Wet weather training in Wales

Back in the UK for XMAS so the training has suffered a little but I have had the chance to visit my old favourite kit shops to continue the stockpile of essentials (that's what I keep telling myself). I've managed to get about 50+ miles in over the last week since my last post including a very wet outing in the Breacon Beacons yesterday, which should have looked like this..

..but there was heavy rain and no visibility for the 10 mile stomp. I tested the new outer layers and trekking poles which all performed very well. The only others I saw were a couple of Army fellas out training, they both had a pack on the size of a bungalow but were still moving very quickly. The rain never stopped and the journey included driving through flooded roads where the water level covered the wheels (hire car so worth the risk..). Great to be back in the South Wales hills where I had my first experience of wandering in the wilds. As always route map and other stuff on: http://www.movescount.com/moves/move9363778. My fund raising page is at: https://www.justgiving.com/CHughes-YAU

Had a good training on Monday, I had a day off work to get a good long run in. The weather was perfect for training, I set off at 6am from Cassoday, a 40 minute drive from Wichita, which claims to be the prairie chicken capital of the world (I didn't see any). It was 16 deg F (or -10C) with a stiff 20mph wind blowing across the planes. I ran the route of the 'Heartland 50' which is a 50 mile race I ran a couple of months back.

Its an out and back route and I had a tailwind for much of the first half. The wind was biting and I  needed a balaclava and buff, 2 pairs of gloves, and pertex jacket and leggings over the thermals. The tube from the water bladder froze within a few minutes and defrosted 8 hours later in the sun as the temperature climbed above freezing.

Dirt track roads all the way, an undulating route, actually managed nearly 1000m of climb/descent which it very good going for Kansas. See the route at http://www.movescount.com/moves/move9181557. I intended to take photos with my phone to share but the cold killed the battery within an hour.

The first 35 miles went well but the last 15 were a real struggle, got back to the car at 17:30. Great route, passed only 4 houses and saw 5 cars during the whole day. Lots of Canadian geese in arrow formation, deer, squirrels, other bird life and hundreds of horses kept me company.

Getting the miles in

A couple of good training days running to and from the plant, temperatures are hovering around freezing which is good training. I'll take some pics next time to share, for now here's one of a recent training run 30 miles NE of Wichita.

I drove half way to work and ran the rest today, bit tired after the previous days early start. I got up at 3am yesterday to dial in to the monthly contract review so I can keep in touch with things in the UK, listened in whilst running to work. The sponsorship has got off to a great start with my friends and colleagues back home being extremely generous http://www.justgiving.com/CHughes-YAU. Also I have proof of the training on http://www.movescount.com/members/runner200 where you can see my training stats and routes on a map uploaded from my watch, I cant make it up anymore!..

Keeping USPS busy here with new kit arriving regularly, Dylan (eldest son) is kindly modelling my new face mask and hat (doing Darth Vader impression)

Planning a 50 miler on Monday, I'll share the route before and let you know how I go. (pls dont be shy with the justgiving site link above!)

Training in Kansas

Its been a busy year again, 5 months of preparations to move to the US then from the 10th of August a new country, home, job, schools, etc. Its certainly all good though.

I've got into the habit of running to and from work which has been excellent training, now trying to do that 3 to 4 times per week. This is great training for the race as I normally start work before 7am, its a 2 hr run and I need some time to get sorted before the 7am (or earlier) conference calls, which means up at 03:30 and getting home around 19:00.

I've entered 3 competitive races here in Kansas: the Salina Marathon which was a great small race 90 miles North of Wichita, an undulating course with great views of the open prairie and feed stations every mile which really helped (http://www.salinamarathon.com/.

The Heartland 50 mile race starts at Cassoday which is only a 30 minute drive from home. A huge storm passed through before the race which was concerning, but cleared as the race started at 6pm. A good out and back route on dirt roads with aid stations serving up everything from energy gels to hot dogs! http://www.ksultrarunners.org/hlinfo.html

Most recently I ran in the Born to Run Primal Challenge (http://weregettingprimal.com/) which was advertised as a bare foot race where you could wear shoes if you wanted, I certainly did. A rocky and undulating trail through the woods alongside a great reservoir in the Cross Timbers State Park. We hired a big RV and took the family for 2 nights which was great fun (except when I had to drive it).

The race was 3x 10 mile loops with a small turnout and the boy scouts helping at the aid stations, there was an option to do 6 miles, 15 miles or 30 miles. I won the 30 mile race by simply completing it, the only other entrant at this distance was a very pleasant older gent (with 1 eye) who dropped out at about 18 miles.

Welcome

Hi and welcome to my blog.

The sole reason for this blog is to provide potential sponsors (+ friends and family in the UK - I'm currently 4 months into a 2 year stint in Wichita, Kansas with my employer - Spirit Aerosystems), with an insight into my training and preparation for a race in which I will be competing in Canada in February.

Here's an extract from my 'just-giving' web site:

On the 3rd of February I will be competing in the 'Yukon Arctic Ultra' which is a 430 mile race from Whitehorse to Dawson City (race web site: http://www.arcticultra.de/en.php). Competitors must tow a sled or pulk containing all equipment needed to survive temperatures as low as -50C and distances between checkpoints of up to 70 miles, there is a 13 day cut-off.

It will be my toughest event yet. Your donation will do 2 things, provide funds for a great charity that works in your area (see the website for details) tackling child care and child abuse, the pledged amount per mile will also drive me on. If you are able to sponsor 2 pence or 5 pence or 10 pence or 20 pence or 50 pence(!) or £1(!!) per mile, together we will beat my £10k target.

It’s going to hurt, knowing how much per mile we are raising will really drive me on. All competitors will carry a 'SPOT' satellite tracking device which will allow you to follow my progress on a map on-line during the event at the above web-site, if you have nothing better to do!

Also, if interested, you can follow:

My training blog for this event: http://chughes-yau.blogspot.com/ (you already are!)

My training record (upload from GPS watch): http://www.movescount.com/members/runner200

My blog for a previous 6 day race in Canada with Photos and Video: http://chris-on-ice.blogspot.com/


Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now: http://www.justgiving.com/CHughes-YAU (or follow my progress and donate if you decide to)