Running

Various things but mainly an OMM Classic 32. Which should surely be capable. I'll give those compression straps a go

See above edit. It's a capable bag from what I hear hence my wanting to get one, if compression bodge doesn't work its n+1 bag time they have a range of sizes from 8l up.

Hmm. Fastpacking was exactly the sort of thing I had in mind and me commuting with the bag was supposed to be "training"/fine-tuning my setup for that. Some of my friends entered an overnight mountain marathon and I was thinking about doing something like that in future. So I would still like to get this bag to work, but maybe I need to fill it up then.

Maybe I can bodge my vest to take extra volume. It's the Ultimate Direction Scott Jurek thing. Would rather not have to buy anything else but maybe a compressor pod type thing will give me enough space to commute with 11l.

@rhb re: fastpacking bags.

now i've had it a few weeks I can say definitively don't be tempted by the UD fastpack 25. just about enough space and nice enough features, doesn't bounce too much when jogging but sits horribly and impossible to get to sit on your shoulders properly with the adjustment straps it uses. weight just pulls bag down and away from your back which pulls shoulders back awkwardly. used it for 2 days on south downs loaded with 8.5kg and again for l2b only about 1/4 full and my shoulders/back were killing me after about 3 hours both times. talking to a guy with the older fastpack 20 at a checkpoint stop he had exact same issues but had paid a mate to modify it with additional straps to compensate but seems more hassle than it's worth. shame as it looked bang on the money.

I've got an OMM 32 and don't have any problem with it - apart from having to let the waistband out after a sedentary Christmas period.

I have the shoulder straps really tight, the waistband tight and pull the little drawstrings on the outside tight as well.

I'd normally take a small towel, change of clothes and possibly some shoes in there, so it's not empty, but not full to the brim either. Don't know if photos of the bag would help?

i used to have a ultra8 as well, which was great for small loads

Okay, from your description it sounds like I'm doing it wrong. As above I have been trying to tighten up the waist straps (so that the weight is on my hips, rather than shoulders - the hiking pack method) and keep the shoulder straps fairly loose.

I'll try with the shoulder straps really tight instead and the waist slightly looser, so that the weight is all on my shoulders. The pack itself is great, it's just getting it to fit my body that's the problem

Sounds pretty poor design. I like the principal but think £ better dropped on a rucksack. If get to pointy end of long trail/fell stuff then a vest would be wort it for marginal gainz...

try with the shoulder straps really tight

I tighten my 20 by shoulder, waist, then chest. All are tight when done.

On the 8 it goes shoulder, chest as it uses a 'yoke' system whatever that means.

Now defo keen on 32l for the set.

found a salomon peak 30 for £80 on amazon so gonna give that a go next for fastpacking.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B014EBQ8HY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

really like that the bladder sleeve is outside the pack in its own pocket.

will definitely be using a pack liner in it though as doubt it keeps the water out that well.

^ looks good. I too late today realised i could've got hefty discount on omm 32l with all the gdpr codes knocking about!

Weekend film sorted:

https://youtu.be/NDZdsqbcGTU

Lovely day for a parkrun in Porthcawl, Wales. Bit of a journey to get there from east London though!

Lovely day for similar at Burnage. First time i've done one with a flight of stairs.

Was coughing up green phlegm last week, so “10k under 40” plan went on hold. Did the Hampstead Heath parkrun today instead. Had no idea what to expect - and came in under 21 minutes after blowing up completely on the second time up Parliament Hill

Hampstead Heath = pain whenever I've raced there.

Well done on your 21!

Ha - reminds of the cx course at ally pally a few years back!

@doubleodavey thanks!

Cracked sub-19 5k today, so now I want a sub-40 10k :)
Step one is to lay off the kettle chips...

Well done. I'm off the rails a bit, need to heal up some more first after extra tattoos before running again.

I wonder do other running groups / forum threads have similar woes to LFGSS members.

Impressive, congrats. I’m trying to get my head around sub 20, which considering 8 months ago I couldn’t even run 5k seems crazy. I’m beginning to realise the gains are becoming marginal.

Entered the Big Half (https://www.thebighalf.co.uk/) which is expensive for a half at £35 (for club runners, £39 otherwise) but it'll be a nice big occasion and serve as my HM race 7 weeks out from the London Marathon (also entered that today as I deferred from last year).

9 months to get into proper HM/Marathon shape. Put down 1:45 estimated time, so just taking 1min/km off my current best.

great work, was that at a parkrun or a road/track 5k?

Thanks! It was the Poole 5k (road) - There's parkrun in the same area, which is 2 laps of a flatter course, so might be able to go better than that...

I like hills except, it seems, when racing. They kill me so I really need to work these more into my training.

I think if you want to run fast you need to avoid hills in racing, I doubt there are many people who go faster on a hilly course.

one thing to remember when adding in hills, occasionaly train going down as well, we used to use the downhill as recovery and noticed that in races where there was a hill we'd make up 10 places on the uphill and lose 8 on the down as mentally and technique wise the uphill was attack and the downhill recovery!!

one thing to remember when adding in hills, occasionaly train going down as well, we used to use the downhill as recovery and noticed that in races where there was a hill we'd make up 10 places on the uphill and lose 8 on the down as mentally and technique wise the uphill was attack and the downhill recovery!!

Forgotten where I originally read this, but I don't think the large increase in intensity when attacking uphill gives you much of a difference in uphill speed, whereas if you take it steady and then recover/let the legs 'loose' on the descent, it'll give you a much greater difference in speed to other runners. You just have to be good at running fast downhill I suppose.

edit - ah here it is: http://fellrnr.com/wiki/Downhill_Running