Training Log Archive: BrandNewMe

2014 is drawing to a close, and though it has had its high points, I am looking forward to the fresh new year that 2015 brings. The low point in 2014 was March, when I wasn't enjoying competing, yet had a lot of competitions lined up that I couldn't really avoid.

I came up with 4 things to work on to get through it.

Enjoy orienteering more. I have defiantly succeeded here. I remember at the European champs middle I was wracked with nerves, saying to Liz before entering the start that I didn't want to be there; then at woc long, I was wracked with nerves too, but managed to smile and say that I was happy to be there before setting off to the start. And this week, I enjoyed the orienteering even when underperforming, and I felt that I understand the reasons for underperforming better.

I also aimed to get some proper training done without obsessing about injuries. I am pleased with the training I have done since Easter. I need to knuckle down and focus on orienteering and speed more in the new year. That's normal for me though. I spend the second half of the year getting basic training done, then pull my socks up in the new year. I think I have done better than most would at managing the injuries. The knee pain is bad when it is bad, but I can keep my head and stay positive and it soon gets better.

The third point was to find a coach. MC had been nagging me about this for ages, but as March went on and I got more down she was getting more insistent. It's hard though to put yourself forward when you are pissed off and depressed, and there were not many options in Scotland as so many people are involved in WOC 2015. When Nick's name came up in conversation with Jase I knew he would be good. He coached Dan well, enjoyed orienteering, was enthusiastic, was v solid technically with some interesting ideas and is approachable. He is good for me as he has kids and works and knows what it's like, and I like his technical approach to orienteering. Because of Nick I always have a plan of what I am going to do when I run, instead of hoping it comes naturally. It's nice feeling in control. I like the way he has such confidence in his ideas too. It inspires confidence in me. I think as elite orienteers people often assume we know what we are doing and are uber confident when that's often not the case. I'm grateful for Nick's enthusiasm and the excellent effort he puts into coaching me.

The last point was getting happier. I'm certainly less down than I was in March, but I am still frustrated to find some things getting me down just as quickly as they did before. The downs don't last as long as they have in the past, so things are ok.

I don't like the way british orienteering is run just now though. I've been in the British orienteering squad over many years and never has it been anywhere near as bad as this. It's sad to see. So little understanding of the sport, and what is needed to succeed in it. So little willingness to listen to athletes views. It's incredibly frustrating. Why should we have to explain the logic behind the squad helping us to train in Scotland before a scottish woc? Why should we have to say that selection races in Scotland would be a nice, fair idea? Why should we have to say that we don't want to spend two weekends a year doing sports testing? I think there will be a competent performance coach appointed, and this will help woc 2015 prep, but only at a late stage. It's madness.

I have my own preparation for woc 2015, but I have no plans to continue my involvement with the squad post 2015. It leeches all of my enthusiasm for the sport. It sours a sport that I love. I promised my kids that woc2015 would be my last big effort (going away, training camps etc). I'm not ruling out 2016, but that is a decision to be made next autumn. I have a lot of determination, and training makes me v happy. I don't know what happens when I stop wanting to spend so much time orienteering internationally. Will I be happy not training? Can motivation be turned off? One thing I know is that if I want to go to WOC 2016 I will prepare by myself. I have had enough of BO and it's politics. But that's a decision to be made after the summer, and until then all focus is on Scotland. I'm looking forward to a fresh new year and the challenges it brings!

Lovely easy run on midgely moor from James's. Got totally lost on the way back. Which was a bit embarrassing as I was in shorts and the snow was mid calf. Didn't recognise the area from the northern champs last year. So nice though. Half on muddy paths, half in snow.

To the start

Last day of the Belgian 5.

Today was a bit of a bramble-fest. Flat, lots of dubious veg and ditches, and pits for controls. I went straight a lot, hoping for the best, but often was a bad choice. I enjoyed it though i think, and my frost bitten toes were ok as they were frozen, as they got bloody sore when they defrosted. I got beaten by a bit on the day, and overall.

Fun trip. Lots of practice of trying to run straight on a bearing through brambles which was useful practice, but not all that relevant for 2015 - I hope!

Won some socks overall, and a bucket of mixed Belgian beers for day 1, picked up today, much to Ray's delight.

Easy course today. Just one wobble trying to hit a pit in brashings, and a few route choices where I went straight hoping that the forest was ok. Sometimes it paid off, others it didn't. Managed to reduce my 7:22 deficit to some random Belgian to 1 min. Phew! She took 7 mins out of me on my hypothermia day 2.

Toes were ok today until I attempted to go swimming with the kids. The change of temperature was v sore, so I sadly left Ray to it, and made a beeline for the cafe / bar instead. Shame!

To the start. 2nd start today - a treat for me!

Belgian 5 day 3

Nice forest. Dressed appropriately. Going well, orienteering how Nick says, apart from three points where I was getting cocky, and then when I ended up missing the control slightly (within 20m each time) I panicked and totally failed to relocate. Lessons for tomorrow. All fastest splits apart from the mistakes, where I was 3:50, 25secs and 2:42 down. Ouch!

Note: think I got v slight frostbite yesterday, as the tips of two toes have been throbbing ever since. No big blistering though, and no where near the damage I did when I was living in Sweden.

Belgian 5 day 2.

Cold. So cold. We were in a bit of a hurry this morning, when we got up late and realised there had been a big snow dump. Packed in a rush and forgot gloves. Mistake. Big, big mistake. My hands froze on the run to the start through ankle deep slush. The forest was much wetter. First start. Snow everywhere, and falling on me continually. Cold. So cold. By about half way I couldn't manipulate the map to take a bearing, even with a thumb compass. Emit punching was virtually impossible by the end, and the last few my hands were like claws, so it was really hard to unfold the map. Blood everywhere for some reason too. I finished the course. It was not a nice forest, and I was so hypothermic at the end, I didn't stop shivering for 90 mins after, and my hands and feet didn't defrost for a further 90mins. Hot choc, waffles and pancakes and I recovered. Ray seems to have damaged a rib, so took one look and thought nah. He didn't miss much.

So how did I do? The kites were pretty hard to see in the snow, so often I was next to it and didn't see it. Processes going ok, but by the end I was just running in the general direction, as it my hands were too cold and bloody to do much else.

2hours of soft play after. 5ft adults are not designed to do soft play. Ouch! Crawling down tubes when your limbs are too long to flex much is tough. Making it all better with beer.

Warm up / down. Neither of which had the desired effect.

Belgian 5 day 1. WRE middle.

Lots of short legs, and a couple of longer ones. Pushing too hard at the start, I ended up 90degrees wrong on the long leg. Corrected but still dropped 30 secs. Scrappy around the first butterfly, smoother on the second. Had caught Mieke 2 mins, then dropped a min by pushing to get ahead and misinterpreting some veg, dropping 1 min at 18. Moving fast enough but stressing so dropping time. Poor. 2nd.

Was pretty stressed as Ray slipped in the ice and cut himself pretty badly just before I set off. So fast warm up and warn down.

Short on time today sadly do no time for paarlauf. Round Wallington instead. Some off road at the end. Nice. I felt v stiff.

An off road run with Ray round some bridle ways from his parent's house. Rare to run with Ray, like 10 days ago when we ran around Edinburgh we were both putting in stupidly fast (for me) bits. The overall run was a bit stupidly fast considering it was mostly muddy forest trails and fields, we have a 'road race' tomorrow and a WRE the next day. It was good to get out though. Something about Ray's parents house sends me to sleep every time. The double glazing / heating on full / windows all locked combination; the fact that the kids aren't constantly needing my attention; the lack of jobs for me to do. I think my mind takes advantage of the fact that I have let my guard down, and reminds me that I am totally exhausted. Today I had to have a half hour kick about with Lucy in the garden before I felt awake enough to run.

Nice road run with an empty rucksack, stopping at tesco on the way home to fill up with stocking fillers. I think lucy might regret putting 'healthy food' on her letter to Santa.

As I was roaming around tesco in my shorts and thermal, a skin headed cockney thug gave me a big hug and said 'lovely legs darling!'. It was a bit shocking, but as the bloke looked a bit like a baddie from a vinnie jones film, I smiled and pretended to take it as a compliment.

My eye was sore, and I was feeling drained from the cold, so I went to bed early. Very early.

Running with Ray at Farthing Down. Felt fairly gah due to the painkillers I am taking for my eye.

Put Laurence to sleep and fell asleep accidentally. I was whacked.

Ill and late for split starts so I ran blue at the Royd Hall colour coded. Brambley, muddy but fun. Had to shout at a dog owner at 9 or 10, thought 13 was badly mapped, and lost it at the end after scratching my eye at 20. Going ok though, mainly as I know running blue in Yorkshire you are at risk of being beaten by Pippa Dakin (aren't you Nick, Kim, Ricky...). Luckily she wasn't there. Running blue, especially in Yorkshire, seems to get good ranking points. But alas I am likely to be a couple short of the number needed to take the top spot at the year end.

http://www.epoc.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/index.php#74...

I didn't start my watch at the right time, and I found routegadget tricky with this laptop and my scratched eye, but the route is roughly right.

C • You'll get me soon 1

C • Life's a lot easier ... 2

Got a cold.

Definitely got a cold now. Cycled home. Felt crap. Work over for 2.5 weeks now though!!!

Feeling better today, slight headache and sneezing. Odd.

I was going to run at lunch but work was insanely busy so I worked through (vending machine lunch - 2 stoats porridge bars and a mint aero...). So I ran home instead. Nice hefty tail wind helping out. My cold got worse through the day.

Wassail.

I got home from work and Ray said "why did you run home - we've got the wassail?". I was sort of thinking that the wassail wasn't exactly going to be training. The babysitter was late though, so we set off with 3 miles hard to catch up. Some bits were easier (through muddy hunters bog in the dark), but some bits were tougher.

Knee very unhappy by the end, but eased overnight.

I thought I was going to have to have crisps / nuts / sausage roll dinner (none of which I really like) but long shorts had made full Christmas dinner, served in a roll. Brilliant! Managed to stay sober-ish all night, and as Ray and I are trying to get marathon du medoc entries for 2015, it's all good training.

Insomnia woke me at 5.

Running around doing jobs.

Cycle home. No running. I've got full flu symptoms again today. I've had this a lot recently, and it just lasts a day or so. Really odd. V tempted to run at portobello when the kids were swimming as it is my fave run, but I was burning up with fever so it really would not have been wise.

Went to bed early and woke late, so mega late for work. Then got to work to find that someone had trashed my d-lock. I keep it at work, outside on the cycle racks. We have 24 hour security on site, and yet someone decided to break a d-lock with no bike on it. Its a good quality lock, so must have taken some effort. Odd.

7:50, 7:23, 7:18, 7:23, 7:35 37:29
7:00, 7:14, 7:12, 6:59, 6:25 34:50

Felt lethargic and drowsy, and not mad keen, but consistency is key, so I set off steady, and wound it up for a negative split. Felt better than I thought I would. Knee sore, but it was sore yesterday. Bad stomach.

I wasn't going to run home, but I worked late and then thought it would be too icy to cycle. Felt a bit lightheaded at halfway, but recovered later.

Not loving it just now. I think maybe the key to surviving the run up to Christmas and the chaos that brings is not just declining all party invites, but making sure I use the time to get to bed early too.

Still felt crap. Maybe even crapper than this morning.

The first time I have to go running today, and it's 8:50pm, and I have loads to do before going to bed, and have to get up at 6 and run to work, so am going to have to take an unplanned rest day, which I HATE.

Swear word, swear word, swear word, swear word, swear word. FFS. Christmas is really a nice idea, but your weekend gets hijacked by endless kids Christmas shows etc. Today's nativity was excruciating. The only entertainment was seeing the donkey and sheep fighting over the straw. I had a kids carol concert last Sunday, and I have another one on Thursday and Friday this week. At 4pm on Christmas Day we are piling in the van and setting off to the Belgium 5 day, and I can't wait.

Hmm. No kids but lots of jobs to do, so Ray and I did them running.

Home to wonderland, to Evans, thro princes street gardens to jenners, bought some presents, then john Lewis. Stood there for quite some time in sweaty running kit holding a doll that wees and crys. Luckily not spotted by anyone I knew. We left the doll there and ran to canon mills and trinity delivering cards. The haven cafe for lunch, then maggie's at granton before back up to john Lewis loading up on presents and walking home. Nice run, lots of time exploring Edinburgh's disused railway cycle paths.

Fun. I went hard as I was pissed off not to get to Craig A Barnes. That might be a PB. Have to check. PB, 1st time sub 7 min miling! Not bad on what is a hilly and muddy route. There was a water hazard too today.

I am planning to go to Craig a Barnes again tomorrow morning. This is weather permitting. If anyone has any knowlegde about what it is likely to be like underfoot, let me know. I'll be leaving Edinburgh at 8-ish, and have to be back by 1 or 2 to work the afternoon. Plenty of room in the van if anyone wants to join me.

Braid and blackford in the semi dark. Very bad stomach at the end. Felt good for the rest of it though. Blackford hill by 15:30, braids in 30:30, then ill in the second half.

An inch or two of snow on blackford, and double that on braids, I am 90% sure ill be at work tomorrow instead of Craig a Barnes.

Legs felt quite shit. Sore back last night leading to sore SI today. Run from work to scoosh. Not at all inspiring, but I am happy enough with things just now.

Brutal headwind and stingly horizontal in-yer-face rain going out. It was squally too, so it was really tricky to get into a rythym, both going out and coming back. Pleased I managed to get out into the weather. It was looking very uninviting indeed from my desk.

6:51, 7:14, 7:03, 7:06, 28:14
6:53, 7:03, 6:46, 6:20 27:05

Heavy bag. Weary. I was looking forward to a tailwind, but alas didn't detect much of one.

I know I have a reputation for moaning, but this morning's run to work was missed as I had to faff around de-nitting Lucy and Laurence's hair. NITS!!! How annoying. I hate the wee f***ers, mainly cause Lucy has masses of hair, and it takes ages. I probably have to do mine too, but I couldn't face it last night / this morning.

So I hurriedly packed for a lunctime run and run home, then discovered this lunchtime that I had failed to pack a sports bra. Oh how annoying. So armchair stuff instead. Catching up on route to christmas, and looking at WOC long Ukraine maps.

No garmin either so guessing time. Run home. Felt good.

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

Knee was better today. It eased a lot overnight.

This was great fun. To 1 I was going to go low but ended up picking my way through as it was nice going.

To 2 was really nice, three ditto.

Four was the only big hill I noticed. Tiring. Picking my way between the streams and knolls. Then it got really thick, and I thought I lost contact a bit. I was in the open, with a wall in it, and on the otherside of the wall was a marsh and a crag that went into the green. I assumed I had gone awol in the green and was 150m w of the control. Actually I was online, and on the open marsh next to a wall in the green. It just seemed like the area of open / white forest I was in was too big to be in the green still. I should have been a bit more confident that my bearing wouldn't have taken me that much off line. Relocated off the open, down to the control, and back out to the place I relocated, on the way to 5. 5 was easy.

I wanted to contour around to 6, and this would have been fine had I made a plan to leave 6 low, but I was a fraction too high and ended up in the windblow. Lots dropped here. Got into some really nice running after this.

7 - fine, 8 fine, though I am not sure my route was best.

9 Was fine, except I hoped to be able to get through the felled straight to the control, and I couldn't.

To 10 Kim and Ricky took the track. I didn't see the track, and straight was nice. I haven't had time to look at splits to see which one was better.

Great fun. Feeling fit throughout, though my agility suffered from the training the two days before. My body is not used to terrain just now, and these forests are quite full on. Bitterly cold, esp in the hail. Thankfully Spongey, Hector, GG and I won some socks, which are v cosy, and helped with the big thaw out.

Great weekend. Thanks Hollie and Liz. It was obviously going to be a great weekend, with top coaches involved, and top areas, and Liz knowing and appreciating what we would want to get out of our training. And we didn't have to give her endless 'feedback' for her to know that's what we wanted. That's what's nice about having experienced orienteering coaches involved.

Pairs with Hol. Compass. Our maps had big bits missing, so we had to do compass and ignore the stuff in the middle. This is one of the things I am training, so good practice. I did 1-6, Hol 7-11. Glad she knew where the tracks went in the mid section of 10-11 cause it was missing from our maps, and straight looked totally minging. This was really nice forest, but I suspect Liz planned it specially to missout the grot!

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

Platforms. Compass and changing height etc. Fine, but not feeling that I was planning well.

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

So this time I made sure I had a solid plan for each leg. I was fast and easy, except for 5 where the brashings pushed me off and I was shit. But all other legs I was really good so pleased.

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

Maze fun. Tired though. Knee v sore all day today so skip the last session.

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

Joging about

Soooo ludicrously late for picking the kids up. Probably a record to school, even without the heavy bag. Thoughts of Lucy crying as mummy wasn't there when she got out. Sore knee. Got there on time as was lucky with the lights. Phew!!!

Distance includes warm up and down. Eskthwaite intake, night o. Practicing bearings and planning. Fun. This area is almost better at night than day. You can't see the grot.

TT. Clemmo does some weird sessions. We trained, he decided it was too short, so we did it again. I gutted myself on the first ones, thinking if its going to fe short it may as well be fast, then oh dear, tired in the second set. Knee not great by the end. Cold. Steep descent in the rep on Tarmac not great for it. I've got a gp referral now though. Call BUPA tomorrow.

Warm up down

Route to Christmas and a course Nick sent.

C • mental energy 14

I am bafflingly exhausted right now. Couldn't get out of bed. I decided to do what everyone nags me to do and 'listen to my body' so was mega late and had to drive, and work through lunch. I got out later when the kids were swimming, and felt good. Still, got work I have to do tonight from home. Crap!

Route to christmas day 3. Glad I didn't have that one! Too late for much else.

Slept in, but tired, and Laurence wasn't awake yet, so just lay there. Nice.

He woke up ill, but Fran was off with Emma today so dropped Lucy off at school, and Laurence off at Fran's, and ran in from there. It was the first proper cold morning, and I was only wearing shorts. Felt ok though.

After being ticked off by Nick for going through the motions with some orienteering recently, I have to admit that today's training is going through the motions of running. Both runs with a heavy bag, in to work and home from work, to avoid cycling in the frost or the hassle of the bus. No quality. And tomorrow will be the same. Crappy, but with a sick kid being able to fit in any training is good.

Mainly just general chat with Nick, but we probably looked at techniques and orienteering theory for about 20 mins.

Ill kids, all day, from 6am to 8:30pm non stop. Going out running now? Nah. Exhausted.