KinkyS - Member of the Month August 2008

Fetch says: If KinkyS were to open a convenience store, then it would be at least 50km's from your house. And she'd offer a free delivery service. And still be grinning as she handed you your pint of milk. And it would still be warm. Fast *and* far, find out more about KinkyS in her interview, compiled from questions you've supplied. Don't forget to visit our wonderful sponsor (), and to remember the name James Kirby, who took the wonderful photo you see above.

Jen J asks: Congratulations :) What's more important to you - time or distance? Would you rather acheive a 3.15 marathon, or to complete a 100 mile race?

KinkyS says: Is it a cop out to say both?! 3:15 has been my target for a couple of years now, so I suppose I'd like to do that one first. And I guess in the end I know I can do distance, so now and again it's good to see just how fast I can go. But I'll never stop bimbling along near the back of long races having a chat, a nice cup of tea and cake either :-)

mxhornet asks: Why not go through the marathon in sub 3-15 on the way to a finishing a 100 mile race ? :-)

KinkyS says: In case I die :-p

LLL No1 asks: Why did you change your user name to kinky ?

KinkyS says: It started off as a joke on the threads one drunken Friday night. After much discussion of my love of pain, ice etc (in a running context naturally ;-) ), Hoaxster suggested it, and I changed it just as a one-off. But then I kind of liked it, so it stuck :-)

hellen asks: what will you spend the money on?

KinkyS says: I've been looking at Skins, and maybe a bottle carrier. I'd like a shiny Suunto watch too, but I'd have to win more than once for that :-(

Rach E asks: Well done Kinky - a very worthy winner. Recently you've put in some excellent finishing positions in some ultradistance races, and I wondered if you'd consider "stepping up" and handpicking events in order to try for England or GB selection?

KinkyS says: At some point in the future I'd love to. I think I need more experience (and maybe more confidence) first, especially at really pushing myself rather than just finishing, but once I have my 3:15 marathon I think it would be a good, tough but achievable goal for me.

Boingy asks: Well done Kinky ! :-) What have been your best, worst, and funniest running memories ?

KinkyS says: So many it's really hard to choose... I loved my first FLM in 2006, and the District Double 2007 was an amazing experience for me too. My worst is probably collapsing into a ditch and ending up in the back of an ambulance 14 miles into the Bungay Black Dog Marathon 2005 :-( Funniest - getting lost in a fruit farm, then arguing with the GPS reading, wandering across a golf course and then through a busy town centre at 1am on a Friday night/Saturday morning in full running kit - the joys of night time navigation!

SNOD08 FenlandRunner asks: Well done, Katie.... My question 'What in your opinion is the single most important part of marathon training?'

KinkyS says: Definitely the long run!

santababy asks: Well Done Katie, what keeps going during a 50miler?, you never seem to tire!

KinkyS says: Honestly? I have no idea! Stubbornness mostly I think, I just don't like to stop (and get quite stroppy and impatient if I'm made to!.) If I keep plodding along for long enough I get set into a rhythm and it becomes automatic, like a habit, so you almost stop noticing you are running at all.

Woffy asks: Congrats on the award, any advice for someone considering stepping up from marathons to ultra distances, whats the right way to train, time on feet or distance targets?

KinkyS says: Time on feet gets my vote. I've found run/walking marathons slowly great training for ultras. Getting used to the idea that you will be out for 5, 6, 10, 12 hours at a time is half the battle won. Keep moving forward for enough time and you'll be able to cover the distance eventually :-)

CanaryYellow asks: Well done Katie :) Your hair is a constant source of amusement to me since its about the longest of any regular Angular runners. When was the last time it was short (if ever) and have you given much thought to how much faster you would run if you had a shorter du?

KinkyS says: The shortest it has ever been is a chin length bob, when I was 14. I read an article a few months ago that suggested a short cut can save you about 4% on your marathon time! On my current PB, that means that a haircut is all that stood between me and an Elite start for London next year. Would I do it? No way!

EarlyRiser asks: Well deserved Katie! As a northerner what do you really think of us east angulans whinging on about hills on flat races? As in "ooer there's a nasty one near the end of the Ely 10k..."

KinkyS says: I didn't start running until a few years after I moved to Cambridge, so sadly, despite being a Northern girl at heart, I am trained as a Fen runner and still think that hill is evil :-(

chrisity asks: congratulations ms duracell bunny your choice of name on fetch - why the S?

KinkyS says: My original username (on RW first, and later on Fetch) was KatieS, and I kept the S for my surname when I changed the Katie to Kinky.

Snapstinget asks: Well done K****S :-) A richly deserved win by the Cement Fairy. Which international ultras have you considered doing? If any?

KinkyS says: Which haven't I considered LOL! The Western States 100 appeals, as does the Himalaya 100 Mile Stage Race. The North Face Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. Badwater if I ever get an invite...

Dons asks: Well done, what keeps your motivated during extremely hard runs.

KinkyS says: If it's a training run, knowing that the pain now will stand me in good stead to do a great race in the future. If it's a race, I know that the short-term discomfort will be far outweighed by the sense of achievement when I cross the line with a shiny new PB. I'm quietly competitive too, so if there is someone ahead of me, I love a target to chase down (it doesn't have to be another runner either - today I raced a men's 8 down the Cam for a couple of miles!). Finally, I want to do my best for those who support me through thick and thin. When the going gets tough, I think of people special to me and that keeps me going when I might give up if I was on my own...

HappyG(rrr) asks: Many congrats! I won't ask about the name. Here's one - do you prefer on-road or off?

KinkyS says: Oooo an easy one :-) Offroad. The more off the better!

oceanspirit asks: Excellent and well done!!!!!!!!! My question: What has been the best and worst moments of your running career to date??

KinkyS says: Best moment - winning the Kent 50 Mile Challenge :-) Worst moment - dropping out of the Ridgeway after 100km because I was in too much pain to run but it was too cold to just walk. Despite having run further than ever before I felt like a failure, and it was a very low time for me :-(

Marathon Maiden asks: congrats! 10-in-10?

KinkyS says: I'm not actually tempted by the 10-in-10. I love the Windermere course, and I would be scared of spoiling it for myself by going around it 10 times and ending up hating one of my favourite marathons ever. Also, whilst the idea of running 10 long runs in 10 days is very tempting, I'd much rather do it offroad and somewhere different each day.

aka billy asks: Congratulations Kinky, Whats your current running goal/aim and whats your ultimate running goal/aim that you hope to achieve.

KinkyS says: My current road racing goals are the standard list of sub 20 minute 5K, sub 40 minute 10K, sub 1:30 half marathon and sub 3:15 marathon. I also want to complete a multiday stage race/ultra in the next year. Ultimate goal - to represent England as an ultrarunner :-)

Spally asks: Congratulations KinkyS :-) Do you have any favourite running songs?

KinkyS says: Loads! I almost always train (but never race) to music. I like a whole mix of things from rock, metal, indie and punk to dance, but my most played tracks at the moment are Our Velocity (Maximo Park), Flux (12" version) (Bloc Party), Map of the Problematique (Muse), Mr Brightside (The Killers) and Dragula (Rob Zombie). Ask me again next week and it will be a completely different list...

Too Much Water asks: what have you learnt from your DNFs?

KinkyS says: Don't start a marathon when you have food poisoning, never underestimate the weather, and sometimes, a DNF is the right thing to do and you shouldn't feel bad about it. You can only do your best on the day. No race is worth a trip to hospital!

Woodley asks: Congrats Kinks :) Much deserved. If you found out that you could be a world record holder in a shorter distance (say 10K) would you give up the ultras to train for that??

KinkyS says: Of course! There'd still be plenty of time later on to run ultras, but the chance to be the very best the world had ever seen - I'd be mad to turn that chance down. And I'm sure all that training would make me a pretty good ultrarunner afterwards :-) (I answered this last night and now I reread it it's tugging on my heart strings a bit. Could I really give up all those long wonderful adventures? I'm not so sure any more...)

bigleggy asks: Congratulations.Can you give me a quote for a new driveway ? ;-)

KinkyS says: I could. Are you a millionaire? ;-)

ChrisHB asks: Congratulations. Don't answer this if you don't want, but how come your writing makes you appear well-educated, your picture makes you look as if you're no stranger to the high life, your running proves that you're an achiever and yet your recent jobs have been fairly menial?

KinkyS says: The high life? My pic is from a Halloween fancy dress party in a a local rock pub that was, to be honest, a bit of a dive! I never considered my most recent previous job to be menial - sure, some of tasks themselves weren't the most challenging, but working alongside the mentally ill and disabled to help get them back into work and to give them confidence, independence and a sense of self-worth is one of the most rewarding things I have ever done - a humbling experience and I feel privileged to have been allowed to help them live a full and fulfilling life. My current job - well, I've helped to create a piece of quite stunning landscape art that makes people stop in their tracks and say 'wow!', and it will probably far outlive me on this earth. I've also been an archaeologist and a dance teacher. Never well-paid, never smartly dressed, never high-powered, but always interesting, always rewarding, and mostly fun too :-) I wonder what I'll do next... ?

SODIron™® ©2004 asks: Congrats....do you say...'tomato' or 'tomatoe' ?

KinkyS says: Unless it's cooked I say yuck!

Widger asks: Congratulations Kinky :-) Is there any other sport apart from running that you would really like to have a go at? What would be your dream job?

KinkyS says: Sky-diving is something I've always wanted to have a go at. I really like the idea of skiing too, but I've always been dreadful at any kind of slippy-slidey-skiddy type sports like water-skiing, ice-skating etc because I like my feet to stay where I put them, so I'd probably hate it if I ever actually tried. My dream job... I want to be Simon King :-)

Zoom (The FOURlorn Jack) asks: Well done Kinky :) Which Friends character do you think you are like and why?

KinkyS says: Is that some kind of TV question? I've never been a big TV watcher, I'm too busy running, eating and sleeping :-)

SarahL asks: Congrats Kinky! :) How far is the furthest race you'd consider running? How long does it take for your blisters to heal? How quick can you put your tent up these days?! x

KinkyS says: As long as I can finish it before I die, there's no limit. Although finishing before last orders is a bonus :-) My feet still aren't fully healed from Ridgeway and that was 7 weeks ago... And it depends on whether I have a bottle of beer in one hand or not!

flanker asks: how long is a piece of veeery veeery long string?

KinkyS says: Not quite as long as the long hard stare I'm going to give you for not thinking of a decent question *GLARES* :-p

Pammie asks: Congrats Kinky what would be your golden rule/piece of advice you would give to someone who wanted to enter the world of Ultras?

KinkyS says: Ultras are run with the head as much as the body. You need to win the mental battle first...

runnerbean asks: well done Kinky :-) well deserved:-) do you have a perfect running weight and if so what is it?

KinkyS says: I know that I run fastest at about 7.5st (any lighter than that and my strength and energy levels start to suffer), but I've had food issues in the past, and so I'd rather be healthy and happy at closer to 8st than walking on a knife edge at 7.5st.

Fat Dave asks: Well done missus! Is "scone" pronounced "sconn" or "scohne"?

KinkyS says: Sconn. Scohne is for posh people ;-)

Doctor K asks: Well done and enjoy buying some new gear. Do you ever get that "I don't want to run" feeling or ever want to give it up? If so how do you get over it ?

KinkyS says: Yes, I do. To get over it I talk to other runners, read old race reports and blogs, look at photos from fantastic weekends away racing, and remind myself of just how great this sport can be. Or I pick one of my favourite routes, somewhere offroad that I really love, on a nice day. It's almost impossible to hate running when it is sunny and you are in the middle of nowhere. I once cured a bad patch by going all the way to Wales one Saturday evening and setting up camp at 1am just so I could do a trail run that I knew I would love on Sunday morning. It worked too :-)

Miss PiggyWiggy asks: Well done Why running?

KinkyS says: Because it's simple, lonely and it feels like freedom.

caz one5six2 asks: Congratulations - What makes you want to compete in Ultra's?

KinkyS says: I want to find my physical limit. And then I want to push through it. I want to know just how far I can go. When the journey is the reward, why not make the journey a long one.

TRO Saracen asks: To help those of us looking to go from Marathon to ULtra running, can you give any tips or things that surprised you when you moved up?

KinkyS says: Vaseline is your friend. Don't be afraid to walk. A bad patch is just that - you'll almost certainly get one, and it will always pass. The thing that surprised me is how relaxed, low key and friendly ultras are. It feels more like a social gathering than a race sometimes, the miles ahead are incidental to the exchange of stories, dreams, banter and occasionally curses.

Siouxsie asks: A very deserving winner. Congratulations Katie :-) Which runner inspires you and why ? Chocolate or beer ?

KinkyS says: I am inspired by the everyday, ordinary runners who are anything but ordinary. People who hold down a full time job, look after kids and yet still dedicate themselves to their training. People who stand on the start line of a marathon knowing it will take them 2, 3 or 4 hours longer than most people, but they get on and do it anyway. People who come back from illness or injury, or those who never thought they could run at all, and yet there they are crossing the line of their first 5K. If you want to be inspired, stand at the finish line of a race and just watch people's faces... Oh, and Young's Double Chocolate Stout please :-)

Vicksta asks: Well done KinkyS. Tell us about your tattoo?

KinkyS says: I have two dolphins, a lizard and two black cats. There's no reason beyond the fact I like animals. I could claim that my black cats are because I am a Sunderland fan, but I actually got them several years before Sunderland fans voted for The Black Cats as the team's official nickname.

Velociraptor asks: Well done, Kinky. I'm delighted that you've won MOTM :) Which is worse for your feet - running or dancing?

KinkyS says: Dancing is worse for the toes, running wins the yuck contest for nails and the rest of my feet.

mad4purple asks: Well done Kinky. :) Do you want some Ribena????

KinkyS says: I can do this one now :-) Yes please LOL!

Dave A asks: Well done Kinky. A posh hotel or a tent?

KinkyS says: Depends who is paying ;-)

orbital sander asks: long overdue :-) congratulations spill the beans on the worse bits of ultra running. i want all the details - runners trots, dodgy toenails, chaffing, sun burn - the lot

KinkyS says: You already seem to know the basics :-) Dodgy toenails are great fun - you know it's dead when you can stick a metal file under the tip and slide it right down to the base of the nail and not feel a thing, it's actually quite fascinating LOL! And then there's those huge blisters you get under a nail that makes the whole toe swell so badly that it doesn't even look like a toe any more, more like a small alien growing out of your foot. Chafing is worse in warm conditions because you get burns from the salt rubbing into already raw skin, and try putting that lot into a hot bath after a run - OW! Someone once asked me if I'd had kidney surgery because of the scar lines on my back from where my backpack rubs :-( As for some of the more intimate areas that are prone to chafing - well put it this way, when you're a girl the first post-race wee can have you hitting the roof! But I think the worst bit of ultra running, worse even than alien feet and burning privates, is the smell. After a few hours of warm running, you'll start to offend even yourself. And by the time you've driven all that wet kit back in your car - well I hope your car has good air con and one of those nice little air fresheners...

BigChiefRunningBore asks: What's best quinoa, cous cous or basmati rice?

KinkyS says: You can't beat the smell of really good brown basmati rice cooking.

Rossage asks: why did you start running? (if already been i'm sorry)

KinkyS says: I got talked into taking a last minute place in a relay team that had lost a runner to illness only 12 hours before the event. My very first run was a race, 1.8 miles around the town centre of Cambridge, and I loved it so much I entered a 10K 6 weeks later. And never looked back :-)

BlueWombat asks: Congratulations Katie. 100m dash, pebble dash, pebble beach or echo beach?

KinkyS says: Pebble beach. Barefoot, on a warm Summer evening, with the cool waves gently lapping at my toes, washing away the aches of a long, hard run...

runnyeyes asks: Really pleased for you Kinky..well deserved. How impt is racing to you...?

KinkyS says: I didn't realise just how important until I couldn't race for 6 months. Even though I could still run every day, something was missing. I don't know why it's different with a number pinned to your chest, but race day magic is a powerful thing.

SherryB asks: If you could run a race anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

KinkyS says: One of the great mountain ranges - the Alps, Himalayas, Andes.

Forest Faerie asks: Well done Kinky....I am a Faerie and I grant you one wish...what would it be?

KinkyS says: To die when I am ready - not too soon and not too late.

John 66 asks: Scrap my earlier question as two people have already asked it. My new question is .............. what did you want to be when you were little?

KinkyS says: I still am little ;-) But when I was a kid, a ballet dancer. I came very close to achieving it too...

BS asks: Well done KinkyS - Do you have any CBA days and how do you move on from them?

KinkyS says: If it's just one day I don't worry, a rest day never does me any harm. You can't have a good running day every day. Several in a row and I know I need to give myself a kick up the backside. Focusing on my next target race helps get me back out there running even when I don't want to. And thinking of injured friends who would love to run and can't - when CBA hits I should be grateful I can run at all.

Dipper asks: Well done KS! What are your top MP3 tunes to help you push through the following situations: a) The moment in an ultra where you're convinced you've nothing left to give no matter how steady you take it b) When you're one mile away from a marathon PB but can feel the wall looming c) You're closing in on first lady in a 10k and have about three minutes of insane pace to maintain to win

KinkyS says: I never race with my iPod, but my internal mp3 player keeps me going :-) a) Comfort in Sound by Feeder 'Comfort in sound, Its all around, Ease back the strain, Come heal your pain, Comfort in sound, Its all around you now...' It works best if you sing it out loud. You're already delirious so you won't care what anyone thinks anyway! b) Keep Your Eyes Peeled by The Automatic 'Keep the exits clear, I've got to get away. I've got a job to do, there's no room for mistakes.' 'This adventure is a one way street so please keep your eyes on rhe radar screens.' Or I Can Climb Mountains by Hell is for Heroes 'I can run, I can hide, I can take a wall of pain in my stride.' The lyrics help me focus on the job in hand and to push through the pain and out the other side. c) Something high tempo. Either dancey like No Good (Start the Dance) by The Prodigy, or driving and loud like Self Bias Resistor by Fear Factory.

Woad Wunner asks: Well done Kinky. What are the predominant emotions that you experience after finishing an ultra?

KinkyS says: Relief, elation, pain, pleasure, sadness (that it's over), satisfaction, anticipation (when can I have another go?!).

360° asks: Well done Katie. Which race is your nemesis, you know, the one whose ass you're going to kick one day?

KinkyS says: I have a score to settle with the Round Rotherham 50, where hideous weather and hypothermia defeated me when my legs, heart and lungs were still full of running.

danny wilde asks: Well deserved win Katie :-) Questions..hmm... 1) When was the last time you had your hair cut and do you foresee ever having it cut again ? 2) I know you love cooking. I also know that during race weekends we've done that Flanker makes a mean bacon buttie on a camping stove. If you were taking him on at *Masterchef*, what would you cook for your 3 courses and who do you think would win ? I would have asked some running Qs but they were already taken !

KinkyS says: 1) Last trim, about 2 months ago. Last visit to a hairdresser, erm, sometime last millennium! Last significant cut, 1991. 2) I'd start with a Southern Indian style starter of a selection of marinaded and grilled meat and vegetarian kebabs with a rich, creamy yogurt sauce and an amazing crisp fresh salad. Main would be a fragrant, spicy but not too hot curry with aromatic basmati rice and handmade freshly stone-baked breads. By this point I would've won because he'd be too busy trying to eat my dishes to cook his own! Dessert would be exotic fruits with soft, fluffy rich ice cream.

A bet MADE me asks: what would be your favourite slap up meal no questions or costs an issue... that includes location!?

KinkyS says: Mmmmm another food question :-) Starter - a hearty bowl of soup with a big hunk of fresh bread smothered in butter. Main - roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, horseradish sauce, all the usual accompaniments. Dessert - sticky toffee pudding and custard. Location - The Lakes, in an old-fashioned pub with stone walls, wooden beams and a big open fire.

Girlie asks: well done Kinky:-) If you had a time machine what zone ( past or future) would you most like to visit and why?

KinkyS says: I'd travel across Europe about 40,000 years ago and see exactly what happened during an amazing time of cultural development when art, music, technology and society (maybe even language?) all seemed to explode and accelerate. And see how wrong my thesis probably was LOL!

Lumsdoni asks: Congratulations!! Zippy or Bungle?

KinkyS says: George :-p

CB. asks: Wahoo well done Katie :-) Red wine or water the night before a race :-)

KinkyS says: Glass of wine, glass of water, glass of wine, glass of water. Repeat until bed time :-)

flanker asks: YAY :) Goretex trans-alpine, TNF UTMB or British Ultra? ;)

KinkyS says: I assume you are asking which one I want to do first?

Max71 asks: About bloody time you won it woman...I would have carried on nominating you till you had. My Question: Fancy a pint?

KinkyS says: After ploughing my way to the end of all these questions, I need more than one :-)

phal asks: what is your favourite ale of the moment? and is it best drunk: a) in a pub with a smelly dog b) in a field camping c) in bed, and..... what's the best beer/cider for a recovery drink?

KinkyS says: Bluebird in a pub (dog optional), Hobgoblin in a field, and a cup of tea in bed please :-) Guinness is the best recovery drink, but not extra cold *shiver*!

Fetch says: And that's your lot. Thanks Kinky, you're a star. Fetchies - good questions as always. TTFN!