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Mountain athlete, Skyrunner, and GB SkiMo team member Victoria Thompson
163 Plays9 days ago
In this episode we’re joined by mountain athlete, skyrunner, and GB SkiMo team member Victoria Thompson
Victoria recently made headlines by winning the Montane Summer Spine Sprint South – finishing 1st woman, 2nd overall, and smashing the course record by over 40 minutes!
In this episode, we dive into:
🧭 Her nav style – map and compass always at hand
💪 How cross-training and speed work transformed her running
🏔️ Fastpacking adventures on the TMB & Tour de Monte Rosa
📚 Running the Wainwright guidebook routes
⛷️ Training with the GB SkiMo team
Victoria’s blend of speed, grit, and mountain spirit is inspiring – don’t miss this one.
Follow Victoria on Instagram
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Victoria Thompson
00:00:00
Speaker
Hello, welcome to this week's episode of the UK Run Chat Podcast. I'm Michelle and today I'm joined by Victoria Thompson, sky runner and mountain adventurer.
00:00:11
Speaker
and We'll be chatting today about kind of her her experiences running in the high mountains and tips for navigation.
Victoria's Projects and Training Philosophy
00:00:19
Speaker
um and also about her projects that she's working on at the moment. She's got a few interesting things, including running the Wainwright guidebook routes.
00:00:27
Speaker
So we'll be diving into her training philosophy and her experience of racing and navigating. and Hi, Victoria. Thank you so much for joining
Victoria's Background and Sports Involvement
00:00:35
Speaker
us today. Could you just tell our listeners a little bit about yourself to start with before we get we get into the nitty gritty?
00:00:41
Speaker
Yeah, sure. Hi Michelle, and thanks for having me. So I'm Victoria and I live in Kendal in the South Lakes and that naturally sort of lends itself to fell running, and mountain running.
00:00:54
Speaker
and So that's one of the main sports that i do. and I'm also super interested in climbing and skiing in the winter. and cycling, swimming, so yeah cross training forms a ah big part of my life, and maybe too big, but we're here today to talk more about the ah the running side.
Transition to Running Focus
00:01:15
Speaker
and I've probably been running seriously since probably Well, I did a lot of I think we'll get onto this, but I did a lot of running and when I was younger, but for sort of training purposes for other sports.
00:01:32
Speaker
and And then I only really started focusing on running in 2020. So not actually that long. i was I was reflecting on this based on the questions that you sent. And I was like, wow, it's actually not been that long that I've been running. So yeah, I'm looking forward to sharing some of my experiences with everyone.
Early Sports and Running Introduction
00:01:48
Speaker
Yeah. So it's funny you say you started running to kind of, for other sports because I've just started doing that with with my daughter she's 12 and she wants to get fitter now for her kind of team sports so take us back to the beginning kind of how how did it start for you and when did it kind of transition into something more more serious and competitive Yep. and so when I was younger, from a very young age, I used to play netball and so team sports, much like your daughter.
00:02:14
Speaker
and And I was in the Sass and Light and then Regional Development Programme probably until the age of 17. and and as part of that you get support with many different aspects of being an athlete so nutrition having a training plan strength and conditioning recording your training that kind of stuff and and in my training plan was specific running sessions and usually on the treadmill and but i would do my sessions either on the treadmill or outdoors and that was where i was first introduced to running
00:02:49
Speaker
and Once I went to university I then got more into triathlons and and obviously running is is a major aspect in in that sport and and it was always the discipline that I preferred the most and i was relatively better at compared to swimming and cycling.
Preference for Outdoor Running
00:03:10
Speaker
If you know me now I'm a pretty terrible cyclist and then it was only when I I moved to the lakes in 2020 that I started consistently doing specific running races and so fell races first and then that naturally transitioned into going to Europe over summers and doing either some longer routes or races which is something that I've been doing more recently.
00:03:41
Speaker
Yeah. So did you always enjoy being outdoors? like Because obviously what you do now is very different when you started with these these treadmill sessions. as Did that kind of come later, that that love for being outdoors in wild nature?
00:03:54
Speaker
and Yeah, it's a good question. I think it definitely came. I always liked training outside. So if even if I had runs in my plan that were inside, I was trying to do them outside just for the fresh air and having the breeze on my face.
First Fell Race Experience
00:04:09
Speaker
um and then it it is definitely when I moved to the lakes in 2020 that I realized oh my gosh being outside in the wilderness is so much nicer for me personally than being in those urban ah urban environments and the hustle and bustle of sort of the nine to five life I guess yeah so can you remember that first fell race that you did then um yes it was the um
00:04:37
Speaker
it was the It was the Scarfell Trail Marathon. So at this point, I'd never run a marathon distance. and I never really run in the fells, actually, because it was before I moved. It was in 2018.
00:04:53
Speaker
and My partner was already living in the lakes and he was like, oh, this is a race that I'm going to do. Do you want to do it? Because he knew I liked running. So said, yeah, sure. and This was before I had a watch, before I could use a map and compass.
00:05:06
Speaker
I didn't even have appropriate trainers. I actually borrowed his mum's, a pair of his mum's trainers for this race. So it was 43 kilometres and 1,500 metres of elevation. And so it was forty three kilometres in one thousand and five when jimmy is of elevation and and I remember really enjoying it, but I also remember making like it being a massive learning curve. So, and like I said, I didn't have a watch, didn't have map and compass. The route was flagged, so that navigation kind of wasn't an issue. and
00:05:39
Speaker
And I ran out of water at one point, so I had to stop and ask some tourists if I could i have a pop up of water and they were they were more than happy to to give me that, which is really nice.
Women in Endurance Sports
00:05:50
Speaker
you know and but The thing that actually sticks out in my mind is I got to the last checkpoint of the race and I think it's about 10 kilometres from the end.
00:06:00
Speaker
So in my mind, i was like, OK, I know how fast they can normally run 10K. So i was expecting to be back at the finish in sort of not that long of a time. but it was still quite undulating this last bit. And I thought, Oh, it's going to be flat. It's going to be fine.
00:06:16
Speaker
And so it took me quite a while longer than I expected. And I think I actually did this embarrassing, but I think I just started crying at one point and had a, had a little bit of of a cry.
00:06:27
Speaker
I was like, it's going on forever. I don't know where the finish is. So was quite relieved when it was over. and But I actually finished third in that race in,
00:06:38
Speaker
in in six hours, I think it was. and And then i'd gone back and done that race when I had a bit more experience, so in 2021. And I finished in an hour faster than what I'd done previously, but I was, think I was ninth overall. So it just showed to me like, oh, wow, this sport is getting a lot more popular and loads more women are getting involved, which was also a really encouraging aspect of it.
00:07:04
Speaker
Yeah, yeah but that's a good point you make about women getting involved. we We are getting more into the long distance endurance sports, aren't we now? Doing well at them as well. Oh my gosh, yeah. yeah it's It's really inspiring actually. like the yeah The Montaigne Spine um race recently, I think a woman on the full distance race, I think a woman actually won that but race, and which was yeah super inspiring.
Montaigne Spine Race and Records
00:07:32
Speaker
Yeah. Is it is that a race you've done before? and So I've not done the full spine. This year I did a short section of it called the South Sprint and it's still 42 miles or 72 kilometres. So it's not really a sprint race.
00:07:51
Speaker
But yeah, i i managed to set a new female record and on that race and I came second overall. So I was first female, but second overall. So i was yeah really happy with with how that race went.
00:08:06
Speaker
and And I think it's it would be on my radar to sort of move up the distances in that race. And so you can do the sort of half distance version and then there's the full 268 miles, i think it yeah pretty mammoth challenge. Yeah, no well, yeah, we'll well we'll we'll look out for how you get on in future years at that then. It seems like a good challenge.
00:08:30
Speaker
and So talk to us a little bit about how you go from fell running into sky
Shift to Sky Running
00:08:34
Speaker
running then. Is that kind of a natural transition to go into the high mountains? and and Yeah, I think so. and Some of the fell running routes are relatively, well, still pretty high up anyway. so the transition...
00:08:51
Speaker
between fell running and and sky running isn't um it kind of like you said is is seamless um and and there can be a bit more scrambling involved in sky running. So you're running a bit more on rock rather than on and maybe grassy, grassy fells.
00:09:10
Speaker
and And as I said in the introduction, we do ah quite a bit of climbing. and And so the scrambling aspects don't feel much different because they're just easy graded climbs. And so getting more exposure to climbing has has made that feel quite and easy for me, I guess.
00:09:31
Speaker
and So yeah, there is there is definitely a natural progression there and and I was contacted I think by and but the UK Skyrunning organisation asking if I wanted to be part of the Snowdon Skyrace last year. and And that was something, ah don't really do much running in Wales because we live in the lakes and there's so much yeah so many hills here that it's kind of like we don't need to travel. yeah and
00:10:02
Speaker
But then i was like, oh, no, it would be nice to do something new and different. and So that really sort of kicked off my my journey into sky running last year. yeah Yeah. So that's not been long at all then. So what have you what have you done since then in terms of races?
00:10:17
Speaker
Is there one race that particularly sticks out as having challenge or? but you've enjoyed?
Standout Skyrace Experience
00:10:22
Speaker
um Yeah I last year then had a focus on doing the UK Skyrunning series so I did the Snowdon Sky Race, I did the Pinnacle Ridge Extreme which is in the Lake District and and then I did the Mourn Mountains Sky Race which is in Northern Ireland and and think that Mourn race is something that that sticks in my mind because
00:10:50
Speaker
Northern Ireland is somewhere that I've never, well i have I have done a race once there before but not in the sort of area that this race was. and So again it was like oh I'm exploring a new area, it's so it all links in with that adventure part of and the sort of how I take value from life and and it was unique in that you get a bus from the start of the race to the or from the end of the race to the start and then you run back to the finish and so it felt more like a journey or like ah a sort of full circle journey and
00:11:26
Speaker
And I remember the the weather was quite, or there was quite a lot of cloud at the start of that race. So you were going up into the hills thinking like, oh my gosh, where am I going here? like I can't see anything at all.
00:11:39
Speaker
and And then the cloud cleared mid race and you kind of like astounded by the view that you could see from these hills. So yeah, that's some good memories from that race. Yeah, that sounds wonderful. How long did that bus journey take you, by the way, compared to how long it took you to get back?
00:11:58
Speaker
Oh god, and definitely faster than getting back. I think it it was maybe an hour or 45 minutes, i can't I can't quite remember, I think I just spent the time looking at the map and being like oh and I need to sort of try and burn into my mind where I'm going and what kind of, yeah, where the checkpoints are, where I might be able to get an extra snack, that kind of
Preparation Strategies for Mountain Races
00:12:21
Speaker
thing.
00:12:21
Speaker
um I can't actually remember what time I did that race in but yeah the bus journey was definitely faster it's a good time to reflect well isn't it yes and kind of come up with your strategy how do you normally approach a race like that then kind of a long distance day out in the mountains how what's going through your head before you start yeah that's a really good question um so I've had couple of bus journeys to the starts of races where I will do a similar thing. So I will usually look at the map um and just if there's any sort of major deviations on the route, like if you can see that you're making a massive left turn off of a straight line here, then i will try and like remember, oh, that's what I need to do at 10K and then I'll know that I'm 10K in and to the race.
00:13:14
Speaker
and I'll also look on the map for water sources, and so where I'm going to be crossing streams. and One of my tactics in these long distance races is to try and set off with as little water as possible because water is heavy yeah and if you're carrying loads that's obviously going to slow you down.
00:13:34
Speaker
But then you need to be confident that you'll be able to find safe drinkable water along the route and in the lakes and that's relatively easy because you you're quite high up and so the water should be fine to drink and whereas in lower down races such as this and south and sprint version of the spine that I did you're like will the water be fine to drink do I need a filter and so I've started using a ah filter on on top of my and soft flasks and just to add that extra sort of protection
00:14:10
Speaker
and But that is one thing that I'll be looking for on the map.
Using Poles in Races
00:14:13
Speaker
Where are the streams? Where can I fill up my water? Is it regular? Do I need to get water from the checkpoints if they have it? That kind of thing.
00:14:22
Speaker
ah I'll also be looking for where and I think the ascent is runnable or where I think I'll be sort of hiking, so hands-on needs hiking, and and they'll also be looking out for runnable descents and more technical descents.
00:14:42
Speaker
I'm definitely not so good at technical descending and there are some people that just absolutely fly down these hills and that's that's not me and so I like to know have like a bit of knowledge about when they're coming up and that kind of thing just so I can mentally prepare myself yeah so how how do you approach them do you do you take poles with you when you're running a race like that to help um it Yeah, it really depends and it's it's one of the sort of debating questions and that I have before every race. so
00:15:16
Speaker
In my principles are that I'll take poles if the race isn't that technical. So for trail races like the spine, I took my poles because I knew everything was going to be super runnable and i can use my poles on the ups and the downs.
00:15:32
Speaker
But if I'm in a race that's technical and and involves a lot of hands on rocks, I tend not to take my poles because I think I'd spend too much time folding them, putting them away, getting them back out again.
00:15:44
Speaker
and I think that's that I could lose quite a lot of time doing that. Like I'm known for dropping things so I often drop my mapping compass and I can just imagine like dropping my poles when I'm trying to put them away and and that just being a bit of a and ah bit of a disappointing thing that would happen and during a race for me. So that's when I avoid using my poles. yeah and There are also some races where poles are banned. So I think in typically in fell races, maybe poles aren't banned, but most people don't use them. Yeah.
00:16:18
Speaker
no It's more in those trail races that are a bit more runnable. Yeah. yeah yeah So what's been what's been the most adventurous race that you've done so far that you've thought, oh, that's that's really challenged me?
Dragon's Back Race Experiences
00:16:31
Speaker
and I think it's got to be the Dragon's Back and multi-day race. and So you race from north of Wales to the south of Wales over all the major hills there and every day is an ultramarathon distance with lots of elevation and and it's six days of running in total I think. and So I did this in
00:17:01
Speaker
Unfortunately on day five out of six and i a reoccurring knee injury sort of flared up for me so I had to pull out but and before then I was having such a great time like you're moving in one direction sort of going on on this journey from north to the south of Wales which yeah really feels quite adventurous um and I decided not to recce any of the route before I um I did the race and I did that on purpose because I will I knew that
00:17:34
Speaker
if I knew exactly where I was in a given day that that might be a bit discouraging for me and because if I'd say been going for three hours and I'd only travelled 20k I might get a bit disheartened by that because I think oh in my training run I was way further along by now but there are so many different factors that can influence you so yeah I just I decided not to recce it and keep everything fresh and new for the actual race and and that was exciting for me because every day was like oh where am I going to end up today and like what kind of things am I going to see on the route what kind of things are going to go wrong because you're always going to feel different and something's always going to go wrong over those kind of distances and
00:18:19
Speaker
So, yeah, i'd I'd say that's been the biggest challenge that I've i've done race-wise. Yeah, yeah that' that sounds exciting, actually. It sounds like a real journey. Are you always quite high up then, apart from obviously when you go into camp um on the night? Are you always kind of high up in the mountains? Yeah.
00:18:38
Speaker
You're always, yeah, relatively high. and There are a couple of days which are a bit lower, but you tend to be going over some kind of mountain range, whether that's and Snowdonia or the Brecon Beacons when you get a bit more south. and So, yeah, mostly up in the hills. But like you say, when you're camping at at the overnight stops, you're you're down the valley. Yeah. So is is it very different to your home county of the Lake District then? Is it a different kind of terrain? Yeah.
00:19:07
Speaker
No, I'd say it's it's pretty similar. and I guess Snowdonia's probably... was gonna say maybe it's a bit more rocky and technical, but I think you'd find that terrain in the lakes as well. and its It's maybe just a bit more accessible in in Wales. and But yeah, there was...
00:19:30
Speaker
like there was one day where you were basically just running over bog for 70k and i mean you can find that in the lakes as well i'm not really selling this very summer but sounds
00:19:48
Speaker
No, it was a really good adventure. And yeah, like my training ground off the Lake District definitely was transferable to and the ground that I found in Wales. So how do you approach training for a long race like that? are you Are you constantly having to be running or, you know, is is there other things you can do to help?
Training with Knee Injury
00:20:09
Speaker
and So... I think my approach is has evolved over the years. So when I first moved to the lakes, I definitely did a lot more volume training and and running specific volume training.
00:20:24
Speaker
and And then I sort of alluded to the fact that I have a reoccurring knee injury. So and that sort of flared up for me in 2023, just as I was doing the Lakeland 50 race.
00:20:40
Speaker
and And then again, it's led up on the dragon's back and since then it saw it comes in and out. So I've had to be a bit more, guess, intelligent with the way that I train. and So lots of my volume now I'll do on the bike and because it takes away that impact that my knee might see.
00:20:59
Speaker
and I also feel like those first couple of years where I was focusing on running volume have given me a really good base, so I don't necessarily need to train that specifically anymore. And I focus a lot more on quality speed sessions when I'm running.
00:21:16
Speaker
and like I said endurance sessions are done mostly on the bike and then I i do still do a fair bit of swimming and and that's obviously completely no impact whatsoever but it's still a good either recovery exercise or I also like adding some speed sessions into that and and I know it's not running specific so is it really helping me in the running side of things I don't know. I mean, I enjoy it. And I think that that's kind of one of the things that you should enjoy about training is is just being there and pushing your body and and taking your mind and your muscles to a place of pain, which you'll definitely experience. Yeah, absolutely. And I guess the swimming is, you know, as you say, you're enjoying it, but it's it's improving your fitness as well, isn't it? And your lung capacity, which has got to help when you're running races like that.
00:22:12
Speaker
and Can you talk to us a little bit about the practicalities of doing the races like you do in terms of like what you what you're carrying with you and um how you're
Navigation and Essential Kit
00:22:25
Speaker
navigating them? because are these Do these races tend to be flagged or are you expected to self-nav?
00:22:32
Speaker
so It's definitely a mix. I think fell races are never flagged. um Sky races and like those the Dragon's Back and the Spine race, they were flagged. and But even in those cases, I prefer to have my map and compass out with me. And I think That probably comes from me starting to do starting out by doing fair races where the navigation and having a map and compass is necessary.
00:23:01
Speaker
Otherwise you're going to get lost. and You're going to go the wrong way. and and it all kind of comes into that preparation aspect for me as well. If I've been looking at the map and figuring out where the streams are before I set off on a route, then I want to keep that consistency through to when I'm running the route and and have that sort of visual check and on the map and with my compass when I'm running.
00:23:25
Speaker
and a so even if there are flags you'll see me out and about with the map and and compass and I think a couple of people have picked up on this based on sort of pictures that have been posted out and about and have been saying it's yeah it's it's a nice to see um and I think it does sort of go back to maybe like it has maybe a bit more of a historic um value for me as well in that races or these kind of longer distance things historically would not have been flagged I mean they probably wouldn't even be races they'd just be routes that people would do so you'd go and you'd set yourself a goal of doing this route and you'd have to navigate it because no one would have put flags out for you so I think that's just generally quite an important skill and to to learn
Packing and Gear for Long Races
00:24:13
Speaker
and to to practice and
00:24:15
Speaker
and If I didn't use it in races then I wouldn't be practicing it for skill I guess so it's quite nice to keep it current. and yeah In terms of other kit that carry there's usually a kit list for the races so and standard sort of safety equipment, waterproofs, you might need a little first aid kit, extra layers in case it gets cold, and food, water, sometimes you need to take a survival bag, and so a little sort of foil blanket thing,
00:24:50
Speaker
and and For some of the more serious races, you also need to take a bivvy bag and just in case you you need have to be out overnight, maybe unexpectedly.
00:25:02
Speaker
and But my my tactic, and I guess most people's who are ah trying to travel fast and efficiently over these kind of distances to get the lightest stuff possible and and just pack it down really small into my race vest and run and run with that. Yeah, because it's quite a lot to carry, isn't it? It can be quite cumbersome, especially you tell your food, because that must weigh quite a lot. what What sort of things are you eating on races?
00:25:29
Speaker
Mm-hmm. and So my approach for this has also evolved over time. and ah Originally i tried to eat real food so I would take like bread and honey, and bread and jam, I'd maybe have hula hoops because I really like salty things, and then sweets.
00:25:50
Speaker
and But my stomach over time has decided that it doesn't like digesting real food anymore when I'm running. And so i've I've moved to gels now and and I usually take enough gels that I can have one every half an hour or so.
00:26:07
Speaker
and So yeah I'll have caffeine gels for the first maybe two hours. So I'll probably usually take four caffeine gels and then the rest of my gels will be orange or some other fruity flavoured gel.
00:26:22
Speaker
and And that definitely goes down better than food. It's, I guess, less hard on the stomach. It doesn't need to do much to digest it. It just has to absorb the energy from it.
00:26:33
Speaker
and Yeah. think But I think can get a bit sickly. Sorry. What's the thinking behind the caffeine first? So I guess... so i guess I don't have a coffee before a race, and which I think some people do, in that and that's just a ah personal preference. So then when I get started, ah feel like I want to get that caffeine hit early on.
00:27:00
Speaker
and And then the reason that I stop is because um I'm thinking about my recovery post race. So i and know that if I have a coffee after say 1pm I won't be able to sleep at night and so i try and limit the amount of caffeine gels and have those first so that once I'm done with the race I know that I'll be able to to sleep or if it's a multi-day day thing I think that's even more important because you obviously only have overnight to recover, rest, sleep and before you're at it again so I'm trying to maximize my chances of having a good night's sleep
00:27:40
Speaker
So you've you've had quite a few fast-packing adventures in Europe, haven't you, Victoria? pa a Tell us a little bit about how that compares to the UK. Yeah. and So... I think the first fast packing that I did was the Tour de Monta Rosa and I did that over four days with a couple of friends um in the run up to the Dragon's Back and and then last year I went and I ran the TMB over four days m just by myself um and yeah both of those have been really good sort of altitude training experience and and experience for multi-day adventures you get used to
00:28:21
Speaker
how your body feels, how you cope over those kind of distances and also a feel for what kind of things can go wrong with your kit or like where bags can start chafing, that kind of stuff. and And in terms of how that's different to the UK, I guess,
00:28:39
Speaker
In the lakes you could probably spend four days sort of running around lots of the hills here but you don't have access to the kind of high mountain refuges like you do in the Alps and I think they provide a really good and but stopping places for for multi-day adventures and you don't necessarily have to drop down into any of the valleys or the towns so you can really stay up out of that kind of urban hustle and bustle, and which makes it feel a bit more wild.
00:29:12
Speaker
and And yeah, you you also have in the Alps I guess this kind of goes against my map and compass ethos but you have very well signposted trails and lots of the paths are either gravel or rocky rather than sort of Lake District boggy style grassy paths which are maybe less easy to follow and so that's definitely another benefit of going abroad and
00:29:43
Speaker
and the altitude training aspect to it as well, and I think adds an extra layer. So timed Tour de Monta Rosa Tour routes as a run up to the Dragon's Back because I thought I'll get some really good altitude training in here and then hopefully that will come to fruition as I'm going into the Dragon's Back race.
00:30:06
Speaker
So that's also a yeah a motivating factor of of going to the Alps rather than here. did Did you find that made a difference to your fitness? I think it definitely does after a while. So usually after those kind of adventures, i will come back and I'll feel more tired than I was when I went away. And that's obviously just because I've just done a massive ah adventure of running for however many days.
00:30:30
Speaker
and So think it's usually sort of after a two week period where I'm out running again and I feel like I can go a bit easier uphill and and then I think, oh, this is probably due to the altitude training, but it's it's.
00:30:45
Speaker
probably well I guess if i recorded everything fully in terms of if I tracked my heart rate and stuff I'd i'd maybe be able to quantify those fitness gains but that's not something um that I kind of do currently um I think it's probably also like a mental aspect oh I've spent so much time in the high mountains and so I must be fitter and therefore I can maybe push a bit harder um yeah I think all of those things come into play So how how much planning goes into kind of a fast packing adventure like that, say so the TMB?
00:31:23
Speaker
and What are you having to think about? Are having to kind of pre-book the mountain refuges or can you just turn off? Yeah, so pre-booking is advisable, especially on the TMB because that route is so popular. think I actually decided quite late to do this route.
00:31:40
Speaker
I think it was maybe 10 days in advance that was like, oh, I should really look at refuges.
Fast-packing Adventures
00:31:45
Speaker
and and that um actually had a big role in impacting how much distance I did every day and where I needed to get to because there was actually only four huts that had one place still available so I was like right well they're the huts that gonna have to stay at and that's my route sorted
00:32:04
Speaker
It does mean that I did the route clockwise whereas I think most people go anti-clockwise and which I don't think really made a difference and to me. and But yeah it's advisable to to book those refuges in advance.
00:32:19
Speaker
and For the Tour de Monta Rosa, so in Italy the refuges were less busy so I think you probably could have turned up. and yeah And that does give a bit more flexibility, I guess, in a day if if you decide that you you don't want to go as far as you sort of originally planned, you can stop earlier.
00:32:37
Speaker
and Whereas if you've booked everything in advance, you kind of have to make it to the next refuge. and Well, I guess if there's a refuge on the way, you could maybe stop if they had space. But yeah if you've booked it you kind of want to get there and so yeah it it gives you a goal and which I think can be motivating.
00:32:56
Speaker
and There were a couple of days on the TMB where the weather turned and it was raining or thunderstormy in the afternoon so I guess if I'd had that guess out of oh there's probably a a free space in one of these refuges maybe would have stopped earlier but I didn't so I had to carry on.
00:33:13
Speaker
how How far were you doing the day then, roughly? I was probably doing between 35 40 kilometres a day. and and quite a lot of elevation. and But yeah, I'm sort of used to that, I guess, from my history of races and and general adventuring.
00:33:31
Speaker
and So it didn't feel that steep to me. i was I said to a couple of people when I got back, i was like, oh, well, you could probably do it in three fairly comfortably if you wanted to. and And obviously there's the race and people do it in one day or 24 hours or however long it takes them. So yeah, then you wouldn't need any refuges.
00:33:51
Speaker
So you must have been carrying a lot of food then to do that and all your kit. Does that feel very different? and So i at the refuges, you get dinner and breakfast.
00:34:02
Speaker
and So you can rely on those as food sources. So I only carried snacks. And then i was passing... The way the route works, I sort of pass through a town or or a sort of lower down area every day. So I would stop at a shop or a cafe and and buy lunch.
00:34:23
Speaker
So I wasn't carrying that as an extra weight. And so, yeah, I was mostly just carrying snacks. and And the good thing about carrying snacks is the first day is the heaviest. And then as you go through and you eat your snacks over the four days, your bag gets a bit lighter.
00:34:40
Speaker
but you get a bit more tired. So yeah. Yeah. Yeah. yeah So do you enjoy doing things like that on your own then? that The thought of going out and doing that my own would kind of terrify me. That's yeah. and I think, yeah, no, i definitely do enjoy it. I think it's,
00:35:00
Speaker
it's kind of that sense of achievement, I guess, once you've sort of got to the end and you're like, wow, I've i've just done this massive thing and I planned it myself um and I've solved the problems that have come up by myself on route. I think that's definitely something that I feel proud of. and And I yeah tap take good value out of that.
Solo Adventures and Community
00:35:24
Speaker
and It can, i guess,
00:35:27
Speaker
maybe be a bit lonely like there's definitely some times where you're walking along or or running along and thinking oh my gosh I just want to talk to somebody or like share what I'm feeling with somebody and but the TMB is is a popular route so sort of no doubt that you'll find people along the way that you can have a conversation with and or when you stop at refuges it's it's it's quite nice actually being by yourself because you're forced to have conversations with other people and rather than just have conversations with your friends and and I think you can learn quite a lot about other people's life experiences and other people's journeys at those refuges which is always nice.
00:36:07
Speaker
Yeah that that's the nice part of kind of the community of kind of trail running isn't it really that everybody will come together and you'll naturally have a bond there exactly yeah yeah and I think I do also take some pride out of if i rock up to a refuge and people have asked like, oh, what have you been up to today? And I'm like, oh, I just run from here to here. And everybody's kind of like, oh, wow. I'm like, OK, maybe this is something that's like quite impressive. And hopefully I'm inspiring other people to to maybe think about taking on these kind of challenges, even if it's over more days than than how long it I'm doing it in or they're having some support or something. Then I mean, that's totally fine. I think the main message that I'm trying to get across is just to
00:36:54
Speaker
to get out there and and try these things and yeah see where it takes you yeah it does sound brilliant so what what drives you personally then to keep going and keep challenging yourself um so yeah I was having a i was having a good think about this yesterday when I was out out cycling actually so I think there's ah a couple of aspects there's the sort of being drawn to things that I'm not sure if I can achieve. and So I'll set out on these routes and invariably I'll maybe have a niggle with my knee or I maybe like have not been feeling so well the day before or something and I'm like, oh is is this something that I can do? It feels quite daunting.
00:37:34
Speaker
and But ultimately, I think I like that uncertainty and then at the end being able to say, oh I've overcome this this challenge. and I think I also really enjoy just maximising my time outdoors. and So the ultra distance races or longer distance routes tend itself to do that because you will be outside for a very long time.
00:38:01
Speaker
and and I like looking at the scenery and and hearing the natural sounds and and that kind of thing, and which yeah really motivates me to go out.
00:38:12
Speaker
and I think there's also the aspect of pushing your body to its limits. it's It's nice to find sort of where your boundaries are personally, and and that'll be that'll be different for everyone.
00:38:25
Speaker
and But for me, it just happens to be my bouncer in terms of moving fairly efficiently over long distance ah are quite far and I don't think I've reached them yet so um yeah I'm looking forward to see where I take myself really.
00:38:43
Speaker
but so what are you thinking might come next over the next couple of years or so?
Future Goals and Challenges
00:38:47
Speaker
yeah it's a really good question um think I definitely want to to do a sort of end-to-end long distance trail route, whether that be in a race or outside of a race and and saying setting some kind of FKT on on a long route would be nice. It's it's it all kind of for me comes back to this recurring knee injury so if I can get that under control then things become a bit more rosy and if that continues to cause me a lot of bother then it kind of sheds some doubt over and what I'll be able to do.
00:39:25
Speaker
and But yeah there's sort of what I've just mentioned and then and another project that I've been working on with my partner is running the um the Wainwright books so in the Lake Districts the significant hills are called Wainwrights and well based on Alfred Wainwright picking which hills he likes best and he wrote those into six, I think it's six books and for different areas so there's a book on the Eastern Fells, there's a book on the Western Fells and there's books on other areas as well so
00:39:59
Speaker
My partner and I have and ran two of these books, the hills in in these books over two or three days, and that usually turns out to be about 30 to 40k per day and about 1500 metres of elevation. So we've got four more books to do. And so I think it would be yeah cool to to finish that project off at some point.
00:40:22
Speaker
Oh, that that sounds really fun, actually. Yeah, one what nice adventure to do. So you've got you but to obviously draw them all together into one big route. Exactly, yeah, which takes quite a bit of planning. You kind of you can get a view of all the hills on the screen and then you're like, oh how best.
00:40:39
Speaker
And what's like the most efficient way of joining yeah joining these hills together? Yeah, I know that sounds brilliant. So which books have you done, did you say, sorry? So I think we've done the Far Eastern Fells. and i think we did that in 2021.
00:40:52
Speaker
twenty twenty one and And then we've done the Western Fells, which we must have done in 2022, I think, and or those kind of times, frames. Yeah.
00:41:04
Speaker
And then, unfortunately, my partner's got some sort of chronic Achilles injury, so he's not running that much at the minute. And I've obviously got this knee injury, which I keep banging on about. So we've been a bit.
00:41:17
Speaker
and Yeah, we've got a few hurdles to overcome, but and I think we're going to try and yeah do a couple more of those at some point. Yeah, that sounds good. You sound quite chipper anyway, because you're dealing with an injury that's preventing you doing as much as you like. How how do you get through that mentally? I mean, it is tough, isn't it, when you can't do what you want to do.
00:41:37
Speaker
Yeah, I think I've been focusing quite a lot on strength and conditioning and recently to try and rehab my knee and I think with that sort of repertoire of other activities that I really like doing, so climbing, swimming, cycling, there are ways I can train around it I just need to be quite intelligent and in tune with my body on that. so And by earlier this week, I went for I wanted to go for like a 50 minute just gentle run, but my knee started hurting or causing me a bit of aggravation around 30 minutes. And i was like, OK, I need to be sensible about this. i need to call it and just walk home.
00:42:18
Speaker
So it's those kind of things kind of focusing on the the quality of my training rather than the quantity and recognising that if I need to shorten a session now, it's probably going to help in the future.
00:42:32
Speaker
and So it's it's kind of like, oh, fingers crossed and hope that in the future will be better. But I think if I just take those sensible steps now, it will it's more likely to be better in the future.
00:42:43
Speaker
Yeah, I think that's a very sensible approach. isn It sounds really boring. I feel like if I was younger, I'd just be like, no, I'm just going to just going to carry on through this. But yeah, I think the more experience I've got, the more I've realised that there are some things that you can't push through.
00:42:59
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Oh, well, yeah, I hope it's feeling better soon for you. Thank you. You're doing everything right anyway.
00:43:09
Speaker
Yeah, can you
Ski Mountaineering Involvement
00:43:10
Speaker
chat to us a little bit? I know it's a completely the wrong season, but just tell us a little bit about your ski mountaineering as well, because and you're on the GB, the ski mo team, aren't you?
00:43:20
Speaker
So yes, for 24, 25 seasons. So that's just finished. I was part of the GB ski mo team. and So ski mountaineering is something that I've also come to, I guess, relatively late in life. So I didn't learn to ski until I was sort of late.
00:43:38
Speaker
ah early 20s and then from that I guess from downhill skiing and my background of endurance running i was like okay downhill skiing kind of feels more like a sprint race how do you turn this more into endurance and and that's sort of when I found ski mountaineering where you have to go uphill on your skis as well as downhill and and that uphill cardio is is very intense and And then I noticed that and applications for the the GB team had sort of opened up and this is in light of Schemo being added to the Winter Olympics for 2026.
00:44:18
Speaker
So I thought, oh, i'll I'll give it a try, see if I can get into the team. and And I was selected, which was great. So that gave me a real springboard for actually racing in ski mountaineering because previously we'd just gone on holiday and and done it as sort of recreational and activity.
00:44:38
Speaker
um but being in that team yeah i've I've raced ski mountaineering races now which is is quite cool and not something that I imagined I'd do in my life I think if you asked me when I was like 16 do you think you'll race on skis I would have absolutely said no not having skied before kind of thing and yeah and yeah it's It's another aspect, I guess, of the sort of adventurous life that I like to think I lead. and In terms of but in winter, you can go on holiday to the Alps and do these sort of multi-day trips, similar to these sort of like summer TMB round that I did, where you can go up to refuges.
00:45:22
Speaker
The refuges tend to be closed over winter, but you can, they have winter rooms that are open so you can stay there. and because they're closed you can't have dinner or breakfast so you do have to sort of carry everything but it yeah it links in again with that multi-day adventuring um lifestyle that I have um and it's been interesting to to do that in a different sport than just running I think and yeah again it's skiing is less impact on my knee so that's another way for me to to train and keep up the sort of volume endurance aspects of it yeah so can you do any training for that in the UK because they're asking in the Lake District aren't there I guess it depends on conditions um
00:46:08
Speaker
Where do you do
Training for Ski Mountaineering
00:46:09
Speaker
training then? Is it abroad? and So, i there's a dry slope in Kendal, so for downhill practice I often go there. and We did have quite good snow this year, so and some of my friends were out skiing in the lakes. I didn't actually have a chance to go because I was working, but and ski mountaineering is also about upper body strength, so the ski erg machines are quite useful and for doing sessions on, and there's a ski erg at my local gym, so i used that a couple of times.
00:46:40
Speaker
and And then you can do, I think uphill running and helps a lot with ski training. So i wouldn't go abroad to train. and i would just go abroad to race and then I try and and do transferable training sessions just in the yeah UK.
00:47:00
Speaker
and So, yeah, and it is hard because we don't have much snow, but I think you can make it work. Yeah. So does running help skiing or is it the other way around? Because it's got to feel easier going uphill on foot than it has on skis, hasn't it Yeah, I think it is easier on foot.
00:47:19
Speaker
I guess it depends how good to you are. Like there is definitely some people in the world who are probably faster on skis just because they're so efficient. and I think it's probably a bit of both actually. Like the quad strength that's required for skiing downhill, I think definitely helps for running. and And then the like you said, yeah, the uphill endurance from running definitely helps for skiing, but there's definitely back and forth crossover.
00:47:50
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, no, that's really interesting. And it's good that you've got kind of two different sports that you can do in two different seasons, haven't you, really? Do you do yeah keep up your running over winter normally as well? Yeah, guess...
00:48:04
Speaker
i guess Yeah, it's nice like you say, have that kind of maybe break from one sport while you're doing something else over the winter. Typically in the UK, I will run over winter, but maybe and with a bit less focus, I'll kind of be a bit more loose in the in the sessions or the training that I want to do in the winter because it's time to recover and then get a bit more specific at the start of the year when I know what races I've got coming up for the next season.
00:48:35
Speaker
um but yeah and then obviously with skiing you can't really ski over summer so that's just a no-go and you have to wait till the snow comes back yeah true oh well yes well it's been brilliant chatting to you can we finish with a few fun um quick fire questions if that's all right yeah um okay so first one polls or no polls i know we discussed that a little bit earlier didn't we and most beautiful place you've ever run yeah gotta be the french alps i think yeah yeah yeah the views are incredible and the refuge is great at dream race that you haven't done yet oh that haven't done yet o oh god that's hard um i haven't done
00:49:28
Speaker
There's probably, well, there'll definitely be some like long distance.
Quick Fire Questions
00:49:32
Speaker
So the the Tour de Montrose is actually a race that you can do. m So I've done the route, but I think it would be cool to go back and race it. Yeah, yeah. um Uphill grind or fast technical descent?
00:49:45
Speaker
Uphill grind.
00:49:48
Speaker
ah Most used bit of kit besides your shoes, obviously. Most used. um probably my lightweight waterproof um yeah i think the lakes is known for rain and it's always good to have a lightweight waterproof in case you're gonna get soaked or really cold oh can you recommend this one I'm always a good one yes yes I've forgotten what the name is but it's there's the mo this montane it's a pink and it's like one of their not the lightest lightest but the sort of um very light pink waterproof I've forgotten the name of it but that is the best one that I've found yeah I guess you've tried it you've tried a lot I know I have yes favorite training fuel
00:50:38
Speaker
and It's got to be cola caffeine gels, I think. yeah like so but fight Instead of being like super sweet, they're quite sharp, which is quite nice.
00:50:51
Speaker
So most type two fun in the mountains? m so probably during a race where i've I've dropped my map or something and then only realised a bit later on I've had to run back and and try and find my map and and then and then carry on. i think in the moment you're sort of really, really annoyed, and probably going to get lost.
00:51:13
Speaker
But then at the end you kind of think, oh, well, that's actually quite a funny thing that's happened. I will never do that again. Yeah. At least you realise where you could still find it. exactly ah Well, thank you so much for joining us
Conclusion and Social Media
00:51:31
Speaker
today. it's I've really had a lovely time chatting to you. um Yeah. And congratulations again on the Spine Sprint South rizz result. That's great. And hopefully we'll see you back there soon.
00:51:41
Speaker
yeah um can you tell our listeners why they can follow you on socials and find out a bit more about what you're to yeah sure so i'm on instagram at um victoria thompson with two underscores at the end of that um and then on strava as well so post some of my training on there if you're interested to see what up to Oh, great. Yeah, we'll put those links in our show notes.
00:52:03
Speaker
um And yeah, we'll keep an eye out for you completing your wainwrights as well. That sounds amazing. Amazing. Thanks so much, Michelle. It's been great. Oh, yeah. Lovely to meet you. And thanks again. And to all our listeners, stay tuned for more inspiring conversations here on the UK Run Chat podcast. And we'll see you on the next episode.
00:52:23
Speaker
Amazing.