Having signed up for the Swiss Trail Tour in September, I am wondering whether this is a comeback to ultra running, or rather the beginning of something else? Either way: why do this, and how to prepare for three days of trail running─and hiking─a total distance of 103 km and 6000 m elevation gain?
Just for fun: what happens when you fit a SARIMA model (using statsmodel) over past Strava running activities in order to predict remaining running distance in 2020? Not much happens beyond the nourishment of my interest in predicting time series.
In the past years, finding some way to train hill running prior to races was difficult for me. I tried office staircases but they were boring and the air was dry and stuffy, so I failed to follow my training plan. Ever since moving to Switzerland, this is no longer a problem. I ran some statistics over activity data pulled from Strava, and the results are promising.
How do the macronutrients we eat─carbs, fat and protein─turn into energy that the muscles can use as fuel? How to answer this question without failing to see the forest for the trees? In this post, I am trying myself at a high-level abstraction based on the book Lactate Threshold Training by Peter Janssen.
What happens if a computer scientist tries to understand more about the heart and lung supplying the muscles with oxygen? The computer scientists applies graph theory. Out comes the flow conservation principle, and─woosh─there’s a diagram relating cardiac output, oxygen consumption and oxygen intake.
No need to climb the ladders up Mount Everest if you have the staircase of an eleven-floor office block to scale. This staircase is going to replace the hill training for me in the months to come. Around 8890 meters over 2068 floors in 17 weeks. Let’s see how difficult that is.
Postcard-Britain! The 66 mile race course took me from Farnham over the very pretty & snow-covered North Downs, until the snow subsided and was replaced by mud, past Box Hill until Redhill and back the next day. This post is about the madness that is required to enjoy such an adventure, and the odd things that you might encounter.
London has so many parks. Today, I managed to run and visit thirteen of them on an extended sightseeing trip, discovering various artwork while doing so, and passing through many different neighbourhoods. I failed to complete the XNRG Santa Virtual Ultra Challenge, but I regret nothing.
A comeback to the world of ultra-running. This time, I ran (and walked) the Ridgeway from Tring to Swindon in three days as part of the XNRG Druid’s Challenge.
In the last five weeks: 15 run-commutes completed, 124 kilometers logged, £43.50 saved on public transport. The trick? Always having my kit ready the night before.
With my recent move to East London, running to work has become a topic again. Surprisingly as it may sound, getting the logistics right is the hardest part. Here is my plan on my comeback to run-commutes.
After having watched the second half of the film adaptation of Bill Bryson’s A Walk in The Woods, I can’t help but spot the remote similarities: an ambitious challenge, an uncompleted journey through the “woods”, and a literary attempt to explain the adventure. In my case, I gave up during a footrace of 50 miles and about 3000 m elevation gain, known in the runner’s world as Wendover Woods 50.
Finally my dream has come true, even though things were different than imagined: A race report of Lakes in a Day, traversing the Lake District in 50 miles with 4000 m ascent.
It’s bank holiday weekend in the UK. What better thing to do than joining a bunch of nutters for a three-day foot race from Winchester to Eastbourne, covering 156 kilometers and many hills? I could not come up with a better idea, so here is how it went.
This Saturday, I decided to explore the North Downs Way between Wye and Canterbury. A trip report touching many things: navigating with phone and compass instead of maps, public footpaths and plough teeth, explosives and barbed wire, parking lots in unexpected places, and oceans of bluebells.
The annual Country to Capital race takes a few hundred enthusiasts from Wendover to London Paddington in what is said to be the opener of the ultra marathon season. There are stark contrasts between country and capital, and it was interesting to observe the gradual transition.
November. Saturday. Dark, foggy, chilly. These were the conditions for around 200 loopy runners to set off on a loopy five-lap course through the small, pretty & hilly Wendover Woods. 50 miles later, and after arduous 3000m of ascent, I got a fairly thorough taster lesson in ultrarunning.
This weekend, I traveled down south from London to participate in the newly setup Andover Trail Marathon. The start and finish was in Enham-Alamein. A place that caught my attention – El Alamein? Historical and personal battles.
On the last weekend in June, I ran (and walked) the Giants Head Marathon in West Dorset. Well-organized, welcoming, laid-back, and not so simple to get to. Highly recommended.
At the end of last year, I had decided to spend more time outside of London to discover the rest of the UK. In order to make that happen, I booked a few races in various parts of England. Today, on the weekend of the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death, this brought me to Stratford-upon-Avon.
It’s easier than ever to track your mileage in running, cycling, and many other activities. But why would one do that? For the present self to celebrate past accomplishment?. Or to post it online here for promoting one’s virtual self? No. I want to track running mileage in order to adjust my course and correlate exercise with race performance.
As if the race wasn’t long enough on its own, some runners did not pay enough attention and had to run the extra mile in the Vanguard Way Marathon, a nice and challenging race on scenic trails south of London. A humoristic take on how to get more out of the race than you paid for.
Run to work statistics: 41 commutes, over 200 km distance covered, 17 hours spent on exercise, around GBP 86 saved on public transport, not so fresh air, and a ridiculous number of trolleys avoided by not having to go through one of London’s busiest train terminals.
Spending a day at the Channel near Eastbourne, escaping to more scenic running routes than London can offer. Wind and rain. The weather forecast calls it “heavy drizzle”. Impressive.
Time to have a look how my experiment worked out in the first month. Running to work has lived up to my expectations and has never yet failed to lift my spirits. There is room for improvement, but the 14 runs totalling in more than 70 km were worth every kilometer. Here are the few lessons learned.