Yeah clent is not far from me. I’ve just come back from 2 years out so been careful increasing the miles. If you fancy meeting up I’m free most evenings and every other weekend
Yeah clent is not far from me. I’ve just come back from 2 years out so been careful increasing the miles. If you fancy meeting up I’m free most evenings and every other weekend
As much as you may dislike it... if you work your arse off for an hour on the treadmill at maximum gradient, you are looking at circa 3000ft in an hour..... (or more, or less, depending on your pace/effort). And you'll certainly know you've done a session.
Yesterday I did a 45 minute treadmill effort, 2300ft, followed by plenty of squats, and I'd say it was far more taxing then today's run of similar ascent stats (as enjoyable as it was today). I guess it depends if you want to run for enjoyment, or training to get better.... luckily I managed a bit of both this weekend!!
Spen, I can certainly give you some advice on running on the Clent Hills. I know them like the back of my hand and if I'm not up there running, I'm quite often around that way cycling or just walking the dog. I could probably meet up sometime but I don't think I've got a weekend free of some cycling or running events until somewhere near the end of November.
You can obviously go the hill rep route up Clent - just find a distance and gradient you are happy with and rep away! I usually get bored with that so either do both hills a couple of times by varying routes or basically do a 360 navigation of one hill going up one path and down the next, trying to keep off the flatter parts. With the dark evenings approaching, head torch runs are best done on the quiet lanes between Walton and Romsley. Shut Mill Lane, Rumbow Lane and Winwood Heath Rd (20% in places! ) and you can get in quite a bit of climbing at a fair pace whilst not having worry too much about tripping over tree roots etc. It's the only time of year I actively run on roads!
Last edited by PeteS; 07-10-2018 at 07:47 PM.
Is it safe Running around them roads at night?
Depends on what you consider the risk to be really.Originally Posted by spen
I have a reasonably powerful head torch so on unlit lanes, I have been mistaken for an oncoming vehicle. This is not a bad thing....
I also wear a red flashing LED light attached to my bumbag and then some reflectives on clothing and of course, no headphones.
That said, those lanes are very, very quiet, especially Rumbow and Winwood Heath, and you are more likely to be taken out by a badger (this nearly happened to me) than a motorist. Other than FRA forumites and the odd deer, fox or owl you are not likely to encounter much else other than cyclists bored of the turbo trainer.
Road surfaces are generally good so no significant trip hazards to worry about either.
In better light you need not worry about the roads as there are plenty of off road hilly potential around the area. I'm not sure how well you know the hills but the main problem from a training perspective is the lack of any continuous long climb. The most ascent you can do in one stretch is about 450ft. However there are a multitude of short steep sections that you can either daisy chain together or make a shorter loop you can repeat. I can let you know some of the more gnarly ones that you might like to have a go at. Walton Hill and out Calcott farm way is a good area for this.
Last edited by PeteS; 08-10-2018 at 07:01 PM.
That would be great. I live in quarry bank so not far away. I do go to Malvern sometimes
Did a climb session tonight. Starclimber. 3300ft in 45 minutes. Hard work to run a 'negative split' on this type of session.
I have seen a criticism of laboratory studies of uphill running using inclined treadmills, that the physiological demands of treadmill running aren't the same as uphill running because you aren't actually raising your body weight through x-hundred metres vertically. So while I don't doubt that your sessions on the treadmill or stairclimber are thoroughly good workouts, the nominal height gain may not be very meaningful. Having said that, what is needed for successful uphill running is mainly good fitness, so a thoroughly good workout may be just what you need anyway. The real problem with treadmills and stairclimbers is that you can't hone your downhill technique on them!
In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
Jorge Luis Borges
Quarry Bonk - You could just do hill reps up and down that! 😁
Malvern is great if you can get over there. I will be down that way on Saturday for the Worcestershire beacon race. There's another thread on here somewhere with a lot of useful advice on those hills. More of a trek, but if you can get out to the Wrekin or even as far as the Shropshire hills, they are well worth the trip.
Had a look at routes on Clent hills and I reckon a longish 15km route could easily bag you 750m ascent without going over the same ground much. Shorter runs can be done with similar height gains per/km. For a starting point for hill reps I'd aim for somewhere near the fountain pub and then any of the 3 or 4 paths that lead up to the 4 stones. I don't mind meeting up some time to show you the sights but I'm a bit short on weekends for a few weeks and nights are drawing in now for evenings after work.
If you do Strava or OS maps I can post a link to a route or send me your email address in a message and I'll send you a GPX file or two.
Last edited by PeteS; 09-10-2018 at 06:47 AM.
quote>I have seen a criticism of laboratory studies of uphill running using inclined treadmills, that the physiological demands of treadmill running aren't the same as uphill running because you aren't actually raising your body weight through x-hundred metres vertically. So while I don't doubt that your sessions on the treadmill or stairclimber are thoroughly good workouts, the nominal height gain may not be very meaningful. Having said that, what is needed for successful uphill running is mainly good fitness, so a thoroughly good workout may be just what you need anyway. The real problem with treadmills and stairclimbers is that you can't hone your downhill technique on them!<quote
No doubt about it, if you can train a 3000ft hill session on a treadmill/climber, or a 3000ft hill session (with the same intensity) on the open fell, you'd pick the fell every time. I don't think anyone can dispute that.
But the one advantage of a treadmill session is the intensity. On an outside hill session i think there is a tendency to slip into a more comfortable pace, unless you are incredibly disciplined. On the treadmill, you either keep up or fall off, and you know the figures that indicate whether you have worked hard or not.
For example last night i did 3300ft in 45 minutes. I know that 3000ft in the same time is a 'steady' session, anything in between entails a bit more effort, but 3300ft in that time induces some considerable work, so i know it was a good session.
At the weekend i did two sessions... a 2300ft treadmill session, and a 2350ft run out on the Long Mynd… and i certainly know which one left me more broken at the end... the treadmill session by a long way.
i think it's also a major point, that when i then do get to the fells for a race (approx. every 2-3 weeks on average) the result is that i am hungry for it. Have usually travelled a considerable distance, and won't accept anything from myself other than flogging myself to death.
Of course there are major disadvantages.... the scenery is non-existent. The stats as you indicated, may be a little dubious (but i suspect no more than 10% at the very most). And solely racing on the fells means you don't always get to appreciate the scenery in the same way. My run on the Mynd last weekend was the first time i'd been up there at a leisurely pace.... i noticed a few things i'd never see in a race... the waterfall in Lightspout Hollow... the cairn and viewpoint indicator on top of Pole Bank (not to mention the fantastic view)….. the ponies living up there. I'm usually blowing too much to notice anything other than a general appreciation of the surroundings.
Big track session incoming tonight. As we move towards winter we only do the track about once every 4 weeks, and other sessions tend to include longer road and hill efforts, more tailored towards the xc season. End result is that when we ht the track we hit it hard... i'm already a little apprehensive about tonight!
Last edited by Travs; 09-10-2018 at 08:26 AM.
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