What’s all this about trail shoes…

So here’s the issue, you like the idea of running off-road in places like Rushmere and Ivinghoe so went online and bought some trail shoes that came highly recommended. However you later found that in order to get to these places you have to run on the road also, and your new trail shoes either hurt your feet when you use them for road, or they get wrecked quickly. Use road shoes off-road? The problem is not necessarily the lack of grip with the road shoes used off-road, but the side to side ‘roll’ on the uneven surfaces. Its dangerous, and really increases the risk of injury. The same can be said for using trails on the road. The trail shoes do not have the same ground-contact and support characteristics as road shoes and therefore you will adopt a different running style with running with them on the road, although you may be unaware. This can lead to injury over time… It’s a common misconception that trail shoes are all the same. There are different kinds? Well yeah. Some are more designed for softer muddy ground, with very soft rubber soles with exceptional, oversized grip. Some have a lot of waterproofing, whereas some invest in a lot of toe protection for more rocky or mountainous regions, and some on stability. The market for running shoes is a confusing place at the best of times, with so much choice on offer, without throwing different kinds of trail shoes into the mix, so what makes sense is to look at the requirements and try to work out the best shoe for that. Sounds simple enough. For example if the requirement is to drive to a park, change and run on muddy trails in winter, before changing footwear to drive home, then something with great grip and waterproofing might be the best choice of trail shoe. In our case, a lot of people like the idea of running up to the trails at Rushmere, and like to include extra miles to make up their weekly mileage, or simply to run there to and from their home. This requirement is therefore a ‘door to trail’ shoe. Something that has characteristics of a trail shoe and some characteristics of a road shoe. The support of a road shoe would be good, to support the runner on the harder surfaces, made of a stronger material with more aggressive grip, like a trail shoe. So luckily there is a market segment that deals with ‘door to trail’ running shoes that are ideal for runs that will contain a road and a trail element. Just like yesterday and the LFR’s that ran up to the park run recce from the clubhouse. I don’t want to make this blog a comparison of all possible shoes that fit this category, as each runner has their own tastes and preferences, but perhaps bear in mind that there are some key characteristics to look out for. Lateral Stability. Some toe-box protection for when you catch your feet on tree-roots and rocks. Grip, but not an aggressive pattern that would make it difficult to run on hard surfaces. Made of tougher materials that wont tear when it comes into contact with trail debris. I have found that Salomon make some good shoes for this requirement, the XA Pro 3D, which is a serious high-mileage, highly-stable door-to-trail shoe and the lighter, more agile Wings Pro shoe. I have had both and these are my go-to shoes for a run that takes me from the house to the hills and back. That said, not everyone has my feet, and other brands might ‘fit’ better. So the exciting news is that park run is coming to Rushmere and I imagine a lot of you will be running there, completing the event, and running back. Perhaps its time to think about your choice of trail shoes? The next time you are thinking about getting some new trail shoes, bear in mind the requirements when looking and don’t be swayed by cheap offers on the internet, the shoes may be completely unsuitable. Think instead, about what will meet your needs. Don't forget to check out the events and news pages for the latest on Parkrun.

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I feel the need for speed….and mud!

Wow! So I am a month in and what a month it has been! I’ve found out that if I really focus I can run fast, well fast for me! I’ve managed to clock up some impressive stats, including a 6+ mile club run in 57.34 (matching my 10k PB), 8.5 miles in 10.14 ave, Swineshead 5M in 49.35, 2.25 miles in 8.26 ave, plus a few more sub 9.30 ave runs, it’s been a good one! I also clocked 25 miles in one week (something I haven’t done since London 2015 training!). The feeling of getting home after a run and finding I’ve smashed out a fast ave min mile is one of the best! Although I still very much beat myself up, always trying to push harder (for example, after completing 2.25 miles in 19 min, I punched the air in delight then kicked myself for not continuing on to 3.16 and smashing a new 5k PB!). Note to self: get better at self praise! So here goes…..see the pic below, that’s me at Ampthill Trophy! In 2011, as a rookie wannabe runner, I entered this 8k event. Two laps of the toughest Cross Country in the county. After one lap, I was battered, mentally and physically, so much so I pulled out of the race and got my one and only ever DNF! Yep, that’s right! This year I completed it in 53.52, even sprinted up a couple of the hills, and with two fellow LFR ladies won third ladies team! Plus I’ve FINALLY got flying feet in a race picture! Didn’t I do well? So Cross Country started….and I hate mud! The first of the season saw us in Wellingborough, Northants and the course (described by AFF) was 2.5 laps of playful parkland! Are you serious? Playful? Hell on grass would be a more fitting description. The uphills were tough, and the downhills were just a brief reminder that shortly we will be going uphill again! And if all the ups and downs weren’t enough to contend with there were the ditches , did I say don’t like mud! The first ditch pictured below, consisted of a small muddy ledge and what felt like a 10 metre leap across onto a muddy verge. After a quick second to brace myself, I took the leap of faith, actually quite enjoyed it, and as you can see below, got a cracking action shot (full credit goes to Debbie Roff who I am going to take to every race as my official race photographer). Now the second ditch, not quite as enjoyable, as we had to jump knee deep into muddy water. The only way out was to be dragged across the muddy floor, and bashed into the muddy wall, by two unforgiving marshals 🙁 it wasn’t great, and afterwards my hate for mud had increased! Anyway after a good wash, and a hot cuppa, the pain was gone and in its place a feeling of sheer awesomeness! I was Kelly McGall, Cross Country Extraordinaire! Leap of faith! So what does next month hold! Well the temperature has dropped and the winter running clothes are out of the back of the wardrobe and I have the Dirt Half to take down, chew up and spit out (like a bit of fight talk with this race because it hates me as much I hate it, however I’m adamant I’m gonna win this year!). Big thanks to everyone for their support, including my running buddies Michael, Harriet and Clare! Happy running everyone and I hope you enjoyed the second instalment of my MK Marathon Training blog!

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When to not run

The internet is full of advice on the best time of day to run, or the best places to run, or even how best to run. One of the hardest decisions a runner needs to make, though, is when not to run. Deciding on whether you are fit enough, recovered enough, virus-free enough to run can make the difference between giving you a workout and helping you get stronger, or making you weaker. Ironically you’d expect this to be a decision that newer runners would be poorer at making than more experienced runners, but paradoxically it almost seems that the inverse is true. The more experience, the less able to make sensible choices about when to not run. Perhaps the experience gives us a false belief that we know best, that somehow our experience counts for more than basic common sense. Perhaps too there’s a sense of bravado, not wanting to be stopped by seemingly trivial things such as a sore knee, or a runny nose. Ironic, then, that less experienced runners could have something to teach the more experienced ones? How many times have we seen experienced runners staring down the barrel of a tough race at the end of a tough week, and right at the end of their training are feeling tired, perhaps carrying a niggle, then saying “yep I’ll just nip out for another run”. Why? What possible benefit so close to an event? There are some fundamental building blocks in training, hill work, speed work, distance work and….rest. Its like we loose sight over time of this last component of training and how vital it is for improvement. No rest, no development. However, it still doesn’t help us answer the question of when not to run. Running when ill, injured, fatigued all would appear to be poor choices but its surprising how many do it. We’ve all been there and the outcome is probably best described as a gamble. Still, its hard to really know when its not a good idea to run. The world cannot simply end because of a runny nose, yeah? Sore muscles are not necessarily injured muscles…therefore it seems that common sense should prevail, and that we ought to best decide when the right time to not run is. Sadly I think sometimes we simply loose track of how much training we’ve done, unable to keep a mental note of how much running we’ve logged and also, importantly, how hard the sessions were because this is a key factor in fatigue. This is why technology and applications like Strava can be useful, in helping us keep track of what training we’ve logged, and looking at it week by week we can easily, almost at a glance see when it might make sense to have an ‘easy week’ or a rest week. Resting is so key to development as a runner, but so overlooked it’s a wonder any of us improve at all. So I was due to race yesterday at the Wellingborough XC. Not the prettiest XC in the calendar but all the same a good chance to push the muscles, heart and lungs to the max…..or not as it turned out. Feeling vaguely under the weather, with a sore knee, I was scanning my Strava activity looking at when I last didn’t run a weekend or had more than 1 day of no activity. It was a long time. The decision was made, change track. Get out, encourage the team, take photos and rest. As it turned out I learned that it was very enjoyable to watch a race from the sidelines, cheering your own, and others on. In the end I sort of realized that its not so bad after all. Rest is definitely nothing to be scared of and you can, in a way, still take part.

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Introduction to GPS Watches

About me... Gryls is a runner who started with the most basic of running tech who just kept on collecting and investigating. Hired by the LFR website crew to introduce tech to others. To introduce the new gadget corner I thought I would start with starter GPS devices. But let us go back a little. To the beginning... What is a GPS device? The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based navigation system made up of a network of 24 satellites placed into orbit by the U.S. Department of Defense. GPS was originally intended for military applications, but in the 1980s, the government made the system available for civilian use. GPS works in any weather conditions, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. There are no subscription fees or setup charges to use GPS. GPS devices have a tiny receiver that listens for the Global Positioning System satellites. Once the device has found at least 3 satellites it will know where you are. Very much like a SatNav in a car but much much smaller!! A GPS device can be in the form of a watch, a handheld or a bike computer. Yes, there’s more than one type. For runners the most common type of GPS device is the running sports watch. Handhelds are for geocaching (explanation later), self-navigating walks or for ultra-runners with less than desirable map reading skills. Bike computers are just like the running sports watch but instead of measuring a running pace they measure cycling speed and how fast you pedal.   Still here? Phew. That’s the very technical bit out of the way. I’m going to continue with GPS sports watches to keep things uncomplicated. Why would you want or need a GPS sports watch? To begin with most new runners would not know what to do with a GPS sports watch let alone think of reasons to even buy one. I’m not here to sell you a GPS sports watch either. I’m here to explain why you see and hear other runners talk about pace, timings, intervals, progression, challenges and Strava sections whilst cooing over what looks like an odd looking wrist watch. Most of those runners use GPS sports watches to see how well they did on each of their runs in detail, how far they went, where they went, how fast they went and most importantly how much effort was put into that run. Yes – that’s what GPS sports watches do. Surely wearing a standard watch and noting the time you started and finished is enough.  Why would you want to make running more complicated?   Below are a few of the basics of what GPS running watches offer. Where you went It can be nice to know where you went. Especially when you’ve gone for a run with friends or a club and not really taken notice of the route. Then there’s exploration routes, going out for a run but not really knowing where you went. A download later and there’s your route easy to see online. Here’s a view of one of my runs. This was a run at night and I had NO CLUE where I went or how far I went. This lovely map tracked by my GPS sports watch let me view exactly where I went. How fast you went If you know the mileage of your route and the time you took then that’s an easy calculation. With a GPS sports watch this calculation is done for you and even better, you can see where you were fast and where you were slow. You do that same route faster knowing where you slowed down. Some GPS sports watches will tell you this whilst you are running. Below is the speed chart for the route above. As you can see I stopped quite a few times and my speed was not constant. So room for improvement on that route.           How much effort you put into your run This is something GPS sports watches offer in abundance. Most have just a calorie count but some of the more snazzy watches have O2 thresholds, Heart Rate monitoring and then there’s running dynamics (stride length, oscilation height/side). All of these give you a technical running coach on your wrist that you can verbally abuse and it still gives you the facts. Running communities The ability to join a running community like Strava, NIKE+, Movescount, Garmin Connect, Endomondo, Running Bug, Fetcheveryone and more.   Some sites even reward their members for recording their physical activities to motivate their members.     So now we’ve covered what a GPS sports watch can offer. What are the best starter running watches out there? I’m a Garmin girl myself. But that doesn’t always mean Garmin are the best for everybody. Introducing beginner GPS watches. I’ve classed these as beginner watches because they’ve got the least amount of menu features for a newbie to get used to. Recording your run, viewing your run on the watch and then uploading your run. I will list the basics about each watch purely because I don’t have my hands on them to play with myself. Most running shops will be happy to give you a run through of extra menu features or you can visit some very helpful sports gear blogs. My favourite for the majority of my investigations has been - http://www.dcrainmaker.com/ - This blog will help you through the majority of current running/cycling gear out there.   Notes about the terms I’m using. Price range – Cheapest found online to most expensive found online. Battery range watch – This is how long the sports watch will be in standby mode acting like a very strange looking watch. Battery range gps recording – This is how long the sports watch will record your run for. Upload via – This is how the watch downloads the information from the watch to the various sites used to analyse your running data. Uses – Some sports watches record more than just one type of sport. For example there are gps sports watches that can record hiking, swimming, swimming indoors, running, running indoors or cycling indoors. Colours – Yes, these snazzy little sports watches come in some very cool colours. Most are your standard black or white but some come in a range of colours to suit your sporting personality. Website – Where you will view your activities online. Not all websites are easy to use and some website offer more services than others. Comments – The good, the bad and the ugly. What I think of these watches from looking at reviews online.   Garmin Forerunner 10 Price range - £70-£100 Battery range watch – 4-6 weeks. Battery range gps recording – 4-5 hours Upload via – USB direct to computer. Uses – Running Colours – Black, pink, purple, green, orange. Website – Garmin Connect. This is a very extensive site offering lots of services to analyse and view your activities. Comments – This is a very basic gps sports watch and is perfect as an introduction to these devices. It would be nice if it talked directly to your phone or tablet to upload activities but this does not detract from a simple, easy to use device.     Tom Tom Runner Price range - £66-£96 Battery range watch – 2-3 months. Battery range gps recording – 8-10 hours Upload via – USB direct to computer or Bluetooth. Uses – Running, cycling, swimming, running indoors. Colours – Grey/black, black, pink/grey. Website – TomTom. The basics are there. Nothing overcomplicated for the beginner runner. Comments – This is a similar price range to the Garmin Forerunner 10 but you get so much more for your money. Uploading activities direct to your phone/tablet via Bluetooth makes viewing activities uncomplicated.   Fitbit Surge Price range - £100-£200 Battery range watch – 3-5 days (with step tracking turned on) Battery range gps recording – 4-5 hours Upload via – Bluetooth. Uses – Running, cycling, step tracking. Colours – Black. Website – Fitbit. The Fitbit website is an all-round activity tracking website. Most of the Fitbit range consists of activity tracking devices using step goals. This can make the website look very complicated to begin with but once you know where things are it’s got everything there to help you keep moving and burn those calories. Not the best website for a beginner.   Comments – Even though the only colour you get is black this sports watch offers a lot. Fitbit have been in the step tracking market for a long time and have had a long time to find what motivates people to keep moving. This is their first gps sports watch and for someone who is starting out on their running journey this is an all-round sports watch/activity tracker. Unfortunately the battery life will keep this watch in the beginners corner. The price range for this watch is due to the number of used Fitbit Surges out there. Probably from other beginners who have now moved onto something more technical.   Suunto Amit2 R Price range - £120-£200 Battery range watch – 15 days Battery range gps recording – 10-50 hours Upload via – USB. Uses – Running, cycling, swimming. Colours – Black, white. Website – Movescount – a decent website offering lots of feedback on activities. There’s a cool feature of reviewing your run by viewing a 3D map flyby. After a few times this can be a bit boring but when showing loved ones or anyone who wants to know where you’ve run then it’s lots of fun. Comments – This is a pretty hefty watch and not the most recent version in the Suunto range. I chose this older model for its price range compared to the other beginner watches. Compared to the other beginner watches this is the most complicated beginner watch. This is an all-round sports watch that offers an extensive level of features that unfortunately does not have Bluetooth for uploading direct to phones/tablets. The battery life is extensive due to its “smart” recording abilities. This watch would be suited to a beginner who is working towards duathlons and triathlons in the near future.   So there you have it. Not a huge list but an introduction to some very easy to use gps sports watches.    

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Freaky Fun Running at Rushmere Woods

This week, team LFR were joined by runners from local clubs for a spooktacular time in Rushmere Park for the annual Halloween invite run.  The 3 or 5 mile…

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Finding time for a run

There are sometimes weeks which drag on seemingly forever, each day a lifetime of its own and sometimes there are weeks where you’re simply unaware of time passing, such is the frantic pace of events. The week just gone was one of the latter. Between commitments for work, family and friends and on-going personal projects like the LFR web-site launch, this week went really quickly and if it wasn’t for having club night in the middle of it, where I am sort of obliged to be at club I am not sure when I would have run. That’s the great thing about club night, its in the diary and you can attend on autopilot, get a decent run, whereas I am sure that otherwise I would not have run otherwise. Anyway, the point is that sometimes its really hard to find time to fit in a run, the endless list of things to do sometimes takes priority and sometimes there are genuinely more important things to do than go running (Note: need to check if that’s actually true) One of the things that took a lot of time this week was launching the new LFR website, every day inching nearer but not quite there. Run? Damn…A few pages to tweak…no time. This was the theme of the last few weeks. Until Sunday, that is, when I spoke to one of the guys from the club and arranged to meet to do the club 5k route. The logic is unbelievably simple. When struggling to fit a run in, put something in the diary that you’ve committed to – like meeting up with someone for a run. Then, you’ve made a commitment and are less likely to find things to do instead. So I ran the club 5k at sort of 6’45 pace, chatted most of the way round, got back to the car and it really is easy to see why people like running. It’s a great way to literally run off stress. Looking back at the week its fairly easy to see how some people can fall out of running. The pace of life, and the demands of work, family and friends can often leave little room and fitting in running can be a struggle. A week can easily turn into 2 or 3 or more and then you face other battles, like recovering the fitness. This can present you with another challenge too, sometimes people tell themselves that they can’t run because they’re not fit enough anymore, and so the cycle starts to self-perpetuate. So if there’s one thing learned this week its to put more ‘committed’ runs in the diary, runs that are harder to get out of, that is. Of course, if every run was pre-booked in this way it would be no fun at all either, so there’s clearly some balance to strike, but I am pretty sure this is the way to go in order to prevent falling out of running when life throws everything at you all at once.

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Parkrun Leighton Buzzard is almost here!

Following a few successful trials of the Parkrun route at Rushmere park, Parkrun will officially launch Saturday 7th November!  Congratulations to all involved in the set up and we…

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LFR celebrates the first Weary Soles Relay event

4th October 2015 Team LFR hosted the inaugural Weary Soles Relay on Saturday. The off road handicap relay race was for teams of five people who ran consecutive legs starting from…

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LFR breaks world record at London Marathon

7 July 2015 It’s official; our very own Chris Taylor is a record breaker! After successfully completing this year’s London Marathon in three hours and 19 minutes, Chris is…

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LFR raise over £5600 for local charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People

17th June 2015   After a busy year of fundraising, we raised a total of £5693.45 for our chosen charity Hearing Dogs for Deaf People – almost double last years fundraising…

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