Indice dei contenuti per April - May 2021 in Trail Running

PAUL LARKINS Paul is an England team coach. He was three times national champion, a sub four-minute miler and a member of the GB team that finished third in the World Road Relay Champs. He’s coached every level you can imagine. “I first started running off-road with London Marathon winner Mike Gratton and have always loved the challenge, adventure and amazing views trails provide. Even today, more than 42 years after starting, me and my old school friend still love an hour along the White Cliffs, as we did with Mike in the 1970s.” PAUL HALFORD Paul self-coached himself to medals of every colour at the Welsh Marathon Championships and has run 2:28:03 for the distance. He was also top veteran at the Frankfurt Marathon. However, he has dabbled at…

SEAWEED Labelled as the ‘superfood of 2021’, this green veg is full of minerals and proteins and contains fucoidans, which has been linked to increasing life expectancy. 79% The number of cohabiting US couples found to be living unhealthy lifestyles. Stats from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, USA, who published findings last autumn, showed a tendency of couples to have the same behaviours when it comes to health. So, if you’re a runner and have good lifestyle habits, you’re probably boosting your partner’s health, too. Get extra inspiration from our feature on p44.…

Some of the top trail runners took to the tarmac as part of the Hoka One One Project Carbon X2 race in Arizona. The women’s race saw Britain’s Carla Molinaro out front for a lot of the 100km race before being passed by Andrea Tanguy of France who stretched her lead to nearly 3min to win in 7:40:36. Molinaro, the UK’s sole representative meanwhile finished fourth. Meanwhile, the men’s race was billed as an attack on the world record with Hoka pros Hayden Hawks and Jim Walmsley in the field. It was trail star Walmsley who prevailed in the race, winning in 6:09:25, just 11 seconds adrift of Nao Kazami’s 2018 WR.…

As a coach and an athlete, the most common mistake I see in runners’ training is a lack of variety. We can get stuck in a monotonous, repetitive training cycle, inevitably leading to plateau and burnout. Training, above all else should be enjoyable; a happy runner is a fast runner. And, as they say, variety is the spice of life! Why is variety such an important part of training? To start with, let’s look at the growth equation, a simple formula coined by Steve Magness and Brad Stulberg: Stress + Rest = Growth. This equation can apply to just about any pursuit in life, and is especially true in running. Stress your body with a hard training session, recover/rest with some easy running or a day off. Repeat this process…

MONTANE Innovative, lightweight, breathable clothing for endurance sports and activities in extreme environments. montane.co.uk SILVA Best known among runners for its headtorches, Silva has designed and produced gear for over 85 years. silva.se ORDNANCE SURVEY OS creates, maintains and distributes detailed location information for Great Britain. Its app is a must-have. ordnancesurvey.co.uk RUNDERWEAR The finest performance underwear that’s guaranteed to support you no matter how hard you train. runderwear.co.uk SPORTSSHOES.COM The UK’s No1 online retailer for running, trail and hiking kit. It stocks the widest trail range the UK has to offer. sportsshoes.com LA SPORTIVA Renowned for its mountain footwear, in fact La Sportiva is equally successful as a running shoe brand. lasportiva.com BRIDGEDALE Purveyors of the finest technical socks, developed to offer you the maximum comfort off-road. bridgedale.com FORESTY…

DURDLE DOOR LYNDON JENNINGS “The rollercoaster undulations of the Dorset coastline taking in the likes of Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove are unforgiving to run over, but the outlook from the peaks on the South West Coast Path are simply stunning. Even if the weather can leave a little to be desired.” GARGUNNOCK HILLS DAVID CRUM “Just a 30-minute run from my home takes me up 1200ft into the Gargunnock hills. This view of the Wallace Monument and Stirling Castle off in the distance is the one I love the most on the downhill run heading homeward. This place has kept me sane during all the lockdowns!” DEVIL’S RIDGE MICHAEL SYKES “Picking up the West Highland Way from Kinlochleven in the Highlands, a mile later sees a long and steady…

Trail Running editor Paul Larkins has run in literally hundreds of different trail shoes in recent years. Here, he talks you through the things you should be paying attention to... ASK YOURSELF A FEW IMPORTANT QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU START YOUR SEARCH... Are you going to run solely off-road or will there be a few miles on the tarmac first? How wet and muddy are your trails? Will there be any streams to cross. How about ascent and descent? Are you running on the flat? Are you looking for a fast time or a long day out in the mountains? That’s a lot of questions, but fortunately there’s just one answer: Get what works for you. There are plenty of trail runners out there who prefer a road shoe and equally…

Some runners are born. Others are made. It wasn’t until Helen started cross country, then triathlon, that a passion for the trails was kindled. Yet this double world champ is now never happier than when pulling on her trail shoes and setting off into the Welsh mountains. Having been blessed with natural talent and a super-hard work ethic, Helen rose to the top. Yet her successful career was plagued with injury due to spinal issues, rectified during a four-year break from which she has returned to competition this year. Injuries that would limit her racing, let alone her time on the trails. At first, many of her challenges on the trails came from a lack of core stability which paid its toll over the uneven ground. To tackle this in…

JENSEN BUTTON F1 ace turned trail running supremo talks off-road adventures, p22 SIMON DICKS Think it’s been cold this winter? Think again: -40°C is very chilly, p48 SARAH ROWELL From hockey boots to plimsolls to Olympic racing shoes and beyond, p56 ALECSA STEWART Run smooth, run long, run faster.... in deep mud. We show you how, p64 HELEN JENKINS Add strength and mobility to your week with this great workout, p72 JO PAVEY Once a road runner, now very much a lover off all things trail, p74…

TRAINING Spring is going to be all about lifting the pace and going that extra mile or so. With that in mind, plan at least two runs where you go 10 or 15min further; it’s as simple as that. And, once or twice over the next eight weeks, make sure you run a 20min run harder than usual. The science behind it all is equally simple. Stay the same in terms of distance and speed and you’ll plateau or get slower; add a few unexpected things into the mix and your body reacts and improves. GEAR Thinking about windproofing is a handy thing to do this time of year. Thankfuly, the really cold weather is behind us, but you can guarantee that there are still going to be some miserably…

Time it right For women, the timing of a race or important training session could be key and could give the answer to why you underperformed on a day. Scientists in Israel found exercise performance in the midluteal phase of menstruation (after ovulation, around days 19-22) was worse than during the midfollicular phase, with slower time trials and greater feelings of fatigue, reports Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. Get mentally tough If ultras are your thing, then boost your mind. Scientists reporting in the journal PLOS ONE recently returned results suggesting ultra runners were more likely to be mentally strong. This was based on self-reported attributes from questionnaires completed by 56 runners taking part in the Hawaiian Ultra Running Team’s 100-mile endurance trail run. However, researchers at the…

Is it possible to identify elite athletes by analysing their genes? Not according to a recent study published in the International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. Scientists looked at the genes of five elite track and field athletes – three speed and power-based, including Olympic long jump champion Greg Rutherford, and two endurance-based, and compared them to a control group of 503 non-elites. The study found 68 in the control group scored more highly than the power-speed athletes for genes associated with power and speed but, even more intriguingly, the elite sprinters and long jumpers rated better for endurance genes than the elite runners! It doesn’t mean that genetic make-up isn’t a very significant factor but it stresses the importance of hard work, too.…

What? Replicating the benefits of exercise by means of gene therapy and sometimes medication. Why? Not to save you from having to go out and do an hour run! It would be for the benefit of those who, perhaps due to illness or injury, are unable to exercise. Jose Bianco Moreira from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology said: “This could include individuals who’ve been in accidents, who are in wheelchairs, or who have diseases that prevent the possibility of physical expression. We want to create hope for these folks.” It’s thought it could even benefit the so-called ‘low-responders’ to exercise. How? The same process that is already being used to treat some diseases. However, we could be some way off seeing it applied to an exercise setting.…

A few issues ago, we reported that popular Trail Runner Tommy Puzey had been admitted to intensive care with an aggressive form of cancer. Recently, however, he has been in remission and is out of the ICU. All the best, Tommy! Eddie Izzard completed 32 marathons in the 31 days of January! Each day saw the comedian and actor run 26.2 miles, then perform a live virtual comedy gig to raise money for the Make Humanity Great Again fund for a variety of charities worldwide. As if we needed any further proof that Eddie represents everything that’s good about humanity and the power of running! World-beating star of trail and mountain running Kilian Jornet might have fallen short of his 24-hour record attempt a few months ago, but his Killian…

Clearly, many of you got off to a flyer in the #Run1000Miles challenge for 2021. However, if the motivation of the new year has subsided, be sure to log on to our Facebook group (Facebook. com/groups/run1000miles) to find likeminded individuals who will inspire you to keep going. You could also do what #Run1000Miles regular Neil Shoesmith (below) did and set yourself a challenge within a challenge. He decided to find a route near his home and succeeded in setting an inaugural Fastest Known Time. Whether it’s aiming to hit 100 miles in a month or training to take part in a virtual race, giving yourself a mini-target will help you to stay on track. See p109 of this issue for even more ideas. TOUGHING IT OUT Managed 146 miles this…

Britain’s longest view. You couldn’t ask for a much more enticing end-goal for a run than that. Catching a glimpse of it was the prospect when, late last summer, I was dropped off at Loch Trool in Galloway to run-hike up to Merrick, the highest peak in southern Scotland. At 843m, Merrick is a dwarf by the standards of the Highlands. Yet this giant of the Southern Uplands is most notable for having the longest potential sightline in Britain – the 144 miles to Snowdon in Wales. It’s only theoretically the longest, though, because it’s a view no one has ever seen. A little science lesson is necessary at this point. How far you can see depends on a number of factors: how good your eyesight or binoculars are, what’s…

Don’t have high expectations – not everyone loves running so they may not decide not to keep it up. In normal times, I would suggest they join a club or find someone closer to their own pace; you might find it difficult to run as slowly as a beginner and it could be disheartening for them. Another idea would be to go out for a walk together in running gear and then to start jogging for a minute or so, for as long as it’s enjoyable for them – there’s less pressure that way.…

It probably comes as no surprise that layering plays a role in running in cold conditions, but gettting it right in hot weather will also pay huge dividends. TEMPERATURE CONTROL One of the most efficient ways for the body to self regulate is by sweating, or heat loss through evaporation. A clothing system that works in alignment with the body’s own thermal regulation system will help the body stay comfortable, i.e. not too hot and not too cold. The first layer next to the skin is important for moving liquid moisture or liquid sweat away from the skin, a mid layer can be added for warmth in cold conditions and an outer layer needs to protect the body against the rapid cooling effect of wind chill and wet weather whilst…

Take to the country If you enjoy running in the mud, why not consider cross-country racing (once racing calendars are packed again)? It’s great fun, good for strength-building and, because the distances aren’t accurately measured and courses vary, you’ll have no pressure to run a certain time. My top tip would be to wrap your laces right around your shoe or use sticky tape to ensure you don’t end up losing it in the mud. Also, ignore the pace on your GPS device and simply try to maintain the perceived effort as the terrain and incline changes.…

Helen Jenkins is a double world champion, three-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games triathlete who has represented Great Britain at the top of the sport for over 15 years. Having enjoyed many years of success, Helen is now returning to elite sport following three sets of spinal surgery, and has her eyes set on a third championship win, this time at Ironman 70.3 distance. For her return to racing and running, she is working with On Running, whose shoes give her the cushioning and grip to excel. Follow her at @heljinx on Instagram or @helenjenkinstr on Facebook.…

In-house testers ed Claire, writer Sarah, assistant Hannah and intern Jack are joined by our four trusted independent experts with sports & exercise science backgrounds. TOM EVANS The British ultra running star has been cooking up a hot new trail shoe with Adidas. Hear from him below. JOHN BREWER Professor Brewer has put together a book of 500 amazing trail running experiences, p87. MARTIN YELLING Another of our favourite authors, Martin’s book Running in the Midpack (p87) is a must-read. LIAM DEE Even the snow hasn’t stopped whippersnapper Liam from testing some of the best new shoes, p88.…

EAT, RUN, ENJOY BILLY WHITE £22 Food, cooking and trail running – sounds like the perfect recipe for success to us. Eat, Run, Enjoy is a recipe book designed for runners of all levels. It features 80 mouth-watering recipes, including breakfasts, salads, main meals, snacks, drinks and desserts, all designed with the fuelling and recovery of busy runners in mind. Whether it's rye and oat porridge for breakfast, or mussel chowder for lunch, Billy White has spoken to some amazing runners, such as Ricky Lightfoot, to get their take on the perfect recipes for us trail runners. Besides the recipes, this book also includes plenty of insightful interviews with some of the world’s best trail and mountain runners, who each offer their own nutritional advice and tips on how to…

1 Run the UTMB: 100 miles in the next 30 days The holy grail for all trail runners. Elite runners take just over 20 hours, while us normal folk take anywhere between 30 and 48 hours. But hey, you have a whole month. 2 Complete a two-hour run Research tells us that the half marathon is the most popular race distance, so this is pretty much a gimme. 3 Run a fast 10km As it says. Downhill, with the wind. We don’t mind. Just get a quick one in. 4 Do the plank for 3min (or 3x1min) We did have this down for one session of 10 minutes, but that caused uproar. Give it a go and let us know how long you lasted. 5 Run 5 days in a…

25-30 Amazing! That shows some serious dedication and undoubtedly you will be rewarded with incredible race performances once that returns. 20-24 Great. Way beyond average, this is easily a top half finish. 15-19 A C-type of score. Not bad, not great. You can do better and you know it. 10-14 Hmm, something needs a bit of work here. The talent is there, but the dedication is missing. 5-9 Well, you turned up. That counts. 0-4 No comment!…

More than ever before, trail running has become very much a personal journey – partly because organised events have been understandably few and far between, but more importantly because we all understand more than ever that we’re all very different. Motivation, improved performance, inspiration and plain old fashioned expert advice isn’t the same for you or me. What drives you along the paths at lightning speed might kill me, and vice versa. Perhaps it’s no surprise that the past 12 months has seen a huge increase in personal coaches online, on social media – everywhere. Some of it is great, some of it not so, especially if you just want to log a few miles to clear your mind and experience what the UK has to offer, for free, on…

WEEK #1 HIGH KNEES Simply walk 10 metres, nice and upright, concentrating on lifting your knees high. Make sure it’s slow and controlled. CROSSOVERS A great way to loosen up tight hips. Over no more than 10 metres, move sideways, crossing back and forward in a quick, but controlled rhythm. HAMSTRING STRETCH At walking pace, over 10 metres or so, bring alternate legs up in a clawing action to increase your range of motion both in your hips and hamstrings WEEK #2 ANKLE MOBILITY Over 5 metres or so, up on to your toes and down again. Concentrate on getting a good range of motion and elevation – nice and slow. ANKLE MOBILITY Over 5 metres or so, spring left and right over a line to stimulate ankle strength and…

If losing weight is part of your reason for exercise, there is some good news from the Journal of Applied Physiology – you don’t have to wait until summer to get the biggest benefits from exercise. Scientists at Laurentian University, Canada, had 11 cyclists perform two high-intensity exercise sessions a week apart – one at 0°C and one at 21°C. The cold sessions increased lipid oxidation by 358% compared to the 21°C equivalent. It has long been established that a cold body uses more energy to keep itself warm and this study appears to show that air temperature difference is significant enough to over-ride the warming effects of exercise itself. It’s worth pointing out, though, that scientists will be looking to replicate the results on a larger sample size.…

Although you probably haven’t flown for a while, most of us are well aware of what happens when the ‘circadian system’ is disturbed. Shift work, jet lag, pregnancy and changes to our sleep pattern can cause an upheaval in our body clocks, having a knock-on effect in our everyday lives. However, new evidence from the Center for Space Medicine and Extreme Environments Berlin indicates that regular exercise was helpful in counteracting these effects.…

Rupert and Joel May ran 8hr 35min for the best lap around Leicestershire’s 62km Ivanhoe Way (made famous by Sir Walter Scott’s novel Ivanhoe). The East Midlands county is hillier than you think... In Urban FKTing there was a 21km battle for the London Circle Line. David Bone clocked 1:53:52, was pipped less than 10 days later by Dirk Schlueter was was later beaten by Julien Cazorla’s 1:30:22. Not happy about losing his Circle Line FKT, David Bone traversed the entirety of the New Forest with Mark Kerry to set a 3hr, 34min, 2sec best… That’s one way to put the demons to rest, we guess. NZ nurse Brooke Thomas chopped nine whole days off of the Te Araroa Trail FKT in January. She completed the trail from the northern…

His number one passion, flying around race circuits at mind-boggling speeds, is obviously very intense and requires sky-high fitness, so it was no surprise to learn that off-road running has always played a key role in Jensen Button’s fitness regime. “It’s great for fitness, whether you’re doing cardio work which is low heart rate or doing interval training which is basically what a lot of off-road running is because it’s never really flat. It’s a great way to clear your mind but also fantastic for reactions. You have to be on your toes the whole time, eyes on the trail, have to keep your wits about you and react to what’s in front of you, especially if you’re doing hard efforts. I love my trail running for fitness, but also…

1 SIGN UP ONLINE Visit run1000miles.co.uk to register. We have special 2021 #Run1000Mile ruffs (pictured, left) for you to wear while you complete your challenge. They’re on sale now for £8.99 – so make sure you order yours today. Stock is extremely limited! 2 DO A PLEDGE Visit the website, download the #Run1000Miles pledge, sign it, take a picture of it and post it on social media to commit to the challenge. 3 JOIN THE FACEBOOK GROUP Sign up at facebook.com/ groups/run1000miles. You’ll be part of a buzzing community sharing the joys and toils of the experience, boosting you to achieve your aims. 4 FILL IN THE TRACKER Download the mileage tracker from run1000miles.co.uk to record how you’re progressing towards the big 1000. 5 GET…

Exploring new trails is all about knowing what you’re letting yourself into, so it’s worth taking a look at an OS map or using their fabulous new app. LEARN FROM THE NATIVES! A great starting point for, say, an adventure on Exmoor, would be to check out the local clubs on the web. Local runners will always have favourite routes – hidden gems – that most are only too happy to share! After all, it’s that local knowledge that helps create the routes pages in this very magazine. A NEW SET OF SKILLS AT THE TOUCH OF A BUTTON The OS Maps app is great as it tells you how far off you are from a footpath. Plus, it has the ability to plot and save routes at any time…

Emma and Gareth have it right on so many counts. Achieving the seemingly impossible isn’t just about training your body, it’s about mental attitude and an understanding of pace. Be brave and go super, super slow early on – it pays dividends. Select what seems a too slow speed and don’t be frightened to stick with it. For me, that meant starting in last place at an ultra. I had some running in my legs so I knew I had to take it easy. By the 20th mile those easy 9min miles saw me rip through the field! But it’s so hard to do. To jog 9s was alarming for me. Select that pace, much slower than usual, and stick with it. As Emma and Gareth proved. you can do…

“There’s a time and place for the more structured sections that you would do if you were training for track or cross-country, but really there’s a huge strength and endurance side to fell running that you’ll not really get by trying to do intervals,” she says. “So I’ve built in a lot more tempo running in the fells and either long, uphill fells or up and down, just to try and build that kind of strength endurance and work on the ability to not get jelly legs after the first climb.” Sarah, who is also an online running coach, uses a 320-metre-long gravel loop in Windermere if she needs somewhere flat and fast. She adds: “Once you get used to the fact that it’s a bit slower than a normal…

Email tr@ bauermedia.co.uk, post on our wall at facebook.com/ trailrunningmag or tweet your question to @trailrunningmag TAZNEEM ANWAR Run leader with Wycombe Women’s Run Club. linktr.ee/ thishijabiruns OLIVIA FURNER Surrey-based personal trainer and keen trail runner. movewitholivia.com DAVE TROMAN Qualified running coach and former GB orienteer. lovetorun coaching.co.uk OLLIE ARMSTRONG Sport physiology lead at University of Birmingham sportand fitness.bham.ac.uk DAVID TAYLOR Fell running guide and coach who teaches navigation skills. fellrunningguide.co.uk…

These have all made it into my regular schedule and whether specifically done in preparation for a run, or as part of my regular mobility work, they all play an important role in building and maintaining the mobility essential for trail running. The last piece of the puzzle for me is to choose the right kit. Its all well and good getting your body prepared, but you still risk injury if you don’t have the right support, cushioning and grip. My choice of shoe can depend on the conditions and the run I’m planning, from an On Cloudventure for good conditions and lighter terrain, to the On Cloudventure Waterproof for rougher wintry runs. I find each of these exercises a valuable part of my training programme. And, because I know…

More than ever before, in the past 12 months we’ve all turned to at-home workouts to keep ourselves fit. There are lots of home fitness products on the market that can help you to improve your trail running – even at home – but it can be difficult to find the right thing for you.Thankfully, the experts at sweatband.com have done the hard work and put together a list of the best home fitness products to help improve your trail running and allow you to go the extra mile. Yoga Mat Don’t underestimate the power of yoga! A strong core and high flexibility can help you run safer for longer. Yoga between runs will help strengthen and stabilise your whole body, making it easier to run uphill and giving you…

DECATHLON EVADICT TRAIL MT CUSHION 255g (UK 6w) decathlon.co.uk Given the research, technology and incredible team involved in the development of this shoe, you can't but help do a double-take at the price. Seriously, though, there's no cutting corners in these shoes, although thanks to the 5mm lugs that secure your foot you can swerve around them at pace. The team does much of its research and development in the Alps, so it's also no surprise these are beautifully cushioned as you drive off a wider platform. You probably want to steer clear of bogs, but apart from that they're a good go-to offering for most surfaces. They use a 4mm drop so you're quite low to the ground. VERDICT A nice, no-fuss go-to shoe for most runs. THE NORTH…

1 KILLERTON PARK, DEVON Monumental half marathon 2 HARTING DOWN, WEST SUSSEX Easy run on the South Downs 3 MINCHINHAMPTON, GLOUCS Blockbuster route where a TV mansion gets a walk-on part 4 DODD FELL, YORKSHIRE Roman road and Pennine Way 5 BLENCATHRA, CUMBRIA 1000m+ of up in the Lakes 6 WHITBY, YORKSHIRE A DIY Race the Train day out 7 BEACONS WAY, MONMOUTHSHIRE Welsh weekend marathon... 8 SUGAR LOAF, MONMOUTHSHIRE ... and the perfect recovery run 9 DEVIL’S BEEF TUB, DUMFRIES Annandale Way hill hopping 10 CISTE DHUBH, HIGHLANDS 13km Munro bagger…