I wonder how many of us had signed up for a race this year? And we’re wondering when on earth we might be able to get back to competing on the trails, tracks and roads. But a lot of creativity has emerged in all shapes and forms and it seems that a many people are doing what I’ve heard termed as ‘self-curating’ races or challenges instead. 

It reminds me of my childhood in the wilds of North West Wales where we frequently invented projects for ourselves (we didn’t have TV!). For example, we’d plan to conquer a new hill we’d never climbed or build a two storey den, make bows and arrows or find the source of a stream. Later I made these more athletic, I’d plan to hike the small mountain in a certain time, walk the whole way around the lake or cycle from A to B. I loved the planning and then storytelling about it afterwards!

Now, I’m re-discovering this sense of making training into mini challenges - coming back from an injury and working around the restrictions, and I love it! Not just challenging myself to go more distance or do more time – although this is motivating for me too – but planning new routes or combinations of trails around my usual running grounds. For example, taking the opposite direction round a loop or combining different green spaces in the city into a kind of mini tour. I’ve also now done two bike-run-bike challenges so I can take a break from my usual (tho’ beloved) training ground; see and run on different landscapes and terrain. It adds a bit of spice to my ‘training’ as I have to deal with changing from bike to run and a few unknown factors each time as I’m not super familiar with the route.

I listened to an interview with the famous Kilian Jornet where he talks about not always going out to train for a specific reason; he goes out to play in the terrain he loves and this is the training. He’s done and won many races and now he’s inventing mega challenges for himself, but you get the sense that it’s not really about breaking records, he does it for fun.  A friend and I created our own West Highland Way run a couple of years ago – we didn’t want to race we just wanted to run that particular landscape. It was one of the most magical experiences of my life and while races are fun, I think perhaps I’m more interested creating my own adventure challenges. There are many people out there doing this already but those of us who don’t have a car might feel very limited in this respect right now.

Sure, designing super challenges all over the world would be incredible but I can’t do that too often (or at all right now!) my real point is the mindset. The creative aspect of training that keeps it all fresh and also trains the body better. We know our muscles get very quickly adapted to a trail, a certain type of terrain and timing and sometimes we need that familiarity. But what would happen if every ‘workout’ you planned was slightly different? Instead of focusing on getting faster you just planned a different route that appeals to you for whatever reason? Instead of focusing on heart rate you designed yourself an attention grabbing challenge?

I suggest that what would happen is that you would get faster and fitter, perhaps even more so than if you simply focused on traditional training workouts…why? Well, because I think when we ‘re really inspired by something we go harder. When we’re distracted by the challenge of route planning and navigating new terrain, we probably tap into greater strength.

I’m not throwing conventional training out the window, not at all. I check my timings, ponder my mileage and occasionally self-obsess over a PB but I know I’m happiest on one of these types of runs/cycles (maybe even with a quick swim!);

• The adventure run – climb hills, jump streams, run along tree trunks, zig zag, hop rocks, let loose on descents, slow down and speed up as you want

• The explore run – roughly plan a route but into an area you’ve never been (or never run) before

• The fun run – give yourself a target time and/or distance and go…

Now, back to planning my next mini adventure…