Training Log Archive: BrandNewMe

Trossachs training

Brilliant, just brilliant. Such fun! It's sad but I realised that I haven't been laughing much when orienteering recently, but I giggled all the way around today. It was so great. It's nice when you are by yourself in the forest, as there is no one there to section you for laughing when you are supposed to be running, or to tell you off for shouting 'haha! Found you, you little f*cker!' when you see the control (what do you mean you don't do this too?). And Liz had left the tapes out from last weekend so there was controls to find. Yay!

The only problems with my nav was a seriously stupid route to 9, and not finding 14. I spent a lot of time wandering around looking, but didn't find it. I suspect I was in the right area, just looking for a white tape in head high bracken is tricky. I was feeling strong too. I need to concentrate on my confidence with fast / easy and bearings in areas of low vis. I was good in the green, but the lack of confidence meant I was slow. There was lots of rain, bracken, heather and mud, but on trossachs this is useful. It means you get a soft landing when you face plant or fall off a crag that you couldn't see as it was all heathery, which you do about every 10 steps.

Ah! That really is the best area in Britain! I think it should be part of the interview process for bof jobs. 5k in the trossachs. If you don't come back with adrenaline levels off the scale, you don't even get an interview.

C • I didn't find 14 either. Ap... 2

Warm up down. Nice of liz to have laid a path to the start of the session. What a great service!

Back in action! The kids went to London first thing, leaving me just having to be an athlete and employee (and dealing with the maternal guilt - why have I abandoned my children - BAD MOTHER).

The plan was park run, hermitage, and dalrulzion if I had any energy left. I feel in good shape, so was hoping for a confidence boosting time at the park run. This was the warm up for the park run. The horizontal (due to the wind), torrential rain was making it impossible for me to open my eyes, so I decided I had plenty to be getting on with in the forest, so headed off to Dalrunzion instead.

Jog to the start of Dalrunzion windblow-o course from last weekend.

Windblow o. The tapes were still out from last weekend. Fun. I was going really well and enjoying it, except for number 1. I just assumed that the veg I was seeing on the ground was not on the map. When (ages later) I realised the map was actually accurate, I saw my mistake and corrected. I wasted a fair bit looking for 9, coming to the conclusion that the tape wasn't there. I think I was in the right place, but it certainly didn't look like two thickets.

The end but went 10x better than last time I was here, mainly as the windblow was mapped better. Good bearings. Pleased.

Windblow is a real pain in the bum though, because it is not mapped, and totally obscures everything under it. You have to go miles offline to get around it, and it creates extra features (is that a rootstock or a dot knoll?).

Really struggling to stay on my feet. Couldn't work out what the problem was, until I realised that I was using full o socks that I hadn't chopped the foot off, and the o sock material doesn't grip my foot at all. Just like running on ice.

Hermitage training. Thanks Nick and Jase. The course was good, except for the steep slope on the north west side. North east bit was really nice indeed.

Anyway, I went out on Nick's and if was going well. It is SUCH a rough forest though! I got to the end of nick's course and started Jase's. I did my ankle going down the hill to 2 though. It was ok after a bit and I did a few more controls, but I wasn't really running well enough. You need to be agreessive in this terrain, and my ankle was too sore for me to run with the confidence needed, so I headed back to a track at halfway, and jogged back. Orienteering well. I couldn't decide if this forest is better for training or racing. Adrenaline would really help you get through the terrain, but if I am finding it v rough others would really hate it.

Jogging back

Sleeping tablets meant sleep at 9.

I try to be a good athlete, mother and employee, and failed at all 3 yesterday. Today I managed one out of 3. This is an improvement, but still feeling :-(

Jacked a session and walked back. I can't do it just now. Too stressed!!!! Moaning, bickering children. Sore foot. Tired, tired tired!!! :-((

Jog from work. Sore foot

Warm up / down

Sauchie middle training

My orienteering was as good as the map. My foot hurt too and that was stressing me out :-(

6 x 4 mins with 1 min rec. or it was going to be that. Rep 5 I only managed just over half a mile. It was a bit rough, and I was a bit tired from overcooking the early ones, but 4mins for 850m? That's shite.

Then I realised halfway through rep 6 that I had only done 3mins for rep 5. D'oh!

Felt physically good, but it was a bit more of a mental effort to get out there than usual. I don't think I am getting over tired (usually what drains my motivation) and the '5 weeks to go' is helping me out of the door.

C • Page 44 1

A trial jog. Felt ok. Dunsapie, then up to crow hill, down the front of the seat, sailsbury crags and on to Meadowbank to get the kids from a holiday club.

Followed the jog with a 2mile stop start effort getting the kids and their bikes home from Meadowbank. Lucy has no gears, so I was running while pushing her all the way from dumbiedykes.

Hip flexor was only slightly noticeable, but the top if foot pain is back. I think this will settle to nothing over the next few days. I have got some ibugel so hopefully that will help. 12 x 1k is the girls reps session tomorrow. I am thinking maybe not a good idea, but am unsure as to what to do instead. Dilemma. Back on the proper training plan by Wednesday hopefully.