wannabe ultra runner?

But if you stopped chatting, we wouldnt be able to hear you approaching the aid stations.....from two miles away 

Eldred Lee wrote (see)

Doing White Shore 50.. First one, headache about the mandatory kit.. Rain jacket especially

still thinking which shoe to buy with

I am not sure if you can use shoes as currency?

I dunno WiB, what about "The Shoe People"? I bet they have some shoe-based money over there. Or maybe Bruce Willis in 'Die Hard' would have traded a lot for a pair of shoes that were bigger than his sister's feet :P

I bet Bruce Willis wanted orthotics too... he needs to man up and go zero drop!

Eldred - shoes are so much personal choice. I started out with a trail shoe made by my road shoe brand which worked well as a start point (I used to wear Mizunos), I then moved on to Inov8 and La Sportiva. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to break them in etc. Depends on the overall terrain/time of year too - many people seem to get away with their road shoes on harder packed stuff. 

Rain jackets - well I have a Marmot one I bought for mountain marathoning about three years ago and it's still going strong. Was an expensive investment at the time but has paid itself off over the few years. Has a removable hood and packs down to size of tennis ball. Other useful items are windproof tops (featherweight and pack down to nothing).

Come on guys - lets be nice and helpful shall we ... otherwise no-one is going to want to come and talk to us

LLB - I always know if a race is REALLY bad if I actually stop talking, so I took it to be a good thing that I think I smiled and chatted my way through all the SDW 100 checkpoints, even the last few when I wanted to cry!!

Eldred welcome, I too chose a Marmot (Super Mica) jacket, it took some time to get over paying roughly a hundred quid for a cagoule, having done so, just about, can report it has been up to everything thrown at it. Doesn't pack down as well as WIB's but is light and as breathable a jacket as I have found, I quite like the 'pit zips' which can help ventilate when things are not too wet. 

Shoe wise, as WIB suggests very personal indeed, my favourite shoes are as below:

Fell: Inov-8 x-talon 190's

Ultra: New Balance MT110's or M1010's depending on how much road hard packed stuff en-route (MT1010's favoured where there is more hard packed stuff)

Road Half to Full Marathon: Sacony Kinvara3

Road below half marathon: New Balance MR00

These range from zero to 4mm drop in 'minamilist terms'.

Yea I came from Malaysia, things like this aint necessary back in Malaysia. I will use them for only one season, unless I qualify for UMBT someday and would want to come back to race it.

Shoes wise I do have quite a few pair

a NB trail shoe, cant rmb the exact model no as I have been using it quite a few years and still going strong

NB MR00 it's a road running shoe

Newton MV2: not too popular in UK but it's a minimalist racer

Vibram Fivefinger, KSO, classic and spyridon, I like the spyridon a lot back in Malaysia because it has superb traction. But here it UK it's always muddy.. and the shoe fail to shine after it become muddy

Thought of getting merell trail glove as you can see I am more towards a minimalist approach. 
I heard the saxon whitecliff 50 would not be something too difficult to run with, therefore shoe requirements are not that demanding 

Not WIB Alistair!!! Me me me CC

Hope you are not trying to take credit for my sound advice CC

CC - Sorry, teach me to do some work rather than loiter on forums. I'll go back to makng mistakes at work instead of on forums suitably chastised.

, I'll let you off with a warning this time ... am also meant to be working!

im with Cragc-lets be nice guys!!!

hi Eldred, welcome to our happy little home here-i do try and keep them all in order but seeing as i tend to be badly behaved myself im the worst offender some days

cragc and i are very lovely though i second cragc on the Marmot coat, i have one too and the wind never seems to get through, it was a good buy. legging, shorts are pretty much the same but i find 2XU the best again for protection fr cold winds. trainers and backpacks are probably the most dificult thing to find t suit, so just try everything and anything. my fave run shoes are Nike, and merrel but im going down the inov8 road too and getting the bare xlites. the minimal thing depends entirely on you, your diastance, and terrain.

happy hunting and good luck on your first ultrawhen is it?

Lovely we are indeed, perhaps a mixture of  and

I would love the OMM kameleika top and trousers but until my Marmot jacket wears out I definitely can't justify replacing that, I do need some windproof packable trousers though so that's on list for Father Christmas. I use my Rab mountaineering ones when weather is really wild but they are a bit bulky to carry really.

And shoes, oh yes, love talking shoes too:

• Road: Asics Gel 1160 which I don't really like (too much cushioning) but as I do so little road running I can't justify replacing them
• Fell/muddy: La Sportiva Crosslights (not done anything further than about 10 miles in them)
• General trail: Inov8 Roclite 268 (my slippers!)

I also have a pair of New Balance minimus WT10s, I started building up in them but now I am extending my long runs and my calves are a bit tight I'm just wearing them round and about but hoping to start building up again in them.

I LOVE my Nathan vest and also bought some smartwool socks which are thicker and go great in the Crosslites for my off-road stuff - especially now any puddles and river crossings are going to be full of snowmelt ... which brings me to my other present I want - some Mountain King poles ... would have done my river crossing last week no bother if I'd had some poles with me to assist!

It'll be first weekend of March 2013, training through winter is something not easy, that I did not realise when I sign up for it. Been lacking of millage and trying to build it up now. =)

Ohya, any recommendation on headlamp, although it's not that necessary on 50miles, but it's better safe than sorry.

I saw a gore running jacket going on 80 quids, sounds like a good deal. But it is lacking on a hood, I wonder if it's essential.

Glad to see me are not talkign about Races as this is a No No.  Only talk about clothing and shoes. 

Touie... flite 195s... brilliant choice. My favourite shoe!

The minimus jacket is awesome too!

Headlamp... wasn't there a thread on that?! I use a Lenser which I think is good but there are a lots of good options.

I actually bought the f-lite 230's cause they came in purple  195's would have been a better choice as all my other shoes are low drop! I still like them though, lovely and flexible!!!

Was there a thread on headlamps?  I missed that one!

I still have a pair of 230s that I used at Lakeland this year, I like them and don't really notice the difference between them and the 195s. I have tried a few other shoes and none are as good as the f-lite for me. Are you in for SDW touie? I can't remember who is!

Spen - Glad you are keeping track. I just wander in and speak usually! There amy or may not have been a thread or 2 on headlamps. If only the author was about