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Trail Wisdom, Freshly Served
Gary House Answers Your Questions - UNFILTERED!
If you’re not already following us on social media… umm, where have you been? If you are, you might have spotted something exciting - our latest collaboration with the one and only Gary House.
Gary isn’t just a top running coach and competitor; he’s the go-to guy for trail running wisdom, delivered with humour and zero fluff. His social media is packed with fun advice, and now, he’s bringing that energy to Harrier’s “Ask Me Anything” series.
Each week, we put your biggest trail running questions to Gary, and he delivers the goods - straight, honest, and always entertaining. Keep an eye on our Instagram Stories every Monday to submit your questions for Gary.
Here are some of our favourite Q&As so far. Enjoy!
Top 3 Tips for someone training for their first ultra?
Walk before you need to walk
Eat before you need to eat
Sh!t before you need to sh!t your pants
When using poles, do you have a certain distance or elevation before taking them with you?
Yes, but it’s personal to me but it's the same advice for everyone, if you plan on hiking for long periods in your race then practice in training, take them with you and use them from the start!
What’s the one bit of kit you wished you had invested in sooner on your running journey?
The honest answer is lube but a more practical one is running poles after running my first race in the French Alps without them.
For ultras, we recommend Harrier’s super-lightweight Helvellyn PRO Carbon poles.
How do I make hill reps more interesting in training?
Usually, adherence improves with understanding why you are doing a certain session so look at learning the difference between a 10-second hill sprint for strength versus a 30-minute uphill tempo and everything in between.
Got a 5-day, 100km hike in June with 3900m elevation. Training Tips?
Divide 100km by 5 (20km) and 3900m by 5 (780) and build up to those numbers as your longest day on the hill then maybe add in some back-to-back days too.
What should you drink the night before a long run?
Just avoid sinking 5 pints after a curry and you will be just fine. I do enjoy a bottle of beer before a race to relax, though.
What footwear should you wear on the trails if you get lots of blisters?
Blisters are rarely caused by the shoes but will be determined by weather and terrain conditions along with how you look after your feet. Harrier has a good range of socks to check out!
Is there an event you’d recommend as an intro to ultra running?
When coaching potential ultra runners I ask them to have a checklist of things to look for including cut-offs, terrain, CP support and then look at locations that suit.
My personal favourites to send runners are Pen Llyn Ultras in North Wales due to long cut-offs and Centurion events in South England due to support and organisation
Eyeing up an ultra? Go the distance with our Ultra Trail Bundle - the ultimate kit bundle for running an ultra marathon.
Would you always have a training run the same distance as your race?
You build up to race a distance at a certain pace or effort so the goal is to peak on that day not beforehand, nobody I coach will run the distance of an A race in the build-up and I haven’t either.
Want more trail wisdom, gear tips, and (of course) the occasional dose of Gary? Follow @harrier_trail_running on Instagram and never miss a beat!
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