Training Log Archive: BrandNewMe

What a terrible orienteering experience. Sol1 devilla.

Had been ill all week but felt ok-ish so though brown would be ok. Big mistake, just like the 180 I did out of the start when faffing with putting my map in the bag I brought, coming back through the start after one minute to head off in the right direction, then stuffed it up in the circles. 2 was much worse.

Some idiot running next to me at one part if the course, was irritating me so much that I had to stop the course for 5 mins at one control (12 I think) cause I was getting really really cross. Then spent the second half of the course trying not to cry. Which all seems a bit nuts. Maybe I am just a bit too tired. All I know is way i am feeling now I can't face the month of orienteering ahead. :-(. Just not enjoying it. I'm tired of having to come up with all of the answers all of the time re: physical training, technique training, racing etc myself. Working, having kids, juggling injuries and orienteering successfully was just about do-able when we had an elite performance coach (Toni - Steve was nice but useless) taking all of the thinking time out of being an elite orienteer. I have asked the squad management and british orienteering management time and time and time again for a replacement, but to no avail. Months go by with the only contact I have from the squad is the (excellent) physio. Not sure I have the energy to keep going with it.

The entertainment of today was seeing that Rosco was disqualified for missing 14. Hilarious. Did he just look at 14 on the map and think number 14 was a pisstake too far?

Jog up to the big weekend Sunday start, jog the first half of the brown then home. Just checking lungs for tomorrow. Coughing my guts up after, but not too bad during. One part of calf still feeling Tuesday night very slightly still. Very windy, very ploddy, v slow but still ran all the hills fairly easily and no longer feeling so washed out. Icing and watching the rugby. Wales are doing us Welsh folk proud! Spotted the physio many times, none of which he looked remotely happy.

FFS. Would have gone for a trial run but had no time, then spent Friday night coughing my guts up. Again.

Still ill. spent all of last night coughing my guts up. Damn. Tried jogging behind Lucy when taking her to nursery and calf is not quite ready yet anyway.

I was at work yesterday, but too ill today. They were pretty shocked I was in yesterday anyway. Keeping myself busy by doing the sort of O things I ought to do but have no time for usually. Got some prints of EOC maps and selection race maps. The only one I have looked at yet is whitbarrow and I'll put it away soon as it is giving me (in Fife parlance) the dry boak. Form lines and stoney ground everywhere, bringing back harrowing memories of woc 2011 forests. Haven't dared look at the EOC long areas where we have to do 15k and 485m climb...

Starting to get really annoyed with being ill so often. I had to have some blood tests done earlier in the week, and as I have had problems with my white blood cells (they are the immune system ones) in the past, I'm interested to see what the results will be.

Better today. I have totally lost my voice but I feel slightly less washed out. Calf is recovering quickly from the dry needling. I can now limp standing upright, as opposed to bent over. Progress!

Too ill to run today. Shame - it was a great day for it. Walked down to the physio in Dalry and he did some dry needling. He seemed to enjoy himself, showing me to what degree my spasming calf muscles were bending his needles. Agony!!!

He got me some heel cups that are like sorbothane but better, and a prescription for doxycycline. No physio until after the jk. He's off to Florida for a month with the Scottish 400m squad. Something tells me I'm in the wrong job.

Up all night with Laurence who was ill, so slept in and no am run. Run home via drs. Achilles pretty good :-) Cough, crap in throat, head ache, so just jogging.