Trainer review - Adidas Adistar Boost

Pros: lightweight, snug fitting upper, soft midfoot and heel ride, comfortable over long distance, seem responsive to speed

Cons: less support than some neutral shoes, expensive, thin outer sole, not much grip

Like a lot of runners, I was quite intrigued by the claims made by Adidas about their new Boost technology. There was certainly a lot of hype surrounding the benefits of the Boost technology used in their mid-sole.

Although all of the marketing hype centred on the Boost technology, the thing that first struck me about the Adistar Boost was their uppers. They are largely made up of a neoprene material which results in a more snug fit. Initially I thought it might be a bit too snug and may cause blisters but after 300+ miles (including long training runs and the Berlin Marathon), I can report that I have been completely blister free. If you have wide feet (as I do) you may need to opt of half a size bigger but I tend to find that with Adidas trainers anyway.

I wanted to reserve judgement on the Adistar Boost until I had covered a significant amount of miles in them. New trainers always feel good to me but the Adistar Boost felt especially cushioned, particularly in the fore/mid-foot. Even though the sole is thinner here, the cushioning is still really good. I am a moderate heel striker but tend to run in neutral shoes. I find the heel response on the Boost very good but they are definitely softer than any neutral shoe I have run in before. There may be some that prefer more structure around the heel.

One of the other things that struck me about this shoe was the outer sole. It is quite thin and doesn't offer much tread depth. I know they are not trail shoes but the grip off road is not great. I also wonder whether Adidas fear that their claims about never ending energy return might cause owners to hold onto the trainers longer than they might ordinarily and that the thin sole is a way of ensuring we still change our trainers regularly. Perhaps that's just me being cynical.

I have enjoyed running in the Adistar Boost and expect I'll be buying another pair of trainers with the Boost technology once these ones finally reach their mileage limit/get worn out.

White Rose Ultra 2013 - Race Review

Before I start this blog post. I just want to say.....I AM AN ULTRA MARATHONER!!!

Right, now I've got that out of my system. I can tell you about the race. As you might be able to tell from my subtle comments above, this was my first ultra marathon. I entered it on a bit of a whim, following a suggestion from +Mike Wells. He had been suggesting I run an ultra for a while and thought it would be a good one for my first. After all, it was only a 'baby ultra' at 30 miles!

As soon as I had entered and started receiving the race communications, I knew I had chosen the right race for my first ultra. The emails from (race organiser) Kerry, were informative, fun and friendly. I just knew this was going to be a great event.

I must admit to not taking my preparations for this race too seriously. Other than the Worksop Half one week before, none of my runs following the Berlin Marathon had been much above 6 miles. I was assured, again by Mike, that I would be fine and that the ultra would be 'easier' than the marathon. Certainly the promise of a feed station every 5 miles with cake and tea suggested a more leisurely pace!

On the lead up to the race, I was fairly relaxed about the challenge. However, as race day neared and I spoke to more people about it (mostly non-runners), I started to grow a bit more apprehensive and not so blasé about the challenge ahead. I also didn't realise how early ultra's started. I would need to get up at 4am to give myself enough time to drive to Huddersfield and get registered in time for the 8am start. This was sounding like a tough day already!

Tracy, Mike, Andrew and Catherine at race HQ

I arrived on race day at about 6:40 am. Having parked in the Walkers Arms pub, the landlady was good enough to let us in to use her loo. She then directed me to race HQ (a portacabin at the bottom of the field!). Andrew (@mrafletch) was already there and looked every part the experienced ultra marathoner. As expected, the welcome from Kerry and her crew was warm, if a little chaotic. We were all registered in good time and there was plenty of time for bacon rolls and tea. I was liking this already. Before long Mike (@mikew30), Catherine (@mrsbedders) and Tracy (@temott10) had all arrived. I see Mike fairly regularly but it was good to finally meet the other three outside of Twitter!

                                                          The sun's not even up yet!

Just before 8am Kerry gave the race briefing and were then led into the village for the race start. A final few words from Kerry and the horn sounded and we were off. Prior to the race I'd been promised that we would be walking the hills. Well, the race started up a fairly steep incline which everyone shot up like a rocket! I think it was the 'Pavlovic' response us runners have to the sound of a bell/horn/gun and the pent-up enthusiasm associated with the start of a race. Before long though everyone had settled into their own groups and natural pace. The early part of the race was bright if blustery and it felt great to be moving at last. The views, even really early on in the race, were spectacular and, I hoped, a sign of what was to come.

Any thoughts that this might have been easy had been dispelled quite early on in the race (quite how I thought running 30 miles was going to be easy, I am now not quite sure!). It was evident that this race was going to be 'Yorkshire Tough'. The weather can play a huge part in any race and certainly during an ultra, where you are out for longer and often in a more exposed landscape. In the early part of the race we saw a bit of rain but it always moved over quite quickly, largely down to the fairly strong winds. The upside was that we dried out quickly and were treated to lots of rainbows!

 

 

 

 

I must say a huge thank you to all of the marshals out on course on Sunday. As tough as the conditions were for us runners, the real hero's were those who gave up their time to stand out at the feed/aid stations along the route.

 

                                 Catherine & Tracy re-invigorated by a stop at the feed station!

 

I am renowned for having a small bladder. Not a great claim to fame I know but there it is. I don't know why but I did seem to need a lot of 'comfort breaks' during the race. I wasn't the only one though. It was during one of these breaks that Mike lost his famous bunny ears and had to make short diversion to go and retrieve them from behind the wall of a farm!

 

                                          Mike is delighted to be reunited with his bunny ears!

 

I mentioned earlier in the blog that the views were stunning and they only got better as the race went on. One of the things I enjoyed most about running an ultra was being out in such an interesting environment, at times, seemingly miles from civilisation.

 

                                       There's nothing like a neon tutu to enhance a beautiful view!

 

Up to this point everything had gone to plan. The weather was a bit iffy but it was bearable. I guess it wouldn't really have been a proper ultra had everything gone to without a hitch and sure enough, we got lost, twice. Luckily Mike had pre-programmed the route into his Garmin and that, along with some local knowledge, saved us from straying too far off course as some other runners did.

 

                                                     Yeah, we are definitely lost......

                                          ....................but the views are good!

 

As with getting lost, it seems adverse weather is part and parcel of any good ultra and the weather in North Yorkshire certainly did not let us down. About 18 miles in it started to rain, then as we climbed toward the top of the moor it REALLY started to rain. By 20 miles (and the 4th feed station) we were in a full-blown hail storm!

 

This was the point that Twitter friend and fellow runner Martin Bown (@MartinBown) had chosen to meet us. It was really good to see him but I don't think he could have chosen a worse spectator point if he tried! Fair play to him for coming out and braving the elements to run with us for a bit.

 

Through the storm we could just make out a poor, lonely marshal who was directing us to the camper van. I really felt for her stuck out there with no shelter from the elements. We stopped for a quick cuppa and a butterfly cake before pressing on. The hail continued to batter our faces and legs and by this stage we were soaked through. Thankfully we were descending and before long we were below the storm. I cannot tell you how good it felt to be able to put on a dry pair of gloves and beanie hat. Bliss!

 

                                                    Andrew heads into the hail storm.....

 

It's amazing how the weather can change the complexion of a race. 20 miles in, cowering behind a camper van in a hail storm was definitely a low point but a few miles on, some new dry kit and a bit of sun peeking through the clouds and I felt much better. My legs were really feeling it at this point though. The descents in particular had really taken their toll but I knew (as long as I didn't pick up a serious injury) that I was going to be able to finish the race.

 

                                            Cross a waterfall. You don't get that in a marathon!

 

By the time we reached the final feed station (at 25 miles) I was feeling good. The weather had improved significantly and the marshals gave us a real boost, no doubt the chocolate and jelly babies also helped!

 

Coming back into civilisation also helped after the bleakness of the moor. My legs were screaming but inside of 5 miles and now on roads, I could now begin to think of the finish, cake and a hot bath! Inevitably there was a final sting in the tail. One final hill just to test our mettle. We must have been doing ok though because we passed a couple of runners in the final miles.

 

                                                  One final hill and one more great view

 

Andrew, Mike and I came around the corner and finished to cheers from the race organisers and other runners. Our finish time 6 hours 23 minutes. We waited for Catherine and Tracy who came in a short time afterwards to even bigger cheers. They had also completed their first ultra marathons and the sense of achievement was palpable.

 

All that was left was to put on my race tee and medal, say my goodbyes and head home for a much needed bath and a beer!

 

 

 

I can honestly say that this was one of the best events I have ever participated in. The pre and post race communications were excellent, the team on the day were superb, friendly and even to a first timer like me were very inclusive. An ultra is certainly not easy but anyone with a good level of fitness can do one and more to the point really should do one. The White Rose Ultra was an excellent choice for my first ultra and it could be for you too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BMW Berlin Marathon 2013 race review

When I entered the 40th anniversary edition of the Berlin Marathon, I had high hopes that it was going to be a special event and it did not disappoint. Entering the race was easy and communication from the organisers prior to the race was very good.

Pros:

No ballot to enter, Super-fast, flat course, scenic route with fantastic support, great city to combine with a weekend break

Cons:

Chaotic start area, busy field leading to a slow start, water and energy drinks in plastic cups

The Expo:

Love them or loathe them, the expo is part of any big city marathon experience. I wouldn't say that I loathe them but I go to the expo principally to get my race number.

When I ran VLM, I remember being a bit underwhelmed by the London expo experience. Not so at Berlin. I could not help but be impressed by the scale of the expo. It was held at a disused airport and spanned over 6 hangers! The large retailers had stores to rival those on Oxford Street and you could have bought literally anything even remotely related to running. There were also games and plenty of stalls selling food and drinks. Pre-race pretzel and beer anyone?!

At the Expo. I managed to catch a glimpse of the great man Haile

One of the good things about the VLM expo, is that you can just go and collect your race number. This is particularly useful if you are pushed for time or if you just want to save your legs for race day. At Berlin you had to walk the full length of the 6 hangers, through huge crowds just to get to the race collection point. The queues for race numbers were rather lengthy too.

The start area:

I will preface what I am about to write by saying that I have read different blogs about the race which would suggest that not everyone had the same experience as me. Nick  (@nick_runs) had suggested that we meet prior to getting to the race area. My hotel was only about a 30 mins walk from the start and Nick was a short underground trip away. As it happened, we bumped into each other on the way to the monument we were due to meet at. Perfect timing! Nick's idea to meet outside proved to be a good one because the race start area was very chaotic. We arrived with an hour to spare, which should have been plenty.

                         In the shadow of the Reichstag. Not a bad place for a race start

When to arrive at the VLM start, it is very open. You can see the baggage trucks, the toilets, drinks and the route to the start pens. The start area at Berlin wasn't as open and, due to the sheer number of people, was a very difficult place to navigate. The baggage tents were in different parts of the start area and difficult to find amongst the throngs of people. By the time I had dropped off my bag and we had made the obligatory loo stop, we had less than 15 mins to get to our start pen (F). We were not alone, there were thousands of runners all trying to get to the start and we just hit a wall of people.

                                       Clearly Nick is more used to a selfie than me!

When the gun sounded for the start of the elite race, we were standing in some woods, still trying to edge our way to the start pen. When we emerged from the woods, it was apparent that it had turned into a free-for-all. Runners were jumping the barriers to get into the start pens and there was no control over who was going where. In the end, we had to wait for the runners already in the pen to move up to the start before there was enough room for us to climb the barrier and get into our pen. Not the model of German efficiency I was expecting!

                                      Finally! We are in the start pen and about to set off!

The Race:

Having been stood around for a while, both Nick and I commented that our legs felt heavy as we got into our rhythm. The start was very bunched and we were not able to run at our target pace of 8:00m/m. This is not uncommon at the start of major city marathons and I kept saying "don't panic, it will open up soon".

Both Nick and I had been dealing with niggles on the lead up to the race, so we were both encouraged by how good we were feeling in those early miles and how much we were enjoying the fantastic support and the sights the city had to offer. The weather was perfect and the running felt easy. We made a mental note to enjoy the experience, knowing we would probably not be feeling this good in the latter stages of the race!

                                              A wall of runners as far as you can see!

One of the reasons the pace felt easy, is because it was easy. Miles 1 - 9 were run at an average of 8:17m/m, with only miles 7 and 8 run anywhere close to our goal marathon pace. I was expecting the field to open out after a few miles but it just didn't. I don't know if this was because by the time we got to our pen we were surrounded by runners that had moved forward from a slower pen. That said, I also passed lot's of runners from pen E. It wasn't until about mile 9 that the road opened up a bit. By this time, we were 4 mins down on our target time. I calculated that if we could run consistent 7:45 m/m's then our sub 3:30 target was still a possibility. We both made a concerted effort to push on. The middle section of the race was our fastest, with miles 9 - 21 run at average 7:43m/m.

One of my minor gripes about the race (and another reason we took longer to cross the line), was the use of plastic cups to hold water, Powerbar drinks and tea (yes, really!) on the course. Not only does this make consuming the drink on the run nigh on impossible, it also meant that some runners were coming to a halt just so they could take a drink. On a couple of occasions I nearly ended up on the floor when a runner cut in from of me to get a drink or just stopped so they could drink without tipping it down their fronts! I know the use of cups in races is not uncommon but I expected bottled drinks for a race of this scale.

One of the downsides to pushing the pace so much was that both Nick and I were tiring by mile 21. Nicks legs were getting heavier and I could feel the dreaded calf cramps (the bane of some many of my marathon's!) coming on. I really wanted to finish the race with Nick but it was clear I had a bit more in my legs at this stage. Very graciously, Nick suggested that I should push on and with sub 3:30 a distant memory, try and hit our plan B time of sub 3:35. Now, I was definitely tiring by this stage but I was surprised by how (relatively) good my legs felt and also by my energy levels. I wanted to push on more but every time I tried to push the pace, the calf cramps started again. In the end, I settled for being able to finish strong and keep the cramps at bay. Those last 6 miles were run at an average of 8:04m/m and I finished in a time of 3:34.06 and had run (according to my Garmin) 26.7 miles. It was a PB by over 10 mins and it was fair to say, I was over the moon!

Proudly displaying my medal in the shadow of the Brandenburg gate

Summary:

Looking at my stats after the race, I ran the first half in 1:49.04 and the second half in 1:45.02, almost bang on target pace. I was placed 7794 out of 36,544 finishers and 1496 in my age group (M35). Despite the busy start area and bunched/slow early part if the race, I was still incredibly pleased with my time and performance. 

                       5k splits for the statto's

I am conscious that I have made some negative comments above. I wanted to give an honest appraisal of my whole experience. This doesn't detract from the fact that Berlin Marathon is an excellent race. It is the only race that, for me, has rivalled VLM for size, scale and support. I would recommend it to anyone wanting a fast, flat and well supported big marathon experience in a fantastic city. Finishing under the Brandenburg Gate in the bight Berlin sunshine is an experience that will live with me forever!

                 This will be one medal that I cherish for years to come!

Review: BEET IT Sport shots

A few weeks ago Sport Pursuit were good enough to send be a couple of shots of BEET IT Sport. I had already heard about this product and the potential benefits of taking beetroot juice as a supplement for people participating in sports and had seen runners and sports teams promoting the benefits of this natural supplement. Now, I enjoy beetroot on salads but I was a bit sceptical about whether I could stomach it as a drink!

Maybe you should just BEET IT?!

 

As I am currently training for the Berlin Marathon, I have been increasing my weekly mileage and a lot of my mid-week runs (which I tend to run before work) have been in excess of 10 miles. When you are pushed for time in the morning, it does present you with a bit of a challenge in terms of ensuring your nutrition is right and you have enough energy for a longer session. I wouldn't usually eat anything prior to an early morning run, sometimes opting for a banana if I feel in need of a bit of energy or have a longer session to run.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by the BEET IT Sport shots. The smell was sweet and the taste was better than I expected, no doubt in part to the natural lemon juice. The consistency was slightly thicker than I expected but nowhere near as thick as say a protein shake. The fact they come in 7cl shots means you can down them in one or two gulps even if you don't think you'll enjoy the taste! I can't comment as to the scientific benefits of beetroot juice but I have read enough to know that the high nitrate content in beetroot is good for you and I did feel good on those longer early morning sessions when I'd had a shot of BEET IT Sport.

If you would like to find out more about BEET IT Sport. You can read about it here: http://www.beet-it.com/sport/

Stepping outside my comfort zone.....

....a review of my Berlin Marathon training, so far.

Following the disappointment at the Milton Keynes Marathon in May I concluded that, among other things, I needed to step outside my comfort zone. MK was my 4th marathon and although I had improved over those 4 marathons, it was clear that I had reached a plateau and needed to alter my approach if I was going to achieve my goal of running sub 3:30 at Berlin.

I first looked at the Daniels running formula after a recommendation from Twitter pal Dave (@dav3c) but I found the workouts too complex and also didn't feel it would offer me enough recovery time. In the end, I settled on the sub 3:30 marathon plan on the Runkeeper app, which is devised by a trainer called Jeff Gaudette. It looked to have the right combination of intervals, tempo and marathon paced running and uses a run on Saturday to tire your legs out for the Sunday run (sounds great, eh?!). The theory being, that you don't have to run quite so far on your Sunday long runs. Including a 2 week taper, the training plan would be a total of 16 weeks.

The first couple of weeks were fairly comfortable with midweek runs of 4 or 5 miles and the longest run being 10 miles. I then had 2 weeks in the US, ate a lot, drank a fair bit and only ran twice. The net outcome being I had a fantastic holiday but put on the best part of half a stone!

One of my rare runs in the US along Santa Monica / Venice Beach...
 

The combination of over indulgence and missing the progression of those 2 weeks of training meant that on return from my holiday, I was really struggling with the training plan. By now some of the midweek runs were close to 10 miles and aside from one slower run per week, every session was at, or faster than marathon pace. The long runs had crept up to 13 or 14 miles and these were run at MP with a 3 or 4 mile section at the end that is run at slightly faster than MP (circa 7:45m/m). I'd been used to doing most of my long runs (and some of my midweek runs) much slower than this. It was fair to say that this training plan was taking me out of my comfort zone. In fact, it was kicking my ass!

                                        ......and one of the reasons I put on so much weight
                                                                      in the US!

I took some encouragement that although I was finding it hard, I was managing to stick with the planned sessions*. I was really pleased when Nick (@nick_runs) suggested we run together for our planned Sunday run of 14 miles (@8:00m/m). He ran strongly and was clearly in better shape than me and on nearing home at about 12.5 miles, he encouraged me to push on for the full 14 miles, when I probably would have wimped out had I been on my own!

During this period of training I have also run 2 races. The Notts 5 mile Road Race (36:39) and the Jagermeister 10k this past Friday, which is a hilly race (44:40). The 5 miler was a bit of a social tempo run with Mike (@mikew30) and his son James but the Jagermeister in particular was good for sharpness.

On Sunday I completed 4 really solid weeks of training (week 9 of 16), with a 16 miler at MP. Although it was tough, I started to feel that I was running into some form and that the benefit of that 4 week training block was finally paying off. Don't get me wrong, the sessions are still really tough but I feel like I am getting some fitness back. I never felt like this at any point during my MK Marathon training, so I hope it is a good sign.

                                           Summer running through the woods & trails

Unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I have got a week in Spain coming up in a week or so. I am determined to take my diet a bit more seriously in the hope that I can keep my weight down and although I won't be sticking to my training plan (it's too hilly where we are going) I do plan to run every other day (as a minimum), and swim lots.

I am particularly keen to hear from other runners training for the Berlin Marathon and those that have any tips for balancing holidays with training.

(*I did have to have a little lay down at about 11 miles on my first post-holiday long run!)

My Marathon Majors Mission!

I blogged recently about the positive benefit that committing to and sharing my goals publicly had on my mileage in January.

Sticking to this theme, I wanted to announce publicly that I will be running all 6 of the World Marathon Majors. Granted this is not a particularly huge announcement and it is something that many people have done/are doing. If fact, I know someone who recently attempted all 5 (as they were before the recent addition of Tokyo) in one year. My first marathon in 2011 was the Virgin London Marathon and ever since then, I have thought how cool it would be to run all of the Major Marathons.

I am not going to set myself any time limit on completing all of the 6 Majors, I just know that over the course of my (running) life, I would like to be able to experience them all.

Recent unvailing of Tokyo as part of the WMM Series

I will be making a step in the right direction in September this year as I have a place in the 40th Berlin Marathon. My flights and hotel are booked and I am very much looking forward to running this iconic race, as well as experiencing all that Berlin as a city has to offer.

Assuming all goes well, this will leave me with Boston, Chicago, New York and Tokyo still left to do. Something which makes me very excited about my future in running.

Milton Keynes Marathon - Training plan reveal

Those of you that follow me on Twitter may have already caught a glimpse of my training plan for the Milton Keynes Marathon (on 6th May). I am hoping to go under 3 hrs 30 mins, which will be a significant PB, given my current best is 3:44 (at Brighton in 2012).

This will be my 3rd marathon and although I have learnt a great deal from training for and running those 3 races, I am far from being an expert. I thought it would be useful to post the details here, so that others running a Spring marathon can compare it with what they are doing, so those considering a marathon can see what training is involved and hopefully, so I can receive some useful feedback.

My training plan has evolved from taking a simple training plan from Runners World and adding to it sessions that I have read or heard about and by learning what has worked (or not!) for me in the past. The only real change that I have made from my Brighton Marathon training is the introduction of more 'race paced' running and I have stepped up from running 4 days per week to running 5 days per week, just because conventional wisdom suggests I should be doing more miles. Although it is not detailed on the plan, I also do one day of simple strength/core work and some stretching.



Milton Keynes Marathon training plan




This plan is an an evolved version (albeit a significant one) of the training plan I used for my first half marathon in 2007, so I am conscious that I could be reaching a plateau. If I don't hit sub 3:30 at Milton Keynes, I will be looking for ideas to make some significant changes to my training for the Berlin Marathon in September.

Thanks for looking and I welcome any comments!