Training in Wales

I completed my last major stretch of training in North Wales in early August. The training included four long 20 mile runs in four days that I used to try out my kit for the TransAlp. My training has included three of these 'long weekends' over the last three months, getting my body ready for 8 days of 26 miles per day over the Alps. The runs in North Wales were mostly along the North Wales Coast Path that runs around the end of the LLyn Peninsula. It is a beautiful path, mainly through National Trust land. The route I took included Rhiw, the highest point at the end of the peninsula at 300m high (not quite alpine). From the top you can the the whole of the peninsula, with Bardsey Island just visible over my left shoulder. After a fast descent down Rhiw and through the small village of Aberdaron, it continues beside the coast for 14 miles. This picture looks back at Rhiw on the right with Aberdaron down on the beach.

The path continues to the Western tip of the peninsula off which lies Bardsey Island. There are 20,000 Saints buried on the Island (allegedly). That fact comes from the Middle Ages when it was said that 3 pilgrimages to Bardsey were the equivalent of one pilgrimage to Rome. The weather was mostly beautiful for my runs this year, but I know that the maximum wind speed recorded at the end of the peninsula is 120 mph. That's windy and demonstrates just how exposed the headland can be.

This next picture is taken from the end of the peninsula looking West towards Snowdon (about 40 miles away). The panorama over the heather shows the Irish Sea on the left (North) and Cardigan bay on the right (South).

So what of the running? I saw the obvious speed differences from running on road (9 minute miles for the long distances to conserve energy) and off road (from 11 minute miles if relatively flat to 30 minute miles when the going was steeply up the side of a hill, and everything in between. Trail running remains inspiring and happily takes your mind off any aches and pains that may develop (well mostly).

After 14 miles of running along the coast path, I get to Whistling Sands (Porth Oer for the purists out there). A beach where the dry sand whistles under your feet due to the shape of the sand grains.

I carried my Camelbak for all four runs, carrying wet weather gear (you can never be sure in Wales, even when the sun is shining) and hydration and nutrition were critical. The runs took about 4 to 4.5 hours and I drank about 2 litres of electrolyte for each run, using Nuun tablets dissolved in the water. They help the body absorb the water and provide essential salts to replace those sweated off while running so funding off any tendency to cramp at the end of the run.

Now bring on the Alps.