Running

I'm at a New Balance track event... 4x1600m relays, at a theme park... they haven't closed the theme park. It's absolute carnage.

This sounds amazing.

I reckon John Kelly has his 2021 challenges sorted - another grand round and another Pennine Way.

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By far the worst race of my life yesterday, Llangollen fell race, it was postponed from April when I’d been training for a marathon so would have been in better shape but that wasn’t the problem.

On the drive over I ate breakfast and drank a couple of coffees to get things moving before the race started. As it was a time trial there was no milling about at the start where the food usually digests and it’s uphill for the first part. Within the first few miles I was feeling really nauseous and had to continually stick my fingers down my throat to get the food and coffee up so I could get into some kind of comfortable flow without everything sloshing around. This left me really crampy at the end but I somehow managed to finish the remaining 15 miles or so from puking but didn’t enjoy a single mile.

George Foster? I gather he's cause quite a ripple...i'm not sure a lowlander has ever podiumed in any of the Matterhorn races before!

Edit: Just saw, another Brit came third in the shorter "mountain" race.

I know that a young British runner kept winning the Zermatt marathon a few years ago but not sure any Brits have done this well in the off trail events before.

I know its old news and foolish to be amazed when you compare you're own chubby plodder times with a proper athlete and be amazed by how much better they are than you but its not often I get to compare times on a route I have completed loads before.

The winner of the Men's Vertical race did the 2.3km and 700m of climbing in about 20 minutes this year. Last time I did that route it took me almost spot on one hour :D

http://matterhorn.ultraks.ch/en/pages/parcours/trail/-vertical-race-625

Edit: In 2003 I tried to do that route and had to abandon after less than 100m of climbing because I was an even fatter chain smoker and had chest pains. That was the moment that convinced me that I had to get my life together and start looking after myself. The first time I managed to get to Sunegga, three years later, it took me over 2 hours but I remember crying with happiness that I had beaten my nemesis.

That sounds grim, well done for carrying on and finishing it. Hope you didn't get any puke on your shoes at least!

My Adidas boost were slip sliding in the wet mud path yesterday. Time to sort it. Any recommendations for those traction things you can tie onto your shoes? Or is it a bad idea altogether for running? The boost are fine on road, but like iceskates off it.

The traction things are for ice not mud? Trail shoes with grippy lugs will work for mud.

I run with chains and/or cleats on ice and snow and in the early days tried to use similar for mud. Just doesn't work out well.

I have a pair of these specifically for mud runs. Grip really well. Worked well on an ice run last year too. https://outlet.asics.com/nl/en-nl/gel-fujirunnegade-2/p/T633N-9007.html?

Ta @rhb, @Stonehedge, new shoes time then hmmm.

I'm sure there is an option that is a little less mud specific than my Asics. They really suck if you have to cross a pavement...the nobbles make the traction rather squirly.

The worst problem with the chains is the fact you inevitably finish your run with one missing! Definitely much better to find a shoe that works.

Yeah, that would be annoying to lose one. Another thing to worry about gah!

Could go for the Adizero pro - seen them well reviewed.

I tried the NB fuelcell and it didn't compare for me to the Vaporfly - but I have narrow feet, if you had wider then that could be a great shoe.

My go to is still the Pegasus turbo, great shoe

Mudclaw are well regarded and you can cover some harder ground in them.

Nike Infinity Reacts supposed to be very good for general training

I use Saucony Peregrine for runs that are half pavement/road and half muddy trail.

Hoka one one speedgoats are my go to trail shoes and Clifton 7 for road which are the comfiest I’ve ever run in, definitely buying another couple of pairs when they drop in price.

+1

My mrs has used peregrines for years - trail ultras, Hampstead Heath, hill walking, pretty much everything

“Running for me is the perfect thing ’cos they are just nice people. It’s not like cycling, where you’ve got to spend £10,000 on a bike. You get a lot of arseholes in that sport because they’ve got money and they think money is the all-important thing. I can’t stand people like that. You don’t get them type of people in the running world.”

Keep amey out of running

You don’t get them type of people in the running world.

Triathalopes.

Ignite the "but you don't have to spend £10k on a bike" argument.

He's running now?
FFS. What next? Contemporary dance?

Go on Ronnie!