At 6.30am on Monday 10th October I am starting a very exciting, if not slightly terrifying, campaign with The North Face where I will be training skiers and snowboarders alike, live on their Facebook Page. You can sign up, download the plan, and get involved here.
Yikes!
Best. Decision. Ever.
As I leap off a block and plummet 6m into freezing cold pool of water in a gorge tucked up in the Swiss Alps, I can’t believe I almost chickened out on this. It’s day 2 of The North Face Mountain Festival and I’m trying out canyoning for the first time.
Do I write about the awesome cookies we tasted in a small Amish bakery in the middle of nowhere in Idaho? Or the perfect breakfast in Missoula, Montana? Maybe the long open roads that gave us both time to relax, reflect, and rebuild?
The States is really a stunning country and one I’ve wanted to explore further for many years. Here are some highlights from our road trip.
They don’t call this place Big Sky country for no reason – photos just can’t do it justice and we have completely lucked out with the weather and the time of year. It is quieter than just a few weeks earlier and the wide open roads are ours alone. Well, and the monster trucks cruising around..
35 people stare at me expectantly. I’m standing in The North Face Store in Chamonix with their professional athletes by my side. I’m about to go running with them and a group of runners from seasoned ultra veterans to newbies like me in the lead up to the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc, one of the most famous and toughest ultra races in the world. How did I get here?
I’ll be fine. I don’t need to eat at the moment. I’ll eat in a bit. It’s ok. Then.. it is suddenly not. I crash. I start to slow down first, then my concentration starts to waiver, then I just fall into a crabby and irritable mood. If only I had had eaten when I needed to!
Every year, thousands of runners and tens of thousands of spectators descend on Chamonix for one of the highlights of the trail running calendar – the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. Besides the eponymous 166 km/9,600m ascent mountain race there are a 4 others including the PTL, 300km/28,000m±; CCC, 101 km/6,100m±; TDS, 119 km/7,250m±; and, OCC, 53 km/3,300m±.
These races attract runners from all over the world and all of the major running companies are here supporting their athletes, demo-ing their awesome gear, and meeting their users. I am very excited to be helping The North Face with their events. There are many more, however, so I thought I would put a little summary up here for you!
It’s 6.00am, my brain feels muddled. I’ve got an hour and a half until I teach my first class and so i need to get my session in before then. Training early in the mornings is hard, though. How do you balance fuelling these workouts with sleep, my schedule, and life in general?
In design and engineering there is an acronym K.I.S.S – or, keep it simple, stupid – which states that most systems work better if they are simple. I came across it in web development where overcomplicating not just programming but design and user experience can have catastrophic effects for your end goal.
The more I find myself in difficult situations, or getting stressed out, the more I realise I just need to simplify what I am doing and, when I ignore that advice, how I end up in a pickle.
What better way to start your day than with a proper espresso and two scoops of real Italian gelato? As we fled the poor weather in Chamonix, driving through the Mont Blanc Tunnel to Courmayeur, it never fails to amaze me how different this side of the mountain can be.
As Mike left the first aid station, to say I was worried, is an understatement. Here he was, 33km into the 119km of the Lavaredo Ultra Trail and he was suffering from food poisoning – I was unable to even get off the sofa when I had something similar yet here he was, with 86km to go – more than two marathons to run.
This is the story of me supporting Mike Foote at the 2016 Lavaredo Ultra Trail. Part 1 of this awesome event can be read here.
We’re 103km into the enormous 119km of the Lavaredo Ultra Trail and Mike Foote crosses the brow of a hill with Rory Bosio and they jog their way into the last aid station. They both smile. It is clear they are still suffering but somehow they are both still smiling, both still cracking jokes, and both still positive. Mike and Rory are champion ultra runners, tipped to win this incredible race but food poisoning has knocked racing on the head, now they are just fighting to finish at all.
Fighting to fill my lungs, the magnitude of what I had let myself in for started to hit home. We were barely 2.5km into the 20km of the Cortina Skyrace and we were only just reaching the first climb.
How was I suffering so much already?
My last long run is done and the race is just around the corner. My legs feel strong and my mind is psyched to get started now. I’ve wanted to return to Cortina since discovering this beautiful alpine town last year while climbing the classic Tre Cime di Lavaredo. Now I’m heading back on Wednesday to race in a stunning and difficult trail race.
Running is hard on your body, there is no doubt, and, your body needs to develop the strength and resistance for the miles you put it through. However, putting your body through too many miles without the relative strength, stability and mobility opens you up for injury and, potential, missing your race.
As I train for The North Face Ultra Trail de Lavaredo, I’ve been working on protecting my body and getting stronger.
Here is a session I completed with a group of ultra distant runners using body weight movements.
Climbing Grossglockner by the Stüdlgrat | posted on August 5, 2014
A basic strength, stability & mobility workout for trail running | posted on June 2, 2016
Living the Dream – Moving to Chamonix | posted on May 9, 2014
Climbing the Frendo Spur – A very civilised affair | posted on June 26, 2015
Training, Nutrition, and Changing My Way of Life | posted on April 12, 2014
Switzerland, Winter Conditions and Climbing the Dufourspitze | posted on August 17, 2014