Training Log Archive: philm64

Back from Greece at 4am.

Awesome trip climbing following an awesome JK. Retirement seems to be the thing!

AP to be written up once i've vaguely got things back to normal here. Which could take a while.

Kalydna climbing - onsighted 6c last route of trip. Well i had to really.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=66876

Desperately "thin" moves, and others really struggled to follow my lead. delighted. cruxes probably UK 6a moves. moved up a gear here.

Mike Dawes, brother of Johnny, just made it after me, & said I had "fingers like talons of steel". I'll take it. That's what 3 months of training does for you, plus staying as thin as possible. nb this doesn't make me anything like the climber that Ueli steck was, or Ifor's brother is. I'm still a weak punter, and scared as shit.

lost bank card, and also mislaid house keys on long overnight trip home. pathetic. tried to sleep in car. til i remembered where i'd put them.

C • Well I laughed 3

Kalynmos: Crap climbing near Grande grotta, did 3 routes then bagged the day off.

did manage to flash the 6b "Carpe Diem", which pleased me, but otherwise, knackered.

Kalymnos: very good day - 6 routes - at ghost kitchen then Arginonta valley.

two 6b+ onsights and one hard 6b flash. plus a 3-star 6a+ I'd first done in 2008. Wonderful stuff.

Beer was drunk.

we started CLIMBING at 6:45 UK time! yep early one. - to avoid heat.

Kalymnos: fucking awful day, got taken by the big boys to Secret garden, which was very steep - I couldnt' cope at all, really died, fell off everything, and took a massive swing out from a desperate 7a I had no business being on

Weak, scared, and a failure. Embarassingly, Cathy the twice everest summitter was there too, tho she's shit at steep tufa climbing as well.

Hot and very hard attempt at running in Kalymnos. in hot weather gear. gave me the shits again like last time . dripping with sweat.

hilly, on roads/ tracks, and felt rubbish. Really rubbish - lost it?

Spent afternoon on Telendos having lunch then walking to a canyon with Cathy o-dowd, who has climbed everest twice. She's pretty fast at walking on rough stuff! no surprise there. South african, met her on Tinder.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathy_O%27Dowd

Took boat to Telendos & climbed just two long (40m) routes, both very good, then bagged day off as we were an odd number & had a nice alone walk back to port. including being on the beach.

probbaly a rest day then, despite 80m of climbing and a 5km walk over stony ground.

Climbing all day with Steve R. Gerakios. Very good day - including a 6b+ onsight that was nails. Given 6c in UKC. wow!
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=389736

6 routes.

Many beers sunk later.

CLimbing with Lynne. Arginonta valley - rained off in the end. but good.

Very hot horrendous "run" in Kalymnos - should have stayed on roads - could hardly move off them! (ie paths - very stony). km splits down to 12 minutes on the paths under crags.

knocked out a 4:01 & 4:08 consecutive Kms on return to road, out of sheer frustration - which gave me the shits, but that's the heat too. ouch!

https://www.strava.com/activities/964084343

Climbed all day at Poets with Shaunagh.

Did one 6b.

Kalymnos: climbed all day with Lynne, about 6 excellent routes up to 6b. wowsers.

Beer. yeah.

Morning near M25 with the Copeland sisters, and then travel to Kos, via Gatwick, and on boat to Kalymnos, got to my apartment at midnight, still buzzing from the JK.

Now to climb. Urm, how?

JK replay, pippingford park, leg 3, M120+ team.

silver like last year, but no Clive, who'd been "promoted" to a "more likely to win" M165+ team (but came 5th)

Geoff made an error on leg 1 and was well down (he was clearly shattered as well), but Ifor ran fine, and i took over with no pressure & just cruised round on easy ground for 2nd place. Didn't feel too tired & was able to run hard up the gradual hill at the end. Another team was about a minute down (the Swiss), but i wasn't feeling threatened. FVO mispunched on leg 1 - oopsey! (a bridge)

http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2017/JK2017/Da...

https://www.strava.com/activities/964084441

Amazing JK. my best ever. Dedicated to Pam Murray 1979 JK D43 champion at her 1st attempt, in gardening shoes.

JK Long, 9.9km, Holmbush

Very keen to get back up from 8th, and started late & keen with elites.

route choice error on no 3, whatever (silly going to path) - made up for this on no 9 by taking path again & winning leg! (in opposite direction)

1st big miss at 5, 2 mins! thought it was 1 minute, but the map made no sense here. Strava says i only missed it by metres. shit.

then missed no 10 - too sloppy, plus path mapping wasn't very good - unmarked bend! Flummoxed; another minute or so; could have been much worse tho! Then won no 11 & ran hard to changeover, where i had a drink, a jelly baby (the equivalent of doping for a diabetic)!, and poured water over my head. Picked up 2nd map. oh shit.

Somehow, didn't lose much time in first part, then on long leg, did OK, but not optimal route - then hell for leather to the end, brakes off.

to my surprise, Dave peel & Chas dropped out - injury & general mapping crap disgruntlement. Having stuck to the paths early on, I wasn't aware of poor mapping really, but no 10 & no 5 may point to this being possible.
Clive annihilated every1 again, we just have to take it! :)

result: http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2017/JK2017/Da...

Overall: http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2017/JK2017/Da...
Just over the moon to be 2nd overall - this wasn't expected - i was hoping for top 6, 6th last year, & felt top 3 could be possible. Still. Rob C wasn't at his best, sadly, and the SYO retirals meant i was let in really.

route: http://www.jk.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#69&course...

strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/964084465

JK Middle, Ambersham
Major bloating from a huge burger the night before that i only ate half of!

Ran fine apart from no 8 where I sadly drifted off my bearing and into an elite control: was properly flummoxed, didnt' save myself well, missed control again by a whisker, and lost well over 2 minutes. Like the JK sprint last year, I basically said "it's over!" but then got back on it & ran flat out. no more errors & some leg wins later. As usual.

no contactless meant another minute? even so, 4.5 mins down on Clive is pathetically bad. 8th place
SYO Dave & Chas also miles ahead. Oh dear.

https://www.strava.com/activities/964084398

result. http://www.sportident.co.uk/results/2017/JK2017/Da...

route: http://www.jk.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#67&course...

Travel to JK at Brunel University with Paul & Tommi, and watched & enjoyed the Sprint.

Sport climbing in Woodcroft quarry (english side of Wye river) with Steve & Mark the Pylon king, who was equipping routes.

Fun. Scary - new routes.
6a, 6a+ on top rope, 6b, 6b downgraded to 6a+, 6a/+, then nails 6b+ with hard crux - Steve gave it away & I flashed it!

Fun but cold & quite scary, with high stances on shitty crud. And no Clio, who let me down at the 11th hour. Boooooooo.

I am officially "sad". But in one piece for the JK and beyond.

C • Podium 3

1km Intervals with Ange in blustery conditions on Ashton court. recovery supposed to be 90 seconds but stretched to 2mins-ish later due to children etc. Slightly undulating. plus a U turn each time. which was a slow-down bummer.
Good to see Ange really put in the effort to keep each km sub-4 - wasn't easy. (for me either!!!!).

3:49 - too fast;
3:56
3:58
3:58
3:57

good session. plus 1.4km up , about 1km down.

Good fast session at sub 4 pace the whole way. as final sharpener for the JK.

eg. https://www.strava.com/activities/939010462

may go to yoga later. pre-JK easing RIGHT off now.

Went to yoga later. Was good. Well, yoga was, I was utterly shite.

Battered.

evening rock climbing in Avon gorge with Tim Tett (again) - went very well - faceBoasting pics there to see!

2 routes, one multi-pitch classic 4 pitch V Diff, and a short sharp polished VS 4c horror show, which Tim got up (pretty impressive) after I'd led it.

Event: Chiltern Challenge & SCOA Championships
 

TVOC Chiltern Challenge, Short Brown, 8.4km, 380m (!)

HOT HOT day. really tired from yesterday. Short brown - in the heat.

Binged on sugary tea (!)., an out of date energy gel, and banana before my run, as felt "empty". This worked. Just.

Found course quite easy, and am OK at Hambledon now. Sluggish on hills & in fields due to heat & tiredness. 25 degrees in the full sun? 2 small (30secs? mistakes - nothign major - another good run. 6 out of last 7 races have been good runs. Bummer about Bentley...

Put in a late surge as I'd decided I "had" to beat an hour - despite getting mild shivers, 1st sign of heat stroke. Faster than Clive over last 4 legs. Broke the hour; 5th on course, second M50, Richard Barrett 1 sec faster than Clive! 55:46

Pleased with that , but wrecked. Whatever. I'll take it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/935063739

SPLITS
http://tvoc.org.uk/application/documents/events/20...

C • First M50! 4

Sport climbing, south Wales, Tirpentwys, with Steve, Clio & Paula, Clio's friend who climbs (trad) apparently & is also a mountaineer.

6 routes, including 2 x 6b's,both of which I'd climbed before , but the 2nd (Lundy boys) not done since 2012 & Steve had to rest on it.....!

Sadly Paula lobbed off a 6a+ and landed on an iron spike - horrid; no idea why she fell so far :( she was hurt, but not too badly; she carried on climbing, but her head had "gone" and she couldn't lead again.

& she was the only one of us wearing a helmet! Yet she hit the iron spike heavily with her legs/hip. Grim.

VERY sunny - hot - caught the sun - felt cooked.

Note: guitar playing all evening at Keynsham, the keys player's Dad's 60th party. 2 pints; late night; nice night tho.

Soooooooo tired...... INSOMNIA!!!! :-(

Needed.

Hungover.
Little stoke - parkrun / flat course 5km road trial for friend no 1, Ange Copeland.

stuck to 4:10- 4:17 then she died a little for 4:23 and 21:16 for 5km

Good effort.
https://www.strava.com/activities/930513463

Coffee & muffins then.....

Sian James arrived, Ange did another one with us. Sergio turned up!

4:15 - 4:20s, then at 4km Sian (who'd swum 750m earlier), started dying but clung on to a great PB of 21:36.
https://www.strava.com/activities/930513461

More muffins, etc.

plus probably 3km w/u & w/d overall at chatty pace.

So i did 10km today in 42:52. Not too shabby & I feel fine. Hungover run off. -ish.

Sport climbing at Wyndciffe Quarry with some woman who's name I can't recall.

Went well - 5 routes, including onsighting a 6b with a decent crux.

Rushed back to osteopath. Shoulder getting there, he says. No longer "impinged". Great. No tears either.

Out late r- Banff film festival Clifton, with said climber person, 3.5 beers, BOK people there too, very fun late pissed-up evening :)

Nice steady run up cycle track & down thru Stockwood on verges , ruined by a double attack by a small squat dog in a field near Horseworld.

Ugly "puppy" pitbull look-a-like was on me, got my RH leg twice (two jumps); two scratches on inside of leg.

Gave the owner the full dress down. He tried to use the word "but". "But" i've never seen a runner here before, "but" he's only a puppy, "but" my Mam & I have been walking dogs here for fuckign years mate......

NO BUTS.

What has happened is completely unacceptable.

Don't argue with Phil when he's not happy, is all.

Run went well otherwise.

Yoga at Bob's Yoga

second time this year so far.

I was utterly appalling at it. As expected. Glad i went.

Seriously nails sport climbing at Brean Down, Burnham on Sea, with Clio.

Very steep fingery & technical climbing. I had a gold rush here in 2012 when taking the sport seriously. eventually climbing my only 7a (Chepito). repeating it 2 days later for the cameras. https://youtu.be/h_hJKcXqmfE

I managed to flash (ie. not rest or fall) off 4 hard routes from 6a+/6b to 6b+/6c. Absolutely delighted, despite shoulder pain.

Coral Sea 6c. Hardest route in years. Done twice before. 2010 & 2012.
https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/c.php?i=30212

Clio not so happy. She got the fear. And backed off. oh well. Shame....

Totally boxed when I finally got home. Needed alcohol to cope.

Note: knackered from gig yesterday all afternoon on feet - 3 sets, 35 songs played.
Barely able to watch TV later. Shattered!

NWO CHerhill, Blue, 6.1km 290m climb tho strava says i did 202m climb.

Day out with Liz.
told her i'd be back in 45 mins & beat that with sub-40.

Sunny; warm; 100% visibility. Wore varifocal glasses which were wonderful - stereo vision! Felt tired but must be getting fitter, as got into it very quickly & wasn't hanging around either.

On the occasions I started to flag I tried to get "angry" about not being in Belgium; not sure this worked. I didn't deserve to go, anyway. I'd have been a liability to England, and to Clive.

This area is too easy, & this course was easier than usual, i made one small miss(no 9) - 30secs - thru following a slow bloke who's accuracy wasn't quite good enough; thought the route choice 13-14 i may have flunked, but splits suggest otherwise as i won this leg.

Richard Hudson doesn't seem too far behind on easy O these days...... another BOK M50 contender?

http://www.northwilts.org.uk/results/170402Cherhil...

Strava https://www.strava.com/activities/925363083

Note: Easy country walk with Liz in & around Avebury (stone circles; ancient Silbury Hill etc) for a few hours .

Dead on my feet, but no worries! Lovely spring day.

Ice cream, too.

Ashton court parkrun - part of SRC (my club)'s championship series

Quite good; kind of where I am right now .

Nothing great. 49 seconds slower than pb (18:47 in 2014 & 2016)
3:18 final km then a "fast" finish, so i am trying hard here......

22nd. Rubbish. I was up with Simon Cardnell last year (36:44 10km). Yawn. http://www.parkrun.org.uk/ashton-court/results/lat...

only 8th on Age/grade - I've been 1st before :-\
544 runners! OMG. This is getting silly.

https://www.strava.com/activities/922933721