Fell Running

●Involvement - Things happen very quickly in fell-running. You need to watch your feet, pick your line to run and judge your pace all at the same time.

●All round fitness - Uphill, downhill and level sections use different stride patterns and different heart rates. Together with the balance needed, it is a terrific all-round workout.

●Adrenalin Buzz - The buzz of running downhill at pace is like skiing.

●Beautiful Scenery - The best scenery is found on the Mountains and Moors.

●Long (>12 miles)

●Medium (6-12miles)

●Short (<6 miles)

●A - Steep climbs - not ideal for beginners

●B - within the non-fell runners competence

●C - basically Multi-Terrain races

●UKA Hill & Fell Relay - Top British clubs compete against each other in a 4 leg relay (2 individual legs and 2 pair legs). Held in October and rotated around the major clubs. Stroud were highest placing southern club in 2003, 2006 and 2008.

●Inter-Counties - A one-off annual race with 4 men and 4 women representing each county. Gloucestershire normally amongst the best southern counties.

●British & English Championships - Best 3 from 4 and best 4 from 6 races respectively (1 race is part of both English and British). Guaranteed top class fields.

●Snowdon - A one-off race in July featuring international teams from each of the home nations plus some top-class overseas runners.

●South Wales Winter Series - 5 from 7 short/steep races held between October and April. Lower standard than the British/English championships, but often a battle against the elements.

●Brecon Beacons - The 3rd most mountainous area of England and Wales (behind Snowdonia and the Lakes) is just 1.5 to 2 hours away.

●Dartmoor/Exmoor - Complete contrast to the Brecons with large expanses of remote moorland.

●Malverns - Great steep, if mostly shorter, climbs and terrific views. Just over an hour from Stroud.

●Cotswolds - Around Stroud Rodborough Common, Selsley Common and Cam Peak/Long Down all offer small areas of fell-terrain.

●Windproof Jacket - A must have for just about any run in the mountains (compulsory equipment for A grade Medium or Long races)

●Footwear - Multi-Terrain/Trail shoes are OK, but Fell-running shoes are preferable and essential for steep runs.

●Whistle - The most effective way of attracting help in any weather (compulsory equipment for A grade Medium or Long races)

●Hat/Cap - Strongly advised for winter runs as the best way of conserving heat.

●Liquid - Dehydration is an obvious problem on hot days but on cold days it can accelerate hypothermia. Carry what you need for the distance (not normally necessary for short runs).

●Compass - Not a lot of use unless you are competent with it (compulsory equipment for A grade Medium or Long races)

●Windproof Trousers - Rarely used in fell running but advisable to carry if poor weather is expected (compulsory equipment for A grade Medium or Long races)

●Bumbag - Needs enough adjustable straps to be tightened and useful if the liquid can be kept separate from everything else.

●Navigation - The better you can navigate the more you will be able to do and the more inclement weather you can go out in.

●Descending at Speed - It's a skill that can only improve with practice. Take rocky routes slowly until you become more used to them and more proficient at judging when you may slip. One useful tip is to run with a short stride and high cadence (i.e. the rate at which your legs are going round) - if one foot slips the other will come through before you go head over heels.

●Ascending - Ascending at speed is basically down to sheer fitness. The only tip is to aim for negative splits on hills (i.e. run the bottom half slow and the top half faster) - you can recover after the top half of a climb but there is no recovery after the bottom half.