So, before putting this event behind me, stuff that worked and stuff that didn't.
Training:
I don't think I'd change much here. The volume felt suitable and most of the terrain types fitted well for the event. Big chunks of running offroad, practised walking of hills, pack on the back for the longer training efforts, shorter faster bits once or twice a week. I'd maybe try and push those shorter, faster runs a little harder as I was generally holding back with the next days of long mileage in the back of my mind. I'd probably throw in a few more races of varying distances, and actually race some of them rather than taking each of them at just a training pace. The training had become a little boring by the end of the it and I felt I was spending as much time keeping on top of washing as I was advancing my ability to run long. I would stick with the lose plan of two heavy weeks with a step back week to seperate into the next two heavy weeks which helped to keep my legs relatively fresh. Fresh is subjective. The big difference that would need to be made is to get more rest so that there is some excitement for the even, and possibly a little energy.
Kit:
Shoes: Salomon Speedcross 3. So I've never exactly been in love with these shoes but they have always done the job. They fit like a built up road shoe and their lugs deal with most mud. Like most shoes I've tried, they're like ice skates when it comes to wet rock but so be it. In this event, they didn't really provide the service I was looking for. Having my feet move around during the first steep descent which then caused to insoles to bunch was not good mentally at such an early stage. I think I know what has caused this. I suspect the use of some thick SealSkinz socks for a couple of walks has probably stretched the upper. I did manage to keep them in reasonable order for the rest of my shortened run, but with the vast amount of cold water that had soaked into the shoe from the start, there were warm spots about the base of the heel and some soreness on the achillles where the rear of the shoe had rubbed. I'm not blaming the model of shoe for any of this as they have been solid, I'll probably pick up another pair as spares and relegate these to pseudo-walking shoes. For running where serious lugs are required, I'll make sure to keep my Fellcross 2s to hand. Lovely shoes.
Gaiters: Salomon Low Trail Gaiters. Mixed bag. They probably prevented me having to dive into an early bog to find my left shoe but did rub a little. For their main purpose of keeping as much rubbish out of the shoe as possible, spot on. I might investigate some other styles of gaiter but these were fine.
Pack: Inov-8 Race Pro 1 with Nathan 2 litre vertical bladder. Again, another bit of equipment I've never really loved, but we have come to an rrangement. I struggled with the drink tube for the horizontal bladder and found that I was just avoiding drinking during runs. That didn't seem like the way forward. As a hydration system this now works for me, but it does cause me some chaffing, across my back, nothing particularly painful but I'd prefer it were not the case, and in this most recent of events it seems to have caused some more major wounds across my lower back probably due to the additional weight in the pack. I'll continue to use it going forward but I'd like to fall in love with a pack some day, preferably with some reasonable storage access at the front.
Jacket: Inov8 Race Elite 150. It was fine but didn't keep me dry. There was a cold drizzle off and on with the rain getting heavier from time to time so the hood came up and down repeatedly so rain worked its way into the layers when the hood was down, and sweat built up easily when the hood was up and any effort was put in. For shorter runs, or to pass a kit check while taking up the minimum weight and space, great smock, but for something longer I probably need to look at something else. Certainly something breathable. Probably one of the many other jackets that I have which I've avoided using for races due to how much I like them not to stink of my stale sweat...
Socks: Injinji Run 2.0. No complaints at all. They protected my feet from any real damage during six hours of excessive movement in cold and saturated shoes. I sometimes feel they're a little thick and it takes away some of the feel of the terrain, but they were pretty perfect for this. I guess there was the option of waterproof socks (with or without a liner), but although I am happy to use them while walking, I can't see me using them for running. And besides, I don't think they would help much when your knee is getting wet by ground water.
Underwear: Rab MeCo 120 Boxer. They tend to keep chaffing to a minmum. They wick. They dry easily. Hard to get excited about them until I recall some of the issues I used to have with cotton or polyester while getting sweaty during ultras.
Shorts: Salomon Trail Long Running Tights. Functioned well. Kept me reasonably warm even when soaked through except when I stayed at a full stop a little too long at the third checkpoint. Still prefer these over my UnderArmour ColdGear Tights which do well for warmth in the dry but sag like buggery when they get wet and can easily get too warm.
Headtorch: Petzel Tikka-RXP. No idea how this would have coped in the race and I'm frankly grateful to have avoided that section of the event. One of the more special moments of my pre-race prep was realising that the newly purchased torch didn't take AAA batteries but instead used a Petzl specific unit. Expedited next day delivery for a new battery it is then.
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