Training Log Archive: BrandNewMe

A stagger up hill from James's, with Jase and Chris Poole. I think 3 miles is generous, but I am garmin free so FK. We were all suffering with the same impairments (a mixture of age/alcohol/injury/fatness/lack of fitness). This was muddy. The sort of mud that only happens in Yorkshire.

Run from James's. Muddy. Last of 2016, which has been a crap year for running (endless injuries) but a good one from other perspectives (new job, fun holidays etc etc).

Run to the start / back from the finish.

belgian 5 day 5

Cold and crisp today. Nice. This was my best run of the week probably, dropping time on a 'significant' tree (significant in who's eyes exactly???) and changing my mind on a route choice that involved nipping through a field, when I spotted the large bull that occupied it. There was an extremely detailed area of the map (contours, small paths, lots of vegetation) and it was near impossible to read. I got to the finish, and was having a look of the overall course on the jog back, when I clocked an extract of the detailed area had been blown right up and added to the side of the ma. Shame they hadn't told us about it - I immediately realised that i had not gone to number 12, and thus was disqualified from the week.

Jog to the start with Lozza, and back on my own, as he finished well before me.

Belgian 5 Day 4

Middle race. But it was 6.1k so not much shorter than the usual 7 k, and the forest was hardly super fast. Quite a few brambles and lots of slippy logs. I decided I wold only bring my x-talons on holiday this year, and I have learnt an important lesson. X-talons are shit in forests. I ditched 2 mins+ on one control by being sloppy, and the lead. I didn't feel the love for this control-picky course, but lozzx's was much better today, and Graeme flew round today in a v impressive fashion, so other members of EBT had a good day.

Except Jane, who had the emit fail today.

Getting tired this week now. Still enough energy for crazy golf and lots of water slides after.

Run 1 mile to start, feeling tired, started the course, made a hash of number 1, slippy forest, no dobbs on, not feeling the love, so jacked at number 8 (3k in), ran 1 mile back, picked up Laurence, ran back to the start, saw him off, took a peek at the map - jeez, even more impossible than the day before - and oh dear, he had the same number 1 as me (yup, you read that right. M10 and D21E have the SAME number 1), and he did the same 90degree error from the start that I did.

I went to go and find him, sort him (and the other kids all equally perplexed) out and shadow him round, jog back with him. Gawd, I am exhausted!

note to planner - if M10 and D21E have the same number 1, something is badly wrong with your planning. Sort it out!

Graeme had the emit fail today.

Belgium day 2

Everything in my body hurts. It hurts so much I woke at 5, and couldn't stop aching. I walked 5 mins to buy breakfast this morning though, and things eased slightly. No warm up run as the start was very close. It was an area of sandy intricate bits interspersed with some long dead running bits. The middle section had about 3.5of dead running with only 3 controls. I don't think that played to my strengths (or weaknesses, I.e. Lack of fitness). I made a few wobbles, 2 buy being flippant, and 1 by not knowing what a black cross on the map was supposed to be, so I couldn't find the control I had that was on one (a rootstock). Minor wobbles. I lost a lot on lack of fitness, and the way that my whole body is hurting, I can't see myself being able to pull together a training program anytime soon. But day 4 of 7 days of races is over, and I think I might get to the end of it. I think Johnny-foreign-lady did 43-ish.

Laurence finished today! Yay! Very proud. Tricky tricky courses. I was chatting to Sofie Hennuix after and she said she was pulling together a petition saying kids courses should be easier in Belgium. At least the british courses are a breeze in comparison.

To the start, then back from the finish.


Then after the race, pick up Laurence and take him to the start, jog to the finish then pick him up from there. That was the plan, but Lucy refused to wait at the indoor cafe / event centre to wait for Ray by herself, so all of the above was done with Lucy. I think she secretly enjoyed the jogging, but she is not going to admit to it. The Lucy running pace is not included in the stats, cause it was so slow. I got really quite cold. Laurence jacked. The course was v tricky, and the maps limitations were obvious even to him which he found unnerving. And a few summers spent with Peter Murphy makes him think jacking is the norm if you get a little weary midway through.

Belgian 5 day - day 1

Much fun, but a weary claire. It would have been more fun if I was vaguely fit, but sadly my 2 parkrun training plan has not yet yield results. Adapted a brand new personal legend on the way round. In some countries, veg boundaries can mean nothing, but you can still stick controls on them. This made for lots of fun bramble-wandering for all members of "Edinburgh Better Together". I suffered less than most, and was 2nd in time to random-Jonny-foreign-lady, but my (hired) emit card sadly passed away on the way around, and they are still hunting around for a time for me.

You don't go to Belgium for the orienteering, and I am happily with-beer now, as Ray takes the kids swimming. Ahhhh, that's better!