This year I managed to get myself signed up for the Trans Rockies 6 day ultra run in Colorado in August. Very much a novice when it comes to (a) trail running and (b) ultra running, my training schedule has been adjusted slightly. The first major changes were to my long runs which are getting longer and hillier, and my purchasing a pair of trail running shoes. It turns out that the more difficult of these two things was the choice of footwear. Having taken advice from Carl at Ransacker and his extensive network of experts, I opted for the Salomon XT Wings. I wanted something light but that would also do the job over challenging terrain. The main differences from road shoes are the protective toe, much more aggressive grip and large heel. I’m not 100% convinced that I have the right shoes for me yet though – while comfortable in the shop, a few runs later and I’m not really sold on them, but this may be because I’ve not yet had them out in properly full-on extreme conditions.
So when the Endurancelife Exmoor Coastal Trail Marathon (To get an idea below is a Video from last years event) rolled around last weekend, I had some choices to make. Having had to go out and buy a space blanket to meet the required kit component, I was fully prep’d and raring to go in beautiful Exmoor. Luckily the weather was looking good, the trails seemed dry (despite some overnight rain) and a few kms of road on the course meant that I actually opted to run in my road shoes. I wondered at the start line if this was going to prove to be a rookie mistake…
The gun went at 9am, and 100 or so of us started in earnest. The first 10km was going to be the hardest in terms of carrying the worst section of climbing and descending, but when the race was advertised as having over 10,000 feet of climbing, the ‘hardest’ section is all a bit relative. My natural competitive streak meant that I was out in front within the first couple of minutes and pushed the pace for the first hour. I settled into a good rhythm after this and was happy to let the guy behind (Chris) push past on an uphill. A bit of course confusion later meant that we ran together for the next hour or so. Just over 2 hours in and a comfortable lead gathered from the chasing pack, disaster struck when I missed a turning marker and Chris and I (and a few others later, so it wasn’t just idle stupidity on my part!) and we ended up with a 25 minute or so hilly detour. That was pretty much the end of vying for contention and hitting sub 4 hours!
I must admit to being a little broken at this point, and the second half was at a more reasonable pace. The up side of this was that I got to enjoy the stunning scenery and breathtaking views as we followed coastal paths, crested peaks in moorland and descended through woodland.
Clawing my way back to a respectable 9th position and a run time of a little under 4:30 seemed to be a bonus by the end.
So lessons learnt by a rookie trail runner?
1. Look where you are going more carefully.
2. Carry more water/fluids – I ran out too soon between water stops (every 7 miles or so), not helped by a little extra distance.
3. Trail shoes may not be the best option – this course certainly had its fair share of tarmac, even if only for a few miles, but in dry conditions, I was very happy in my road shoes.
4. Getting straight in the car and driving 4 hours back to London post run is not the best way to recover!
Other Recommended Reading
- Trail Shoes Review: New Balance 909
- Shoe Review: Hi-Tec V-Lite Trail Eruption
- adidas Kanadia TR – Trail Shoe Review
- adidas Kanadia Trail Shoes. Just £29.99!!
- Ransacked – This Winter’s Best Trail Running Shoes
About the author
I am a professional long-course triathlete for Team Timex - I've a few years of hard work and fun coming up! Here's to the long-game as I work my way up the professional ranks!
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