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I have a Montane Spine Jacket which so far is superb.
I do also have what i think of as an Ultralight waterproof, an OMM Kamlite Smock, which i half expected to be little more than a windproof but has actually done a very good job in poor weather.
Both jackets have the best breathability ive ever experienced from any waterproofs. But neither are what you'd call bargains.
The Decathlon jacket above is probably a sensible shout although ive generally not got on well with their stuff, but then, plenty seem to rate it highly.
Any recommendations for a fairly lightweight waterproof for fell running?
I’ve got this one for Harrier which I like a lot. Good value too.
https://harrierrunfree.co.uk/products/exmoor-waterproof-jacket
The Decathlon jacket above is probably a sensible shout although ive generally not got on well with their stuff, but then, plenty seem to rate it highly.
Decathlon has weird sizing, you often need to go a size. And their cheap stuff is definitely cheap for a reason - but go up a range or two and I'm a huge fan.
Montane minimus stretch - this has the stretch material and doesn't sound like a packet of crisps. It's also waterproof/windproof and does exactly what you need. It's not as thick/heavy as an OMM Kamleika but that gives options for layering and it works well just over a base layer. It's a great jacket that I would recommend.
Any recommendations for a fairly lightweight waterproof for fell running?
+1 Montane Minimus - I have the smock version (discontinued) as well as a OMM Kamleika - the Kamleika is a bit of a sweat bag in comparison. Got caught out in heavy rain the other day and was surprised at how effective it was.
Barefoot/forefoot? Does anyone do it? I've been off running for 9months, and just about to get back into it. Seems like the ideal time to transition.
I've effectively started the couch to 5k but with barefoot shoes/style. Seems infinitely harder than the old way. Anyone got tips or on-line resource to look at?
I started wearing barefoot shoes about 10 years ago primarily because I have massively wide feet and they fit me much better than traditionally shaped shoes and secondly on the recommendation of my wife who started wearing them as a means of strengthening her ankles to prevent recurrent sprains.( She has never sprained her ankle again since starting wearing them!)
My wife took up running about 5 years ago with a local couch to 5k club, and did a couple of 10k races in her barefoot shoes no problem. She was always trying to get me to come out and train with her, on the few occasions I did it was obvious that she has developed a beautiful smooth technique. I tried to keep up but I have never been a runner, in fact I was so bad as a child my parents took me to see a specialist doctor and I was diagnosed with mild dyspraxia, hypermobility, flat feet (fitted with orthotics) and told that I would never be able to run like other kids. Aerobically I could keep up with my wife no problem due to my cycling fitness, but my muscles would get destroyed and I would be hobbling with DOMS for days after a 5k easy run. During the first lockdown I started walking a local 6km circuit with the family to keep us active, they quickly got bored of the same route everyday but I could see that I was getting faster and faster, eventually I started to break into a run for short sections and after building up the running distance gradually over a year I could run the whole circuit.
I ran my first 5k race in April in 25:04 not fast,, but not bad for someone who didn't start running until their 40s.
Vivobarefoot have course of videos on technique and strengthening exercises
https://www.vivobarefoot.com/uk/vivo-courses.
Best advice I would give for barefoot running, is don't run before you can walk. It takes time to build up the strength in your feet that have spent years cocooned in overly supportive shoes. Build up a strong foundation by going completely barefoot as much as possible when at home or in the garden. Switch to barefoot shoes for everyday wear not just for running, so you are building strength and proper movement patterns all day every day.
Another Montane Minimus user here and would recommend it on the whole. I've got the smock version, i do find the hood annoying sometimes if it's not up, but otherwise it's nice and breathable
Nice one Ballsofcottonwool. Confirms what I thought really, that it just takes a long time. Sticking at it...
Good weekend of running?
I had a classic Saturday, 4 miles to parkrun, parkrun, 4 miles home. This was the first time since 2018 that I've run a parkrun and not volunteered as well. It was quite nice having a week off.
Sunday was a traditional LSR, 18 miles around the fields and the hills at a lovely slow pace, bloody hot mind you. The bacon sarny afterwards tasted magnificent!
I had a pretty good run yesterday - 23km with 660m+ of elevation gain.
I used it as a dress-rehearsal for the lakeland 55km in two weeks, carrying the full kit and finalising my fuelling. The ultra will be all about survival to the finish i think.
I'm still recovering from the anaemia but feeling a lot better, my VO2 max has dropped from 47 to 42 from it though :/
It's only a couple of weeks ago that i couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath, so whilst i'm feeling under-prepared it could have been a lot worse!
Dad's race at daughter's nursery on Saturday morning. ~50m sprint isn't necessarily my forte but managed to sneak a win by a hair's breadth!
Junior parkrun on Sunday saw another 10 second improvement from last week. I've worked out that at this rate it will take 36 weeks for Wilfred to beat the 2km world record 🙂
1500m this evening in the vets league, again not really my distance but should be fun
Bit of a damp but awesome 11 miler, 2000ft climbing on Saturday evening, but riding Sunday morning.
How do you folks balance the run/ride schedule? I can’t decide which one I’d rather do at the moment…much easier to answer in winter
Anyone else at the Chevy Chase on Saturday?
last long run yesterday - 15 miles with a pack, to get used to running with a pack again.
does anyone else suffer with anxiety, bought on by the amount of pockets a pack has? it freaks me right out. I always feel I'm not making best use of it 🙂
Anyway, run was alright, suffered last couple of miles, but I ran too fast, had tired legs and was relentlessly tarmac. Chevy will be a bit more stop start, and softer on the joints, so pretty confident....
Just under 20k with about 1200m+ on Saturday morning, and thankfully it wasn't too hot. I'm now officially tapering for my 100 miler coming up in two weeks.
does anyone else suffer with anxiety, bought on by the amount of pockets a pack has?
I've got the opposite problem - my large volume backpack is seriously lacking pockets, and has a single main compartment. Which is a complete PITA when you need to get anything out as it's almost certainly guaranteed to be at the bottom and you have to get everything else out to get to it.
How do you folks balance the run/ride schedule?
It's mostly running at the moment with my big race so soon, plus it's too hot to use the turbo in the garage. But otherwise I'd do 2 runs and 2 rides during the week, another run or ride on Friday, then Saturday long run / Sunday long ride.
About 10k run to Kingston last night, 1500m race, then ~10k home again.
Given how much fatigue there still is in the legs from the 100 miler I thought a tactical sit-and-kick race would suit better than taking it out from the gun. With 300m to go I surged to the front, and was surprised that someone came with me and pushed me hard to the line, but I still sneaked the win in a rather pedestrian 4:34. Can certainly feel it in the legs today, a couple more easy days before I get back into the swing of things.
I still sneaked the win in a rather pedestrian 4:34
We have very different interpretations of pedestrian!
Well done on the win!
Too hot for proper running these days IMO, even with this fairly miserable summer as soon as the sun comes out it's ruddy hot. Summer is cycling weather, you get much more of a breeze and can roll along much easier than you can run.
Did a tolerable sub-20 parkrun last weekend and doing the Leeds 10k on Sunday, just because it's there really, to keep me ticking over. Hopefully sub-40 (did it in 38:30 a few years ago but doubt I'll match that) and then mooch around looking for a cafe and something interesting for lunch. First trip to Leeds since...probably 2019 some time! Got to get up at stupid o'clock to pick up number before the 9am start, which is annoying.
I'm back at the physio again on Thursday. After my last visit, suspected meniscus tear that just wont heal. Stretching has been aggrevating it, so it is a very slow process. Some days I feel like I could go running, the next day I feel like an 80 year old with arthritis.
@thecaptain personally I love running when it's hot, and the more training you do when it's warm will help you when racing, especially if it's a warm day for your race. Spending 5 years in India meant I couldn't really avoid the heat and I got pretty well acclimatised, although I think that's wearing off now
Agree @turboferret it's certainly possible and improves with practice. My first marathon was an autumn event in Japan, the long runs through the summer there were a struggle but I did get through it. If I had no option, I'd grin and bear it, but I like the change of pace with more cycling in the summer and mostly running in the winter. Plus winter cycling can be a bit grim. I don't get cold feet running, or a bike covered in mud!
I also think at my age and size, it's good to mix things up so as to not over-use the joints. A lot of talented locals are now ex-runners with knee and hip problems.
I'm sure this has been done before, but does anyone have a recommendation for a running suncream?
Preferably something small i can carry with me in my pack
I love running when it’s hot
Me too, spent 2 weeks in Crete many years ago in August. Ran a very hilly 7-10 miles every day. Came back and won the County 10k track champs the following weekend 🙂
I’m sure this has been done before, but does anyone have a recommendation for a running suncream?
Decathlon sells a smallish spray, otherwise check out the flying and less than 100ml options.
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/spf50-sport-sun-protection-cream-50-ml/_/R-p-142883?mc=8355417
Interesting article about running in heat, says that performance drops off (gradually) above 15C, surely that will vary with person, distance, other conditions but sounds reasonably plausible to me. Sun is also important IME.
https://runabc.co.uk/running-in-hot-conditions-north
The rubber sole on one of my shoes has lifted from the foam mid sole - can anyone recommend a glue to repair please?
Contact adhesive
Is "shoe goo" still a thing?
Just had a thought. Is shoving a soft flask of water down the waistband of your shorts a thing or is it a stupid idea? Only occurred to me after watching the film Unbreakable and seeing some of the runners stashing presumably empty hard bottles down the back of their shorts.
@rollindoughnut
They've got pockets built in to their shorts to hold the flasks/bottles in place.
Some use a storage belt under their shorts
Look for ultra or trail shorts for ideas
I've got a pair of shorts that'll take a soft flask, I'm not a fan tbh, I've mainly used the pocket for my phone instead and carried the water
I thought those were pockets for gels! 10/10 to the Internet today 😄
Edit; just checked my Ron Hill shorts, no those pockets are tiny, definitely for gels. Boo!
I hung out at the final feed station for the Hever festival of endurance 50mile race today. Was just cruising home on my bike after helping out at the Pippingford mtb marathon (God I love being active), when I came across it. Was just in time to see the first two runners. Very different animals.
I love this stuff.
Anyone know any good routes in Kent worth doing? 10 - 15 miles with nice scenery.
About 41 mins today for the Harrogate 10k on a lumpy mixed course. Really enjoyed it, a lovely run along paths and country lanes. Happy enough with the time (2nd vet50) considering I've not been training, just jogging around a bit.
The Greensand way is always a good bet. I know the section from Ightham to Oxted very well from my mtb riding. It'd all run very nicely too I expect.
Chevy chase fell race yesterday.
20 miles, 5000ft of climbing. So hard. Died on my behind the last 5 miles, quads were battered, went to a run walk, and just went backwards.
Today has been ‘interesting’…
It’s weird how expectations change.
Did a half yesterday, sneaked just under 90 minutes and was not happy with how it went. Felt stodgy from the start and couldn’t really get in any rhythm. Held on to the pace, but I was on the edge all run.
12 months ago I did the same event and was absolutely chuffed to break 90, this year I did an almost identical time and wasn’t at all satisfied.
Standards have gone up.
I've got some of those trail shorts that can carry water - you can stick two 250ml soft flasks in the back. It's not a bad idea and they're not uncomfortable with the flasks, but tbh 500ml is a bit of a no-man's-land when it comes to carrying liquid: it's not enough for a long run, but for anything under an hour I wouldn't carry water anyway (and that's living in central Spain, with proper heat...) I suppose it's quite nice to be able to wet your mouth when it gets hot, but from a hydration PoV they're pretty useless.
When I want to carry water I use a waist belt with bottle holder. Do all my long runs with this (it also has a pocket for food and keys etc). Took a bit of experimentation to find a waist belt that works for me, I have to do it pretty tight but it's round my hips so isn't uncomfortable.
500ml is ok for me in winter, even for 3h runs. In summer, well I don't do 3h runs 🙂
The key with hydration is to plan your routes to pass a church or 2. Every church in the UK has an outdoors tap that is perfect for wetting your whistle and topping up any bottles.
I carry 2 500ml bottles for longer runs, but on a hot day I’ll get through those so a church or 2 is perfect for a top up.
Every church in the UK has an outdoors tap that is perfect for wetting your whistle and topping up any bottles
I did not know that, thanks.
It’s weird how expectations change
Isn't it just. From running 2 marathons and hoping to do more, to not being able to run 10m. I don't even have expectations now.
Standards have gone up.
Speak for yourself. I am revising mine down almost yearly......
How did everyone else's weekend go?
I completed my first Ultra on Saturday, in fact it was my first marathon too 🙂
Finished the Lakeland 55km* in a little over 12 and a half hours. It was brutally hot with no shade or breeze for large swathes of it. My mate had to drop out at the 39km checkpoint due to the heat, he wasn't alone by the sounds of it with MR teams helping some of the participants off the mountain with heatstroke.
Mega pleased with finishing it, I had a shitty build up to it with my own illness, stress from work, and my dad getting the big C.
That won't be my last ultra, already thinking about which one to do next
(*It was actually nearer to 59km)
@spawnofyorkshire I was at Lakeland Trails too, probably saw you at some point.
I did the 100km route, really pleased to get round in just under 17 hours. Even managed a sprint for the line to the cheers of the crowd in the park. Great atmosphere and fantastic support from the feedstations and checkpoints. I've never drunk so much flat coke in my life!
It was a killer in the heat, I just couldn't drink enough and struggled to keep eating.
My feet are shredded from the heat, my left ankle is swollen like a potato (twisted it after about 25km...) and I'm still struggling to walk downstairs. It was awesome.
This was my third ultra, did the 55km last year, got Lakes In A Day in October again. Already plotting for next year.
Anybody got tips for ultra foodstuffs? What keeps you going?
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