the time and even now, with a couple of days left to go, I’m still not even sure what to wear at the start. There’s been big discussions online about footwear and sock choice. It seems lots are going for a waterproof sock choice. One minute I think I’ve made up my mind, the next I’m googling next day delivery on sealskinz 😂 The start of your race sounds very much like an LDWA event. 4am was pretty cruel for those that took that option 😮 Time on Feet did a 50 mile race somewhere in the south a few weeks back. They had a 1pm start and got to run through some of the night. Something like that sounds pretty fun. Not a usual start time for an ultra.

@@AMostlyFunctionalJess - oooh, something for next year…. I wonder what that might be 🙂 I’ve my eye on a run in January, kind of in your direction but a bit further northeast.

Beginning of March is mine, so a full winter of training (again 😅)

I think our strategy and teamwork made it relatively straightforward to get to the finish. Obviously it was hard but we paced it very sensibly, ate plenty and cued off each other effectively, which led to a very successful day out!

I think being in a pair definitely helped general motivation levels! Knee was tight on Sunday but I had a hot bath after the race, hot bath Sunday, hot bath today and I've been making sure I keep it mobile. Seems to be easing off. Going for a tiny test run tomorrow to assess how everything feels.

Yes the weather looks great! Should be a good day out.

My throat forgot how to scream part way down Oblivion and caught up again at the bottom 🤣

I’ll check your progress Jess 😁

I absolutely wished I'd gone round a bit further and descended via Black Sail pass instead 😅 the Kirk Fell descent is absolutely miserable, particularly on the scree section at the top!

I did worry about you a bit that morning! Did you manage to descend before the rain got really bad?

We descended in the heavy rain which was interesting….., but more challenging was changing into dry clothes in a phone box next to where we were parked.

Oh noooo haha, I'm glad you got down safely!

Four full days! Not as long as I would perhaps have liked but that was what was easiest to fit in around work. It's about three hours drive for me, depending on which bit of the lakes I'm going to so it's not too bad, but just far enough away that I feel like I have to go up for at least two or three days to make it worth it.

It'll be good fun! I typically run into issues with the filming process for certain video ideas. Sometimes the faff of setting up shots for how I want the video to look ends up putting me off even starting it 😂 so keeping the upload schedule loose will hopefully means those higher effort videos will be more likely to happen because they'll happen naturally

Mark and Jess…. In the same boat here 😂 I have loads of good ideas and then knock them on the head when I realise the actual film time and organisation is more hassle than it’s worth. Jess, really good to hear the summer’s been positive on the running front. You’ve had a great season. Hope you’ve found a way to keep that enjoyment going 😊

It is a faff isn't it? This whole 'being creative' business 😂 I have definitely learned how to find enjoyment in the process. Previously I was just impatient with myself all the time and upset about not being able to perform 'well', but the consistency is beginning to pay off so I just need to keep at it and keep enjoying myself!

I, unfortunately, haven't been able to justify getting a pair yet. Perhaps when one of my other pairs of shoes wears out!

I definitely thought about it, didn't really have the budget to justify getting a pair yet unfortunately and the summer racing season is coming to a close. Will look at getting a pair over the winter I think.

@AMostlyFunctionalJess Great idea, the 6mm lugs and a stitched sole looks like it would hold up well to the beatings you out the shoes through.

I'm trying to train myself to handle the heat better and it does seem to be working, just not enough for Sunday! I always put the music I use in the video descriptions. This track is Silent Shout by The Knife.

Indeed, it's all experience in the bank! Road races are really useful training tools! Really good for working on a bit of speed and getting a different training stimulus. Never done a road marathon myself, it's a beast of a challenge to take on. What month is the marathon?

@@AMostlyFunctionalJess right, yes, it should be useful to get some road running in for a while. I've had enough nettles for one summer 😆 I've got my eye on a November marathon, so I've time to train and do the shorter races in the meantime. It's at a race track, I think called Oulton Park 🏎

@@markg99 aahhh yes I've seen that one pop up in race searches. Looks like a good one for a flat course.

It was a lovely weekend!

running a lot! 😆 Lots of lovely waterfalls and plunge pools along the Tees.

@@AMostlyFunctionalJess That's good.

Yes we've had a few local fell races with lower turnouts than normal. I think people are just being more selective about the races they're entering and travelling to what with cost of living increasing. Summer is also just really busy for races so it can also be that some years more people happen to decide to do one race over another.

I did thoroughly enjoy that chip butty!

Yes there will definitely be some extra DOMs for a little while switching to higher weight and lower reps, but you've got strong legs, I suspect you'll adjust quickly! Having a home set up is great. Yes it's always a difficult one having some aspect of yourself 'public'. I've learned to navigate it through sheer volume of experience.

Thanks! Definitely quite tough on the body, especially when I run trails and fells most of the year!

Thanks Warren, yes some parts of the course were on pavement, the main road back into the village was quite busy, but the pavement wasn't busy thankfully!

I use Pace or Stride!

I'll have a look into the cobbler option. I do have a pair of Freet Calver, they seem fine for training runs but I do routinely run into this issue where if I'm moving faster over any slightly harder terrain (hard packed trail, flagstones etc) in low-no cushioning shoes, my legs seem to feel like they're detaching from my body and I begin to feel nauseous. Absolutely no idea what that's about but it doesn't happen if I wear shoes with a bit more cushioning in them. That's a me problem though and not a problem with the shoe since it happens universally with any low cushioning shoe!

It was pretty bonkers!

There was definitely more to pick apart but I think my brain is still fried haha

it was horrific lol

I'd say the terrain isn't the most exciting I've ever raced, but a lot of it is pretty runnable, which I think is why it's a popular one because you can get round a winter AL in a decent time.

It's pretty chill in terms of nav for the most part, I only missed a turn off because I was day dreaming lol

Ah wicked! It's a great event, hope training has been going well!

it were a good one

They're a great company!

It's a handy path to have within 20 minutes drive of home!

Definitely clipped lower than I'd initially planned for my pace but everything felt great so just went with the flow.

yeah, that would have been much better for sure. I'll have to do a better job of remembering to film my feet while I'm running 🤣

One of my clients ran the full winter spine! So I was avidly dot watching her for 5 days and 21 hours. Didn't catch much of Arc of Attrition other than seeing that Aliie Bailey managed to finish for a second time.

@@AMostlyFunctionalJess - well done to your client, that must have been a great watch over the days they were out. I saw a video last night of a guy who’d completed it, it really showed the elements to the full. Stunning and beautiful but utterly freezing 🥶

@@racheld1844 certainly a huge undertaking, my friend/client is still recovering, physically and emotionally.

Relatively tame for the most part so quite an accessible route with lots of great views!

Sport pursuit is a great site for finding bargains. Gotta put th emileage in before you can be certain how good the product is! 😁