Training Log Archive: rickyp

Scottish 6 Days - Day 6 @ Affric North. Last day of the 6days but this is the day they decided it would be a classic long distance. Stupid idea if you ask me.

Knew it couldn't possibly go as bad as the day before and i had food with me this time and it seemed more runnable. Good first 3, slight miss on 4 being to low. This meant simon gardner to catch me up and after another miss on 6 with no good attackpoint he was level with me. stayed with him until the long leg to 9 but a poor routechoice on the tussocks ending up in bracken and a miss at the control i was a minute behind and never caught up. I was just intent in surviving but when a fast train caught me at 13 i hopped on board, actually leading them into 14 but lost them up the hill to 17. The excursions of the day before took its toll now and was cruising to the finish.

Over the last few legs there were many trains of people racing round quicker than me and with the W21E having a similar but different leg 22, this lost me time as i was on their train and lost contact with the map. I was just glad i finished but if i knew that i would have beaten andrew if i had spiked the controls in the forest at pace, i would have tried harder. Course length: 14.0km

Routegadget

S6D - Day 6 Glen Affric - C41 - Splits

Scottish 6 Days - Day 5 @ Affric South. I'm not going to lie i've been looking forward to writing up this day. After how well day 4 went, with another late start i thought it would track up and it would be easy.

First point i failed to recognise the feature of a different control and thought i had gone to far wasting 7 mins. Number 2 the vegetation mapping was horrendous making me think i had gone to far and point was hidden behind a tree = 10 min error. Number 3 looked easy in my mind but without proper attack point got lost instantly wasting 6 mins. 35 mins to find first 3 controls of a 10km course!

Wasted time at 7 expecting to see it from the path, at 9 as i didn't have an attackpoint just wandering in, at 10 coming out at the wrong clearing. At 19 i failed to find a route through the windblown and had to go out to the path and back in. 21 followed a track instead of my bearing. Same on 23. 26 again i was not a fan of the vegetation mapping and thought i was on the hill with a clearing next to the control when i wasn't wasting 9 mins. Plod to the finish.

Forgot to take food so i had absolutely no energy and was feeling almost as bad as i was at the JK. Over 40mins of mistakes. Probably my worst this year/long long time. Course length: 10.2km

Watch this Routegadget for amusement

S6D - Day 5 Glen Affric - C41 - Splits

Scottish 6 Days - Day 4 @ Darnaway West. After 6.5 hours of carparking i was dead on my feet even before i ran. Fortunately this was a very runnable area and didn't get too tired. First control was arguably the hardest so was hesitant from the off. After that it was technically much easier than the previous days due to the good path network and high runnability. One mistake at 5 not reading contours close enough and having to relocate of path close by. Time also wasted on 17 picking route which was mapped as white but slow due to windblown. Could have been quicker if i had more energy in my legs but overall LOVED THIS RUN. Even more so when i saw the forest demon walking out of the forest bored and retiring. Course length: 10.1km

Routegadget

S6D - Day 4 Darnaway - C41 - Splits

Scottish 6 Days - Day 3 MIddle Distance @ Darnaway East. Much more runnable and felt really fun when i was running fast and spiking controls. Unfortunately that didn't happen over the whole course. Didn't follow bearing on 2 and ended up in undergrowth too far North. Didn't have a plan an 6 so was very hesitant. Followed other runners on 8 instead of my own route. Hesitant on 8. 5 good controls in a row made me very confident and i was too busy planning ahead that i did a parallel error and ran down a path to early wasting over 4 mins on basically an orange leg. Annoyed i tried to make up time and consequently wasted time on 19 with a poor bearing. Course length: 6.3km

Routegadget

S6D - Day 3 Darnaway - C41 - Splits

Scottish 6 Days - Day 2 @ Strathfarrar. Not felling as bad as yesterday. Got put off by the elephant tracks from the start and soon had lost contact with the map. headed uphill which was safer and eventually found 1 but wasted 5 mins. SHOULD HAVE HAD A PLAN! Good next 4. Long leg to 6 there was no choice but to follow tracks to open higher ground.. Didn't have the strength to stay with sasha when he flew past or on the uphills. Steady round the rest except for a 18 which i missed and relocated off 19 nearby. Course length: 8.2km.

Routegadget

S6D - Day 2 Strathfarrar - C41 - Splits

Scottish 6 Days - Day 1 @ Achagour.
Had caught the illness going round a few days earlier and hand't had recovered. Fairly clean start losing time just being hesitant before the first road crossing. This must have made me overconfident as i lost more time on the next 3 controls in a row. Wan't a fan of the change of terrain to small windy paths and immediately lost contact with the map and lost 2:30 on 17 having to relocate of a main track. On the way to 18 i caught up another lad which ruined the rest of my race as i wasn't following my bearings on 19/21/22/23. Had no energy being ill and bonged on the long leg back resulting in walk/jog. The only thing on my mind was now will i finish before 4:00 when i though the courses closed and without any more major mistakes (i was going slower) i got in with 10 to spare. Course length: 10.6km

Routegadget

S6D - Day 1 Achagour - C41 - Splits

Easy run with Mark and Will before travelling up to the Scottish

Event: WOC 2015 & Scottish 6 days