Gear Review: Ultimate Performance Malham Waist Pack

One of the great joys of reviewing new kit is that you get to try out stuff you wouldn't ordinarily buy (in my case, because I have a multitude of waist and back packs already).  When Lou from Run Stuff asked if I'd take the Malham Waist Pack out for a spin, I'll admit I wasn't really looking forward to it.  I've been running with incredibly light-weight gear lately, and the Malham looks a bit bulky hanging on the peg in the shop.  But, the idea isn't to review stuff I think is pretty, it's to review new lines, so I packed the bag up into my suitcase and headed to Texas to try it out.  (OK, I was going to Texas anyway, but it seemed like a good idea to take it out in the warm weather).

The pack is a bit bigger than I usually wear, but it somehow matches our club colours very nicely!

When I started to pack up the bag with stuff just to test it out, I started to notice its features a bit more.

Two zipped main pockets, one with a 1L bladder (included), and two side mesh pockets give plenty of storage space.

First, the 1L bladder that comes with the pack is square, so it fits reasonably comfortably against the back.  The main pocket, which holds the bladder, has quite a lot of storage space for food, rain gear, lights, etc.  An inner, waterproof zipped pocket has more than enough room for a smartphone, and the outer zipped pocket will comfortably accomodate a few bars, a wallet, and keys (and it has a key clip).  So, for most runs, everything you need will fit easily in the pack.

Loads of space in the main pocket.

I threw in an extra 600ml of water, just to make the pack extra heavy for my test run.  At this stage, I looked at the pack in dismay - how would something this deep be even remotely comfortable for the 2 hours I was planning to be out?  Then, I noticed the compression straps, and tightened them to prevent those extra water bottles bouncing around.  Without those straps, I'd have to say the bag would be unusable.  What a difference they make!

The little blue compression straps make all the difference on this pack!

I popped a few bars in the side mesh pockets and headed out for a nice long run to see how the Malham fared.

The Fit

The Malham has a centre-buckle with a fit adjustment on either side.  The left side of the belt is your "static" fit - get it right the first time and leave it alone.  It took me a little work to get the sizing adjusted the way I wanted, but once I did, it didn't move.  The right side of the belt is for on-the-move adjustments (like when you've eaten/drunk most of the contents of the pack and it needs tightening).  It was easy to tweak while I was running or walking.  To my surprise, the pack was quite comfortable and didn't feel particularly bulky, in spite of the 1.6L of water I had in it, although the extra water did cause a bit of bounce on the run.  Once I'd removed the extra water, the pack sat well and bounced very little.  I was out for over 2 hours on a warm, sunny day, and never had any comfort issues with the belt, bladder, or pack.  I also took the pack out for the day while crewing Nic's Rocky Raccoon 50.  I wore it for the best part of 8 hours, including a few short bike rides and a lot of walking and standing.

The pack is comfortable for wear on the front for a while, too, like when you're crewing someone else's race and they ask for the can of fizzy water you've cleverly stashed away...

Things I Like

The pack has a lot of pockets, so it's easy to divide up your kit based on how much access you need to it.  The compression straps are easy to adjust, so as you re-arrange things due to weather, eating, drinking, etc., it's easy to keep the contents from bouncing about and causing problems.

I expected this to be a bulky, bouncy pack, but found it sat very well and was quite comfortable.  In its basics, this is a well thought-out and well designed piece of kit.

Things I'd Like to See Improved

There are 2 zippers on each of the main pockets, which makes them easy to open/close.  Unfortunately, it also means the 2 tabs clap together as you run.  That kind of thing irritates me to distraction, so I managed to find a way to tuck them away into the mesh pockets.  I also often see 2-zip pockets at races that aren't as closed as runners think they are, which is less of a problem than you get with a single zipper.  Using the zips was very easy and convenient, but I think a single tab would be a big improvement.

The bite valve is great if you're not wearing a jacket over it with a lot of junk in your pockets.  But, I found that when I had pockets of food/water sitting on top of the valve, it wasn't too hard to accidentally pull it open and cause a slow trickle of water down my leg - really disconcerting if you forget you're wearing it!  I've had another bladder of the same construction, and I prefer a bite valve that twists open rather than one that simply pulls.  It's a pretty minor complaint, and wouldn't put me off using the pack, but it's worth bearing in mind when you decide where to place the valve during your run.

It would be nice to have some mesh pockets over the sides of the belt, to give more easy access to food, but that's definitely a nice-to-have.  The current mesh pockets are pretty easy to get to, and getting into the main pockets is not a problem, especially if you quickly turn it around so you have everything in front for a couple of minutes.

Overall

Much to my surprise, it's a pretty nice pack.  I expected to hate it, but in the end I appreciated that it's a comfortable and efficient way of carrying a lot of kit.  I would certainly say it's more comfortable than some of the Inov-8 packs I've got hanging in the closet, which was a real shock.

Would I Recommend it?

If you're after a small belt for fast and light racing, this isn't for you.  But if you want to have everything you need for a comfortable few hours out on the run, this is a really nice pack.  

2014 Kenilworth Half Marathon: Sub-1:30 at Last!

I've heard about races where runners go in with a plan, do it, and come away happy.  I've seen proper athletes interviewed on TV talking about how they executed their plan (always seems to be sprinters, but there you go).  Me, I do the normal endurance runner thing of go into a race with a plan, watch it fall to pieces, drop back to plan B, etc.  Races longer than a mile seem, for me, to be all about revising the plan to manage some unexpected difficulty.  That's part of the fun of running long, isn't it?  For this year's Kenilworth 1/2, I had a plan, painstakingly worked out over several weeks, with margin built in to make sure I finally broke the 1:30 barrier that I've been intermittently attacking for the past 6 years.  As you can tell from the title, I got there.  Finally.

The plan was pretty simple:  aim for a 6:45 pace from the start.  The route, though, is pretty lumpy, so it's definitely much easier said than done.

There are two ways of taking on a lumpy course.  Option 1: keep the pace steady, so you're pushing hard up the hills and easing off on the way down.  Option 2: keep the effort steady, based on your flat route pace, and expect the slower uphill segments to be balanced by the faster downhill segments.  Based on my race in the Hilly Hundred this year, where I ran mostly on feel, I decided to stick more to Option 2.  So, I practiced on a short loop starting outside my front door where I could judge how much time/distance I would lose on the ups and whether I would be able to get it back on the downs.  Training said it was possible (in fact, I actually beat my 10K PB in one practice session).

After spending the race briefing in the front row of the pack (I'd left space for 60 runners to line up in front of me and they all waited until the last moment to move to the start line), I set off on pace.  On each uphill, I let the gap between me and my virtual pacer grow, and wound him back in on the flats and descents.  The pattern continued as expected, finishing the first 3 miles on pace.  Contrary to my memory of the course, the next 4 miles included more up than down, so I watched the gap to my pacer approach 100m, and had to hold my nerve and avoid chasing, having faith that I could pull the time back over the return the start.  Much to my delight and relief, it worked out and I hit 10 miles as planned, just ahead of my computerized rival.

I knew, at that stage, that I would get my sub-1:30, and that I might just have enough in the tank to hold on to my plan-A pace.  As one would expect, the final 5K was quite hard.  The final hills between 10 and 12.5 ate a bit into my time, but I had a good downhill to take me into the final half mile, and finished with a nice acceleration to the finish line.  I tried to sprint, but there wasn't much sprint left, and finished dead on 6:45 pace - 1:28:26.  I don't know if I'll ever execute another race plan so accurately.  In fact, I'd be shocked if it ever happens again.  That said, sometimes plans work because they accurately reflect training rather than just being a hopeful plucking of numbers from thin air.  Now, if I can just manage that at Rocky Raccoon 2015...

Winchcombe 10K - Another One Hill Wonder!

August Bank Holiday weekend, and what should be done?  Join the throngs and sit on the M5, M6, M25, M62, A66, M3, etc. only to pitch a tent and watch it rain?  Or, hop over to Winchcombe and put in a nice little 10K tune-up for my summer A-race at Kenilworth two weeks later?  I like the idea of avoiding the motorway craziness that kicks off every holiday weekend on a Friday lunchtime (we were on the Cotswold Way near Leckhampton instead).  Nic was working the weekend, so it was a perfect opportunity to join my fellow EVRC runners taking the scenic route from Sudeley Castle to Belas Knapp and back again.

The Winchcombe 10K is one of those events that get under your skin.  The first time I did this race was in 2009.  That day, I remember, I was mostly feeling quite ropey even during the warm-up, and I then spent 10km trying to keep my ill-chosen muesli down.  But, the desire to run the race properly stayed behind.  Since last year, I've been helping to publicise the event to help get numbers up and to get more people out enjoying our local trails.  This year, it fit my schedule (being both home and uninjured at the end of August has been tough for the past few years), so I was excited to be able to toe the line.

Together with 15 other Evesham runners, I rocked up at registration fairly early, curious about how many runners would see the dry weather and decide to come along.  Parking outside Sudeley Castle a little after 9AM, and warming up in its lush green grounds is certainly a nice way to start a Sunday morning.  Hanging around and catching up with friends just added to the pre-race enjoyment.

I headed over to the start line, in the shadow of the castle and just past the incredibly tempting play park, just in time to see the kids' 1K fun run finish.  I remember doing "fun run" events as a kid.  Not so much about "fun" and much more about "run faster than that kid next to me".  It finished in a tie, which was pretty cool to watch.  It wasn't one of those "let's finish together" ties.  The lad out front was running scared, trying to protect his lead from the 2nd place runner.  Over the final 20m they both went through the horrible push/pull of the sprint for the line, tying up as they pressed for victory, and finished close enough together to have needed a photo if it had been a pro track race.  It was definitely a good day for racing hard.

At 10:30, it was the adults' turn.  We did a lap of the field, including a few little undulations to make the first K interesting, and then headed along a lane towards the cricket ground and the foot of the hill.  I was running hard enough to make conversations short, when the climb began.  From the cricket ground to the top at the barrow at Belas Knapp is a nice little 600ft climb, with a few runnable sections and a few gut-wrenching speed-hiking sections (well, for me, anyway).  The views along the climb are quintessentially Cotswold, with towns, villages, and farms nestled into the hills and valleys.  Towards the top, if you want to turn around and look, is a fantastic view down over the Castle.  By the time I got there, sweat was pouring down my face as I picked up the pace along the flat path to the barrow, so my view was a bit obscured.

The run down the hill is, in my view, a much bigger challenge than the trip up.  We shot down the road back towards the cricket ground, at a gradient that makes running fast both easy to start and difficult to maintain.  Halfway down, the route leaves the road, and I shot through the gate at top speed and back into the field down to the cricket ground.  I was moving at something close to my one-mile PB pace, and started to chase down some of the runners who had left everything on the steep road section.  Normally, on this little section of the Cotswold Way, I would look up and enjoy the view as I dropped back into Winchcombe.  Normally, though, I am far more than 2km from the end of my run and in no great hurry.  This time, my eyes stayed on my footing and I enjoyed racing instead.

The final 400m of the route is on the Castle drive, which includes a nice fast down to a little bridge across the Windrush followed by an equal rise to the finish line.  I tried desperately to chase down the runner in front (Kevin Dunlop, who did very well at The Evesham Ultra), but merely succeeded in getting close enough to see him cross the line.

Standing by the finish, clapping runners in and chatting with friends and race volunteers gave me a chance to reflect on the nice post-race atmosphere.  The busking accordion player who provided the background music added to the fun with a selection of TV and video game tunes in addition to the more common repertoire.

Sometimes, it's tough to beat a one-hill wonder when you're after a short race.  Sure, a speedy road race can be a great way to get a good time, but if you want to get in touch with your inner 10 year-old, find a big hill and race down it as fast as you can.  If you want to do it in beautiful surroundings amid a fun crowd of runners, add the Winchcombe 10K to your race diary.