Fitness Thread

[tiffers]

On 15/06/2024 at 11:19, GeordieSaint said:

So… the Summer Spine race event is upon us. Check out No 560 on the Challenger North race… the individual I believe is too tight to buy a motorbike to appease his midlife crisis so is doing this instead. Tracking link below:

https://live.opentracking.co.uk/snc2024/

Thankfully there is no sound as this slow moving dot will be whinging for pretty much the entire route about sore feet. No 560 is an idiot! 

(Starts Monday at 0800hrs)

A phenomenal achievement! Huge congratulations on completing the race. I have kept an eye on your progress this week and just watched you cross the line. Incredible. Lost for superlatives.

[GeordieSaint]

On 20/06/2024 at 16:01, tiffers said:

A phenomenal achievement! Huge congratulations on completing the race. I have kept an eye on your progress this week and just watched you cross the line. Incredible. Lost for superlatives.

Thanks. I am absolutely *******. Conditions were brutal underfoot. So many people with trench foot and had to drop out. Really pleased to have completed it. I’ve done the entire length of the route now via both Challenger events. That’s enough!

Edited June 21, 2024 by GeordieSaint

[GeordieSaint]

On 17/06/2024 at 19:52, tiffers said:

All the best for the next few days.

10/10 for just getting to the start line.

Will be very interested to hear your account when finished as I'm tempted by the Sprint next year...

The Sprint is a good distance. It’s hard. But it’s not 268 miles! 

I spent a bit of time with Chris Cope (Spine winner) between Langdon Beck and Dufton. He said the route along the south was awful - mud and rubbish weather. Same up in the north less the rain (thankfully). The organisers have said conditions in many places have been as bad as some Winter races. So foot admin has needed to be spot on as they are consistently wet. 

I’ve found the Spine races much harder than any other ultras I have done. I think it’s down to distances between checkpoints. The Sprint is 48 miles. There’s a burger bar at the M62. But that’s it in terms of any support. So it really is a self sustaining expedition. Hard work - really hard work. 

[tiffers]

3 hours ago, GeordieSaint said:

Thanks. I am absolutely ed. Conditions were brutal underfoot. So many people with trench foot and had to drop out. Really pleased to have completed it. I’ve done the entire length of the route now via both Challenger events. That’s enough!

Not surprised in the slightest that you are cream crackered!

From the content I've seen, everyone seems to be mentioning the difficult conditions and how it very much feels like winter, given the ground saturation. You can definitely see it in the times being achieved compared to previous years.

It sounds horrendous having to keep your feet in constant repair mode. I was amazed at how Chris Cope seemed to be moving through so easily!

Still, its an absolutely fabulous achievement that you should be very proud of. It was great to follow another forum poster  and to see you doing so well! It added an extra bit to my dot watching this week .

No doubt a weekend with your feet up is in order!!

[Bedford Roughyed]

On 08/04/2024 at 00:13, Bedford Roughyed said:

28kgs down, last 6-8 weeks have been pretty much stable/plateau.  Frustrating, but I know truthfully I haven't been anywhere consistent.  Even less than before!  Humph.

32kgs down now, was about 31 on my 1 year dietversary.  not as much as I wanted, but really can't complain!

Another 30kgs by next year will be nice.

[Dunbar]

On 09/07/2024 at 17:24, Bedford Roughyed said:

32kgs down now, was about 31 on my 1 year dietversary.  not as much as I wanted, but really can't complain!

Another 30kgs by next year will be nice.

Great stuff.

[MattSantos]

I've got a charity place for the London Marathon next year. Rob Burrow marathon is 2 week after, so that'll be 2 marathons in 2 weeks then. Training gently started on Monday

[tiffers]

Very annoyingly I've had sesamoiditis (ball of foot pain) for the last 10 days or so halting my training for Torbay half marathon at the end of September.

Hoping the podiatrist has a magic pill tomorrow!!

All ears for anyone with any tips!

[Bedford Roughyed]

Interesting thread - 

 

[MattSantos]

next year: 3 marathons, 1 month. 

I'll regret this.

[CanaBull]

Forgot about this thread!  Getting the Elliptigo bike has been an absolute game changer for me this year.  With so little impact on my spine and the pains from what jogging or even walking will do I can go so much farther.  As of today I have done 1,012km on it since getting out in May, averaging 25-30km or so per ride.  

Currently 1200km into the 1800km of the New South Wales Coast Conqueror Challenge, never thought I'd ever be back to this sort of level.

If you have spine, knee or hip challenges, Elliptigo bikes may be an option for you to regain some activity.

[Copa]

1 hour ago, CanaBull said:

Forgot about this thread!  Getting the Elliptigo bike has been an absolute game changer for me this year.  With so little impact on my spine and the pains from what jogging or even walking will do I can go so much farther.  As of today I have done 1,012km on it since getting out in May, averaging 25-30km or so per ride.  

Currently 1200km into the 1800km of the New South Wales Coast Conqueror Challenge, never thought I'd ever be back to this sort of level.

If you have spine, knee or hip challenges, Elliptigo bikes may be an option for you to regain some activity.

I’ve never seen a bike like that before. It looks really interesting. Do you take it out onto roads or bike paths?

[CanaBull]

44 minutes ago, Copa said:

I’ve never seen a bike like that before. It looks really interesting. Do you take it out onto roads or bike paths?

I’ve had it out on both but stick to paved trails usually given that people in my neck of the woods over here drive like w️’s.  Manufacturer recommends paved and dry conditions to prolong the parts of the roller tracks.  

It’s a bit less stable given the higher centre of gravity and the smaller wheels and a bit heavier than normal bikes (40lbs) but once you get used to it after a ride or two it’s like, well, riding a bike. lol 

[Bedford Roughyed]

The winter spine race is this weekend.  Conditions will be interesting!  

[JonM]

26 minutes ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

The winter spine race is this weekend.  Conditions will be interesting!  

Yes, proper winter conditions. Here, we still have about 12cm of snow left, with a frozen layer of ice on top, quite tricky to run on and no sign of temperatures going above zero until the weekend. Will be much worse on the tops, although at least decent visibility and no problems with wind or rain this weekend.

[gazza77]

6 hours ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

The winter spine race is this weekend.  Conditions will be interesting!  

My cousin was supposed to be doing the challenger one (just to Hebden Bridge), but had to withdraw following medical issues. He's dodged a bullet given what it's like around here at the moment.

[Bedford Roughyed]

36 minutes ago, gazza77 said:

My cousin was supposed to be doing the challenger one (just to Hebden Bridge), but had to withdraw following medical issues. He's dodged a bullet given what it's like around here at the moment.

Yeah it ‘warms’ up for the weekend to a roasting 3-4 degrees.  Plenty of snow still in the south Pennines so I’m guessing the peaks and north yorks will be worse.

[tiffers]

9 hours ago, Bedford Roughyed said:

The winter spine race is this weekend.  Conditions will be interesting!  

Really looking forward to dot watching all week! The YouTube evening updates are fantastic too.

Good luck to the volunteers in this weather too... Can't say it will be much fun in those conditions either running or volunteering!!

[Copa]

I’m finding myself really enjoying trail running more than road running.

I’ve gone bonkers and signed up for a 17km trail run with just under a kilometre of elevation change. It’s in the second half of this year so I’ve got plenty of time to prepare.

In a few weeks I have a 12km trail run with around 400m of elevation change which is much more civilised.

You guys might be interested in knowing that organised trail runs in my region often require all runners to carry a snake bite bandage due to all the extremely venomous snakes.

Edited January 8 by Copa

[tiffers]

8 hours ago, Copa said:

I’m finding myself really enjoying trail running more than road running.

I’ve gone bonkers and signed up for a 17km trail run with just under a kilometre of elevation change. It’s in the second half of this year so I’ve got plenty of time to prepare.

In a few weeks I have a 12km trail run with around 400m of elevation change which is much more civilised.

You guys might be interested in knowing that organised trail runs in my region often require all runners to carry a snake bite bandage due to all the extremely venomous snakes.

That sounds extreme! Can't say I've come across that in any races I've done before!

I'm nursing a stress fracture in my foot at the mo so definitely not anywhere near where I'd like to be. But I did a similar run to what you mentioned last year. The KVK or Kernow vertical kilometre - 1km of elevation gain over 20 km or so. It was brutal. But great fun and enjoyable when you aren't climbing yet another hill! You'll have a great time. 

Once you've gone trail running it's harder to do the roads I've found. I much prefer the trails.

[JonM]

16 hours ago, Copa said:

You guys might be interested in knowing that organised trail runs in my region often require all runners to carry a snake bite bandage due to all the extremely venomous snakes.

Interesting. We sometimes have to carry an emergency blanket or bivvy bag along with taped waterproofs, headtorch, extra layers etc. but I don't recall any first aid kit ever being required.

I usually enjoy running in the snow - everywhere looks so beautiful, but not run this week due to the sheer amount of snow and how icy and slidy everywhere is, but my neighbour absolutely loves it and has been out every day to make the most of it. 

[Copa]

5 hours ago, JonM said:

Interesting. We sometimes have to carry an emergency blanket or bivvy bag along with taped waterproofs, headtorch, extra layers etc. but I don't recall any first aid kit ever being required.

I usually enjoy running in the snow - everywhere looks so beautiful, but not run this week due to the sheer amount of snow and how icy and slidy everywhere is, but my neighbour absolutely loves it and has been out every day to make the most of it. 

Here, like probably everywhere, it’s generally the bigger and wilder the run the longer the list of mandatory requirements.

For my upcoming 12km (320m elevation change) trail run I only have to carry a water container, a mobile phone (the race directors number must be saved on it) and a snake bite bandage.

The 7:30am start should mean we miss most of the heat.

In the Canberra region we can run in the snow during winter but it requires a short drive to get there and then a trail run up Stockyard Spur which is nearly 600m of elevation change in the first 2km before you get to the snow. 

[JonM]

10 hours ago, Copa said:

For my upcoming 12km (320m elevation change) trail run I only have to carry a water container, a mobile phone (the race directors number must be saved on it) and a snake bite bandage.

A traditional sport in the north of England is fell running - typically you run up a hill and back down again, or in some cases up and down several hills. The races are categorised according to length and elevation gain. About half of the people in my running group did the "nine standards" race on new years day, which is local to us. It's in the middle category for both length and steepness - 13KM and 550 metres of elevation gain (and 550 back down obviously). That would've been a full kit affair just because of the time of year and possible weather conditions. Some of the very tough local races have around 2000 metres of elevation gain. 

Edited January 10 by JonM

[tiffers]

And the first video is up...

It's looking a bit white. Bloomin tough conditions as ever!

 

 

Edited January 10 by tiffers

[JonM]

-10 up at Hardraw and Keld last night but it warms up quite a lot today and gets above zero tomorrow afternoon. Probably be better running on crunchy stuff than wading through streams of melting snow.