The Training Diaries: A Prelude

Introduction

So here we are then, my training diary. The primary purpose here is to keep myself accountable, but I'll be sure to share my logic and insights along the way too.

If 2024 (and the last few years in general) could be summed up in a single word, it would be 'inconsistent'. Before diving in to the diaries of 2025 and beyond, I think it would be useful to put things into context by summarizing what has gone before...

Reflections on Running

Despite having just said I've been inconsistent, my mileage of 780km in 2024 was actually the most I have on record since I first got a Garmin and began recording in 2018. Similarly, my total elevation gain for the year was just over 21,000m against ca.9,000m in 2023 and 2-3,000 per year in the 4 years before that, so something was clearly going alright!

I suppose the internal conflict is with how that felt. Over the years I have progressively gotten slower and I've been plagued so often with Achilles issues that I never feel like I am making any progress or that I am able to stick to my training for more than a few weeks before something goes wrong.

I didn't run any road races in 2024, a first for me since prior to 2018. But I did complete my first 2 ultramarathon distance mountain races.

First up, there was UTMB Ultra Trail Snowdonia 50K. I clocked up just shy of 59km and 3,500m of elevation gain in this event alone, crossing the line in around 12hrs20. This was a brutal education in what it actually takes to complete these longer races. I had been out on the trails in North Wales plenty in the weeks and months before the event, but crucially it was cold throughout all my training. On race day it was baking hot, and despite carrying the minimum water requirement from each aid station (as had been enough for the whole day in training), I still found myself slogging for hours at a time without anything to drink. Not an experience I fancied repeating!

Motoring up the Llanberis Path

Stumbling Across the Finish Line

Later in the summer, at the end of a fantastic campervan trip through the Pyrenees, I was also on the start line of UTMB Peades d'Aigua 50K, part of the Val d'Aran event. Having learned my lesson regarding hydration in Snowdonia and having upgraded my insoles to give my feet a bit more protection, I felt confident I could improve on my performance. This time I recorded just under 3,000m elevation gain over 51km and crossed the line in 11hrs07 which was actually a slightly slower pace overall. My biggest takeaway here being that the devil is in the detail. Despite having comparable route stats, the elevation (and significantly the descent) in this race was completed in fewer, larger ascents/ descents which gave my legs an absolute beating.

Reaching the lakes after the first heavily congested section

Clearly enjoying myself

Feeling stronger at the finish

After PDA, I had intended on jumping into some faster running. In a fit of excitement in late summer I entered a track mile race, a 5k and 10k, eager to see if my endless endurance training had given me a good base to add some speed. Needless to say my enthusiasm was short lived as within weeks, I had aggravated my old Achilles problems which stopped me running for most of the rest of the year.

Alongside my own running, I also completed my UK Athletics Leader in Running Fitness award, and would have also completed my Coach in Running Fitness were it not for one of the autumn storms writing off the course at the last moment. That will have to wait until the new year!

Climbing in 2024

Now its here where the inconsistent label really applies. Here's the rundown of climbing in 2024:

7 days of trad. 20 routes.

3 days of winter. 4 routes.

1 day of dry tooling. 5 routes.

1 day of sport. 2 routes.

Probably fewer visits to the wall than I have fingers.

Considering I say climbing is my hobby it doesn't exactly read like it...

Over the course of the year I felt noticeably less able to climb. The most frustrating day being struggling to second Brown's Crack at Bamford, a route I'd happily led the summer before. I simply didn't climb anywhere near enough to make any kind of improvement.

Descending the Giltar Slab

45 Degrees in the Sun - Giltar Slabs

Training Hard

Downtime back at camp in Pembroke

Goals for 2025

Coming to the end of 2024, I found myself thinking a lot about what was important to me, both in sport and life in general. What that has given me in the context of running and climbing is a renewed sense of focus and therefore, some goals to work on:

Consistent Training

By being more selective and also more flexible about how I use my time, my number one goal is to be consistent.

Sometimes life gets in the way, things happen, you have other plans or responsibilities to attend to. Since this is inevitable, I have to be flexible. Sometimes this will mean switching out a planned up for something shorter, or ditching it altogether and just getting in a quick core workout instead.

Similarly, if I have the opportunity to get outside and have an adventure I will always prioritize that over whatever training session/s I may have originally planned. This is supposed to be fun, right?

Whatever it is, I promise to keep reminding myself that consistently 'adding to the pot' is the most effective principle when all else falls apart.

Purposeful Climbing

Based on last years efforts, it won't take an awful lot to make some improvements here! My goal does essentially boil down to consistency again however, I'll be a bit more specific.

My goal is to climb a minimum of once per week. Sometimes that will be twice or 3 times but once will be the minimum.

Alongside that, similar to my approach to run training, I have plotted out some periodised training sessions that should bring me into the outdoor season in good climbing shape to progress towards my outcome goal for the year: To feel confident and consistent at VS as a minimum.

Some Big Running Numbers

With improving my climbing as my primary focus for the year, running is a bit less defined. I am not entering any commercial races this year (aside from the Arc of Attrition 25, which was already in the diary for January). I just want to enjoy running, feeling fit and getting out and moving. I want to progressively pepper my endurance running with a bit more speed work and spend more time out on the trails just for the fun of it.

I do however have a challenge in mind...

Using the KMC Big Routes meet in September as the context, I am planning a 100km+ adventure. But more details on this later in the year!

Health and Wellbeing

One thing that it's hard to get away from in the running and climbing worlds, is bodyweight. Now I am by no means overweight, but what I am is probably a bit heavier than ideal for my preferred sports. I have a suspicion this is a contributory factor in my being slower every year! Up until 2020 my bodyweight was consistently around 75kg but more recently I am sitting around 86-87kg. So very gently, I plan to be just a tiny bit more mindful about my intake, with a view to getting down under that 80kg mark.

Outside of climbing and running, my wellbeing had taken a battering in late 2024. That is part of what has led to me starting Trails & Trad. So I will be mindful going forwards to look after my mental health, doing whatever I need to do to keep things in balance in all aspects of life, but understanding sometimes something has to give and that's OK too.

Conclusion

So 2025 will be about consistently doing what I already know I need to do in order to improve at the things I love. I'll describe my actual training plans and sessions in more detail as the weeks go by as well as updating on my progress so be sure to stay in touch to find out how I'm getting on. Join the newsletter and follow the socials to get all the detail and updates in between!

Until next time.

S