Sand dunes

I'm including specific training into my schedule to develop various hill running skills. Not that I profess to be any sort of high level master fell runner, but I do feel I've reached a level where I'm able to run and think about technique now I've a year of fell running experience under my feet.

Morfa Bychan beach, just by Porthmadog golf club - our venue for the session

One thing I am not brilliant at is downhill running - I have an overactive internal voice that just doesn't want to risk falling over. The voices inside constantly battle between 'just-let-go-brain-off-brakes-off' and 'whoooah-your-gonna-fall-over-and-hurt-yourself-slow-down'. Inevitably the latter wins the battle, I slow and end up going at pretty much walking pace on downhill sections.

I'm not one to simply accept that I will always be rubbish at running downhill. Therefore, something needs to change for improvement to be gained. To develop skills and get me more confident at going downhill we headed to the sand dunes at Porthmadog whilst on holiday in the Rhinogs last week. Here's me on the highest jump...leaping off the grassy tufts at around 6 feet high.

At the start of the training session I looked over the edge saying I'd never do it....then  changed that attitude to 'let's start smaller and build up then take another look'. It worked, obviously from the pictures above. I jumped this one three or four times, growing in confidence each time.

The build up to it had been a series of tiny jumps, runs into tiny jumps, and gradually building up the height of each drop. Sometimes continuing to run down to the flat sand below to work on foot placement....or the acceptance that you're going to slide and slip whilst vaguely holding control and doing what I want to be able to do....just let go! Exactly what I need to feel more confident on with the mud and bogs we get up on Kinder and Bleaklow.

After a while we switched focus to doing some forefoot, or mid foot striking down the beach...easy to keep an eye on your footprints and see how you're doing with this technique on a beach. This was my first go at leaning forwards and not heal striking. I think I did OK, it definitely felt an easier position to be running in, and felt like I was moving faster, and with less effort. Conscious that new skills and technique need to be introduced slowly we kept the distance short.  We didn't get any pictures of this bit, but here's a couple of me running round some rocks...

I thoroughly enjoyed training on the beach, it's a tough terrain to work on and I'm sure I'll be finding sand in my shoes for months to come.