Fell running development for women

Weather plays a huge part on our mood as well as our desire to get out the door and go for a run! March was a soggy month, but with some impeccable timing the sun came out for the first Fell Running Development day of Spring.

We always start the day with a cuppa and some introductions, setting the tone for the day and reassuring people that these days aren’t about running distance or “beasting yourself”. It is about sharing running and life experiences that have got you to where you are, your strengths and weaknesses and what you would like to get from the day.

First outdoor session of the day brought the challenges of boggy and muddy fields, but the group took it in their stride - literally - with some descending practice above Llangorse Lake.

Starting on the more gradual, grassy gradient gave a chance to put into practice their technique and try some new things knowing that a fall wouldn’t lead to much more than just a wet and muddy bum!

Descending is always something that people mention they wish they were a bit better at or “had more confidence to go faster” or maybe they would like to be able to approach a rocky descent without having to come to a complete stand still.

Thinking about your body position, keeping your head and eyes up and looking ahead and using momentum as your friend, are just a few things that can help you start to feel more competent and confident on your descents.

We then moved our practice to a more technical slope that involved route selection, differences in ground conditions and changes in gradient.
Practice on different terrains and gradients are the best way to build your confidence. The more we do, the better we get with descending. Important to remember though that from day to day our confidence wavers and as with all things in life, don't ever think you can just stop, take a breath and take in the views.

Talking about the origins of fell running and some of the fantastic achievements that paved the way for the sport today is something that we like to talk about. As well we look at Women's journey through the sport of running, within many of our lifetimes we have seen women make waves and make way for all us to be able to run as we do and line up at races on a much more level (maybe not in the fells!) running field.

What can be of help with confidence for getting out on the trails and fells is having some of the basic kit to keep you safe. Starting as simple as a water/windproof jacket, some grippy trainers, a soft bottle for some water and a small running pack, bum bag or vest to pop it all in! Approaching Spring it’s easy to forget about some of the other bits of kit but always good to be prepared and lightweight waterproof trousers, a Buff (other tubulars are available!) and some gloves or mitts can really help to keep you warm, dry and smiling.

The last part of the day always involves a run up a big hill! Putting into practice the workshops and conversations of the day we headed out on a 5km loop up to the top of Mynddu Llangorse.
Fantastic views, big smiles and chats about why being outdoors and moving through space under your own steam can bring so much joy.

If you have always wanted to try fell running, but are unsure where to start, keep your eyes peeled for opportunities with -

The Outdoor Partnership - Enhances lives through outdoor activities. Supporting people of Wales and across the rest of the UK to take up outdoor activities as a life-long pursuit.

The Outdoor Partnership

Element Active - Element Philosophy: Explore more • Value our outdoor world • Inspire active days and wilder ways • Create the space for human connections. Offering quality courses and adventures based in nature.

Element Active courses

Dryad - Dryad is an outdoor sportswear company based in Wales that we set up in 2019. We want Dryad to be a transparent, community-driven company with integrity.

Read more about Dryad

Keeping goals realistic and about you.

 It’s a month into the New year, did you set any goals? Make any New Year’s resolutions?

How are they going one month into 2023?

The new year can be quite overwhelming, perhaps exciting, nerve racking, gets you planning or perhaps it lowers your mood and sends you into a bit of a spiral?

 What it doesn’t mean is that you must become a “new you” or overhaul the person you were in 2022.

It is easy to – especially when a new year rolls around – to get caught up in other people’s goals and ideas. Only today I have heard of 3 separate people saying “I started well, but last week It fell by the wayside”.

Somethings that I often hear

“I need to start exercising, I will run 5km 5 days a week” or “I should start running, I will join a running group and run a race” or “I need to run a road race and prove that I am a runner”.

Sometimes it feels like we set ourselves goals that aren’t about us as individuals, our interests, or passions. It can be challenging to step back from the usual “norms” that can be out there regarding health, fitness, and wellbeing, but like with all things in life, it isn’t one size that fits us all.

Let’s talk about what motivates you. That is something that certainly differs for everyone and not just when it comes to running and training but life too.

We have choices and overall, the choices we make about our hobbies and “fun” ways we spend our downtime should be something that motivates and excites. Afterall our hobbies are what we do to feel good.

I will use a personal example to illustrate the point.

Road running. I try and have done on many occasions to take part in and race on the roads. To a certain extent I use the roads to do some of my weekly run training and I understand the benefits that come from utilising it within training. I did a half marathon last October, the first road half marathon in nearly 8 years. The benefits of it (having not done one for such a long time) I had very little expectation and stress linked to it. As a result, I did enjoy it, and was pleased with my result, BUT I am not sure I am in a rush to do it again, and my body wasn’t a fan of pounding on the tarmac. There wasn’t enough nice scenery for me either! As I said to someone a few days after, it didn’t fill my heart with joy. Even tough mountain races have filled my heart with excitement and awe thanks to the terrain, views and even the challenging weather conditions. It’s a true battle on the senses that makes it so engaging for me.

Before I finish up I want to talk briefly about a simple way you can set goals, this can be applied to running, getting outdoors more or perhaps being more mindful as to the kinds and number of races you do.

 

 

 

SMART goals.

Specific. What do you want to action?

I want to run for some time to myself. I want to enter a local 4 mile fell race.

Measurable. How will you know when you have achieved it?

Taking time out in the day or at least 20 minutes, 3 times a week, to get outside and move. I want to be able to walk up that hill and run down without stopping.

Achievable. Is the goal realistic and how will I accomplish it?

 I will take the time out in my lunch break as I work from home, the dog needs its walk so she can come with me too. I will break the fell race into sections and recce them before the race.

Relevant. Why is this goal important to me?

I love spending time outdoors. I have a local fell race that my club mates and partner will be going to as well.

Timely. What is the deadline on this goal?

I want to do this each week until the Spring comes, and the days get longer and lighter. The fell race is in June, so I have 6 months to prepare and build my confidence.

Give it a go and see what you can achieve. Goals can be as big or small as you like.

 

Setting goals and making plans aren't just for the New Year 😊

Your run.

 

'Time is almost irrelevant when we are just going for a run…'

I’ve not long got back from my morning run. What an absolute stunner. There are so many things that made it brilliant. Forest, trails, hidden deer, squirrels scurrying, just enough mud and it took me up above the clouds for a beautiful view of the cloud inversion. I would have to say my favourite run of the season so far!

Running, why do you do it?

To compete? To challenge yourself? To lose weight? Meet new people and spend time with friends? Maybe to go on an adventure? Or get some headspace and time to yourself?

It’s different for each of us, and that's why running is brilliant. My relationship with running changes and never more so than the last few years. Although running remains a constant in my life, my motivations have changed and continue to change. Love it, hate it, avoid it, escapism, a challenge, I could go on.

Let me rewind to 2015, February to be precise, pretty sure it was valentine's day!? The day I got a GPS watch and joined the world of Strava. I began to be more aware of “the numbers” and of other runners, how far they ran and how fast they were going. Before this a stopwatch or just my watch had served me well and I used to record my runs (if I remembered) in a notebook.

This step into tech was good in some ways, but not so great in others. This was probably what started my slightly obsessive approach to running and training in general. Always having one eye on others running accomplishments and weekly training mileage. Am I doing enough? I need to be doing more!

It was a bit of a battle and one that even now catches me and I find myself thinking, “I need to get more miles in this week, I should be running quicker than that by now”.

When you’re progressing, you’re motivated and perhaps aiming for a race, this can be good and helpful, but when it becomes a hindrance it’s sometimes hard to see or know how to manage it.

Have you ever felt like this? The pressure of that watch around your wrist or an expectation, from others or just yourself.

I’ve encountered several friends and fellow runners since coming out of the restrictions of the covid pandemic that have found themselves questioning their running. Whether that be their motivation, not feeling they are good enough or not wanting to race and be out with others as much as before. I am sure many of us in those early days of covid wanted to be able to do everything that we were not allowed to do any more. Might have been races, runs with friends, parkrun, many things that were a part of the weekly routine had gone. That old saying “You don’t know what you’ve got until it is gone!” Being human though, we do eventually adapt, and that adaption caught some of us of guard and changed things when we came out the other side.

I was lucky enough to have a great year of running, in 2019. All things were aligned, and I rarely felt unmotivated, even when tired I found the energy to carry on and I was progressing. Managing my training loads, and just loving the experiences that it brought, achieving PB’s and being selected to run for Wales was beyond what I could have ever imagined.

Like many, when the covid lockdown hit, this was the start of some change, in many aspects of life. I valued my time outdoors and running more than ever before. I loved the outdoors and hitting quiet forest and trails before, but in this time of uncertainty it made me really value this awesome part of life. Peace, space, adventure and running on my terms.

November 2020 saw me come down with my worst bout of covid, one that took me out for a good month and far beyond it would turn out. Not able to physically run because of the fatigue and struggling to get my breathing and resting heart rates back to my pre covid self I went weeks without running. Walking the dog became the best and most valuable thing for me at that time and kept me moving and outside. Moving through the following year I found myself stuck with ongoing fatigue, muscle soreness and breathing problems. Running was hard and no longer was I going out with a spring in my step. I was frustrated, sad, disappointed, and felt so far from the runner I was the year before.

Sitting here now I can say there is a glimpse of that runner I was before covid, and although long covid is still having an impact, I am working with it, not against it to try and get the best out of myself.

Time is almost irrelevant when we are just going for a run. Yes, it’s useful, helping us to track progress and our own training or perhaps to see how we ran compared to the last time we did a particular route. For me though more importantly is how did it make you feel? Comfortable, tough, springy, fun, challenging…? Maybe all those things!

Running is my place to play, explore and challenge myself. It’s as much about the mental benefits as it is the physical, one is not without the other

If I am not feeling like pushing it too hard because I am tired, I still try to get out on my favourite routes, but I don’t look at the clock and I don’t worry how it will look to others. I might walk sections, stop, and take photos and if the dog comes, I am usually having to check she isn’t getting into mischief or chasing a squirrel.

Remembering and carrying those moments as to why you run is important, and they are always yours and no one else's.

Thanks to Dryad for having me as a guest on their Blog. You can find out more about this brilliant Abergavenny based running wear company here