Baked into this issue

• A quote to inspire

• Trail Hacks: The key to reducing injury risk

• BHAG report: Completing the 4X4X48 Challenge

• Food to Fuel: Dark Chocolate

• Hikes worthy of your bucket list: Camino de Santiago

• Trail Strength: Strong glutes to save knees

• Podcast, Book and Blog Shout outs

• News round up

This is May’s edition being sent out in early June - sorry for the delay! Life’s been hectic and I’ve been in a rut after having to have 6 weeks off running and hiking after a ridiculous ultra distance challenge (more on that below).

But it’s here now, better late than never because I wanted to make sure it’s worthy of your inbox and not rushed! Enjoy this edition and we’ll see you here again soon.

ps. Make sure to click "Display images" at the top of this email, if they're not showing.

See you out there, Shaun

There’s a simple and effective way to reduce your risk of injury. It’s cheap and doesn’t involve going out and buying copious amounts of new shoes and then having to build a bigger wardrobe to fit the things it!

Wahoo! What is this magic you speak of Shaun?

Firstly, most injures or pain that occur when trail running, hiking and more is due to the repetition. Sure there’s strains and sprains but I’m talking the slow build up pains that really hang around! Your plantar fasciopathy, hamstring tendinopathy, anterior knee pain, lateral hip tendinopathy and more.

So, to reduce the risk of these overload injuries, we need to reduce the repetition. That doesn’t mean do less, no. It means don’t load your tissues in the same way, over and over again, in the same way. Putting the same impact forces through the same tissue makes them work the same way over and over again - it’s not ideal and eventually somethings going to go so pissed off with not having adequate time to adapt to this that it gets very sore.

Here’s the fix = Have variation

• Variation in speed

• Variation in distance

• Variation in shoes

• Variation in rest period length

• Variation in surface

• Variation in activity - Throw in some cross training, strength work or whatever you fancy.

Have variety, It’s the spice of life and, it reduces your risk of injury, so that you can spend more time out there getting at it.

The 4X4X48 Challenge. 48 Miles of punishment

I figured, I can run 4 miles, that’s all good. I’ve just got to do that 12 times, right?

4 Miles, every 4 hours for 48 hours, heck I’ll even get plenty of time in between runs to sleep, eat and hang out with the family…

That was dumb though. That was optimistic Shaun talking. Optimistic and a little Stupid because it’s a very, very awkward way to run a ultra marathon. Run 4 miles and then allow a little time for a little inflammation to set in but not enough time for tissue recovery. Then do it again and again. It’s really awkward.

So here’s how I got on.