Training Log Archive: Ollie

Event: Long Valley North
 

Long Valley North regional event - a worthy ex-JK area. Ran M21L. Wet underfoot and started to rain shortly after I started, getting stronger and stronger towards the end. I was soon soaked through and didn't really mind. I did make a number of bad mistakes though, which pushed what would have been a respectable time (1h 30) to a poor time (1h 40), moving most of the way down the results list in doing so. I finished 14th out of 20 runners in the end (results). Oh well, it was a good training run.

The first leg was one of the longest I've done - 1600m. The terrain looked very familiar - I recognised it straightaway as the opening scenes to the James Bond film Die Another Day - the wide open tracks stood in for the North Korean landscape in the hovercraft chase scene. No hovercrafts or experimental British Army vehicles out today, just some bikers and very soaked runners.

This is almost certainly the flattest M21L course I've ever done, but also one of the more physical ones - the rain definitely made it harder.

Biking from home to Waterloo, then from Aldershot station to Long Valley North - got very lost on the way as did a 180-degreer on leaving the station and went hurtling down a hill - very embarrassing. Then later back the correct way to Aldershot and then back home, slowly, from Waterloo.

A relaxing bike ride with Anna on a sunny and warm (for October) day. After getting the train to Enfield Lock, we followed the Lea Valley Navigation and National Cycle Route 1 north, going through Enfield Island Village, Gunpowder Park, Waltham Cross, Broxbourne and up past the various nature reserves, water channels, locks and marinas that make up the upper Lea Valley. We finished at Ware, arriving as a train pulled in to take use back to Liverpool Street.

Got handed a freebie bum bag by the police at Bank, they were doing a Road Safety campaign. I wasn't carrying a bag so ended up holding it for the remainder of the journey - probably making my journey a bit less safe! But still nice to get a freebie that is very useful for me.