OMM Ultra Waist Pouch - Kit Review

Having browsed the local running shops extensively for a pouch suitable for all my needs, I eventually settled on the OMM Ultra Waist pouch.

I prefer pouches to rucksacks because I find the shoulder straps quite restricting, and the prefer the weight down low.

The reason I chose this pack over others, like the inov8 race pro 4 is that I prefer the ease of filling bottles at aid stations, rather than fiddling with a bladder.  I can carry a small amount of water to get me from station to station, rather than having a full bladder and extra weight!

The pack is a 6 litre pack which is plenty for me on 99% of runs. I usually set off wearing all my layers and have to eventually take off my hat, and my lightweight waterproof, both of which fit in the main compartment easily.  Presuming my run in less than 4-5 hours, I can fit enough food/gels easily in there as well.  There is also a separate compartment in the main pocket where I like to put my phone and wallet, for easy access.

Another lovely thing about this pouch is the easy access zipped pocket on the left hip.  I have asthma and have to carry an inhaler at all times, this pocket is perfect for that, plus a few energy gels!.

You can carry a water bottle (supplied) quite effectively as well.  There is a pocket on the rear for this.  Once the bottle is in the holder, you just tighten up the bungee cord and all bounce is basically eliminated.  I couldn't even tell I was carrying it.

Bounce for the whole pack is kept to a minimum by the compression straps around the front.  I can really get these tight without feeling i'm going to break something, and its perfect for flying down hills!

Good points:

• Water bottle instead of bladder
• Hip pocket for gels
• Plenty of room for all running essentials
• Minimal bounce when tight.

Bad Points:

• The water bottle bungee cord came off, so I had to improvise with some shoelace, works even better than before!
• Possible durability issues,  water bottle holder starting to show signs of wear where it connects to main pouch.
• If there is not much stuff in it, the large pocket can bounce.

You can buy one from here: OMM Ultra Waist Pouch

Best trail mapping resources. Planning offroad routes.

If you're anything like me, the best part of running is getting out in the fresh air, in the great outdoors and next to nature.

If you live in a town or any built up area, this can be hard.

For planning road routes, programs like google maps are perfectly fine, but how can you properly plan offroad routes?  How can you know which mud tracks are public footpaths and which are just made by the people who live there?  If you're not in the know, you could get into all kinds of trouble!

Today I will share a few tips on how to plan offroad routes and not get shot by farmers!

The key is using ordinance survey maps (OS maps) here in the UK as they are made in conjunction with local councils and list all the correct public rights of way.

Bikehike
www.bikehike.co.uk

This is my personal favourite.  Bikehike consists of two screens, one google satellite map, and another OS map.  The great thing is that if your mouse cursor is over the OS map, it will display its position in the google map too.  This is great for offroad paths because you can plot a route on the OS map, but it will also show up on the google map, so you can see if there is actually a physically worn path there, which makes navigation easier. 

You can also download routes you create as GPX, KML or TXC.

OS Getamap

http://www.getamap.ordnancesurveyleisure.co.uk/

This site is owned by Ordinance Survey and so is the most reassuredly up to date OS map available.  The reason I like this site is that you can zoom in further than any other OS map i have found whilst still keeping the public rights of way visible, and is really handy for when you need just a bit more detail to your paths.  You can create routes and download them in GPX and KML.

The Hug Maps

http://maps.the-hug.net/

The functionality of this site is very similar to both bikehike and osgetamap and for route planning purposes you would do perfectly fine with them.  The reason I like this site is for its large working area.  If I am doing an ultra, or any long race, I obviously carry a map, but instead of wrestling with a full size OS landranger type monstrosity, I can plot my route on here, take a screenshot, then print it out on a more conveniently sized sheet of A4, or smaller.  The best technique is to plan your route on bikehike or osgetamap, download the file as a GPX or KML, then upload it to this site for printing.

Google Street View on Google Earth

www.earth.google.co.uk/

I use this more as a reassurance tool when it comes to planning new offroad routes.  Sometimes, even though they are clear on OS maps, entrances to footpaths can become overgrown, in tumbled town walls, or even down farmers driveways.  What I do is simply create my route in bikehike, save it is a KML and upload into into google earth.  From google earth I can then zoom into street view, and check the essential points where my route goes from offroad track to road, then find where the next track entrance is.  This is very handy and gives you a little insight into your route before you physically go there.  It is perfect for picking out gaps in walls, public footpath signs and potentially, footpaths that have been forgotten about and might not be accessible.

Race review: Hell on the Humber 2011

My first ultramarathon review from my first ultramarathon, Hell on the Humber.

The Hell on the Humber is a 12 hour ultramarathon in which competitors complete as many 4 mile laps as they can within the 12 hour time limit.  The set for this race was the grand wonder of the north, the Humber bridge.  The bridge is a long slog at 2 miles, so one lap equals across the bridge, and back.

12 hours is a heck of a long time to be running, so the organisers thankfully allowed competitors to set up tents near the start which was particularly handy for me as I was unsupported.  I could stash all my food and drinks in my tent and return to it as i pleased to send updates to family, and fuel up!

I was pleased to see that the weather was fine,  No wind or rain to speak of, it looked like a pleasant day to do it!

So the race started off at 7pm on Saturday afternoon at a rather unexpectedly pleasant pace.  Usually in races, people go off far too fast for me and I feel as if i'm slacking!  But thankfully it was nice and relaxed and for the first couple of miles I stayed with the pack.  

The bridge, rather than being flat is more of a long sweeping arch which means that you are continually going either up or down ever so slightly.  At either end of the bridge this is much more pronounced, and after the first couple of laps, these two sections became my walking breaks.  The middle section, although not totally flat, is perfectly runnable.  

As the evening went on, darkness drew in  and we were all treated to a magnificent sunset which for a time distracted everyone and as twilight set in there seemed to be a calm, happy mood among the competitors.

For me, much like many other competitors, the longest section of the race was the period between 11pm and 3am.  This was the part of the race when I slowly noticed the familiar faces I had been passing for the last few hours disappear.  Although I would only see these faces for seconds upon crossing paths, I developed a kind of friendship with them, asking how they felt, and getting the same answer every time gave us all a chuckle!  

The bridge became a lonely place during these hours, and the loneliness was only broken by the occasional person plodding/limping along, hardly looking conscious with blank lifeless expressions.  This is when you knew it was getting tough.  Even the start checkpoint was getting quiet, with only the bare bones staff there to record laps, and the odd marshal clapping rather less enthusiastically than they had been 6 hours previously.

If anyone told you that at some point in the race they didn't think "why am I here?", they would be lying.  It often crossed my mind that I could be sat in front of the TV with my girlfriend on one side of me, and a pizza on my lap!  Luckily its these kinds of thoughts that helped me push on.  Everyone else is on their arses at home, but I was proving to the world what I was capable of.  How my mental strength was greater than theirs! 

My mood was finally lifted with the rising of the sun.  I don't think I have ever seen such a beautiful sunrise, mostly because I was so happy to see it.  

Then a strange realisation occurred.....

I spent most of the race wanting it to be over, but now time was going too fast!  The cutoff was 7am, and I had to think about how many laps that allowed me to do.

I was aiming for 50 miles, and I arrived back at the start having finished 48 with only 20 minutes to spare, not enough time for another half lap.  

I was fairly gutted but at the same time relived that I didnt have to go out again.

For my first ultra race, and my longest ever run by more than double, I was pleased.

I came 32nd out of more than a hundred people, I may have a talent for this ultrarunning thing afterall!