After a great start to Northern Traverse training in October, November became a bit disrupted by some family illness and life admin. December had been designated a “fun month”, with a weekend away, and turned into a pretty solid training month with more free time around Christmas than usual.

Coming into the New Year, I wanted to hit the remaining 3 training months pretty hard. As always, it has been a bit of a juggle organising and fitting in the running volume, specific training objectives (weekly tempo, intervals, and 3x strength workouts) around family, work, and coaching. But, it has felt like a great period, with a bit of acceptable chaos. I always feel having to adapt and juggle reproduces some of the tests I’ll experience in an ultra, and therefore accept not sticking 100% to my plan.

Some of the highlights (New Year to mid-February):

• A 50k run from Sedbergh, covering the Howgills, Wild Boar Fell and Baugh Fell, in stunning winter conditions.
• Plenty of running in snow and ice, including some amazing cloud inversions, and a trip out to Kinder to watch the start of the Spine Race.
• A second January 50k out to Mam Tor from home – and another cloud inversion, finding pretty much the only sunshine in the Peak.
• The Hope Valley Round with friends, not in ideal conditions, but a great day out.
• February began with Pendle Way in a Day, finishing 9th in this 45 mile ultra. My fastest 50k – very pleased with maintaining a faster pace than on the Bullock Smithy – this one was shorter but steeper and with some slow muddy sections.
• A Lakes day out in the NW and W fells “Steeple Chase”, an idea hanging around in my head for a while to enjoy some of the most beautiful parts of the Lakes in one marathon-length trip with big ascent.
• A further 50k out to Shuttlingsloe from home – another quick one, where I felt really strong and managed some <5min kms on the flat run back.
• Some variety on the tempo runs, including some faster trail efforts and occasional run commutes as tempos.
• Nice social runs, evenings, weekends, long and short.
• Some coaching, either 1-1 with clients or on the group “night trail” sessions for Marple Runners.