Cardiff charity shoe collection

donate shoes

It’s time to clean out your wardrobes and give your ‘old’ shoes and trainers to one of two very worthy charities! Our shoe collection will be distributed to the charities For Rangers and Llamau.

We will be collecting footwear between Monday 10th December and Sunday 16th December, your footwear can be dropped off at the following locations:

Shoes must be in pairs (please tie them together) - No single shoes please.

For alternative collections or general enquiries contact: Mark Whittle (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Thank you in advance!

Charity information:

  • For Rangers: For Rangers are an anti-poaching charity who raise awareness and funds for the welfare of the rangers on the front line of the battle to save Africa's wildlife. The footwear collected will be donated to the Rangers so that they can keep up their physical fitness regime to help in their fight against poachers. 
  • Llamau: Llamau believe that no young person or vulnerable woman should ever have to experience homelessness. Their mission is to eradicate homelessness for young people and vulnerable women in Wales. The donated footwear will provide much needed support to the vulnerable people of Wales. 

6633 Arctic Ultra: November training update

We're now into December, so here's the 2nd update on my training for the 6633 Arctic Ultra, this'll cover November and a few things coming up this month.  

November has been a bit of a different month compared to last month, the training hours will be slightly different mainly as I did a lot of hours in October due to the TV documentary I was working on and I've had a whole week off (last week) due to sickness, anyway the training hours break down as:

  • Running (pure running): 8hr 50mins
  • Walk/hike/run (mixture of all): 25hr 20mins
  • Strength: 6hr
  • Misc (testing equipment): 1hr 20mins

Last week I went up to Likeys for a training weekend. It was one a half days where we learnt about:

  • Training for the 6633 Arctic Ultra
  • Race conditions (weather, terrain, wildlife, etc)
  • Medical considerations
  • Nutrition & hydration
  • Clothing & equipment selection
  • Sled choice

This was a great weekend. I learnt so much from this training weekend; in fact, I came away even more in awe of the race than before, if that's possible! I was able to meet up with former competitors and 2019 (and 2020) racers too, we were all just full of questions and each as nervous/excited as the others! This training weekend will be vital to the success/failure of the race, thank you to Martin, Sue and the Team at Likeys for putting this together.

6633 arctic ultraWith 12 or 13 weeks to go, the training knows starts to get serious and gets much more specific. There will be many more bigger hiking days, lots of big back-to-back training sessions, lots of testing of kit (bivvying out, testing the sleeping system and cooking system) and spending as much time as possible 'on my feet', in all conditions, at different times of the day (yes, night hikes too). During the race we'll be on our feet for 18-20 hours a day, so we have to get the body used to being active for very long periods; it has to feel 'almost' normal to do these kinds of things before we land in Canada in March. This training is going to be a long old slog, but as one adventurer once said "It doesn't have to fun, to be fun!". 

I've also been buying and loaning more 6633 specific equipment. I've managed to borrow a Snow Sled expedition pulk kit from a former competitor, this saves me a lot of money and knowing that this sled has done the job already in the Arctic gives me great confidence in this piece of equipment (and it'll be carrying all my supplies for 9 days, so it has to be 100% on point). I've also bought more base layers (from CRAFT and Montane), some mid layers (from Montane), an outer jacket (from Arcteryx), some Rab liner gloves, a bivy (from Outdoor Research) and lots of strapping and taping supplies (I need to become an expert in taping feet for this adventure!). There's no doubt this trip is very costly, but I can't afford to go into this with sub-standard gear; if I want any chance of finishing (and not coming home with frost bite) I need to be using the best gear. 

If you have any questions about the 6633 Arctic Ultra, the training or equipment, please send them over to me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

 

NEW Brick Club at Maindy Leisure Centre

spinning classes

Brick club has moved!

Our brick club sessions have moved from Penarth Leisure Centre to Maindy Leisure Centre. These sessions are a group 90 minute bike and run session, where indoor structured cycling intervals are followed by running speed work outside. Coach Lawrence guides you through the session plan and each individual work to their own abilities. 

  • Location: Maindy Leisure Centre, Cardiff.
  • When: Tuesday’s at 1900. 
  • We use the Kaiser bikes (with power meters), before a quick change into running kit. 
  • Hi-Viz and a head torch recommended during winter.
  • Newcomers welcome! 
  • Booking required.
  • £5 per session.

For more details and booking information, check out coach Lawrence's web page. 

6633 Arctic Ultra: October training update

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After our first blog post on the 6633 Arctic Ultra (6633 Arctic Ultra.....setting the scene) I thought I'd give you an update on my training for October and a few updates on November and beyond. 

October has been a strange month for training for the 6633 Arctic Ultra, I was away with a friend/coached athlete working on a TV documentary for 2 weeks (documentary to be aired in December on BBC Wales), then we hiked/ran from Prestatyn to south Wales, then had a week VERY easy to recover from that trip, then got back into training, so this month isn't what I'd call a 'normal' month. Anyway, the training hours break down as:

  • Running (pure running): 9hr 40mins
  • Walk/hike/run (mixture of all): 41hr 5mins
  • Strength: 6hr 45mins
  • Misc (cycling): 1hr 

My training for the 6633 Arctic Ultra will be a lot about having 'time on feet', getting used to being out in the mountains, getting strong and not so much about pure running, hence the reason why you'll see from my training log (above) lots of walking and hiking (weighted hikes and tyre pulls too) and not so much just normal running. 

Read more: 6633 Arctic Ultra: October training update

Vo2 max testing now available at WhittleFit


IMG 2078Vo2 max testing is now available with WhittleFit coach Lawrence Cronk. So what is Vo2 max and why might you need to know what yours is?

Vo2 Max is a measurement of the maximum amount of oxygen a person can utilise during intense exercise. Vo2 Max essentially shows an individual’s ‘potential’ or ‘ceiling.’ Vo2 ​Max testing is regularly used by elite and professional athletes and is regarded as the most effective way to measure cardiovascular fitness and individualise training. Our test not only provides a Vo2 Max score but also pinpoints Aerobic and Anaerobic Threshold heart rate points.
 

We provide you with the same high-quality performance data you would receive if you visited a university or hospital in a friendly, accessible environment. Our aim is to enable all athletes from seasoned professionals to complete beginners the opportunity to reach their potential through comprehensive testing data. 

Read more: Vo2 max testing now available at WhittleFit
  1. 6633 Arctic Ultra......setting the scene with coach Mark!
  2. The Ultimate Cycling Improvement Course
  3. Ironman 70.3 World Championships race report: Emma Edworthy
  4. Cardiff Olympic Triathlon race report: Lyndsay Patterson
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