OMG or should that be OMM?!

Walking back from the Dee party rocking my Proviz jacket!

These last couple of weeks have certainly been eventful!  Sailing-wise we had a bit of a non-event at the Dee Dart 18 Open meeting, with a drifter (no wind) on Good Friday so no races sailed, and then far too much wind on the Saturday and Sunday, resulting in only one race being completed by 10 boats out of the fleet of 30 entered.  

Unfortunately, (or fortunately if you were me) we were not one of the brave ten as it was just too windy with gusts touching 29 knots - there were 5 capsizes and one chap even snapped his mast! The evening parties were, as always, fabulous with live bands and great friends. Fingers crossed for better weather next year!

Mrs H telling the hikers we are not mad - honest!

Collecting evidence of the madness!

After the sailing weekend we headed up to Coniston in the Lake District for our annual Easter holiday with our caravan.  We had a really active week with our great friends the Harrison's - with running or biking most days (both some days!).

I think I'm on my phone here looking for directions!

Beautiful views make all the climbing worthwhile!

Notable rides were a MTB ride up Walna Scar road and back down into Torver with Mrs H.  A ride which became apparent very quickly wasn't going to be the "quick hour ride" we had in mind!  It was awesome though with skiing down peat bogs and hike-a-biking it up rocky crags!  We were a good way up the Old Man at one point!  We felt very proud of our efforts afterwards, after negotiating sheer drops into disused quarries and Mrs H braving sheer slate drop offs (I wimped out!).

Into the unknown...

Loving it!

We also did a ride which I could have done on Ladybird (my roadbike) and wished I had brought her with me! A circumnavigation of the lake with Mr A - it was really good even in pouring rain and gusting winds!  Mr H made us look very slow completing the circuit in 49 minutes on his crossbike, we thought we had been quick doing the 23k in 1 hour 17 minutes!

I said in an earlier blog post that I was planning on running up the Old Man of Coniston again, which I duly did... I have to say I learned a few lessons though - don't go just before dark, don't rely on mobile phone battery and don't forget your fell shoes!  I ran with Skye the collie (my holiday running companion) and wore a Canicross belt, which enabled me to have both arms to run and scramble up rocky crags with.  

Selfie of the ascent up Goat's Water

I followed a similar route to last year, running up the same way as we biked up Walna Scar Road then turning right onto the path leading to Goat's Water.  I love this part of the route, gaining height and looking back at the lake getting smaller and smaller.  

Looking back at Coniston Water 

Looking back at Goat's Water

As we negotiated Goat's Water - a really amazing place, I was thinking how tough and unforgiving the mountains can be, even relatively close to the civilization of Coniston, it is still a very remote and lonely place to be if you were unprepared and/or lost.  I felt fine even though my thighs were burning a bit after all the steps to the summit of Goat's Water and confident I would find the quicker way to the trig at the top of the Old Man.  

Trail panorama

I cross checked my map and continued on the path I took the year before - determined to find the right hand turn off to the top.  Alas I couldn't find it again and ended up cutting the corner and heading back in the direction we had just come, but this time negotiating quite deep snow to boot!  I found this hard and slippery going in my trail shoes (I had left my Roclites in the boot of the truck which was at Grizedale with Mr A!) and the light was going as the sun was disappearing before my eyes.  I have to say I was getting cold and a bit worried that I still had the down bit to tackle yet and thoughts of mountain rescue were creeping into my mind!  

The Trig with the sun going down

Looking down on Low Water from the top

It was 18:55 when I reached the cairn.  Needless to say I didn't hang about at the top for long!  I really struggled down the first half of the decent, climbing down the sharp rocks with Skye eager to get home too and no grip in my shoes was bloody hard.  I didn't enjoy it.  When I saw the carpark at the lower section of Big Hill I was relieved and went to ring Mrs H to let her know I was OK - my phone battery died so I knew I had to push hard to get home.  We legged it to the carpark, passing a family who had cut it fine too, and then headed down the exceptionally steep category 2 road into Coniston.  I was really pleased with my pace back to the site, I really pushed it and the Canicross belt helped as Skye was eager too!

I was pleased to have tackled the route again, but like I said, lessons learned this time.  

My biggest news is that back in February I entered a competition using my blog post "Why not Tri a Duathlon".  The OMM (Original Mountain Marathon) is a technical clothing company who run events aimed at runners and bikers from elite to amateurs where wild camping and navigational skills feature.  The competition was to find ambassadors of the brand for the 2016 season who would post monthly blogs featuring training, race reports and product reviews.  Basically, the sort of thing I am already doing.  

I put a lot of thought and time into my entry but didn't hold my breath that I would get anywhere.  It was a long wait to the 31st March when the winners would be announced.   On the day before the announcement date I was contacted by OMM to say they had been overwhelmed with 1000 plus entries,  as I read the email my heart sank, until I came to the part when it said I had made the top 10 and they loved my blog!  I read on with heightened anticipation, thinking what the... anyway, in a nutshell I have been chosen as one of 4 other amateur ambassadors (I think it should be OMMbassadors!) and will receive kit, products to test and entry into any OMM event free of charge!  

In return, I will produce monthly blog posts to let the OMM community see what I am doing and I guess to represent the average runners out there.  The aim is to inspire others to get out into the outdoors and start enjoying our amazing landscapes.  You can read the article announcing the new ambassadors here. To say I am thrilled is an understatement so watch this space for OMM blogs (I will still use my Lady Fellrunner blog in the same way - just with monthly OMM specific blogs too).  

I have entered the OMM Bike Peak District event on the 23rd-24th April which I will do with Caz.  We are very excited!

I have been sent some new overshoes courtesy of the Bike Factory (apparently my baggy Aldi ones do not cut it ;-) ) from the Manchester based DexShell rep to review. So I will get to test these at the OMM event too.  

It really is all go at the moment as Womens Running UK Magazine have contacted me to do an article on PBs - I contacted them with my story when I first wrote my blog, and they now want to feature my latest PB at Woodbank parkrun on their "My PB Story" section.  So look out for me in the magazine next month!! 

Hilariously today, Ava, my niece (after I was telling her about my article and OMM stuff etc. said "Aunty - you're trending!" 

Events coming up this week - the Thomas Theyer fell race - an 11k fell run around Combs, Derbyshire on Sunday 10th April.  You can sponsor me at https://www.justgiving.com/theladyfellrunner - its for a fabulous cause and the race should be a great boost to the charity.  I'm really looking forward to it!

Well done if you've read all that!

Happy Running!!! :-)

Neighathlon - is that a thing?

The view from Taxal Edge

Well it's over a week since my last post so I thought an update was in order!

This week I have done quite well for mixing running and biking, with a 10k fell run on Tuesday, to test my new trail shoes, a short MTB Wednesday where I discovered my front brake wasn't working (oh the irony, one bikes brakes are too good, the others are knackered! - fortunately this time it didn't end in disaster as I realised very soon into my ride! Plus, my rear brakes are pretty much new, which helped) so I had to detour once again to The Bike Factory! Surely I'm their best customer by now!

Still a bit of snow on the tops

Thursday saw the "big ride" with Caz and Katie to build confidence on Ladybird (my road bike) which was eventful in a good way with cattle grids - yikes! - More braking problems (change the record Anna) and Friday was a proper multi-discipline day where I rode a horse, a bike and did a run - maybe a new event opportunity - neighathlon anyone?

This weekend, I managed a little tempo run after helping at Whaley Bridge junior parkrun, but I didn't feel up to much as I have a sore throat brewing again.

Here is the Amarok rocking my girls...

March has seen the arrival of a long -awaited VW Amarok, our new caravan tow car - we have been saving and researching and bought some new bike carriers as our old eBay ones were about fifteen quid each and have done thousands of miles so are totally knackered! 

We settled on the Thule 598 Proride, as they are really solid and have handy features such as matched locks for all 4 carriers.  We did learn something new too - Thule is pronounced Ta-Hoo-Ley - who knew?! Its like the Ikea advert all over again! 

Fab foot care range from Mavala

I have been really lucky to have been sent the Mavala foot care range, after I emailed asking about sports products, and shoe care.  I am really looking forward to trying the products - especially the tired leg gel, which I am hoping will ease my bruised leg (which is much better but still a bit lumpy), and the foot bath treatment.  Mavala is an established Swiss company who specialise in nailcare predominantly but have a great range of skincare for eyes, feet, face and hands.  

Not the best photo!

With flash!

Proviz - I have been living in my Reflect 360 outdoor jacket since it arrived in its beautifully wrapped packaging!  I love it. 


I have had loads of interest in it and think its a brilliant product.  I have done everything from the school run to a bike ride to the sailing club and it has performed really well!  

The fit is just right for me, it is fitted enough to be smart and look like a ladies jacket, but not so small that it is tight.  I went for a size 10 and find I can wear a vest top and thick jumper underneath it comfortably.  For running, I would wear a long sleeved base layer only underneath to stop overheating.  

The jacket isn't breathable but is very well vented with pockets and mesh lining.  It is exceptionally wind proof and waterproof with taped seams and zips and comfortable "zip garages" to stop them rubbing.  At night the jacket comes into its own, I think the white glow it takes on is actually a really cool look!  It is a great safety jacket for dog walking, going out to the pub or just about anything really!  

The run range from Proviz looks excellent too, with contoured panels and run-specific features.  I would recommend this jacket and the Proviz brand to anyone - the attention to detail is second to none in my opinion.  

Whey to go!

I mentioned in my last blog post that I have been sent the Diet whey from Natures Best - which I am yet to try (need to up the exertion levels first!) but I must mention another Aldi bargain which I have bought to go with it  - a pink shaker bottle complete with little metal shaker ball and mesh strainer top.  I think for £2.99 I will not hold my breath but I do love a bargain!

Very clean Rocites

I tested my new Inov-8 Roclite 280 (AW 15's) as I said above, by running the Whaley Waltz route in them - a varied terrain with a bit of everything, road, fell, trail and river (I didn't do that section funnily enough!).  I have been a fan of Inov-8 since getting some Mudclaws last Easter, and these don't disappoint either.  The upper seems much thinner in comparison to the Mudclaws which helps with the breathability and weight of the shoe - they are so light! but I'm not sure how long they will last, so time will tell.  As far as fit is concerned they are very roomy in the toe box, which caused a bit of a rub on my big toe, I will need a thick sock and vaseline in them until my feet get used to them.  I think they are much more cushioned on the harder surfaces but need to try an extended run along the canal or similar to really test them.  

Roclites and HH tights

I also bought the Inov-8 Base Elite top in black for the bargain price of £14.99 from sportshoes.com - I found the small is a size 8, so a bit snug for me but passable for an undergarment.  Both times I have worn it I have been really warm, the only downside being the cuffs are tight so I can't roll my sleeves up which is a bit annoying as I always roll my sleeves up in my Helly Hansen baselayer top.

My friend Caz (my running Oracle) supplies the Goyt Valley Striders Kit through her (and her husband Tony's) company- a&c workwear and she has been kind enough to give me a hoodie to wear - its gorgeous!  So soft and warm, I have had lots of non runners say they like it - another ploy to get people to start running - join the Striders and buy a hoodie! I am going to test out a new race vest for them and hopefully get some kit with my blog address on the back so anyone who sees me at races can see the race reviews from a midfield perspective!  Check out the a&c workwear facebook page for all your team embroidery needs!


Looking forward, this week will be all about doing whatever training I can, as we are going away for Easter so there's much to do and the children break up on Thursday so my week is thrown out of kilter.

Over the Easter weekend Team Aspinall will be competing in the Dee Sailing Club UKIDA GP1 Open meeting.  Mr A and I will be dusting off our drysuits and (with my current form - trying not to drown) battling it out on the Dee estuary to get a half decent result in the event.  I will report on our progress after our Easter holiday in the Lakes!

I'm planning on running up the Old Man of Coniston again, which I am looking forward to.

When we return home there will be a week left of school holidays so I am hoping to try a turbo trainer out.  I will update on progress with that on my return.

In the meantime, I hope everyone has a fabulously active Easter (to work off the eggs) and look forward to seeing what everyone has been up to!

Happy Easter and Happy Running!

Downtime, Diet and New Gear...

The thing about running is that it's great when its over.  Yes, you heard me correctly, because running is actually hard at times.  I regularly find myself running along thinking WTF am I doing? It's raining, I haven't done my housework and this is supposed to be fun for God's sake!

Retrospective enjoyment is the best part of running for me - especially racing.  During the race its all about the pain and the internal battle with my body Vs my brain telling me to stop! Seriously, the achievement felt afterwards, and the ability to go over the best bits in my head (and all those euphoric endorphins bombing around my body) makes all the pain totally worth it.  Lots of my friends completed the Grindleford Gallop today - a 21 mile epic fell/trail run - and I am sure they would whole-heartedly agree with me on this right now!

Not feeling the love at all during the Famous Grouse race Nov 2015!

Yes, granted - it sucks running up a massive hill in a force 10 gale with bucket loads of rain lashing your face for good measure (and maximum dermobrasion) but the after effects make it so worthwhile! That feeling of standing in a warm shower knowing there's a steaming mug of tea ready and waiting for you is amazing!  Knowing you can eat shit loads of food and best of all eat cake without feeling remorseful is another major positive (don't go crazy though unless you've run a marathon - then knock yourself out).  

My homemade bruise removal device

I've been feeling a bit sorry for myself this week.  9 days on from my crash and I am more bruised now than ever and my right knee is giving me gyp too.  I've been hobbling around with a heat pack (fashioned from a wheat bag tied on with a dressing gown belt) on my bad leg - trying to get my circulation pumping to clear the bruising away.

Love our girls MTB sessions!

I did get out on my MTB on Thursday with the girls, we had a lovely ride around the Goyt Valley which gave me a boost.  

The feeling of not being able to run is really gutting.  Any runner will tell you - it's like an addiction after a while, I now understand people who run everyday - which I never did before.  

I'm struggling to run and bike in the time I have at the moment.  In my ideal world my training plan would include a swim every week, 2 runs at least with one speed/hills and one distance, and 1 - 2 bike rides as well.  Reality means I have to make the most of 2 runs at best and one bike at the moment, but it does keep me ticking over and I love getting out on the MTB with the girls.  The road bike is now back and ready for action so I will be adding some confidence building sessions in with Caz as the weather permits. 

Turbo

Amanda is lending me her turbo trainer ( a device which turns your roadie into a spinning bike basically) to use in the evenings when Mr A is away so that will be a big fitness boost too hopefully.  

I read recently that another bloggers audience were asking about diet and it got me thinking that although I am by no means an expert, I have managed to keep my weight off since 2013.  How?  Well I lost my 3.5 stones in weight through joining my local Slimming World group.  It was amazing, I could eat loads and still lose weight.  I enjoyed staying to group each week and I really embraced the whole healthy eating lifestyle.  I still follow lots of the slimming world principles now, although I'm not as rigid as I was, and there are certain things that you just need when you start to exercise harder.  

I have been developing an interest in clean eating for sometime and have read about benefits of nut butters and protein shakes etc. in the world of fitness, but apart from the odd gel I haven't really tried any other sport specific foodstuffs.  

This week, I bought some Whole Foods 3 nut butter and tried it on a wholegrain crackerbread (slimming world Healthy Extra B) with slices of banana on top - OMG it was a taste sensation and my new go to snack after running!

I have also purchased some Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) to make a delicious sounding breakfast which I found on the POPSUGAR blog.

I have never really thought about protein shakes and the like - thinking they were more of a gym bunny thing, but when looking at the science of building and repairing muscle, I didn't fancy any calorie heavy shakes so I looked for a diet alternative and contacted my vitamin supplier - Natures Best, who do a range of sports supplements. They are sending me some of the Diet Whey in Chocolate for me to  review for them - I intend to use it as a recovery shake after very strenuous runs/ride and will keep you posted on progress!

New Proviz Jacket

Magic!

Another product I have been sent is the Proviz Reflect 360 Outdoor Jacket which I am really impressed with already.  I have worn it a couple of times and had positive comments about it - but I have yet to try it at night, which is where it will really impress. I will be writing a more detailed review on this when I have had chance to test it at night and on my bike.  

Cross top brake levers

In other (totally irrelevant) news, I have named my bikes, my MTB is called Pearl - owing to the iridescent white paintwork and my new roadie is now called Ladybird - again, the paintwork (its red, white and black) and my new cross top brakes look like the antenna on an insect (thanks once again to The Bike Factory in Whaley Bridge for looking after me!). I was referring to it as Deathtrap but it seemed a bit negative so Ladybird it is!  - You can tell I've had time on my hands without running!

I have also bought some Inov-8 Roclite 280 shoes as an early birthday present to use for longer distance fell/trail runs as I've been finding my Mudclaws a little too jarring on any hard surfaces I run on.  I will keep you updated on my progress with these!



Tip of the day - use Vaseline between your toes to stop rubbing/toe smashing on longer runs.  It has often saved my toes and is really cheap!

Hopefully next week I can get back on track with my training schedule, and bring you gear reviews of the Proviz jacket and the Inov-8 Base elite top.  Happy running! :-)