RUN SNACK – RAIN AND THE DARK

Running in the rain can be fun, and for me, even more so at night. But the light from a head torch reflecting off raindrops can be a real pain in the a$$, and make visibility very difficult (if not impossible) in a heavy downpour.

TIP: wear a hat or visor underneath your head torch.

By having the peak of a hat/visor below the light, it moves the light reflecting off the raindrops just a little bit further away from your eyes. This small amount can have a massive impact on visibility.

Don’t be afraid of running in the rain at night, but be sure to take a hat with a peak to maximise visibility…and enjoyment.

See you out there – Juddy

RUN SNACK – HUMP DAY HELPER

I’m going to say it – possibly the greatest all-round endurance athlete of our generation – anyone care to disagree?

On watching that, two questions immediately sprung to mind:

1. I can’t help but wonder if white was the best choice of clothing colour given the dark sandy terrain?

2. I wonder if he does his own washing?

Regardless, the man is a mountain running machine! Do yourself a favour and watch the rest of the Killian’s Quest series – trail imagery at its finest.

See you out there – Juddy

RUN SNACK – JUST GO MAN.

One area runners often struggle is running well downhill.

Efficiently running downhill requires a runner to lean forward with the hill, trying to keep the torso close to right angles to the slope. The best analogy I have come across for this is skiing; good skiers put their weight forward and work with the mountain, not against it.

Once leaning with the hill, the next step is to relax the legs and to ‘let them spin’. Short, fast strides allow your body to stay over your legs (not behind them), reducing the impact spike and making for a quicker and smoother descent. Additionally, relaxing the legs allows the impact forces to be dissipated throughout the lower limbs (downhill running doesn’t have to mean dodgy knees!).

Being tentative when running downhill usually equates to a runner leaning back and putting the brakes on – this is a shortcut to trashed quads and post-run soreness for the next several days.

Downhill trail running is basically the same principles with a few extra considerations thrown into the mix – a topic for another day.

As Lloyd would say – just go man.

See you out there – Juddy