Training Log: SKWilson

Cycling onto and back out of Leiden, including checking out several dead ends and a couple of building sites in the gathering gloom while trying to get back to the hotel without a map. Feeling rather more human.

A 4 am start got me to my conference in Leiden at 8:55 am UK time (9:55 am local time), i.e. earlier than I would probably have got to work in Glasgow! Pretty tired in the afternoon after my talk.

Grampian Mountain Challenge Day 2 (17.7 km, 1300 m) with Alice in 4:41:31. A tougher day with significantly more climb, specifically two big climbs on 3-4 and 4-5. Still clearly weaker than Alice, but never felt as bad as I did yesterday and possibly only cost her around 20 minutes this time. She only flagged once (on the last climb from 7-8) but a Snickers bar quickly revived her. Took the wrong route 4-5 (we should have gone down the path then up the fence) and made a small wobble approaching 8 (despite Alice pointing out that her compass said to go further left).

Grampian Mountain Challenge Day 1 (17.8 km, 830 m) with Alice in 3:51:15. Nice orienteering section to start but then felt dreadful on the first mountain leg,with Alice bounding ahead full of the joys of Spring. Leg up to 2 a real slog, and would have happily given up at number 2. Leg to 3 (contouring, not climbing) was a bit better and managed to hold it together to the end without ever really I was doing more than struggling to hang on. We took the path option to number 6. Pleased with all our navigation and route choices. However, Alice would probably have been able to run at least 30 minutes quicker without me.

C • Alice 1

Feeling rather better. Travel to Braemar, collecting the Stansfields on route.