Getting Cold

It is still slowly creeping towards winter here in France. The snow is lying in Chamonix and the temperature is dropping( -12 today) but the running has continued.

I love the crisp cold winter air. Brilliant for running but don't stop for too long
or warming back up could take some time.

I have been out for some great little tours on the skis with the usual crew. We are not going for epic skiing but just to get the uphill legs in shape for the season ahead. You would think that coming from my summer of running that my legs for skinning up would be super strong. Think again! I can't say I am struggling with the tours but my legs do feel it more than when I run but it is only a matter of time before I get into the swing of things. It is more my back and hips that are feeling it as I am using muscle I have not really used since last winter.

Very cold afternoon skin up Le Tour

Running has been great. I have been out running in fresh snow in the evenings and also had some fantastic lunchtime jaunts along the side of the river in glorious sunshine albeit bitterly cold. I have not had to use my proper running spikes yet as it is more hard packed snow than ice at moment on the trails and roads so I have been using Yaktraks which are awesome. They are pretty much crampons for your shoes and they work very very well. I have not had a problem yet with them coming loose and they give me loads of confidence on descents and so far have yet to have a little tumble with them on. I would definitely recommend them. I totally love running in the snow and even more so at night. If I pick the time correct then I can run around the forests here after work and not even need a head torch sometimes as the snow glare can be so bright. It is a nice change from charging down trails dodging rocks and tree roots. Running on snow is great and just a nice change for a while.

I do prefer skiing powder than running in it
but it was fun this night.

The neoprene socks are on every run now and needed. Along with another pair of socks they keep my feet dry and very warm. I have a decent collection of trail running shoes but I am drawn more and more to one pair and I hate to admit it but it is my Salomon S-lab Sense Ultras. A shoe I always swore was not for me and was way too expensive. I still think it is very overpriced but I managed to find them online for half the £180 price tag so I snapped some up and I love them. I am going to be reviewing some kit next summer so thought I would share on here what shoes I run in and what I like and don't like about them.

Excellent for Winter running

From Top L to Bottom R. Adidas Adizero , SLab Sense Ultras , SLab Sense
New Balance Leadville , Brooks Cascadia 7's x 2 pairs

My Adidas Adizero XT is the one shoe I run the least in purely because I think this is a shoe for the UK. It has amazing grip from the Continental outsole(same rubber as used on the classic and brilliant Sportiva Raptors) and huge thick tread like Inov8 shoes but better. It is perfectly suited to fell running and very muddy wet conditions something I don't see much in Chamonix but I use them in Scotland on the Munroe’s and they perform amazingly well. They are slightly on the small side for me but I chose this for more precision on technical ground but I could never run an ultra in them. They just don't have the right support or comfort for me for long distances but defo a great shoe for short UK fell/hill running races. They can be picked up super cheap these days online. Mine were £40!

I briefly spoke of this shoe and could talk for hours on how much I love them. The Salomon S-lab Sense Ultras. Yes a ridiculous price but also ridiculously light(210grams UK 8.5) and comfortable with the best fit of any running shoe I have ever worn. These shoes are a beefed up version(in a very small way) to the original Kilian Jornet shoe the S-lab Sense which I also have a pair of and yes they are also stupid money(£200) but again I hunted down some half that price at the end of the summer. The original Sense is a little lighter at 185grams (UK 8). It is a very minimalist shoe meaning it has very little cushioning in the heel and forefoot to help you run in a more forefoot striking pattern. I am not going to go into the right and wrong ways to run and all this barefoot running is the way forward malarkey. There are pros and cons to everything and if you want to find more about it to make up your own mind then just type it into Google and you could be there for days reading through it. Anyway the Sense has the most amazing sock like snug fit of any shoe I have ever worn. It has very little grip on the sole so is best suited to smooth trails or dry rock. I use them for short races up to 20km and they work great but think I would struggle trying to do 100k with them as my running technique is not quite good enough to be able to use them properly forefoot striking for that distance but short distances I find them great. They are not for Scottish hill running. They do not grip on wet grass or rock , trust me on this! The Sense Ultra was brought out to aim at a broader market than the very specific Sense (apologies if the names confuse you) it has a little bit more grip on the sole , not much at all though and the toe box is a slightly different dogleg kind of shape making it a tiny bit more roomy. The biggest difference is the stiffness of the shoe. The Sense is very soft and flexes very very easy. Salomon added longer support struts to the Ultras to make it a bit more stiff and it really does make a difference to us normal runners. I have built my running up from small distances on the Ultras and I reckon now I could run 40km if not more quite comfortably on these. They are great great shoes but do cost a lot of money and will not last as long as most other shoes but if you can find any of these cheap then snap them up. The best way for me to describe running in either of these is like running in a very comfortable cushioned sock and the precision on trails is phenomenal. Sorry if this was all a bit vague comparing these but I could go on for hours about them. Bryon Powell of irunfar.com wrote a great review about these shoes a while ago so go check it out.

Now to the New Balance Leadville 1210. These are quite hard to come by in the UK but you guessed it I bought mine in Leadville(special edition colour!) the day before the big race. Yeah you could say the name is all marketing to get people like me to buy these shoes but I must admit this is not the reason I bought these. Well not purely the reason. My three main reasons for buying them came up in two seconds when I asked the shop staff in America about them as I had never seen them before. He said they fit like a Brooks Cascadia , are lighter (292grams Leadville , 389grams Cascadia 7's) and have a vibram sole. Done. Sold. I will get to Cascadias in a minute but I love them so another shoe that fits like them will work for me. Lighter is always good and a proper grippy sole is the one thing missing from the Brooks so the New Balance Leadville was born. The shoe fits snug and very comfortable all around and the toe box is deliberately made roomier to accommodate your foot swelling when doing an Ultra and it works. The shoe holds your foot and there is plenty of room in the toe box in both height and width but doesn't ever feel too big even when at the start of a race when your foot hasn't swollen up. Good job New Balance. Love them.

Now my go to shoe for long distances. The Brooks Cascadia 7's. I admit I wore the 8's for the first 50 miles of Leadville and for all of the Mont Blanc 80km with no problems but each time I go back to the 7's they just work better for me and they can be found for £50 online. I have 3 pairs of 7's and a pair of 8's. I love how comfortable they are and the cushioning for long distance is perfect. They are super robust and dry out pretty quick after river crossings. The only downside is what I briefly mentioned before and that is the grip. It is not the best but by no means terrible. I used my 8's for the first 50 miles of Leadville and then changed to a pair of 7's for the final 50 when my feet were sore and they worked a dream.

All of these trainers will be updated for next summer so keep an eye out for them. I will continue to use my Cascadias for long runs but the Leadvilles are creeping up to be my go to shoes for an Ultra. I am eager to see what the new Cascadias will be like next year and also the new grippier Salomon S-Labs! To find out more in depth/proper reviews head over to irunfar.com.

Hope I didn't bore anyone too much on this , this is just all my opinion after a summer of using all of these. Everyone’s feet are different so none of these might work for you but if you get a chance just trying slipping your feet into a pair of S-labs. Be it the Sense or Ultras and you will not be disappointed.

The Final Cham Winter?????

Well it has been a bit strange since I have been back in France. Back to work , arranging the shop opening deliveries of skis and boots etc.. but I just cannot get into winter mode yet. The skis have been back on and the running has continued.

I have been out for a few great little runs and just taking it easy now with two or three runs a week. Depending how I feel they are either during lunches or in the evening. I had an excellent run in the snow last week. 12km mostly flat with a little climb involved to get to the snowline then I had an awesome run down through ankle deep fresh powder back to Chamonix. Totally loved it although the feet got slightly cold so neoprene socks are on the shopping list. Other than that I have just been out for anything between 7-10km. As I said nothing at all like the summer but just keeping the legs ticking over. It will become more difficult to get out when the snow properly hits and the temperatures in town plummet but I am pretty determined this year to make sure I do get out twice a week. I actually went out this evening for 10km after work and felt I could have gone for 50! Just one of those nights , hood up , head torch on , head down and mellow tunes full blast and I was zoned out and totally at ease on the trails not really wanting to stop but I was hungry and needed my dinner. I love it when I get that feeling. The feeling of being able to go on and on and on. Breathing was spot on , heart was at a steady rhythm , I was not too hot nor too cold and my legs just felt so fresh going along at a chilled 50 min 10km pace. Typing this up I actually kinda wish I had stayed out.

Getting deeper

Tights are back on and S-labs are crap in snow

I never ever talk myself up about my running because at the end of the day there are always millions of people way better than I am so what's the point in going on and on about yourself. I know I am not the fasted out there and to be honest most of my friends who do not run as much as me are probably the same pace or even faster than I am but I do take great pride in my ability to keep going and stay relatively fresh. I know many people out there don't really see the point in doing races unless you give it 100% all out maximum effort for the entire race. Fair play to these people I think that is great but I touched on this before I think and I have been to races and done that and now I just go out to enjoy and love the fact I have trained myself to complete some of these distances and not wish the finish was just round the corner because I am in so much pain. It's meant to be fun isn't it? I run trails because I love to run trails. I don't do it to then get halfway and moan how sore I am and I wish it was all over. Yeah there are plenty of stages on a big race I am in tremendous pain but I love the challenge of fighting through that then an hour or maybe two down the trail you feel great again. I don't go out looking for the pain , it will come , it will go. That's Ultras. I ain't really into doing races or finishing races to tell people how hard it was or how sore I got. I want to let them know how amazing it was. This is not me sounding like I am above all of that or don't feel pain it is just that I know that is going to happen so what's the point in going on and on about how tough it was when it is pretty obvious running 50k , 100k , 100 miles is going to be bloody hard.

Fun Times

So Skiing has begun again and I have been out with the usual crew for a few days in Verbier skiing some great early season powder and also out for a couple of little tours to get the skinning fitness back. I do apologise to any non skiers out there as there is going to be a fair few skiing pictures coming up on this blog for the next few months but I promise I will try keep this minimal and it will not turn into a ski blog. I will let you know how the running is going and what is going through my head looking to summer! Yes summer! It is only just beginning to snow and all I can think about is those sweet sweet Colorado trails. 

Yes I know - Too good to leave behind

The two Grahams out for a wee tour in Flaine

Verbier powder hunting

It might all sound a bit far fetched but my trip in August feels like it totally changed my outlook on my life and where I want it to go. To be honest I have never really had a life plan and never had a clue what I really wanted to do but my trip to Colorado was so amazing it really had a massive effect on me. I totally believe this was not just a holiday buzz. I genuinely felt when I was out there that that was the place I am meant to be. Chamonix has never really felt like home. I love it here , it's totally amazing and I can forever see myself returning but it was always a stop gap for me to escape what had gone on back in Scotland and try to look ahead. It has been amazing here and I have met amazing people who will forever be great friends but my time here really is ticking away. I am sure I will have a tremendous season out here but all I am thinking of is Colorado. At the end of the day it looks near impossible for me to get a long term visa but I will make do with 3 months next year just to get a taste for life there a bit better and maybe even try pursue the long road of obtaining a visa. After my spell there it is looking more and more like Scotland. Now no way on earth could I do a summer back there but a winter I could handle as there are many winter climbs I still really want to get done but after one more Scottish winter I have no idea where the road will lead to next......... absolutely no idea.

Ready for the ice

Time up in Scotland

So it is the end of my trip back to Scotland and overall it was alright. The 17k Race in Culloden actually went rather well. I was not expecting much from this race at all. It was all on tarmac and to be honest I have actually ran loads in the past month and ran pretty much every day(10k minimum) I have been back in Scotland so I was not particularly fresh. It was a bigger race than I first thought with 275 people starting. From the off it went fine , I started way at the back and just moved on up the pack keeping an eye on my watch and my pace. I hit the 10k mark at 42 mins and was feeling great , I actually wished I had gone out faster as I easily could have. I was way too cautious. It was a really nice road race and had some cracking views out over Inverness. I was surprised the whole way how good I felt. Around the 14km mark I managed to gain on a guy in front of me and as usual decided I wanted to pass him. Now I thought in all honesty that I was around 20-30^th in the race. So no chance of a great finish but for some reason when you see someone in front near the end you just want to pass them. I got past him at km 15 , he stayed with me for the next km and a half and I quite liked the fact that he too did not want to loose his place so it was a bit of a sprint finish for the last half km and thankfully I came out on top and finished 30 seconds ahead of my fellow sprinter in 1hr 13mins and was pretty shocked I had finished 13^th.

A rare serious picture during Culloden

Maybe I should start going all out at smaller distance just to see how I get on because on this race I felt great the whole time and when I was passing people who were clearly beasting themselves I was still cruising along fine and having a little look and enjoying the views as everyone else was staring into the tarmac. Now I would never win this kind of distance as the winner was 1hr 2mins but looking at the results if I had knocked off 5 or 6 mins off my time I would have been close to a top 3 finish. I do admit I totally underestimate myself sometimes. I do believe there are some races out there I have finished well but could have been a top 3 if I knew my limits on shorter stuff. I am never ever going to get a top finish in an Ultra. As much as I would love to it just wont happen , I enjoy Ultras too much to destroy myself for 20 odd hours and feel like hell for most if it. I have done that before on my first couple of 70kms and yeah I did enjoy the races but enjoyed it at the end. Nowadays in my Ultras I can genuinely say I enjoy them from start to finish as I seem to have a good idea of my pacing but don't get me wrong here I do feel the pain but it is manageable. Now I am no Ultra Running guru and to be honest have not ran a great amount of long long stuff but that will all be changing in the next few years I guess. I just love to run races and take part. All three I have done whilst back have been great. Well except that 12km road section in Ennerdale but on the whole I have enjoyed the varying distances but it is damn hard to get pacing right when changing distances every week.

Looking back to the start of the Greenock Cut loop

Since Culloden the weather has been pretty terrible and I have been spending most of my time running around areas near my home town. I don't know if I could ever face living near here again. Yes it is lovely when the weathers good but the weather on a whole is terrible a lot of the time. I think in Chamonix this summer we had maybe a handful of days of bad weather. I never once had a day off work that was raining or I didn't want to go a run , it was blue skies every day I was off. The past week and a half in Scotland I have been thinking to myself thank god this was not my days off work. I have had my fair share of bad weather in the past , ran in near monsoons , climbed in horrendous white outs with gale force winds(which I do miss) but having spent all the years in France with great weather then I cannot see me leaving to live back in Scotland. Little trips back are fine and I will continue to enjoy them. I must admit my time in France feels like it is nearing an end. I am super excited about this winter and a little rest from running but next summer is looking more and more like it is going to be a long long trip to Colorado and I so hope this all goes to plan.

Lovely Trail on the Cut

I have been a few cracking local runs the past few days but nothing more than 12kms. I ran around the Greenock Cut not far from my house. A great trail loop of 11.5km then I drove home and done my usual 10km run along the shore as I was feeling fresh. Other than that it has just been little cruisy runs along beside the sea and it has been really nice. I love these local runs when I am home. There are so many little hills and trails all around Largs that I guess nobody every bothers about as I never see anyone else on them. Not that I am complaining I am happy to have them to myself.

See ya in a while Scotland

Back to France on Sunday and getting ready for what is hopefully going to be an epic winter. I will still be out running for the next month around the Chamonix trails then when snow hits town I will be trying to force myself out the door two nights a week to run in the snow and the freezing temperatures. Excited!

Scotland

Apologies for the delay in putting up a new post here but major laptop issues and a ton of running , climbing and driving about Scotland has left me with no time at all.

I arrived back in Scotland 2 weeks ago and was greeted to some cracking weather straight away so just had to head out. I went up to Arrochar and went a little hill run up Ben Donich. I have never been up this Corbett before and I am so glad I finally went. It has a brilliant runnable trail all the way to the top with only a couple of small steep sections that are fine. I was greeted with stunning views of the west coast although it was a tad chilly with a very brisk wind. The ascent took well under an hour and the very very slippy descent took me under 30 minutes. Cracking little day.

Great Trail to Summit

One of best view I have ever seen in Scotland

I then managed some of my local hill runs around Largs the next couple of days , some in the mornings and one fantastic night run. So after 4 10k runs in 4 days next up was my first 10k race in many years. I don't really like short fast races because to be honest I ain't really that fast but I just love to enter races and thought this would be a good way to improve my flat running speed. The race was in a place called Benmore Gardens not far from Largs, There was around 80 runners at the start line for two laps of a 5km circuit through the Botanical Gardens. 3 , 2 , 1 and off. I was a bit taken back by the speed of the start , totally not used to it. I was never going to properly compete in a race like this(or any for that matter) but once I started and realised this was all out or nothing then I just went for it. The course had a couple of little brutal climbs in it which definitely added a couple of minutes over a flat 10k but overall the course was really really nice and I loved it but my legs and lungs did struggle with the fast pace. I finished in 5th place with a time of 40 minutes.

Largs Night Run

After the 10k

The next few days were spent with Lauren and Fleur who travelled up to Scotland so I could show them around the highlands and do some running. I managed my usual little Glencoe scramble up North Buttress a few hours before meeting up with them and then the next day returned to do it again. The weather was not that great to us( it poured every day) but we got out for some cracking runs.

Glencoe - Beautiful

Glencoe next day - Wet and Cold

Showing Lauren the sights of Largs during a Trail/Field Run

Lauren , Fleur and Me

I knew where I was going all along

Next up was a trip to the Lake District in England to catch up with loads of friends , some of whom I hadn't seen for years. The first night and the cottage was a rather sober one for Lauren and myself as the next day was the Ennerdale Trail Race. I was doing the 50k and Lauren the 25k , her longest race yet and first trail race. It was a proper miserable morning , pouring down with rain. I set off feeling pretty good just plodding my way up the forestry road for about 12km to the Black Sail Youth Hostel then it was across the river and back down the other side of Lake Ennerdale on some brilliant trails. One lap was the 25k and 2 laps was the 50k. Coming into 25k at 2hrs 16mins I was feeling okay but not great. I didn't seem to have the usual spring in my step and my hip was hurting a little. I grabbed some more gels from Fleur and James and set off again. I did not enjoy the road section at all this time. I totally hate long roads , it bores the life out of me. Plus I was feeling pretty sore all down my left side , left foot , left knee , left hip. It was not going too great and my pace really really dropped. It started to totally pour down when I got to the hut this time but the weather didn't really bother me , I actually quite enjoy running in foul weather. Once I got past the hut and across the bridge it was now 12km to the finish. I was still not great but managed to keep up a decent jog. About 4 people passed me here and I was just waiting on hordes of others to do the same. Then somehow I started to feel really really good. I looked at my watch and I was at 42km! A marathon and now I was finally in my stride. Sounds crazy I know but I guess this is just what my legs are used to now. From 42km to the finish I really had a great pace going and once I hit the final 4km very technical and wet part on the lakes edge I was actually flying along it. I could see everyone who had passed me what seemed like ages ago and I was gaining on them fast. Now I was still well back in the pack but I just wanted to pass these people and I did. I managed to overtake all of the 4 in the last 4km and still finish over 3 mins ahead of them all. I finished in 5hrs 10mins , 26th/96. I am happy with my 2hr 16min first lap but pretty disappointed with the second loop of 2hrs 54mins. This was totally down to the second road section which was 12km long. It totally drained me. If I was better on the flat road and was feeling a bit better then I am sure this could be cut down to 2hrs 30mins or less if I ever do it again. I do think as well though that the past few weeks of being very ill was not the best prep for this race. Small things just didn't work for me. My eating was not right over the whole course and stupid little things like forgetting my water bottle and not having my usual electrolyte drink and more importantly forgetting my vaseline all played with my head a little. I just didn't seem well organised going into this but I still can't complain. I enjoyed most of the race and still finished. Big shout out to James and Fleur for coming along to support for the day in the miserable weather as usual it does mean a lot to have people come help out. I am super happy with my pace on the final section as I was loving it and really had great speed on a part most people were down to a walk to try and negotiate the techy parts. These people were well faster than me on the roads but to be honest they didn't stand a chance once I got to the bits I love and train on all the time. So over to Lauren. First 25k , First trail race and how did she do?? well she only went and got 1st place female didn't she. Totally amazing stuff from her and I was so happy for her as I knew she was a bag of nerves before the race. She came through at 2hrs 18mins. Pretty much spot on my first lap time. All this training together must do some good as we were running the race at the same pace. Her race started 15 mins after the 50k so we never managed to run any of it together. I had a feeling she could totally get a top 3 place as I usually come in around the same time as first female on my races and Lauren on distances up to Half Marathons is well on pace with me. I must admit I didn't quite expect her to get first! Amazing stuff from her and really inspiring. Watch out all other female trail runners , Woody has arrived.

Km 35 , Horrible Road but still happy. Just!

So I have rested for the past 5 days and have my final race of the year on Sunday. The Culloden 17k. Oddly enough a 10 mile road race. There are no other trail runs around at moment and this is organised by CHSS who I raised money for in the summer so it will be nice to finally meet some of these people and try and enjoy running on a road best I can. This is also going down as speed work. Will stick up a report for that next week.

What a little legend. Award given by fell running god Joss Naylor

Scary Times

So my horrible run may not have been due to a lack of salt or proper fuel but it looks like it was the beginning of my body shutting down and telling me to stop.

The day after the Crochue experience I was fine but when I woke the second day after things were not too pretty. I felt a bit funny when getting ready for work but thought nothing really of it then but as the day went by at work I slowly started to get worse and worse. I was super tired and always putting my head down to dose off for a few minutes but more worryingly I was starting to get really dizzy. When 7pm arrived and we were closing up shop I was in a proper state as my work colleague looked at me rather worried as she had seen me get worse as the day went on. It was straight on home to bed. I crashed out in no time but waking up the following day I was very worried. I couldn't walk to my bathroom without holding onto the walls either side of me and I was horrendously dizzy to the stage where I could feel myself ready to just collapse. This went on for the next 3 days then I decided to go to the hospital. The doctor properly examined me and my balance but told me I had no viral infection and that I was actually fine and would get better and if I didn't in a few days go back for a blood test. I was happy he said I was not in real trouble but worried as I was still really dizzy and could hardly walk properly without looking like and feeling like I was completely drunk. I did slowly begin to get better and 10 days after it all started I was pretty much back to normal but still taking it really easy and resting. Apart from a very bad case of food poisoning a few years back this was definitely the scariest thing I have ever felt. At least with food poisoning you know what it is and it will pass just like when you catch a bad does of the flu or some sickness bug you know what it is and it will go away but with this dizziness I had no clue what it was and how long it would last.

There are a load of suggestions as to what it was that caused the problem but the most obvious one could be that I have just done too much this summer. This does kind of make sense but since Leadville I really have not pushed my body at all and have rested a fair bit so that is the reason I have my doubts. People seem to think I absolutely beast myself all the time but that is so not the case. I trained smart this summer just going easy , even on long runs I wasn't going all out and never do. I rested when I knew I should and I ate properly or so I think. I am more inclined to believe that yes this was the summer catching up with me and my body just wanted a proper long rest for a few weeks and this is the only way it found it could stop me from doing anything and it worked. I must admit in summer I do take my fitness pretty serious but let my guard down in winter quite a bit and I think this could be one of the other main reasons for my shut down. Yes I ski loads over winter and tour a fair bit but yes I do have way more nights out. It is pretty obvious that 6 months of skiing and partying then going straight into 6 months of fitness and no alcohol does not work or does not work for me any more. Not that I am old but I ain't 21 any more. So this really has given me a kick up the arse to take it easy or should I say easier this winter with regards to the nights out and I am really focused to do this now. I am at a great fitness level right now and want to just slowly keep this for as long as possible. I am not going to train hard over winter but I plan on definitely running twice a week through the snow and ice plus I will be touring and if I cut back on the nights out I believe this will have me in a decent shape for starting to properly run again come late April/May and I will be ready for races again come June. Just like a lot of the serious ultra runners they take the entire winter off from running and just ski mountaineer race to give their body time to recover and recuperate until the next running season. Now obviously I ain't near that level of fitness but it does seem like a very wise strategy to adopt.

My last 2 days off have been spent
recovering up at the Midi café staring at all
the new fresh snow dreaming of winter.

In all honesty I do not run that many races a year. I would race loads more if I lived in Scotland or somewhere that doesn't get an epic winter of skiing powder. In the Alps there really is not many races over the winter season , well running races. It is all ski mountaineering races and I am not sure if I have the cash yet to invest in the kind of gear for this but you never know. I would like to run more Ultras over summer but due to work and the cost of entries and travel to and from the event it is just not possible. I am happy with it this way at the moment though. I like having one big race a year to aim for and do some others along the way. I am really looking forward to these 3 races in the UK in the next few weeks but have no idea how they will go or how I will feel after this little problem. The 10k next weekend for example will be somewhat strange. I have not run a race of this intensity for years , many many years so have no clue what to expect. Over the years I have trained to run slow and steady and go on forever but 10ks are all out sprints and I reckon this could be a shock for the legs and the lungs next week. I was never a fast 10k runner anyway, my best ever in a race was 42mins on a trail which did have a fair few climbs. Other than that my local 10k in Largs I have done in 39 mins. Yeah I guess these times are not slow but I have friends who run 33-35mins 10ks. Not a chance for me. So who knows next weekend 40-50 mins??? I have no clue. Graham did say to me the other night maybe I should do a lap of the 10k before the race to get warmed up! This is actually a good idea , without sounding totally big headed this does make sense as when I am out on big races or long runs it does take a good hour for me to kick in. Sometimes even longer. Getting my legs to go maximum speed from the start is going to be hard. The week after is the Ennerdale 50k and I cannot wait for this. Again no aspirations for a time but I was looking at photos from last years race and it looks amazing. There is some dirt road sections but one long section by the side of the lake on what looks like awesome single track heaven so really looking forward to this one. Lauren is running the 25k event so I will hopefully be able run with her for a bit as the 25k is one lap of the lake and the 50k is 2 laps , we set off 15 mins apart but sure she will catch me up. Then to finish it all off I have a road race! A 17km run near Inverness. I am doing this to try and get some momentum on roads again , I noticed in America just how good the Americans were on the flats and it is because they have the space to train on flats unlike me in Chamonix which is up and down America has great long flat sections and in big Ultras loads of time is won and lost on these flat sections and I to be honest am rubbish on them. I can keep good pace on trails , little ups and downs , steep technical descents but then I hit a flat road section for say 4 miles and boom my legs go heavy and it is hard to keep the momentum going. The Americans were great at this. Also the race is organised by CHSS Scotland who I raised over £1000 for doing Leadville so it will be good to meet the people who I have only spoken to through email all summer.

11 days without these on was hellish

So today I managed a little run. 11 days of being unwell and sitting around resting was a bit of a nightmare but had to be done. I am still not 100% but went out for a 7km very very easy pace flat run today along some road and some trails. It went quite well actually. I was not really that dizzy when running. It is quite hard to turn my head quickly to the side when going forward but if I just focus on the road in front then I am fine. As I said it was a super easy going 7kms in 40 mins. It felt great to be back out doing something again. I will rest tomorrow and on Tuesday I fly back to Scotland for 3 weeks so my next run may be the 10k race or if I feel good I will do my local 10k on Wednesday or Thursday. Slowly easing myself back into it.