Training Log Archive: BrandNewMe

Orienteering. Exciting. The course Jase sent me. It was quite a run in. I had a 1:25 os map and had worked out that I needed to run up the rob Roy way for a few miles, and take a right up a path for a few hundred metres and then I was on the o map. Easy, so I left the is map behind. Except I wasn't certain I had taken the right path cause nothing seemed to fit, so I came out to the rob roy way again, but was a bit stuck for ideas. But I didn't have any particular time constraints for once so I went on for a bit and took a track on the right. I ran on for a fair bit, thinking I might magically see what would happen. And hey ho I relocated on a track near number 8. Nice!

C • Dozer 2

So after the faff getting there, I wasn't going to trek over to the start, esp as kim has said 60mins running. So I did 7-12 then 1-5-finish. It's rare that Scotland throws up any surprises, but this area was really quite special. Very tough indeed, but beautiful and untouched. I nearly drowned in a marsh at one point, and at 12 skinned the scabs off my knees so the next loop was v sore indeed - every step knocking knees into bracken.

Very nice orienteering though. I am so glad that I persevered and ran it. Some turning fails, but bearings were good. When the veg, esp bracken is so high you need to have confidence in bearings. Crags are tricky from above in this stuff too - covered with bracken and heather.

C • I might digitise the map an... 3

Running out from the finish. I headed south as I wanted to see if I had been close to the start when I was looking for it originally. I had been on the map!!! I turned around about 150m south of the start, on the green hill. Except pretty much everything, including the fences, had changed.

No pain though - apart from the scabby knees. Happy days!

Lovely run on Arthur's Seat, trying to make it nice and hilly.

Pollock over the crags and down to Haggis Knowe, up to Whinny hill, Crow Hill, Nether Hill, the top, Dunsapie, back up Whinny, and down to the bog and up the crags again. Lovely. Blissful Pain-free. Feeling strong. Nice.

C • Great stuff 5

Rest day. Excess energy, but using it up by tidying the house.

Into the wind, on Fran's bike. Fran's bike has a pannier rack - what luxury - and a very impressive bell. Bigger than my fist, red with white polka dots, and makes a two tone chime that makes me suspect that inside there is a mouse with a xylophone.

C • happy pills.... 1

I was going pretty quickly, but was having calf problems. Tight soleus / top of Achilles ache. This was probably just a knock on from the other problems, and fast on road doesn't mean fast in the forest is bad. Had to jog, then stop early on this 30min run. I could do without an inflamed Achilles.

Cycle home via dalmeny. Fran's bike is good, but it is not the same as mine, and as Janine says, I am not sure it is wise to try long rides on a new bike so close to woc. This made my back ache a little. Got home to find a message from the bike shop saying they need to order in the bits to fix my bike as they don't stick the hangar and it is hard to find, so I won't get my bike back for a week at least. So I was in a bit of a huff - rather ironic following Toni's comment.

I'm feeling a bit underprepared for woc too. I've not been thinking about it on purpose as I thought I wouldn't be running, but now I am, I to get some time to think things through.

Bit of a sleep fail last night.

I was proper nervous before this. 45mins of hilly, muddy running (braids and blackford). How would it cope? I didn't even feel it at all. Really pleased - but not counting my chickens. Celebrating by worshipping in the cloisters with hbt.

Got a bike from Fran, and maybe I'll get mine fixed by Sunday. £200 minimum. Whoops!

Cycled to work, more gingerly than normal.

Run from work onto the canal for a bit then to decathlon to buy a new bike light. The calf problem was only slightly noticeable. My scabby knee was stinging instead. It is a shorter run today as I am going a bit further tomorrow. I am pleased with the progress over the past few days. Fingers crossed it continues. Hopefully trying some orienteering at the weekend.

From work ratho, dalmeny, crammond, then along the front to Joppa and home via the innocent railway. Just going up the last bit, tired, looking forward to dinner, when the bike broke. Really broke. The s-shaped bit at the back lodged itself into the spokes. This has happened before, also the day after a crash, so I think I must have cracked a part. It wouldn't move - I couldn't wrench it out - so I had to carry the bike for the last mile home.

Really tired now. Looking forward to grabbing some dinner before driving down to massage Bob's. But Ray wasn't in, so no dinner, and even worse he had taken the van. So grab some chocolate, and grab Ray's dad's mountain bike (a real machine of torture) from the garage, and cycle down to bob's, get a massage and cycle home.

I think I'll just drive everywhere tomorrow!

If anyone knows if anyone in Edinburgh with a (preferably) hybrid bike for someone fairly short that I can borrow until woc, please let me know.

C • Get it booked in 8

Feeling ok this morning. I did some foam rollering last night. Well not really rollering, just resting the sore bits on the foam roller and leaving them there until the pain subsided. I think this might be good for it. I seem to have spent the last week eating toast and cake, so this week the aim is to eat nutrients instead. And to keep improving the crockedness. If I can keep this pace of improvement up I can see myself doing woc. That's a big 'if' though, and I would like to get in a forest soon.

Nice morning for a cycle.

Came off my bike! Ow ow ow!

It was wet, so I abandoned my planned trip, as I have lots I want to be getting on with at home. Bell don't work great in the wet. Under a bridge on the canal, a pensioner was gunning it the other way, we both hit the breaks, we both come off. She was undamaged, I came away with a v bloody knee, a bruised cheek bone and a broken back light. I don't know how I hit my cheek, or broke my light. Anyway, neither us nor our bikes ended up in the canal so that was quite impressive. I will wait until tonight to see whether the damage is superficial (I think it is) before deciding on running today. And I am not getting much done now, as I am still shaking, so it is an afternoon lying on the sofa with hot sweet tea for me.

One if the jobs for the afternoon is to upload a photo for my woc ID card. So I might have to have a pic of me looking like I have just been punched.

C • bruised face 3

Up to the meadows and round, inc full lap of the links. Calf ok. Slight awareness. Hilly and muddy so pleased it was ok. Kim said that I should take a map on these runs so I am distracted from thinking about calf pain. No need today. The will-my-knee-dressing-fall-off-or-not debate was distraction enough. The knee seems to be fine though, just bloody.