I am incredibly excited to announce that I’m joining the @adidasrunning trail team! 🤯
I’ve always viewed @adidasterrex as the gold standard for ultra running. Their balance of elite performance and genuine team spirit is something I’ve admired for years, so to now be part of that roster is a dream come true!
The support from the team has been incredible so far and I can't wait to support my new teammates and see what we achieve together. 2026 and beyond, let's go! #oneteam
📸 @sambenard
Most people are doing long runs on hilly terrain with a focus on fast descents to condition for the @wser course.
This year that's not an option for me but luckily I'm still able to put down some pretty serious training.
There has been a lot of pain analysis, changes of schedule and questioning every decision, but now I have a plan and just have to trust it, do the basics and get cracking.
My plan for the next few weeks is to do all my easy runs uphill with just a small amount of descending to protect my heel. I'll replace my long race specific runs with some long moderates on the flat. Then I'll do some hard interval work as a speed bonus. The speed work will help to strengthen my quads and hip flexors for the downhills without stressing my plantar fascia and the uphill work will of course be useful, there are actually some climbs at states too!
I have to be careful with the "fast" sessions since the altitude and heat will naturally slow me down, so I'm doing everything to feel now, and my paces are a lot slower than at sea level.
S&C is regular, loads of daily exercises and mobility with some low intensity lifting 3 times a week.
Hopefully in a few weeks time I'll be able to add a little more downhill so my quads aren't leaving the party by the Last Chance aid station!
This is by no means the run up I would have chosen for the race that I have been obsessing over for the last year, but as a fan of training theory I'm interested to see how this experimental approach works.
If my body (my heel in particular) and mind can cope with the training, I'll get to Tahoe strong with a very good level of fitness. And maybe my speed work will see me flying through the canyons... We'll see!
This wasn't part of my grand plan!
Obviously the first thing I did was pause my @suunto watch ⌚
I'm absolutely fine just scratched the camera and reminded myself that I'm (literally) dragging my feet at this altitude.
I'm not normally this shouty or sweary but I was already in a pissy mood when this happened 🤬
I've been a little quiet on here recently. It's easy to be open publicly when everything is going perfectly, harder to word things when there is doubt and discomfort.
In part I have had an incredible April, hanging out with @emilyhawgood (and Ochi 😺 of course), seeing the epic @canyonsenduranceruns race and exploring the auburn area.
Unfortunately my explorations have been mainly treadmill based! I have had some minor heel pain since October. It started out as plantar fasciitis, but has lingered as something slightly different. Working with my physio @running_squirrel and my coach @vo2maxcoaching I was able to train really well through autumn and the issue seemed like it was fading.
After @runlakesonoma I recovered well but the heel seemed a little worse. After a few weeks of de-loading, it's still not great. I can run up-hill and on the flat without any issues, but downhill is sore. Not ideal for a fast, net downhill 100 miler!
With injuries like this, that feel so minor until you push too far, it's hard to handle the daily stress. Always questioning if I'm not doing enough or if I'm doing too much, heart leaping every time I take a step without any pain then falling into dismay when it comes back.
I'm lucky to have the best people around me and right now, I'm feeling confident. I have a plan...!
Revisiting Lake Sonoma 100K.
Fiona Pascall here in her element. The Adidas Terrex athlete and British ultrarunner went on to take the women’s win and finish 2nd overall in 10:13:24. Top 5 at Western States 2025, a win at Chianti Ultra Trail, the 2022 Lake District 24-Hour Fell Record. She keeps adding to an already impressive résumé. Keep an eye out for Fiona at Western States 2026. Clearly, she is on track for another big performance!
Inside the House of Sportsshoes with @Suunto ⌚🔥
An evening with Gemma Hillier-Moses @gemhilly_moses & Fiona Pascall @fipascall , diving into how data and performance tracking shape their training and race-day decisions.
From an inspiring Q&A to putting Suunto watches to the test on a 5K run, this is what performance looks like.
#sportsshoes
Congratulations to XMiles athlete, Fi Pascall (@fipascall ), on an outstanding win at Lake Sonoma 100k.
With a mix of Precision Fuel & Hydration, SiS Beta Fuel, GU, Mountain Fuel, GU Roctane, and SaltStick, Fi stayed on top of her fuelling and executed when it counted.
A smart and controlled effort from start to finish, maintaining consistent fuelling and pacing despite early discomfort.
That’s how strong race day performances are built.
What a party @runlakesonoma !
This was my first @adidasrunning team race and yet again I experienced how important the #oneteam mentality is in the adidas set up. I had the best week with my teammates and the race going well was the icing on the cake.
The race started dry and misty, I got to share some miles with @emilyhawgood and the hundreds of little hills flew by as we chatted away, this was my favourite part of the race, I'm so lucky to Em as a teammate and friend 💜
I was feeling really good so I put my foot down and very slowly pulled away. Seeing Em behind me a few more times kept me pushing forward.
Seeing the 50k front men @fatsimpson 🥇, @ccampbell_01 🥈 and @macy_pacy 🥉 and women @shesallgood21 🥇 and @_taymae_ fly 🥈 by looking super strong was so much fun, it's not often we get to see the front end of another race.
After the halfway point things started feeling pretty rough. The support from all the runners I passed on the back was a real boost but a few stomach issues and a lot of mud (yes actual mud in California, I didn't believe it until I saw it 🤯) made me feel like the pace had slipped a lot. What had felt like fun bumpy trails on the way out felt like relentless barriers on the way back and knowing how strong of a closer Emily is, I was running scared!
I managed to hold on and am stoked with this win at such an iconic race.
Thanks to @runlakesonoma and @healdsburgrunningcompany for putting on such an epic race and the volunteers for staying out in ever worsening conditions to care for all the runners.
Special thanks to Jimmy and @lindrp for crewimg me as well as Emily, and to @fuel.theworld for not only being an amazing crew but rubbing down my disgusting muddy legs with poison oak wash after race, above and beyond!
