A month of racing and skills

February started with the third Open 5 Adventure Race in Haworth, Yorkshire. It was great to be back racing after the Christmas and New Year period, especially racing as a pair with Neil Hamblin again. The mid weekend was spent improving on some weaknesses by participating in a mountain bike skills course with the help of Cyclewise, Whinlatter. The month then finished with two mountain bike orienteering events in the Lakes and a fell race, all developing fitness for the up coming open endurance series.

The Pennines are famous for their unpredictable weather and for the first weekend in February they delivered just that, with the tops being clouded in mist. The choice was to mountain bike first, enjoying the challenging riding, which worked out well apart from a diversion in the mist which cost us additional time and taking too long for too few points. Arriving back in transition after three and half hours we set out on the run, trying to make up the time lost in the mist. The run woked out well and we managed to time our finish with a couple of minutes to spare. Despite not having the perfect race we were pleased with our second place.

The course at Cyclewise at Whinlatter was based on improving your core skills on the mountain bike, riding more and pushing less. I never thought I would learn so much in one weekend, learning basic skills such as wheelies and track stands and better bike position and cornering. The course allowed for time on the trails trying out our new skills with the expert eye of the coach giving excellent individual feedback. By the end of the course I found not just my riding faster but more controlled and consistent

My first trailquest of the month was a West Cumbria event in Ireby. The three hours flew by as I took on the area on my own. I enjoyed putting my new found skills and style into practice in a race environment. The following weekend I paired up with Neil again for a Epic Trailquest around the Sedbergh area. With snow still lying on the best of the riding we managed to cover over 30 miles, gathering lots of controls, but all at small value. However we were pleased to be out riding as a pair and getting some miles in prior to the next adventure race in the area next weekend. Neil really towed the pace, as the day before had been the High Cup Nick fell race, Dufton. This nine mile race is over fast running ground, and with the snow reducing over the last few weeks on the North Pennies it was always going to be fast paced. I found the pace hot but it gave me a really good opportunity to race some top fell runners in a local race. I was pleased with my twelfth place over a fast course and the cycle home helped to strech the legs. Roll on spring…

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Noon Stone

First of the English championship.

A chilly morning greeted everyone with snow and ice on top of the hill and with the ground being wet I decided to wear my X-talon’s and I don’t think I could have picked a better shoe. It performed perfect through the bogs, snow, ice and over the rocks. I started steady not knowing how fit I was and after about 40mins of running found myself in around 28th position. Feeling good I decided to push on and gained a couple of places along the top. After about an hour running and only 1 mile left with a small steady climb and the descent to the finish I started to feel a bit dizzy and before I knew it I was struggling to stand up. I finished in a disappointing 67th place. Still some work to be done after being off with injury through winter but I’m sure by the time Coniston comes around I’ll be able to keep the pace.

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Winter training and racing

Despite the dark nights and wild weather (we have had our fair share of that this year) winter is a time to bank those miles in preparation for those big long summer races. This winter for me has been no different with more road and mountain marathons planned for later in the year. Along with trying to reach 100 miles a week I have managed to get a few shorter races in here are some of my highlights;

December 2009
Four of us represented Team Glasgow in the Lotto Cross Cup in Brussels. I managed to finish 27th in a top class IAAF cross country race.















January 2010
Another high class race in the snow this time in the Bupa Great Edinburgh International. This also incorporated the Scottish Inter District championship so I was running for Scotland West - pleased with my 22nd in the race and 9th Scot.













Devil's Burdens Relay
Scotland's biggest hill running relay gets the hill running season started in style. Tom Owens and I had a great run over the Lomonds of Fife and the fastest run on our leg helping our club Shettleston Harriers to retain our title.














February 2010
The nationals is the big one for cross country runners and I have had the privilege of running in the English and Scottish national cross country championships. Whilst not as big as the race down south the Scottish national is still a great event and this years race in Falkirk was no different. My 13th place was down on my best ever placing of 3rd but the 29 mile run and couple of days skiing the week before was not textbook preparation. The battle for top Scottish team was the closest in the events history and we lost out to Inverclyde by 1 point!!

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2nd G3 Hill Race Win

This is a result to be proud of. Often women in mixed races don't get much opportunity to race head to head with each other. On this occasion, a South African girl from Team Optima, who had apparently not realised I had been in front of her in the first race of the series, was going to be in for the fight.

I knew that she was going to be going for it and so I had a race plan that I had discussed with my husband who has always been very mentally tough in races. The plan was.... to tuck in behind her from the start, work out were she was strong and where weak and then, not before half way, to pass her and take control of the race....

So, I tucked in as agreed and sat behind her for the first 2km....this brought us to a muddy section at the bottom of the biggest hill of the race (a seriously steep climb from the back of St Martha's hill up to the church). At this point, I couldn't contain myself any longer through the muddy section as all those around me were pussying about in the mud - so I went for it. Far too early, I know, but I knew I was strong in these muddy sections (X-talons making a big difference!)

Anyway - I pulled away a short distance and held this until we returned to the Church at 8km. I had been making sure I wasn't working all out and she pulled up next to me. We shot down the hill to the final climb to the finish (about 1km from the end). At this point it started to get muddy and slippy again. I was beginning to think I had blown it, but I started to pull clear. As soon as I realised this, I kicked for the finish and I worked hard all the way in.
I finished about 100m in front and it felt good.

I seriously think it would have been closer had she had Inov8's on....but I might not spread the word until the last race in the series is in the bag.....we shall see!

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'Warm weather' training in Portugal

Photo Jorge Dias

Traditionally the international orienteering season has started in Denmark at the Spring Cup, but in the last few years, the Portugal Orienteering Meeting has become the place to be. Held every February/March, it has started to attract many of the best runners in the world, and this year was no different. By one count, 70 of the world's best 100 ranked runners were in attendance, some looking for escape from the cold and snow, others getting in some quality technical training in the intricate sand dunes near Figuera da Foz.

For me, it was a chance to get away from the UK for some early season race practise with a group of other British athletes. Unfortunately, the cold winter seems to have affected Portugal too, so it wasn't really warm weather training at all.

Daniel Hubmann, Swiss inov-8 athlete took victory in 2 of the 4 days.

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The Lakes...

I'm going for a faster Bob Graham and the Ultra Tour du Mont Blanc this year so I need to get some miles in my legs. Last weekend I had an awesome one in the Lakes, on Saturday the weather was superb as you can see from the photos. The first is from Sheffield Pike looking over Ullswater and the second the sunset over the Helvellyn range from the top of High Street. An absolutely amazing day out, a sort of big horseshoe that took in the Helvellyn ridge, Fairfield, Red Screes, eventually up on to High Street and then back to Glenridding for pies.

I hesitate to call a day out like that 'training' as it's days like this one that exemplify why I run.

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Town and Country Orienteering

Start of the men's open class at the British Blodslitet (credit South Ribble Orienteering Club)

Last weekend saw a pair of races take place in the NE of England that could not have offered a more contrasting challenge. On Saturday a short distance urban race took place around the streets and parks of Carlisle and on Sunday a long distance terrain race took place in the forests and hills of Farleton Knott. Team Inov8 athletes were at the top of the results tables in both races.

Oli Johnson waiting to start in Carlisle (credit Borderliners Orienteering Club)

On Saturday Oli Johnson took second place in the men's open class, just 37 seconds down on British team mate Scott Fraser. Meanwhile in the men's over 40 class Steve Birkinshaw cruised to a comfortable victory, showing that he is just as comfortable racing around the streets as he is on the fells. Karen Poole won the women's open just 13 seconds ahead of Jenny Johnson. Highlights of the race included controls around the castle, on the 'Cursing Stone' and on Carlisle's tallest landmark, a disused industrial chimney.

Jegor Kostylev at the 'Cursing Stone' (credit Borderliners Orienteering Club)

Sunday saw the athletes take to the hills for the 'British Blodslitet' (literally 'blood-letter') named after its Norwegian counterpart. The competition is also used as the Tim Watkins Trophy, in honour of the late orienteer and coach, who was a great inspiration to countless juniors. Farleton Knott is an upland area of extensive limestone pavement, and in the frozen conditions it was tough going to race over the slippery rock so the metal spikes of the O Rocs were essential to avoid a nasty fall. Oli Johnson took the victory in this grueling race in a time of 1.54.05 after an almost two-hour battle with the strong Scottish athlete Oleg Chepelin. Steve Birkinshaw was not far behind in 4th place, just beaten into the finish by Russian national team member Jegor Kostylev. Jenny Johnson won the women's open in a time of 1.53.10, with Karen Poole just behind in 2nd spot, reversing the results of the day before.

Start of the women's open class at the Blodslitet (credit South Ribble Orienteering Club)

It is still early in the season and a number of top orienteers chose to skip these competitions or to run elsewhere. Team Inov8 member Graham Gristwood took part in the BUCS x country champs in Stirling on Saturday, where he finished in a strong 26th place. The British team is looking good for the year ahead!

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Jue’s 7x7x7 challenge: Stage 3, Portland (23/1/10)

Jue James attempts a tough two lap coastal marathon despite recovering from debilitating ankle injury...

Well I made it to the start line of stage 3 of Endurancelife’s 7x7x7 challenge. The preparation hasn’t been ideal, but I was pleased to be able to start. I had hardly been able to train since the last round 7 weeks ago due to my major ankle injury (happened 2 days after the last stage, falling over a friend’s dog!) and the snowy/icy conditions over the Christmas period. With my right ankle heavily strapped (to hopefully avoid any further injury) I knew it would be a big physical and psychological challenge. The Portland marathon course consisted of 2 laps around the ‘isle’, including an additional 3km stretch up Chesil beach and back down the other side of the causeway each time, passing by the finish area at the end of the first lap (thankfully, this is the only stage that has this format!). I must admit that I didn’t have high expectations for this round – the ‘isle’ didn’t look that exciting from glancing at the map – but sometimes that’s a good thing!

Gary (the race director) emphasised at the race briefing the enormity of the psychological challenge due to the 2 lap format and the inclusion of Chesil beach. When mentioning Chesil beach he said ‘you can either both hate it, and let it wear you down, or you can learn to enjoy it!’, but more about that later. He also warned of the narrow waterlogged paths next to the steep cliffs where it was best to go through the water or round the right hand side, especially those who suffer from vertigo, as it was a long way down to the left. Oh, and he warned us of the overhanging rock that we could hit our heads on!

Thankfully the weather was bright and calm to start, if but a bit chilly. The race started fast on flat tarmac for a few hundred metres before heading off road and up the first of the two main hills. I was pleased that I managed to run up it and keep what seemed a good pace. Shortly after there was a slight bottle neck up a short steep bank which gave a bit of a breather! After a flatter section across the top the first checkpoint soon appeared and then a nice zigzag descent. Usually I like to up the tempo on the descents but not this time; I took it easy not wanting to risk further injury on my ankle. A beautiful section followed along the coastal path on the east side of the isle: great views, interesting terrain, sun shining and much warmer now out of the wind. The running conditions were tricky at times due to the mud and rocks, and unfortunately I slipped on one of the rocks, sod’s law on my right foot, and tweaked my ankle. The strapping saved me completely going over on it but it was still enough to cause pain for some time. Thankfully the beauty of the surroundings helped distract me! I even managed to keep attention and not hit my head on the previously mentioned rock.

The rest of the section to the Bill of Portland was similarly beautiful and enjoyable running, bar a few hundred metres on a footpath beside the road. The lighthouse at ‘The Bill’ soon loomed and once checked in it was off north on the west side of the isle. The first hill was very deceptive – looked nothing from a distance but once climbing it was much harder work than anticipated. Once at the top the effort was rewarded; the run along the edge was flat to undulating, all the way to the end of West Cliff, with far reaching views for several kilometres. The main effort was due to the mud, the cold wind and avoiding the worst of the puddles, remembering to be careful and not go round the left side of them! When Chesil beach came into view the full extent of the ‘challenge’ ahead became apparent.
Having already tweaked my ankle once, I took it much steadier on the main descent to a short tarmac section before the beach. Thankfully we’d been forewarned about the difficulty of the beach, and yes extreme effort was needed to make any reasonable progress running on the pebbles. I decided to go for the ‘enjoy it’ approach and managed to focus on the beauty of the surf pounding on the pebbles below, trying not to think about having to do the beach a second time! The biggest shock was coming off the pebbles: the legs had just turned to lead. It took a while to get them going again and then the biggest challenge, running past the finish area and heading off for another lap knowing what was ahead.

The first lap didn’t seem too bad (apart from coming off the pebbles) and I was able to run 99% of it. The second lap was a different story. The hills seemed to be much steeper and longer and mostly I was reduced to walking them. It was a real psychological battle with few stretches where I felt good! But against all odds I made it to the finish. The second lap ended up taking nearly 25 minutes longer than the first (though some of that time was taken up helping another competitor with a suspected broken wrist) but I was just pleased to have finished. Main thought: I need to do longer than an hour in training!! I’ll try to give that a go and see what happens next time. Another thought: good choice to have worn my Inov8 gaiter socks.

Overall this was an awesome course which far exceeded any expectations. I even enjoyed the beach!!

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Jue’s Endurancelife 7x7x7 challenge continues: Stage 2, The Gower, South Wales (5/12/09)

Jue James latest exploits in her bid to run all 7 Endurancelife coastal marathons in 7 months:

I’m sitting writing this in Southmead Minor Injury Unit (MIU), Bristol, but more about that later…

I’ve returned from the second round of the Endurancelife 7x7x7 challenge on the Gower peninsula. Since the last round 4 weeks previously I’ve suffered from 2 bouts of a sickness bug caught from my son Callum, and had to fight off getting my daughter Caitlin’s cold! But undeterred I headed West full of enthusiasm for another, hopefully beautiful, run in an area of outstanding natural beauty. This stage was voted the best from last years competitors so was full of promise, unlike the weather! The preceding weeks, days, night were wet, wet, wet and the wind was very strong and blustery. After a disturbed night in the van, literally shaken awake by the wind and the torrential downpours, the morning dawned dry but cold (high wind chill). Due to flooding and fallen trees in parts of the course the organisers had had to alter the course – and not wanting to short change competitors they had extended it to nearer 28 miles! There were a few groans from the participants; the organiser responsible was nowhere to be seen!!

The race venue was at Hillend Caravan Park situated just over the sand dunes from the beach. The course was circular; this year it was run in a clockwise direction. We started with a short run across the car park to split people up, then straight over the sand dunes onto the beach. Immediate hard work with the soft sand and the head wind, but it got the legs going! As with the last round there was a beach clean up challenge – every competitor in the 10K, ½, and marathon was challenged to pick up at least one piece of litter and put it into the bins at the far end of the beach. Most, like me, waited until the end of the 2km stretch of beach to pick something up – it was only on the third attempt that I finally succeeded (initially I tried two bits of string but they were well & truly stuck in the sand; I went for a piece of plastic the third time!).

At the end of the beach was a beautiful undulating stretch through the sand dunes to Broughton Bay and the first check point; along this stretch my mind was kept occupied remembering great holidays on the Gower, with friends, when I was a teenager. Then it was the climb up onto Llanmadoc Hill and a lovely varied stretch over the centre of the peninsula where at times I could have been on the top of the Mendips! Very pleasant running but I was thinking more steep hills please!!

The next checkpoint was at Nicolaston on the southern edge of the peninsula. The stretch from there was really enjoyable – beach and beautiful coastal path including sections of single-track through the woods. Great views and more hilly! I struggled a bit across the beach at Oxwich Bay but once in the woods I was running well again.

At some point beyond Port Eynon I remember a fellow marathoner saying ‘this is the killer stretch’, referring to a long section of continually undulating terrain. He was right! It was at this point when the legs were tiring in the last ¼ of the race and there were no steep hills to ‘walk’. But run/walk was what I was reduced to at times. Thankfully once beyond ‘Kitchen Corner’ I had literally turned a corner (unlike the weather that had turned really grim!). My legs were working better and I was looking forward to the climb up Rhossili Down. Once at the cairn there was about 1km across the top before the final descent. What a way to finish! Most competitors around me were struggling to descend but I enjoyed blasting past at least 6 people before reaching Hillend Caravan Park and the finish. Overall yet another fantastic course but possibly not enough big hills!! I’m sure my wish will be granted in the coming rounds Despite feeling I was running better than the last round I finished in a lower overall position. It seems that this round attracts a lot of faster trail runners as it is less extreme than some of the other rounds?!

So why, you ask, am I in the MIU? Nothing to do with the marathon as you may have worked out. And 2 days later I could still walk down stairs! However, that night a friends dog arrived to stay for a few days; a very lively 18 month old Labrador. Having escaped out the front door last time she stayed and caused a lot of worry, I panicked when she made a beeline for the slightly open front door. I sprinted after her and attempted to grab her; she stopped but I didn’t! The end result was me flying over her and landing heavily from a height on my right leg, with my foot going underneath me. Loud crack, a lot of pain and swelling and (despite all the right immediate treatment) the next morning I was unable to weight bear. So here I am in the MIU for examination and x-rays. Thankfully no fracture, but I am in need of crutches to walk. Optimistically I will be at the next round (being an ex-physio helps) but know I will definitely need strapping tape. At least it happened at the time when there is a 7 week gap to the next stage (due to Christmas) rather than the usual 4 week gap. Only time will tell if I make it to stage 3…

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G3 AllAboutTriathlon Fell Race Win

X Talon's do the job!

On the 23rd January I took part in the first of the G3 series fell races. They are all around 10km long and take place out the back of Guildford, Surrey from Newlands Corner down and then up to St Martha's church (and then down and then up and then down and then up etc etc).

You don't get many fell races around the south so these three races are always well attended. They are also great fun and ensure that you stay right off the roads and they are suitably hilly. Each race has a slightly different route. The first one is possibly the flattest ....the next one (15 Feb) is not...

Anyway - I ran well and hard and was pleased to finish first lady and in the top 10 overall (6th). It was muddy and slippy and so fell shoes were the way to go and I wasn't the only one in Inov8's which was great to see.

So - looking forward to next Saturday - hopefully there won't be too much snow on the ground although the weather forecast is certainly for a cold week...even down south! Bring it on!

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Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race

This Friday (5th Feb) adventure racing team Helly Hansen Prunesco (Nic MacLeod, Andy Wilson, Mark Humphrey and Bruce Duncan) fly out to southern Chile to try and defend their Wenger Patagonia Expedition Race title, won in some awful conditions over 7 days last year.


The race starts on Tuesday (9th Feb) and teams will race continuously for between 7 and 10 days, over a 600km route in Tierra del Fuego at the southernmost tip of South America. The 3 core disciplines will be hiking, mountain biking and kayaking, with some ropework thrown in as well.

Last year the route started in sight of the magnificent Torres del Paine and headed south finishing 7 days later in Cabo Froward at the tip of the mainland, after a final trekking stage which itself took almost 3 days. This final 120km foot stage included some of the toughest conditions I have ever encountered. Indescribably remote, with no tracks or signs of any previous human passage, at one stage we fought through a primeval forest, covered in moss a foot thick, taking 8hrs to cover just 3km.

The weather was particularly bad as well with incessant rain and the constant wind the area is famous for, as well as temperatures much lower than normal, hovering around zero. The tough conditions accounted for many, with only 3 teams finishing, and of those just HHP managed to avoid having anyone end up in hospital. HHP however led from the gun so our win was well deserved.

This year is Chile's bicentennial and race director Stjepan Pavicic will no doubt want to exceed even the wildest expectations. And there are some pretty wild expectations. The race heads further south onto Tierra del Fuego, and some photos from the route recce filled me with awe and trepidation in equal measure. This year we're delighted to be using the Roclite 315 which I'm certain will be an excellent shoe for the tough foot stages.

The event website tempts us with a route that traces a new passage through the snow-capped Cordillera Darwin as well as crossing the icy Beagle channel. No doubt the race organisers will have picked a spectacular route. The race has also attracted a maximum field of 15 teams from across the world, as well as film and photographic media. Let's see how many make it to the finish camp, and let's hope we're first amongst them to pick the prime camp spot.

We'll be carrying Spot trackers, so our progress can be followed (if they work) at the event website: www.patagonianexpeditionrace.com

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