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Thread: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

  1. #21
    Senior Member Stevie's Avatar
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    Re: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

    Thof, I am coming late to this thread but I can confirm / add a few things.

    There is some hilly running in the north eastern part of the Chilterns not far from you - e.g. Dunstable Downs, Ivinghoe Beacon, then slightly further afield at Wendover Woods and from Coombe Hill down to Whiteleaf Hill. I can give you some suggestions for routes - PM me.

    Tring Running Club does have a number of fell runners, maybe 12 or 15 in total with a hard core of about 6. As mentioned we normally do the FRA relays and other fell relays and races, mountain marathons etc, but we may be too far from you and too far from the fells to be the right club to join. But don't let me dissuade you from coming along to club runs, you will be made welcome! Dark Peak could be a good fell club to join if you are committed to regular travelling, they seem to have quite a dispersed membership from what I hear. One of our members was a Dark Peak member when living in Sheffield and stayed a 2nd claim member after moving away.

    Depends what you want out of a club though. There is massive benefit in joining a local club to go training with, not least having people to train with. You will also find that having people you know to compete against in local races is a big motivation to train harder, go out in bad weather etc. You may not get that by joining Dark Peak or even Tring. If I was you I'd join Fairlands Valley Spartans for training purposes. A road club for sure, but go for the training and the winter cross country league at least. You can still join DPFR for fell running and run for them in races, I doubt FVS are registered for fell running.

    About navigation - you can always go and recce a few of the Peak District races, finding your way round will be a good nav exercise. There will doubtless be DPFR people keen to show you round, but that will unfortunately remove any any training value - find your own way first and then get them to show you the racing line! Fell Gazelle mentioned orienteering as a means of improving navigation and I can't agree more. I did this and got hooked on orienteering to the extent I stopped fell racing for several years, but now I have a much healthier O / fell balance
    Still "Afloat in the stone heavings of emptiness"

  2. #22
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    Re: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

    Hi Stevie

    Thanks for your post, i was thinking of joining the FRA and Dark Peak, though i'll have to take a look at what that actually means travelling wise.

    For some reason i hadnt considered Dunstable Downs which is outragously close to where i live, and the other places you mentioned are within 30 miles as well, so which great!

    I'm not yet a member of a running club, i work in london so run either at lunch or to the train station in the evening, i then do a "long" run at the weekends as well as gym and swim etc. Though i've come to the conclusion that i'll probably have to join a running club to futher my fitness.

    I'm so keen to start, i'm getting a little fustrated as i cant find any fell running trainers which will fit and are in stock.

    Would you recommend any fell running kit which isnt obvious, i.e isnt trainers, clothes, compass and map.

    Hope your all well!

    If you would provide some running routes that would be great, feel free to PM them to me.

    Have a good weekend all!

  3. #23
    Headmaster Grouse's Avatar
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    Re: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

    Buff.

  4. #24
    Senior Member Stevie's Avatar
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    Re: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

    Thof, for wide feet Walsh PB Ultras are good, for narrow feet normal PBs. I have narrow feet and I wear Inov8 Mudclaw 270s and 330s and they also seem to suit wider feet too. Some people get heel blisters in new Inov8s, you need to get them moulded to the shape of your foot - a few wet runs normally do the trick. Walsh PB Racers are good for narrow feet too. Search on these forums for footwear advice, there is masses in here. Get yourself along to a race that Pete Bland's van is attending, or to his shop. He stocks a lot of fell shoes.

    Kit recommendations - um, not particularly, although Grouse's Buff suggestion is a good one. Just make sure you have adequate kit for the conditions. Hypothermia is the main enemy. The FRA minimum safety kit is a good start.

    I'll put a few routes on OS Explore. Presumably you'll be travelling for longer runs so I'll make them 15 to 20 miles or so in length.
    Still "Afloat in the stone heavings of emptiness"

  5. #25

    Re: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

    Quote Originally Posted by thof View Post

    I'm so keen to start, i'm getting a little fustrated as i cant find any fell running trainers which will fit and are in stock.

    Would you recommend any fell running kit which isnt obvious, i.e isnt trainers, clothes, compass and map.
    run & become at victoria is the best selection of fell and trail shoes I've seen in London. Snow & rock also often stock a few Inov8s, Salamons etc. Likewise Sweatshop.

    A good trail shoe will do just to get going, especially in summer conditions... .

    Other kit: I can recommend montane windshirts as a great bit of kit that you'll probably end up taking on every run (or walk) outside of summer

    In terms of waterproofs, you have a choice: go for the cheapest pac-a-mac style stuff (regatta, eurohike, blacks/millets own-brand, etc), on the basis that you'll only ever use them in emergencies - i.e., they're just to pass the race kit requirements. Or the more expensive lightweight, low-volume stuff, which can double up as good walking gear.

    also one of the small Inov8 race pro rucksacks would be great for longer hill runs and recces
    Last edited by ZootHornRollo; 23-06-2009 at 07:02 AM.

  6. #26
    Senior Member Epocian's Avatar
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    Re: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

    I live in Wakefield which is fairly flat and we trained in our local park running up the hill about 35m high from a bandstand through the trees then down the other side to some tennis courts then back up the hill from the tennis courts before dropping back down to the bandstand. So 2 hills of about 100 feet in one circuit which was 3/4 mile long. We built this up until we could run 10 circuits in under an hour.
    That was all the hill training we did before we ran the Ben Nevis race and we finished reasonably well up the field (all sub 2hrs 30mins on the old longer course)
    http://gb.mapometer.com/en/running/route_188197.html

    For navigation, as someone has mentioned, try orienteering - some orienteering courses are over terrain as difficult underfoot as anything you'll get in most fell races
    here are a couple of southern based clubs
    http://www.sloweb.org.uk/
    http://www.londonorienteering.co.uk/

  7. #27
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    Re: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

    Hi All

    Hope you're all well and once again thanks for all of your input.

    I've got myself a shopping list together ready for when pay day arrives :-) and i've even sent my form off to the FRA.

    I'll most likely bump into some of you when i get to my first race, i'll probably be the one running the wrong way :-)

    Hope your all having a good day.

    Tom

  8. #28
    Lola
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    Re: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

    thof,

    This is a 'no brainer'; join Tring Runners and get into the Wendover Hills. Imaginative use of an OS map and those hills stretch over as far as High Wycombe and, in the other direction, Chesham - doubt many of us can out distance that without a support team.
    Other benefit of Tring Runners is that the ladies section are stunners - not that you care being in IT and all

  9. #29
    Senior Member Stevie's Avatar
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    Re: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

    Lola you must have been a Tring member at some point? It's true for new members we seem to get twice as many women as men. As for stunners, me being happily married and all that, I can't say that I've noticed...

    Thof, the orienteering clubs that Epocian mentions may not be ideal for you living in Stevenage, although LOK is north London at least. There is a Herts based club Happy Herts which would be your most local.

    I will still put some routes on OS Explore. In the meantime, Lola's advice about the hills around Wendover is good!
    Still "Afloat in the stone heavings of emptiness"

  10. #30
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    Re: Beginner - No Ups & Downs

    Thanks for the input all,

    Yes, you are correct Lola. Being in IT i cant actually talk to people of the opposite sex. I am in fact now having to use some sort of high tech computer thing as an intermediary just to cross the IT Geek - female barrier :-)

    Though you are right, it is a no-brainer, I was thinking of either Tring Runners or North Herts Road Runners. However Tring is only about 30 miles away and actually mentions fell running on their website (being an IT person, websites obvioulsy play a big part in my decision making process)

    My general plan is to start in August as i cant really commit to every wednesday before then.

    Thanks Stevie, i look forward to seeing the OSExplore Maps,

    Hope you are all well.

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