Training Log: rcro

Event: CompassSport Cup Final
 

NGOC's first time in the "Cup" final - at Virtuous Lady. 9.9km Brown.

Expected it to be spending a lot of time fighting on impossible slopes and turns out I was right. Not my idea of fun - enjoyed the fell relays much much more.

First 2/3 navigation was trivial but getting to controls was not and lost many minutes on the slopes. Particularly area around 4/5 where it seems that all courses from blue onwards visited so I where 400 or so had already run and there was nothing to grip onto. Lots of others really struggling too.

Good news at least is that the ankle got most of the way from start to 12 without twisting but it wasn't to last and hurt a lot for a while.

Last part of the course was more a case of trying to read the map where it's all just lines. Combination of tiredness, and the problems I have with seeing sharp contrasts meant I couldn't really see it at all and lost time on 16 and 18, and then again on 22 as just didn't really get the map matching the ground went to the nearest control to relocate.

Some OK splits but really not my terrain. Club did reasonably well to finish 6th - there was an outside chance we could have got 5th had things gone our way but seems DVO did better than I had expected. Has got us noticed a bit.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1242198601

Planning my street-o in Kingsway (Gloucester) and making notes for map updates.

Wind was strong for carrying papers but rain held out until the very end. Plans for using lamp post numbers and fire hydrants hit a snag when the appears to be a lack of either. Did see a couple of trees with light bulbs hung in them so couldn't not incorporate that into a question!

Turns out I did 18k - which might explain why it took so long.

From close to control site 29 up to Gloucester Park, back down the Bristol Road into Kingsway and then back to the car in Quedgeley.

Got me the join to Kingsway so just the Hartpury gap to get all of Gloucestershire overlapping. But at some price - the return was a lot of running without actually going anywhere, and once into Kingsway it started raining - a lot. Totally drenched and blinded by rain in eyes within a few seconds. Character building.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1240355453

Started later than planned as first the train home was cancelled, then the next was delayed 20 minutes, and had some phone calls to make.

Weather pretty grim so was some effort to get myself out at all. Ditched the third (waterproof) layer at the start of the main climb as warm - although was never pushing "hard".

Once up near the top visibility was pretty much zero - could see my feet and on full beam maybe 4m ahead. Did very well to actually find the trig. Quicker coming down but still taking it easy.

The drive home took half the night. Road shut at Bassaleg for roadworks. A48 shut after Castleton because of roadworks... (and let's not forget the M4 is shut eastbound for roadworks this evening). No idea what the official route from Machen (or Bassaleg) into Newport was supposed to be. With this level of project mis-management and lack of co-ordination anyone would think the Welsh Government were involved...

https://www.strava.com/activities/1238074667

AGM later and no time to come home from work work in between - won't get back until nearly midnight :-(

C • swoc night event? 2