CavemanClarke in Trail Running mag, UK

Apparently, running makes men more attractive?! Well this was news to me. I knew it made the ladies rather appealing, but I always thought muscle-bound rugby players and men who spent more time honing the 'perfect' physique in dark-dingy gyms whilst spending countless hours staring at their own reflection and posting endless 'selfies' of their half-naked torso's on social media got the girls. Well it seems not! 

CavemanClarke trail running 

According to an article in this months Trail Running magazine, UK, distance runners have historically been selected as better mates over their lesser-mileage counterparts. Something to do with high testosterone, high sperm count and a healthy sex-drive and distance runners were selected as ideal mates to hunt and breed. On top of this, generosity and intelligence were also mentioned as qualities of distance runners.

Although I certainly don't want to dismiss this statement, I have yet to find myself fighting off the hoards of female fellow runners chasing me down the trails and often find myself chasing much faster female runners at events and races. Still, when I am struggling away on a cold rainy day, it certainly gives me something to hope for and giggle about. 

Oh, and if this is so true, why does my wife give me the look of disapproval every time I tell her I'm heading out for a long training session?!?!

I think I will stick to running whatever the outcome of attractiveness, but it's a comforting bonus!

CavemanClarke in this months Trail Running Magazine, UK

I am thrilled to say that I have an article about choosing your first pair of trail running shoes in the current edition of Trail Running magazine; the heart of everything you need to know about trail running here in the UK and across the globe. I have read Trail Running pretty much since it first came out a few years ago, and it has often inspired my trail running journey and helped with many tips and tricks along the way. If you need a little inspirational 'kick-up-the-butt' on cold winter days, want to know the latest news and updates on your favourite runners or long to improve your own skills and fitness, this magazine won't disappoint!

Prioritise for 2015

The new year has arrived and with it many of us will be turning to running to help change and transform our lives in 2015. You may want to run a marathon, lose weight or replace bad habits such as smoking or drinking with something more constructive and healthy. Whatever your reasons for promising to yourself and others that running is going to be a big part of your life in the year to come you need to take into consideration the art of prioritisation. 

Top Trail Running Christmas Presents 2014

Christmas is approaching fast, and lots of you with trail running friends and family will be wondering what will bring a huge smile to the face of your loved one when they open it up on Christmas day. Some of you who regularly trail run may also be wondering what to ask for to further your ever-growing kit list and shoe collection. So, to help you all out, below is a compilation of some great gift ideas to meet the needs of any serious trail runner. 

***Stocking fillers***

Smartwool PhD Run Light Socks: 

Over the winter it's pretty much guaranteed to be cold and wet. Get feet into a decent quality pair of merino wool socks, which retain around 80% of their warmth even when wet, and it makes for a much more comfortable and enjoyable run. No one likes cold feet!

Salomon S-Lab Fellcross 3 Review

The Salomon S-Lab Fellcross is now in its third generation with the release of the aptly named Fellcross 3. Time really does fly, and so will you when you have these on your feet!!! 

I am always a little concerned when a new version of an already fantastic trail and fell shoe is released. I still use the Fellcross 2 and am as happy with them today as I was when I first put them on my feet over a year ago now. So, what if they change something I already love in the newer model? There are certainly quite a few major changes in the new Fellcross 3, so lets take a deeper look.....

THERA°PEARL Sports Pack: Reusable Hot and Cold Therapy

For those of us who love to get outdoors and explore new places, train for great feats of physical endurance or race in beautiful places across the globe, it is a sad reality that our fallible bodies will, at some point, get injured and require some love and attention. It is an occupational hazard, so to speak. At these times, hot or cold therapy can really help to reduce swelling, alleviate pain and speed up recovery. Traditional methods of using frozen peas, hot water bottles and buckets of ice-cold or hot water can often be inconvenient, messy and time consuming. If only there was a way to avoid soaking the floor, defrosting your peas, searching for that hot water bottle or clearing up wet towels and puddles on the floor.....enter the new THERA°PEARL reusable hot and cold therapy Sports Pack.

Salomon S-Lab Light Jacket Review

 

The nights are pulling in, the days shorter, colder and the sun has faded to a warm glow at best. The wind begins howling through the night and chilly breezes begin challenging the trail runner still braving the summer shorts and t-shirt attire during the day. It is time to change the running wardrobe and bring out the winter gear! For most of us, this will include leggings, mid-layers, hats, gloves and of course, a windproof jacket. For those of you yet to get yourself protected from the wind, or anyone looking to upgrade to something better fitting, more functional and with superb breathability and features, the Salomon S-Lab Light Jacket is a fantastic choice.

 

Over the past few weeks I have taken every windy, wet and blustery opportunity to run in the new S-Lab Light Jacket to bring to you an honest, in-depth review of just what I think of the newly updated and improved windproof running jacket from Salomon.

 

Buxton Adventure Festival Trail and Fell Running

A couple of weekends ago took me all the way to Buxton Adventure Festival for a weekend packed full of trail and fell running workshops and inspirational talks. With 'CavemanClarke' being a place to shout about everything great in the world of off-road running, this little gem certainly deserves a mention! 

The weekend started with a relaxed drive up Saturday morning in my beloved Bongo campervan. The plan was to have a gentle afternoon run, from the campsite where I was staying, to the Adventure Festival. The events I was travelling to see were all packed into a tight schedule for the Sunday. Upon arriving and tucking into some lunch, I changed into my running gear and headed off across the trails and into the town. Familiarising myself with where I needed to be the next day, I returned to the camper, cooked up an evening meal and relaxed with my copy of 'Run or Die' by Kilian Jornet to pass away the evening. Sunday morning came round and the weather was fantastic. Getting myself to the beautiful Pavilion Gardens in Buxton, I was ready for the first event of the day. 

Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon MR Review

Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon MR ready to get muddy

Over the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of testing the latest trail and mud running specific model by Vibram FiveFingers; the Spyridon MR. The aggressive 'mountain bike tyre' tread pattern, coupled with the letters MR, which stands for 'Mud Runner', immediately let you know that this has been designed with the minimalist, natural trail runner in mind. Following on from its very popular and proven to be trail worthy predecessor, the Spyridon LS, I am glad to say that not too much has changed in the re-styled Spyridon MR. For those of you already accustomed to wearing a pair of FiveFingers, or any trail, mountain and fell runners out there looking to transition to a more natural running form, this is definitely a review that is worth your time reading! You may also want to check out my 'First Impressions' review of the Spyridon MR before reading on by clicking here.

So, grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee, sit somewhere comfy and let me tell you a few good reasons why a Vibram FiveFinger Spyridon MR should be in every trail and mud runners selection of shoes.....

Merrell Bare Access Trail Review

Merrell Bare Access Trail

For the past few years I have tried, tested, analysed and reviewed many minimalist 'barefoot' trail shoes. In the early days, when barefoot, or 'Natural Running' first came into the spotlight, many companies were quick to produce a more minimalist shoe to meet the demands of the emerging market. They did this by attempting to strip back every aspect of the new shoe to an absolute bare minimum. This sometimes led to a fantastic product which clearly met the needs of a runner who wanted as little as possible on their foot to provide just enough protection from the environment and grip for the terrain. But often, it led to a product with reduced durability, that was far too extreme for the average runner wanting to transition into natural running. 

Over this period, Merrell have produced some fantastic shoes with a more minimal approach. The original Trail Glove still stands in my mind as a milestone in minimalist shoes, along with the likes of the brilliant but slightly stranger looking Vibram FiveFingers. Now, today, Merrell produce a wide range of trail and road shoes that meet a variety of requirements for people looking for a low, light and natural feeling running shoe. Whether it be zero-drop, a low drop, a wide toebox, natural foot shape or minimal cushioning, Merrell has the shoe for you. 

Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon MR First Impressions

Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon MR

I was so excited to receive a pair of the new off-road, mud-loving and trail ready Vibram FiveFingers Spyridon MR to test. As some of you may know, my running journey began nearly five years ago with a pair of FiveFingers, and it has completely changed my life ever since. Back then, it was the dark confinements of a spit-and-sawdust weightlifting gym that housed my workouts every week. Even then, I knew I preferred the great outdoors but I just hadn't found the exact activity in which to explore and enjoy it yet. 

Salomon S-Lab Sense Tank and Short Review

Ready to head out on the trails in the Salomon S-Lab Sense range

A vest is a vest and shorts are shorts, right? Wrong! The world of trail running offers the runner an almost impossible decision when trying to choose the right shoes, clothing and apparel. With a whole host of great brands producing fantastic products for both athletes and recreational runners, just how do we choose the best kit for our adventures and hours spent out on the trails? In this brief review, I hope to enlighten you on why you might want to part with your hard-earned cash to kit yourself out in the Salomon S-Lab Sense tank and short.....

Cotswold Outdoor Wings For Life Relay

Cambridge - Sandy - Milton Keynes

It gave me great pleasure to be a part of the Cotswold Outdoor Wings For Life shop relay! Cotswold Outdoor, a popular retailer for everything you need for the outdoors and adventure since 1974, is raising money and awareness for the Wings For Life Charity by holding a non-motorised relay of over 3000 miles between the 69 stores, nationwide. I, along with friends Chris Green and Nathan Heathfield, were responsible for taking the baton from the Cambridge Cotswold Outdoor store, to the next store in Milton Keynes. It was decided that Chris and I would run from Cambridge to Sandy, hand over the baton to Nathan, who would then complete the leg to Milton Keynes on his bike.

Trail and Fell Running Workshop at Buxton Adventure Festival, Oct 2014

Exciting news everyone! On the 12th October 2014 Buxton Adventure Festival will be hosting FOUR inspirational and educational trail and fell running events, and I will be there to make the most of this great opportunity.

Buxton Adventure Festival is an awesome weekend of unbeatable Peak District activities, inspirational speakers and motivating adventure films: click HERE for more info! As a keen trail and fell runner who takes any opportunity available to get to the beautiful Peak District for a fun-packed weekend of excellent trails and discovery, I just couldn't bear the thought of missing what is on offer on the Sunday (12th October). 

Trail Running magazine...the perfect coffee break!

Time for a well earned coffee break!

Exciting news! This months latest edition of Trail Running magazine is out in the shops and, as usual, I have been and fetched myself a copy!

Why buy Trail Running?

Why on earth not? For just £4.50 (or even cheaper if you subscribe) you get inspiration, motivation, training plans, gear and shoe reviews and interviews with top athletes and adventurers! 

Trail Running in Edale and Kinder Scout

CavemanClarke enjoying Kinder Scout

The bank holiday weekend just passed will hold fond memories for me for many years to come. It was pure and simple freedom. As a keen trail runner and reviewer of the latest off-road running gear I was keen to take some of my favourite trusty pieces of kit, along with my newest Suunto toy to the quaint little Derbyshire village of Edale in the Peak District; a trail runners paradise! Living in rural Cambridgeshire leaves me needing hills and mountains, and the Peak District is by far the easiest accessible place for me to get my fix and some decent training in. 

Womens Inov-8 Trailroc 236 review

Inov-8 Trailroc 236

It is with great excitement that I bring you my second guest review! After previously being really impressed with the mens Trailroc 235's, but discovering after only 150km that the uppers split across the metatarsal flex point, I was keen to see any improvements that Inov-8 may have made in the 236's.The Inov-8 Trailroc 236 has proved a very popular trail shoe for women in both training and racing situations, and with the help of my wife Hannah I hope to help you make the choice of whether this may be the trail shoe for you. I have been sending her out on the local trails in all weathers and dragging her to races across the country to enable me to interrogate her on the pro's and con's of the women's specific shoe in the well-known Trailroc series. And so, it's over to Hannah to fill in the blanks.....

Ashmei Ullswater 9 & 20 mile trail runs, 2014

CavemanClarke and new run buddy Paul Yeoman

Not too long ago, I had a fantastic weekend trail running in The Lakes. Pooley Bridge, a small village situated by the quietly lapping waters-edge of Ullswater was to host the 2014 Ashmei 9 and 20 mile trail runs. Thirty and a half miles later (more about that in a minute!), a few new friends and with fun tales to tell, I fondly look back at what turned out to be a really great event.

It all started early Friday morning, packing my new favourite toy. After much consideration and saving, my wife and I decided to invest in a comfortable way to travel and stay all over the UK without having to slum it in a tent or pay through the nose for a B&B. So we bought ourselves a campervan; a Mazda Bongo to be exact. After shuddering at the weather forecast, carefully remembering everything on the race kit list, and not forgetting the espresso maker, (after all, we are glamping now!) we headed off on the 4.5h journey to Ullswater. Upon arriving we pitched up in a lovely spot with all the other campers staying for the weekend and sat back to ponder what the weekend would bring. Ashmei events had set up a huge tent-marquee with race registration, chill-out area, food section and shop selling their merino wool run clothing and merchandise. A fire pit was smouldering away and an inspirational running movie was playing on a big screen. Nice!

Salomon S-Lab Sense 3 Ultra Review

Salomon S-Lab Sense 3 Ultra

Salomon S-Lab Sense 3 Ultra Review: a comparison with the Sense 3 Ultra Soft Ground:

Welcome everyone to what I feel is a very exciting post, in which I will be reviewing one of the newest and latest releases in the top quality Salomon S-Lab, athlete-inspired line-up; the Salomon S-Lab Sense 3 Ultra. I will also be comparing it to its wet-weather twin, the Salomon S-Lab Sense 3 Ultra SG (soft ground). For a full review of the Sense 3 Ultra SG please click here!  

I have tried a lot of minimalist trail shoes over the past few years (as you can imagine), and occasionally one pops up that feels right, grabs your attention and takes you miles, and miles, and miles.....It is very seldom that two come along at the same time, but this has certainly been the case in relation to the Sense 3 Ultra and Sense 3 Ultra SG. Racing footwear has become far more of an easy choice. Simply look out of the window, and if its dry and hot out there, put on the Sense 3 Ultra. If its wet, slip on the SG version. Sorted!

Salomon S-Lab Sense 3 Ultra preview

The new Salomon S-Lab Sense 3 Ultra

What better surprise than to arrive home after a hard days work, to be greeted by a parcel delivery sitting on the doorstep containing one of the latest releases by Salomon in their prestigious S-Lab line up for 2014; the Salomon S-Lab Sense 3 Ultra! 

After recently testing, reviewing and being very impressed with its wet-weather twin, the Sense 3 Ultra Soft Ground I was more than excited to get these on my feet, out the door and on the trails in dryer weather to see just how they compared. The perfect opportunity was only a week away; a 10km race in which I had entered myself, along with a few of my run coaching and Trinity Fitness Club clients. I knew it would be a tough course, very hot weather and with plenty of rolling countryside (aka hills!) and over a variety of terrains, so it would be ideal to put these shoes through their first paces.