When time is short, you have to squeeze in runs when you can. Last Sunday was a long run – 10 miles- which felt more like half marathon training should do. Twelve hour working days meant no more running in the week until Saturday. Obviously I needed to make this run count, so I opted for hill repeats. Leaving family* and visiting in-laws in bed, I grimly set off.
A 20% slope is tough, but as it’s only short I felt the need to run up it three times. It was hard work, I had to walk bits, but I did it. I took several selfies for the blog, and was thinking ofanything interesting to say, and failing dismally. It was only later when I was looking at the photos I saw the selfie below. Taken accidentally, unposed, I love it. Wonder if I can take more accidentally?
*I should add (before he does) that my husband was out on a 100 mile cycle ride, but everyone else was still asleep.
We honestly saw real red squirrels but they were too quick to photograph
Walking in the Lake District
Rydal Water. Photo Credit Y. Jiwa
Driving a canal boat
Look no ‘L’ Plates
And certainly not pushing open lock gates on the canal. (No photos of that one -sorry).
I think it was the last one that particularly broke the arch support in my running shoes (although along with opening and closing the lock gate paddles it was a great upper body workout). All I know is my plans of running up and down the tow path never materialised, and my first couple of runs back home left me with knee and shin twinges. Getting injured just seems so stupid and such a waste of time, so I immediately ordered myself a new pair of trainers and didn’t run until they arrived.
The good news is that two runs in my new shoes and I’ve had no more twinges or aches. Also the oh-so-pink shoes that I’ve always hated have now been replaced by a very stylish black and purple great-for-winter pair.
The bad news is that I missed getting one last long run in before Chippenham Half Marathon on Sunday 7th September. I struggle with long runs in the Summer holidays but this year I played it safe and I decided not to run. Yes I could have run and made it round I’m sure, but my shins were saying “at what cost to us, eh?!”
I was lucky enough to speak to Kate Giles recently as her company Crewroom are pleased to launch not one, but two new ranges of running (and sport) gear. They are covering all bases, with ranges aimed at urban landscapes and also more natural settings; featuring bold colours and more subtle tones; suitable for city running, night running, trail running, paddle boarding, yoga, and even for a pint at the pub. This is what Crewroom say about the ranges, but I wanted to test this out for myself.
The new ranges are called Elements and Laser. Elements has a breezy natural feel. The fabrics are soft and supple, feel like cotton but are actually fully technical so they are easy to wear and move in. Laser has a more urban look to it, apparently targetting ‘city runners’. It has bold colours with hi-viz reflective panels.
VX Sprint Vest
VX Sprint Vest. Photo Crewroom.biz
Part of the Laser range, this vest says ‘racer’, and Sprint is a very appropriate name for it.
They Say “Made with our flagship fabric, Vapour-X, this vest is a true performance garment with some flattering design features and discreet reflective branding to keep you safe and seen. Super light and amazingly comfortable, you’ll hardly notice your wearing it on those long runs through the city.”
Black and Tabby Says this felt very lightweight when I first picked it up, and if I didn’t know better I might have thought it was a cheap garment. However as soon as I started running on a hot and humid evening I was very appreciative of the lightness to this vest. It made my sports bra feel too heavy! It is cut fairly high at the front which means I wasn’t worried about getting the front of my chest sunburnt, and the armholes were cut to reveal quite a lot of shoulder. On the plus side this made for a cooler run, on the negative side I did feel like I ought to start doing some shoulder exercises if I was going to show them off in this vest. The Vapour-X logo on the front hem feels large, plasticky and clunky and I wonder why they put it here?”.
“I’m not used to wearing a vest when running, which probably explains why I felt a little exposed wearing it. However it was light, cool and comfortable to wear and it will definitely be worn again”.
Update – I wore the vest again on another hot and humid run, and loved it. Light, comfortable, airy- what more can you ask for! The only thing I don’t like is that logo on the front hem.
Laser Trail Shorts
Laser Trail Shorts. Photo Crewroom.biz
The shorts are proper short runing shorts, with a split side seam (just for the bottom few centimetres) and a brilliant flash of colour down the side seam. They have a good sized zipped pocket on the back, and a smaller ‘key’ pocket inside.
They Say “Like it’s Refresher predecessor we’ve kept this product light with a focus on comfort. We’ve used a lightweight stretch microfibre shell and our signature Vapour-X lining which reduces chafing and helps keep the garment fresh and dry. Other nifty features include a rear media pocket and an internal key pocket with a key-tie to stop annoying jangling!”
Black and Tabby Says “I liked how these shorts felt when I picked them up (light and not rustly) and loved that they had a liner (aka “integral knickers”) which I have always found to be more comfortable than running ‘commando’ or with my own underwear. Pulling them on and looking down they looked quite baggy around my tummy which I felt self concious about. When I looked at myself in a mirror though they looked fine. (Mental note – don’t look down!)
Speedy baggy shorts. Photo Tony Duffy
These shorts are short, there’s no getting away from it. The split sides put me in mind of a proper speedy racer and I had this image (on the left) in my mind as I ran. This was actually no bad thing, as it meant I felt I had to push hard all through my run, even when (especially when) overtaking a dog walker up a hill.
I think I’ll need to wear these shorts a few more times to feel really comfortable in them. At the moment if I was doing a 5K race I’d grab these like a shot as only then would I manage the speed these shorts deserve”
Black and Tabby testing Crewroom clothes
Update I wore these shorts again today on another hot and humid run, and I didn’t even notice the bagginess I did on first wearing. I also didn’t notice the split sides. However, like the Sprint Vest, I did notice how light, cool and comfortable they were to run in. I also forgot to mention the splash of colour down the sides which I really like – not too in-yer-face but just enough to brighten what could be prettty plain shorts.
My son took this photo of me running in them, and it has been universally agreed they make me look very sporty and smart. Miracle shorts then!
Elemental Fjord Short
Also available in No Pink. Photo Crewroom.biz
These shorts were recommened by Jordanna, Crewroom’s lead designer, who said “they are amazingly comfortable and flattering with an extra wide waistband which feels really supportive when running.”
She kindly took note of my “I don’t like pink!” request, and sent me a pair in a lovely “Blueberry/Lime” colourway which turned out to be a bluey-gray with a pale lime highlights (not as bright and hi-viz as I’d have thought).
They say “Lightweight shorts made from fabric with four-way stretch for extra comfort and manoeuvrability. Nice little features include the rear zip pocket to secure your phone, card or keys and two side pockets. The wide elasticated waistband is a beautiful feature and gives a very flattering finish. Along with the breathable and wicking fabric, these really are a fully functional pair of performance running shorts.”
Kate Giles, founder and CEO of Crewroom said “when you handle the Elements fabric, it feels like cotton, it has that softness. You know you’ll be able to train in it for a long time.” Kate prefers to wear this is this very hot weather, but knows that some people do prefer the more technical feel of the Laser range. She believes Elements is fine to wear to train in, and then wear down to the pub.
Black and Tabby says “When I unpacked these shorts I wasn’t sure that they were a technical fabric because they felt so soft and stretchy. I also wasn’t sure about the wide waistband – was it going to dig into me as I ran? As I have no waist (I sadly go straight up and down) I do have problems with belts and waistbands riding up as I run.
Despite these misgivings I put these shorts on and shot out for a short run before I went away on holiday. After initially fidgetting with the waistband I was impressed to find it was comfortable. If you’ve ever run in any shorts or trousers where the waistband has slipped below a vaguely wobbly tummy you’ll know how unsettling this feeling is. These shorts don’t do that. Even with my phone in the back pocket they felt secure without being constricting, and despite my lack of waist they didn’t ride up and give me a ‘wedgie’, so they scored highly for that. As I ran they simply felt cool and comfortable.
Elemental Fjord Short with Laser Vest
Like the Laser trail shorts, these are short. I could see the line where my usual shorts finish (not a tan line – more like a windburn line I think), but they were so comfortable to run in I didn’t care. They are a more casual styling than the Laser Trail shorts, and combined with the fabric I could see myself wearing these on hot days to do things other than running in. In fact I took them on my recent holiday hoping it would be hot enough to wear them on days out as well as having some running kit with me ‘just in case’, but it wasn’t to be.”
How many shorts make you run like this?
It’s obvious I love these shorts. I’ve worn them for another two short runs and they’ve performed brilliantly both times. The only negative I can find for them is that, unlike the Laser Trail shorts, they don’t have an integral lining so you either need to be brave enough to run ‘commando’ or you need to find the perfect running knickers to go underneath (something I’ve yet to do). I guess this is so that you can wear them for activities other than sport but that would have made them my 100% perfect pair of shorts. As it is they’ll have to have a score of 99% I look pretty happy with them though!
Please Note – I received no payment for writing this review, but I did receive the shorts and vest for testing purposes. All views and comments are my own.
So it was a beautiful evening, I was trying out some new shorts (review to follow), I was running across a deserted football field and I was struck with the desire to run some silliness. So I did – I ran my name. *
‘Black And Tabby’ is way too long to run, so I used my real name instead. Well it amused me!
Can you spot it?
* With thanks to my friend and sometime racing partner Mel, who managed to ‘run’ his name recently as well.
I was fortunate enough last week to have the chance to interview Kate Giles. The first thing I learnt was that it’s not a good start to insult your interviewee. In my defence I honestly meant ‘tough cookie’ as a compliment.
Kate Giles. Photo credit Pandora’s Thoughts Photography
To build a solid case for the defence I’m talking about a Team GB rower who caught pneumonia whilst training in foul weather, but who only found out when coughing and hearing a ‘pop’ that turned out to be three ribs cracking. This is a woman who, whilst taking a year to recover, comes up with the idea of creating performance sportswear so that no other athlete has to suffer the same fate as her. Anyone can come up with a good idea, but I’m talking about a woman who acts on it by forming a company and setting about revolutionising sportswear. As if that wasn’t enough, this ‘tough cookie’ is the sort of person who, when struggling to get people into her shop doesn’t give up but sets up a juice bar inside to tempt them in, and when that doesn’t work offers fried breakfasts instead. In my eyes that’s someone who’s a tough cookie, although Kate very politely suggested that ‘resilient’ was maybe a better word.
Kate Giles on the road. Photo credit Pandora’s Thoughts Photography
The company Kate set up with a friend became Crewroom, and she recently bought out her partner to become the sole CEO. She leads a company that designs performance sportswear that looks as good as it feels to wear. It’s not only the designs that are innovative, but the company has developed their own fabrics to ensure the products come up to their high standards. Kate said the main focus for her clothing has always been the materials, so much so that she became involved in developing her own fabrics. Their shirts made from “Vapour-X” fabric each contain about 10 recycled water bottles, as well as bamboo charcoal, which means they’re also nailing their colours to the environmental mast as well. I will be looking more at the fabrics in my next post where I review a couple of Crewroom shorts and vests.
For men as well. Photo credit Pandora’s Thoughts Photography
Obviously the function of the clothing is very important, but looking at the Crewroom website they also look really stylish. I’m impressed with how they look good without any of the silly fripperies that some companies seem to think women need to have in their sportswear. I don’t want laces to dangle and annoy me, nor acres of loose flappy fabric to make me look huge and rub me raw when it’s hot, thank you very much. I am also impressed that the women’s specific clothing, whilst it does have some pink for those who want it, also has a wide range of other colours. Kate said she has to have pink in the women’s range – she had a group of six women who came into the shop and just said “Where’s the pink?!” However the designers have chosen a strong shade, and thought about how it will look when you’re hot and sweaty.
A refreshing change to pink! Photo credit Pandora’s Thoughts Photography
Crewroom use designers from the London School of Fashion who work on site, in the same building as the shop and the rest of the business by the river in Putney. How interactive is that? They get to see and interact with the customer base right at the point of sale. Kate said that as a smaller brand they have to listen to their customers, who in turn give them great feedback. The brand is growing by word of mouth with “people saying how much they like the product”.
I asked Kate what she thought was more important, the look or the function of her clothing. She said that all of her designs are fabric led. Once the fabric is right, then her team of designers look at the style of the clothing. “What happened to me, was because I was wearing inappropriate fabric. I am fabric led. My mind actually works towards when someone’s training, always making sure they’re well protected.”
The success of the Crewroom designs means that it is now a sought after brand for elite athletes, with Crewroom supplying kit for Team GB rowers and canoeists. Seeing as I felt a little star struck to be talking to Kate, I asked her if she got the same buzz out of seeing ordinary people wearing Crewroom products, as opposed to Elite athletes and famous people. “Way more!” she immediately and exuberently answered. “It’s my biggest excitement!”
Kate thinks the biggest change in the market is more people doing non competitive sport. “A big part of our target audience is people in their 30s and 40s, who’ve maybe had their children, maybe never done any sport, but who start with running and get a bit of a buzz.” (I was smiling at this, because this is *exactly* how I started!) We chatted about how it is now normal for people of all ages and abilities to get out and exercise. Growing up in a small Wiltshire village (not far from where I live, co-incidentally) it was unusual to see people out exercising. “If you’d seen a 60 year old woman running in the village you’d think she was Mad Alice. It just didn’t happen”. Kate also has a healthy attitude towards aging. “I don’t think middle age exists anymore. No one thinks of themselves as old at 30 or 40. It’s like saying it’s all downhill from here. You might not run faster but you can get happier and happier”. She believes getting older is just about being more relaxed and “growing into our own skin”. These days she likes nothing more than to meet up with a group of friends, go for a run and then go to the pub!
That’s my kind of post run refreshment. Photo credit Pandora’s Thoughts Photography
Her main sport now is running as it’s the easiest thing to do. Rowing takes a lot of time to get organised and she simply doesn’t have the luxury of time at the moment. As she is obviously a very hard worker I suggested that she didn’t sound like someone who could be happy just sitting around on holiday and doing nothing. However apparently she’s quite happy to do that on holiday, as long as there was the sea or a pool. Sounds ideal to me.
So is she really a ‘tough cookie’? I asked Kate if she thought taking part in sports taught people how to have strength and a ‘backbone’ or does it show you what’s already there. Kate replied with a story about a tough rowing coach who told the women’s rowing team “Just when you think you’re about to die, you’re only about 25% there”. This gave them the self confidence to carry on and push themselves further, and ultimately go on to win Olympic Gold. “You realise how capable you are, the more you push yourself” Kate added. This sounded to me like a good motto for life, as well as for sport, and I think it sums up how she’s living her life. I wonder if she’d prefer ‘inspirational, resilient cookie’ as a description?
Crewroom
* Catch up with Crewroom (www.crewroom.biz) at the London Triathlon Expo 2014, on Saturday & Sunday, August 2 & 3 at the ExCeL Centre, east London, where the team will be on stand 32 exhibiting their brand new ranges.
Flop, flick, swish – is your hair annoying when you run? Or are you one of those perfectly groomed runners who can run, even in the middle of summer, without their face looking like a sweaty beetroot and with hair looking like they stepped straight our of a shampoo advert? Sad to say, and you might have guessed it, but I’m not one of those people. I’m more the sort of person who has posted pictures of her strange ‘tummy sweat’ marks and who has amazingly bad hair on a windy day.
I was once running in a 10K race behind a woman who had the most amazingly long, swishy blond ponytail. I was green with envy of her and her hair the entire way around, as I could see her just ahead of me looking trim, fit, fast and gorgeous. I will confess to being a bad person who felt inutterably smug, when, on the final sprint to the finish, I passed her throwing up by the side of the course.* (Confession’s good for the soul, isn’t it?)
Maybe in judgement my hair seems to have been possessed by a series of different characters this week. It was recently cut into layers and hasn’t quite decided which way it wants to go. First I spent a day with Justin Bieber’s hair on my head (which resulted in near whiplash from the associated head flicks throughout the day). Then I woke up with Morrissey’s quiff atop my head (this was pretty cool, but sadly I frightened it away when washing my hair after running). Things went downhill from there, where Bryan Ferry’s greased back look was followed by Gail from Corrie.
Today I ran 6 miles. I pushed my hair back with my faithful hairband from Decathalon, it was humid after last night’s amazing thunderstorms, and I had been sweating. A lot. I peeled the hairband off when I got home, and low and behold my hair was suddenly transformed into a 1970’s Charlie’s Angels’ style flick.
I am sure that I’m not the only one with difficult hair. I enjoyed reading Vikki’s blog over at “If you can’t move it, climb it” where she reviews a head band and visor. I’m still wondering if either would sort my hair out.
If you want to make me feel better please feel free to comment below and share your hair disasters. Alternatively let me know how you keep your hair looking fantastic as you run. And if you’re the girl who was sick at the Longleat 10k several years ago, I hope you were okay and wow I loved your hair.
* Don’t judge me – I’d been following that perfect hair for an hour by then, and racing for an hour on a hilly course does strange things to me
Sounds like a great combination, doesn’t it? As a running event I’d always vote for walking up hills and having lots of food. Oh and small events where you’ll always know someone. These were the best bits about ultra running, according to @abradypus (otherwise known as Louise). On Friday afternoon I was delighted to be sat in our local farm shop and cafe with the very lovely and chatty Louise and her husband. They were on their way to Wales and suggested we meet up for a coffee (which turned into a cream tea. Yum). She was telling me what she loves about ultra running, amongst many other random things we chatted about. It was all sounding great, apart from the actual distances you have to cover. For someone who only started running in 2011 she has come a long way!
This weekend Louise is competing in the 100Km ‘Race to the Stones’. I’d like to wish her a great race, with people she knows, lots of uphill walking and good food at the pitstops. I’m sure she’ll be blogging about the race over at abradypus.wordpress.com so do pay her blog a visit.
It had been another beautiful day, and the weather was just perfect for racing in the evening. After last week’s 10K disappointment I felt like everything was riding on tonight’s 5K. No pressure then.
I wrote last year’s time and pace onto my hand, put my running kit on, cooked dinner for my children, raced around looking for car parking money and shot out of the door with about 45 minutes before the start time. Fortunately I don’t live far from Chippenham, and even more fortunately as I crawled around the packed car park I managed to nab a space. I bumped into a good friend at the start, so was feeling in high spirits.
The Start
From the off all went well. I survived the usual crush at the start, I kept an eye on my pace to keep it close to last year’s. I overtook when I could (not easy on this course) and tried not to hold anyone up when I could hear them coming up behind me. I crossed the line and my Garmin said 26:47. Checking my smudged hand, last years time was 26:46 – so close! I was aware that in non-chip timed races it’s vitally important to keep in the same order in the finish ‘funnel’ as you crossed the line in. Just after I’d crossed the line, two guys were racing hard over the line, and shot past me. I got one of them to move behind me in the funnel but I wasn’t 100% certain that the other chap had crossed after me so I left him where he was.
Provisional results were out the next day, and gave me a time of 26:49 – 3 seconds slower than last year. I was a little disappointed, but to be honest I still felt very happy with my race as I’d run the best I could on the night. To be that close to last year’s time (when I had trained really well for it) was actually pretty amazing. Looking closely at the time of the chap recorded as finishing in front of me (in case he had ‘pinched’ my place) then my time would have been 26:48 – shaving a whole extra second off.
I uploaded my data to Strava and was pleased to see some good results on segments on the route. Various friends gave me kudos and one (who had also run this race last year and this) made a very interesting observation. He pointed out that the course we ran this year was actually slightly longer than last year. On coming off the riverside path last year we cut straight up onto the road whereas this year we ran a little longer by the river before angling up to the road. For last year’s race my Garmin recorded 3.09 miles, whereas this year’s was 3:11. Now, here comes the data wrangling bit! If I look at this year’s data and stop it at 3:09 miles, it gives me a time of 26:40 Woot woot!!
Anyway, even without funnel line pushers-in, and slightly longer routes, I am very pleased with this year’s time. Even with my data wrangling I can’t really claim it as a new PB but I am still very pleased with my time and not at all disappointed.
I received proof positive that I’d worked really hard in the race when I returned home. My teenaged daughter proclaimed that I ‘stank’ and I was leaving a ‘trail of stink’ as I walked around the house. Lovely!
At last – the final day of Juneathon. Made it, with just a few skin of my teeth moments, no failures and with my sanity intact. I was planning a long run today, after I realised I’ve just been popping out for short runs rather than anything over about 4 miles. Then I remember the challenge I set myself on day 1 of Juneathon, all those blogs ago:- to try and beat my time to run a particular 5K route. This out and back route has a big dip down and back up again near the turning around point, so of course you have to run it twice. It’s not the fastest route but I reckon the ‘dips’ are a good fitness builder.
On day 1 I ran this route in 29:30. I remember the day felt unexpectedly warm (mind you, the month has got hotter since then). Today the temperature was fine, warm but not hot, and I ran it in 27:10 After my race disappointment last week I was delighted with this time, and as long as I haven’t using up my week’s supply of speedy running it bodes well for the 5K River Run on Wednesday.
Today’s effort was a beautiful walk in the sunshine, with my lovely husband. Doesn’t sound like much of an effort for a Juneathon activity? Well, after an evening celebrating my in-laws’ Golden Wedding Anniversary at a lovely hotel, we had to go and fetch our car from the hotel car park where it had spent the night. Perceived wisdom was to get a lift back over there then drive back, but the Juneathon way was to run or walk it.
My walking companion
So a 2 mile walk in 41 minutes* in the sunshine, along the Cornish Coastal path, hand in hand with my beloved was the way it was. Juneathon’s hard, but someone has to do it.
* I did wear my Garmin, and I did walk around the car park to make it up to 2 miles. These things also make it an official Juneathon activity.
