NEWSLETTER

We return to the Chilterns at the beginning of November to take on the autumn version of this hilly challenge and also our last adventure for 2014. It's 50 miles over 2 days led by our international trail runner Chris Walker. It's a great way to train for a marathon or ultra marathon and is a tried and tested method that our team have used in the past to get stronger and fitter over distance. Transport links from London make it a very convenient adventure to get to inside of a weekend. On the Saturday evening we stay in the comfortable Peacock Country Inn set in the heart of the countryside and enjoy some hot food and a couple of beers. You will get to meet the Run the Wild team who will be talking about their adventures. Advice on kit and trail running techniques all included!

Doing the UTMB? Or just want to run in the Alps? Were you inspired by the UTMB at the end of August? Whatever your reason, circumnavigating the highest mountain in Western Europe is an amazing running adventure. We break down the 100 mile route into manageable distances over 6 days. We still have places for our second week in July but registrations for this amazing running adventure are filling up. Full logistic support, lead runner and accommodation is all included. As with all our trips we run as a team which heightens the social element. Spaces are limited - so sign up early!

So Simon asked me to write a short article for our newsletter. How hard can that be? Well, I don’t blog, my Facebook posts rarely make it past a single sentence and I have been known to reply to very long emails from family with a very short paragraph. However, when I hit the right subject I can talk for England (as anyone who has run or raced with me will testify) so we are in the right place as running and good health is something I love to talk about. 

So I will start with my current and continuous obsession - The Poor Adult Foot...

We have treated our feet pretty poorly in our history. We haven’t been helped though. The footwear designers and manufacturers haven’t looked after our feet and are only just beginning to understand that they need to allow our feet to move as they are meant to. Have a look at your little toes. Are they tucked up under the toe next door? Why is that? If you’re lucky enough to have a young child about the house, have a look at their feet. Different? Have a look at your big toes. Are they angled back towards the other toes? Again, why? Again look at a young child’s foot (preferably one you know). Different? To understand this you just have to look at the shape of the shoes you wear now and the shoes you wore as a child. I’ll be willing to bet the boys that they were put in solid chunky school shoes from a very early age. Your foot has got a lot of joints in it. They need to move when you put your foot on the floor. If your shoes don’t allow for this, you’re in trouble. Look after your feet folks. They are your only contact point with the world when walking or running.

Chris is a qualified sports massage therapist and one of our very experienced lead runners based in the UK.

Run the Wild recently partnered up with Reebok Sports Club London, here is this editions expert tips on training...

Being that trail running is a combination of both running and hiking (over trails) it is highly advisable to not only concentrate on just the cardio aspect when preparing for such an event, but to also focus on strength, core and stability to better deal with the surprised elements and ever changing obstacles as well as quickly adapting to the different environments on the route.
 
A lot of hiking requires a lot of effort on your bodies larger muscle groups at the same time. Focus on working your upper body /lower body simultaneously. It is also a good idea to combine with muscular endurance at the same time. Try super setting these exercises:
 
STRENGTH
1) Single arm kettle bell swing squat (20 reps)
2) lung and alternative single arm dumbbell press (20 reps alternating, 10 on each arm)
 *4 sets, 90 sec break
  
STABILITY
1) Viper - thread the needle on a bosu ball (20 reps)
2) Static lunge on bosu ball while Russian twist with medicine ball (10 reps and change sides)
*4 sets, 60 sec break
 
CORE
1) Wood chopper (15 reps)
2) Swiss ball jack knife (15 reps)
*4 sets, 30 sec break
 
Best of luck!