It’s a little under 2 weeks since I returned from the Lake District, after shooting Mountain Run’s Ultra Mountain/Trail Running Skills Weekend and it took a while to readjust to day to day life. Over the course of 3 days, I was shown areas of Patterdale and Grisedale I had never seen or stepped on before, areas that without the lead of Charlie, I would probably have not seen for years, if at all.
Mountain Run, headed by Charlie Sproson, was set up to aid mountain runners move faster and safer, over extreme mountain terrain. Race Director/Creator of Lakes Sky Ultra and Scafell Skyrace, as well as planning course for numerous races across the UK and further afield.
Quick change and the first group were out on the fell, at a relaxed, sociable pace. Despite the dry weather this year has provided, the Lakes lived up to their reputation and feet were thoroughly saturated within the first mile. I dropped back to the bring up the rear, getting to know some of the members who would be attending over the weekend. With a mixture of trail, from rock to mud and grass, it gave a small taster of what the fells had to offer, without needing everyone to ascend any real height. Though we carried head torches, there was no need to switch on our artificial light, making it back to the hostel as night set in through the valley.
Refuelled on the hostel’s grub, everyone chilled in anticipation of the main event kicking off first thing on Saturday.
Saturday
Alarm clocks sounded throughout the dorm, as everyone swung tired bodies out of bunkbeds, in a laboured move to get up and ready for yoga. Leaving the comfort of the accommodation at 0615, a stream of head torches meandered down the road, into the heart of Patterdale, as the valley slept. Roads and trails lead to the school, where running shoes were swapped for foam mats, the pace slowing right down.
Mind and body supple, it was a short run along the road back to HQ for breakfast. The main sessions of the day focused around using poles while running and navigation. ‘Cheat Sticks’ the term often thrown around by the UK trail and ultra running community , are often overlooked and shouldn’t be looked at it this way. There’s a reason why the world’s best utilise them at some of the most iconic races. Combined with knowing how to navigate and read the terrain, you have a potent triad of skills that can propel you over the mountain faster, without necessarily needing to be fitter. There’s more to this running lark then pure fitness.
On the fell, the techniques fresh in minds soon showed their importance, as slopes rapidly demonstrated how poles can take strain/load of legs and aid descending with speed. And with that, running was introduced.
We’re fortunate that most races are way marked, with a map at the start and on the website, as much for personal interest as a visual representation of what was ahead for everyone. But what happens if the cloud draws in, visibility reduces or you step off course. The ability to read a map, use a compass and understand terrain can not only get you out of a sticky situation, but more over, help you find the best route if taking on a mountain marathon or self navigated race/personal project.
Dinner and Talks
Sunday
Breakfast provided light relief before everyone returned to the school for more training, this time under the guidance of Paul.
In recent years, more research and time has been spent looking at the technique of running. If you think back to childhood and school, you were never taught to run, it was expected of you. Watch a school track race and you will see a wide variety of technique, some good, some bad….. it was one of the biggest criticisms of Usain Bolt when he became World Champion for the first time, he rolled all over the place.
How do you land on your foot? For Paul, it’s of upmost importance and displays how you transfer your energy, what you will be loading with stress and where greater efficiency can be unlocked. The simple experiment was to walk across a pad and compare feet at the end. It was interesting to see people’s interpretations before the knowledge was dished out, to after the group had been assessed. What appeared good to many would turn out to be the opposite in the end.
Who knew your big toe was so important? I mean, it’s bigger than the rest, but with modern shoes shaping feet to a point, mobilising this digit and providing a stable platform to counter this trend proved torturous for some. Deep squats, activation exercises and engaging your mind once again were key factors in play.
The biggest take aways, warm up dynamically before a run, wear wide toed flat shoes when not running to aid not crushing your feet into an arrow shape and practice simple drills throughout your day.
The weather forecast hadn’t looked optimistic coming into the weekend, fortune favoured us and it held out till the Sunday. Even then, it was a light rain with no windchill. People have may have been grateful for what was coming next.
In the course notes, Charlie said all should have spare sets of clothing and expect to get muddy. This was that moment. As we congregated on the football pitch, I’m sure several imagined they had entered boot camp, the next 90 or so minutes would be full of burpees , sit ups and crawling only where its saturated. No, this wasn’t a boot camp. It built on what Paul had taught inside, now that there was greater awareness of the foot as a platform and the strength of specific holds, it was time to get dynamic, explosive. Linking this knowledge to the rest of your body, applying lessons and in the process, building power and speed.
The take away – incorporate drills into your weekly routine, execution over total number of reps. The body is connected, treat as one.
The dry room and showers were a god send, as kit was gathered together, stomachs lined and the large sofa room rearranged for Beth Pascall and Damian Hall‘s talk. The pair who ran the Cape Wrath Trail setting a new FKT, in winter, as you do, both have top 5 finishes at UTMB and are some of the most respected British runners on the international ultra running circuit at present.
Consistency, working your training around your day to day life and making sure you periodise load increases to allow structural adaptation were fundamentals of the talk. Yes, that word consistency pops up everywhere, but it is the key for so many aspects of life. It’s the reason my training has not been great this year, I haven’t been consistent. Moreover, what Damian shows is that you can achieve more than you initial realise, as he wasn’t running till his 30’s, but stuck with it and built a solid foundation which has been steadily added to over years.
Beth spoke about racing. How you can eat 46 gels in a race (a joke for those attending), tapering, race strategy, small tips that make life easier when racing i.e. a list in your drop back to keep your head in the game and how the training contributes, both pre, during and post race.
The pair throughout both talks, jumped in where their personal experiences added to what the other was saying and were full open to the group asking questions throughout.
With that it was time to head home. Some of the group went on a run with Damian and Beth, however, I took the option to drive back to Milton Keynes. Turned out to be a wise choice, as I was shattered.
There is a lot that can be said about Mountain Run’s Ultra Mountain/Trail Running Skills Weekend . It was more than simply running in the mountains. Looking at many areas that are either overlooked or not taught correctly can rapidly change the state of your running. I’m not for one moment saying you are going to go from the back of the pack at Lakeland 100 and storm to win the race, but with the same mileage in training, I do think you can cut your time down and have a greater experience. Beyond the skills takeaways and chats with elite athletes, spending 3 days with like minded people, all with very different back grounds, race goals and abilities encourages you to pursue your training and racing to be better. It may be the person you share a room with, a coach or the person you didn’t really speak to but looked up to, the wealth of knowledge to be absorbed at a weekend camp/retreat/get together should never be underestimated.
I know its got me thinking about 2020.
To find out more about Mountain Run and there future courses – CLICK HERE
To find out more about Nic’s Nordic Walks – CLICK HERE
To find out more about Paul Tierney – CLICK HERE
To find out more about Damian Hall – CLICK HERE
To find out more about Beth Pascall – CLICK HERE
James Mackeddie 