Author: briggsy1981

Plenty of runners will tell you that there’s nothing quite like unboxing a new pair of trainers. That first glimpse of a pristine, never-before-worn pair of kicks that will, of course, elevate your running from slow plodder, to blazing speed-merchant.

Sadly, the new trainer high only lasts a mere moment. If you talk to a trail runner – minutes. Mud covered and bashed up tends to be the norm, but there’s a whole other world of trainer politics to be discussed if you scratch beneath the surface. Should we keep buying new shoes? What happens to the old ones? Do I need better grip? Should I be running barefoot the whole time?

Plenty of you will know that I run in barefoot shoes – my go-to shoe is the Vibram V-Trail. I landed on this footwear after dabbling with a Merrell Vapor Glove, but before that I’d spent years forcing my toes into more conventional narrow trainers. Inevitably, the squishing of the toes caused foot pain and/or blisters, but it took me years to learn that I could make huge improvements in my foot health just my rethinking my running shoes.

A couple of years of running in barefoot shoes means it’s become “the norm” for me. But training for The Dragon’s Back Race has forced my hand (well, foot), into rethinking what to wear on the mountains.

Initially I sent out a message on social media asking for recommendations on footwear for the mountains, and let me tell you, the barefoot crowd were vocal! I’ve learnt over the years that my feet are only stronger from running barefoot. I appear to have fewer foot issues overall using barefoot shoes, and it’s given me a better understanding of my biomechanics.

Despite all the good things that barefoot running has to offer us, there are still in my opinion, times when we need something a bit more robust. Ourea, the organisers of DBR strongly recommend against barefoot shoes. I had started to feel guilty for considering other trainers, but nonetheless I capitulated and forked out on a pair of Altra Lone Peaks – a zero drop shoe with a wide toe box. It offered the grip that I was searching for – so I thought.

However good the Altra was on a gritty trail or a rocky climb, every time I hit wet grass, I hit the deck. After a 12 mile trail run involving five falls, I felt was back to square one.

So I did some more research and was recommended the La Sportiva Mutant – a shoe that is more focussed on mountains. It’s 10mm drop is a far cry from my zero drops, but I’ve given it a couple of tries now. The initial tightness around the mid-foot is giving a little. The grip is far superior to other trainers I’ve tried – but the real test will be to see how my feet fare over real long distances in them.

I’m really frugal about buying kit generally, and when I buy new trainers I feel like it’s at odds with my environmental/sustainable ethos. I’d much rather wear a pair to death/try to fix them/pass them on, so new shoes feel like a real luxury and I’m mindful that I have to look after them and get the most out of them.

I talk to loads of runners who are really brand loyal when it comes to their choice of running shoe. Admittedly, if you find a shoe that doesn’t give you any problems, then why would you change. But I’ve had to open up my mind to new shoe horizons.

The impact that discarded trainers is having on the planet is terrifying. And let’s face it, it all ends up in landfill so the choice to buy new shoes is one that needs careful consideration. This is something that doesn’t pass me by.

I’m not leaving behind my barefoot days. Far from it. All my non-mountain training will be done in barefoot shoes, while the new La Sportivas will be broken in on mountains and hills only. I wear barefoot shoes in day to day life, so my feet won’t forget how to be feet either!

What happens to the old shoes? Well, there are plenty of schemes where you can donate old trainers – Jog On is a scheme that’s partnered up with sportsshoes.com to keep millions of shoes out of landfill. Brands such as Vivobarefoot, Schuh and Nike offer recycling schemes, or you could take your shoes to a clothing bank to see them reused for good.

Don’t just throw them out when you’re done with them. Pass them on. I feel very fortunate that I have the opportunity to open a pair of shiny new trainers, but I’m remaining steadfast about getting every last mile out of the ones I already own.

What’s right for one runner doesn’t make it right for the next person. I can’t tell you what shoe is right for you. Barefoot running is also a bit like Marmite, but whatever your preference, for barefoot, or cushioned, zero drop, or latest release, we all do need to make more considered choices about the impact of our gear on the planet.

Self-motivation is a powerful tool, but there are times when you need people in your corner to give you the push you need.

I’ve been having a hard time seeing the wood for the trees these past few weeks. I’ve been cautiously monitoring a niggle in my back, and there have been situations in life that have left me feeling fairly bleak in terms of motivation.

I’ve been eating not great food; sitting around at work a lot; feeling sorry for myself over the lack of sunshine (but seriously, spring, it really is time for you to turn up now); and there has been a serious lack of good news in my family and friends circle.

The back niggle had been playing on my mind. Was it something serious? I have another mountain recce event coming up and I was worried it would put the stoppers on that. Then I’ve been thinking, it’s practically April and I don’t feel my training is where I want or need it to be.

But, I have been consistent. Even with the muscle injury, I’ve been managing to run treadmill style (still hate it), as forward/backward motion isn’t affected, as well as stretching and strength work. This has, I hope, kept my fitness at a decent level for now.

Lateral movement has been at times excruciating. Could have come from hill work, could have come from spinning around on a hoop, but ultimately, it’s been put down to overcompensating for a mega-tight right-hand-side. Who knew! Long story very short, I visited my insanely good sports therapist the one and only Debbie Domoney, who assured me that movement is medicine.

She always encourages my nuts adventures, my aerial antics, and she knows how anxious I can get if I’m told not to do activity. She basically fixed me. loosening the right back, working the erector spinea (postural muscles), using rock pods – weird little suction cup things, and strapping me up.

My personal trainer Ali has also worked so hard to facilitate my crook back, and I’ve not missed out on any strength training as a result.

Then there’s my hoop partner Lexi who just so happens to be a physio – and very much a positive and encouraging role model. If it doesn’t hurt too much, let’s try it!

Then there are the friends for whom a phone call to give you a boost is really all you need. They’re the ones who lift you when you feel really low and life is going in the right direction. I’m lucky to have a few of these. They make all the difference.

I’ve gone through the blip, and I’m hopefully emerging from the other side with a better back and a thirst to get back on the horse (or in this case the Dragon!)

So moving forward, very literally, I’ll be incorporating more lateral stretching into my week, upping the elevation and interval sessions, oh, and regularly checking in with the people that I call my cheerleaders.

Here’s to spring, healthy eating, and getting on top of training!

When running for others brings hope

I had a phone call last week. It was from the fundraising coordinator for Macmillan Cancer Support.

“Hi, is that Laura? I just wanted to let you know that you were one of our biggest fundraisers last year.”

She’d called to let me know that I’d raised, with Gift Aid, just over £8,100 for the charity, and that the money could fund more than 200 hours of nursing, or pay for 19 grants for people living with cancer.

“I just wanted to say thank you, it’s amazing what you did,” she added.

My response was possibly a little more enthusiastic than I’d planned. I was delighted that I’d had the call and that I’d been responsible for helping this charity as much as I could. I think I said it really was the least I could do.

You may or may not have heard me harping on about running The Macmillan Way (!) – the goal was to raise as much money for Macmillan Cancer Support, with my mate Mo in mind. She’s currently still undergoing treatment for cancer, and has nothing but praise for the organisation that continues to support them.

I’d run it for her – and the distance really felt inconsequential when you consider what she and her family have gone through.

What I hadn’t made public is that just before I set off of my journey, my dear school friend Emily died of breast cancer, earlier that July.

When I felt hopeless, when I hurt, when I wondered what the hell I was doing, I thought of Emily, and I thought of Mo, and I thought of countless other people who fight battles every day of their lives, and I was reminded over and over again, that in spite of the pain and discomfort, I am so lucky to be able to do this.

Saturday, March 4, would have been Em’s 41st birthday – she was just six month’s younger than me. She left behind a husband and two tiny girls who miss her every day.

Liam, her husband vowed to run this year’s London Marathon and to honour her birthday, he’s organised this fantastic initiative, Run4Emily

The idea is that anyone can run over Em’s birthday weekend, as far or as little as they wish, to help raise funds for Winston’s Wish, and Plan International, the charities that have supported Liam and the girls.

I’m going to join with Liam and others in Warminster on Saturday, and it would be great for anyone else who wants to, to run some miles too. Liam would love for 30 countries to get involved – he’s close to that target.

You can share your pictures and show your support for Liam by tagging Run4Emily in any runs you do over the weekend, and please visit the website and share the fundraising link at to help spread the word.

So although I run for me. There are times when it’s wonderful to able to run for others too. Not everyone can run, so I’ll run for those who can’t.

Learning that anything is within your grasp on Day 4 of Dragon’s Back Race with RAW Adventures

A week before I ran in the Elan Valley with a bunch of fellow Dragons in Training, I’d managed to convince myself that perhaps this was all a bit above my station. I’m not a professional fell runner, in fact the joke about me coming from the Somerset Levels now seemed deadly serious. How the hell would I match up to these people who spend their days in the mountains, whose back garden is the Welsh hills, who actually RACE these things?

As a back-of-packer, with a backpack the size of a small country, it was easy to get in my own head and start to wonder what I was doing here. Casing out the competition in Ty Morgan’s cafe in the centre of Rhayader on the Saturday, I was reassured by the swift onslaught of friendly banter, a free buff courtesy of the incredible Kate of RAW Adventures (more on her later), and the advice to buy a coffee and relax while we figured out transport to the start the day’s adventure.

The purpose of my three-and-a-bit hour drive to a small Welsh town? To test out a section of Day 4 of the Montane Dragon’s Back Race. Already this seemed overly optimistic. What if I don’t even make it to Day 4?

We began our huddle about six miles south of the start of of the day’s route. Taking out our previous year’s maps from the race, I looked around at the five other participants. A few clearly knew their stuff when it came to map-reading and navigation skills, but I was comforted to see a few confused looks, upside down maps and waving of agitated compasses. We were all here to learn.

The description from the map reads; “remote and rarely visited hills and forests are the hallmark of this day, as are the famous grass tussocks of the Elan Valley hills. The route goes to one of the highest summits in Mid Wales – Drygarn Fawr – on the remote moorland plateau of the Cambrian Mountains. Keep each other in good company on this day, as you are unlikely to see anyone else!”

This section of the DBR is a kind of squishy, mossy, spongey, marshland, without the spiky sharp bits that you expect from days 1 and 2 of the race. One of my comrades described it nicely as “The Bermuda Triangle of the race”.

He wasn’t far off. As we set off over tussocks and divots, aiming for the first checkpoint known as ‘Fence Corner’ (yes, the clue is in the name), the landscape became nondescript, the mist fell, it felt bleak. I imagined being lost out here, frantic, alone. But bit by bit, guided by Kate and thanks to the generous knowledge-sharing of my teammates, things began to make sense.

Look for that triangle, that might be a trig point. Check out the next physical landmark, don’t rely on the permissible path markings. Check the ground for trods.

I knew that I wouldn’t be the strongest runner. Some of the others were like mountain goats, striding with purpose and generally ahead of the pack. But we regrouped often, and we rotated. Some points I wasn’t even at the back! I was trialling new poles, and new shoes, so there was a lot for me to take on board. I fell once, due to a pole user malfunction, and as my banana went flying ahead of me, a teammate stopped to check on my wellbeing. Thankful for the wet bog I’d landed on (fondly renamed the Bog of Eternal Stench), I arose victorious and unscathed.

Over 14 miles we laughed, listened, learnt, and got to grips with both the enormity of what lies ahead of us, but also of the ultimate possibility.

We’re all so good at doubting ourselves. I was doing it before I even set out, but hearing these other fabulous athletes voicing their own anxieties about the race I realised that we all just pick different bits to agonise over. One told me she’s never done a multi-day event like this one, but had still managed to knock out a 50-hour race; another was concerned on the downhills because of dodgy knees; we all worried we’d get lost, miss a cut-off time, lose a checkpoint.

All these worries are human nature. I had the absolute luxury of running a stretch of road with Kate, our esteemed leader for the event. We talked about strategies and goals, and that by knowing now I need to work on my hill-running legs, then I already have a measurable goal. She said she doesn’t go out and do more than 13 miles at a time just yet; that everyone comes from a different place and that we all have to work on different elements. Some are physical, some are mental. We’re still seven months out and there’s time.

One thing Kate said really stuck. When we finished, beaming from ear to ear because it had genuinely been the most fun and enjoyable day, she said: “not one of you seemed out of your depth.”

It’s what I needed to hear. I was part of this too.

Aren’t we brilliant at limiting ourselves. I think everyday life pushes us back into those boxes that tell us that’s as much as we can do, that a mountain is too high, a run too long, that our bodies can’t take it. Unlearning that takes time and practice.

The next day, I got up early, grabbed the map and continued the journey by myself. Twelve more glorious miles, in the crisp mountain air.

• Inspired to run the Dragon’s Back Race? Enter here
• Want to meet Kate and know you can do anything? Check out RAW Adventures

The weather forecast was reading “feels like -1” and I’ve been fooled by mountains before.

A ‘run’ up Scafell Pike for my 40th birthday gave me at least a flavour of how weather conditions can turn on a sixpence.

That day we’d stopped short of summiting, mainly due to the fact that I was wearing a thin yellow jacket not at all suitable for the weather (some of you might remember fondly my “banana coat”, an inadequate pair of gloves and I knew the weather would be worse the further up we went.

This time around I’m facing the hills of the Elan Valley with the Raw Adventures team, as part of a day 4 Dragon’s Back Race recce. Asked to pack as if it were race week, we have to think winter, and be prepared so not to let anyone down.

So what exactly does winter mountain packing involve?

The mandatory kit list for the Dragon’s Back Race is extensive. When you sign up to a race like this, you mustn’t forget that essentially you’re on your own up there. If you haven’t packed it – you can’t get to it. You need to be ready for sudden changes in temperature, a drop in visibility and you need to be able to stay safe, and warm.

This weekend we’ve been advised to take:

A waterproof jacket: Hardshell/taped seams and a good hood.  Mine’s a Montane Element Stretch jacket, which has a 10,000mm hydrostatic head – a fancy way of saying it’s really waterproof!

Waterproof trousers: Hardshell/taped seams. I’m taking two pairs with me so I can see on the day if it’s going to be torrential rain or if I need a slightly lighter pair that are a bit easier to run in.

Survival Bag: Bag, not blanket. Most of you will have seen those big silver space blankets, but in the hills it’s better to have a bag as it will insulate you better. Mine comes from a really cool Trail Runner starter kit from Harrier.

Map. In this case a Dragon’s Back Race 2022 map, which I can reference while we navigate the route.

Compass. Well, you know, navigating with a map does require a compass! A “thumb” compass is great as it’s light – for this outing I’ve got a compass with a cover though.

Headtorch. And spare batteries or spare head torch: I went and purchased the quite frankly insanely good Petzl NAO-RL while at the running show. It’s so good. And a spare Petzl for good measure, too.

Whistle: This is to alert anyone if you’re in distress. Mine is built into my Raidlight pack.

Food and Drink: Snacks/food sufficient for the day and at least 1-1.5 litres water (aim for 300 calories per hour). We all know I’m down with the food and drink. I take Active Root sports drink, plus a selection of dried fruit, nuts, bars, and sandwiches.

Synthetic Insulated Jacket (spare). I have a Buffalo jacket which has saved me on many an occasion. If you keep moving it keeps you toastie warm. It’s not waterproof, however

Additional Mid-Layer: Fleece or windproof jacket/layer. I’m taking a selection of warm garments.

Hat and Gloves. As it’s winter, I’ll have two pairs of gloves, and a pair of over gloves, and ALL the hats!

Trail/Fell Shoes. Here’s where my barefoot Vibram Fivefingers may have to take a back seat for the rocky spiky sections and be ready for the road/soft sections. I’ll be adding to my bag a pair of Altra Lone Peak Trail Shoes.

Personal First Aid Kit. You can pick these up in most chemists, or in the Harrier kit I mentioned earlier.

Money. Cash/Card for car parks. I mean, it’s self explanatory really!

Mobile Phone. For those mountain top selfies. In a waterproof bag if you want a working phone when you get off the peaks!

GPS Watch/Unit. My Garmin Fenix 5 has stood me in good stead thus far, so that’s what coming along with me.

This is a basic list and you’ll get to know what works for you the more you go out there, but it’s important to really check off the safety elements of your kit. If you’re underprepared, then prepare to be pulled off the mountain, or to have a pretty rough time of it when you’re up there!

Next week I’ll tell you all about my adventures in the Elan Valley.