Training Log Archive: philm64

Sleep, food, massage, sunbathe + Easter sunday coffee / papers, some stretching. Sulking slightly & determined to try to make amends tomorrow....

JK Day "2" (day 1 of the main races), Hambelden. Started very carefully. Ridiculously slow on splits compared to the others - what are they DOING? don't they fear blowing up? or cocking up? Small error in circle at no4, which annoyed me, & misread contours at no7-8. Hesitant on the faraway bingo control, but then was hell for leather as realised what a slowcoach I'd been up to then. Too late! & then I missed a depression high up in a re entrant - another 30 - 45 secs lost. After that I was thrashing myself, caught John Mason 10 mins near the end and tried hard on the run in. Stunned to find I was only 21st and Jan Olm & Alan Velecky were 10 mins ahead! Oh dear. James Logue's time of 51 mins for 10km/425 was just .... well, no point in comparing. My speed - 6:40 per km - is hardly dawdling, so I can only conclude that I am "off the pace" and need to re think my progress.

Run from Caravan park in Sicily along the coast in rain & wind. Felt really fit, despite the conditions. probably well over 8km. Legs strong!

TOtally knackered again at work, and right knee sore. Could have been worse tho.

Rodway Mangotsfield 6 miles "off road" race - billed as "A PLEASANT MULTI – TERRAIN RACE OVER 6 MILES ON TRAFFIC FREE TRACKS AND FIELDS" - so as it's been raining i assumed it would be muddy so wore my O shoes (mud claw). Oh - about 75% of the course was on tarmca cycle tracks. Pace at start very easy, was right at front, "jogging". Felt great but as the road sections continued (to my dismay) so I suffered. Lost contact at half way with the chasing group & the leading woman caught me - she clearly a good road runner. Then we hit mud but then i fell over heavily. This was pretty much the death knell, though once i'd recovered I caught the chasers again in more mud (I LIKE MUD!), and was in joint second with 2 miles to go. Sadly it was all uphill road running, and my Mud Claws were wrong for this, so i foldedl totally. 5th, 2nd Vet, winner 90seconds ahead. had to have first aid on gashed knee & shin after - totally caked in mud . never mind - won a £70 easy runner voucher -to go on a pair of suitable shoes.....?

BOK Saturday Leigh woods green course - as a warm up for tomorrw, took it very easy & just trundled / jogged around course. Nice. Concentration slipped near end & lost 30 secs due to not being fully awake, but otherwise, very pleasant and the fastest course I've done in Leigh woods - it kept away from the mud-slide slopes - excellent. Mark Burley was about 100seconds quiicker, but he lost 4 mins at the last control! Legs fine, everything felt great. Bring on the 6 mile off road race tomorrow....

usual gym weights session at lunchtime. plus cycle there & back. good.

band practice. no sport.

Undercover rock roped indoor climbing with Sam Bloor - enjoyable - led 2 6a+ routes, so quite pleasing but miles off last year's form. no biggie. then pub. beer & crisps. which is what its all about. felt good.

Back early from Cardiff, running before 5pm. Headed out with no real plan but wrapped up in 4 tops, hat & gloves, but immediately felt very fit & bouncy. Ran hard up hills to reach Redcatch park where i did a lap & a half on the hard grass, including a measured 100m at a fast pace in 21.5 seconds (slower than my half marathon pace from 1990!). Underterred I kept it going, lapping the Nothern Slopes, which was great on the grass, and only started to suffer after 25/26 mins. Tried to maintain some semblance of form in Victoria park at the end, but it was difficult; last minute was very slow on purpose - warm down. 44 mins.9.2 km 142m climb / 5.75 miles. A great training run. Have decided to do Rodway 6 mile XC race on Sunday now. I'm ready!

http://www.mapometer.com/running/route_2873045.htm...

Knackered . Course in Cardiff- early starts. Grim. Rest.

SARUM Saunter: South WEst middle distance champs, Fonthill near Warminster, went in Richard's car with Mark Burley & Mike Hallett. Entered Brown on the day, had a good start then a couple of wobbles, which I kept to a minimum, before really blasting the final third of the course. Knew I'd had a good run but only won M45 by 42 seconds, and an M21 (Andrew Llewelyn?) was 5 mins quicker!
Felt very fit, and when on form, was nailing controls bang on at top speed. However, I think the course was easy (21 controls,) and the area not challenging, but I don't care - it went well. 10 mins w/d right after finishinig as 34 mins is simply not long enough!
BOK cleaned up with many class wins. Mark won M21. Great day!

Tired. Massage + Liz, she concentrated less on calves & more on glutes & r upper thigh, wh ich seemed to help it. TOmorrow will be telling.....

Cycled to Gym at lunchtime & worked out on weights - first time for a while. Felt hard. Warmed up with 10 mins on silly cross trainer - not sure why I bothered. Probably cos feeling guilty about no running since tuesday, but my right upper leg still isn't "right".

Upper right leg out side still sore. Rest day, band rehearsal.

Pretty full on session at TCA with Sam, and Liz joined us- lots of purple blue & even some black problems. Rubbish compared to Liz & Sam, but impressed some "beginners" later on! LOL. No twinges tho right upper outside thigh still sore from last night's "steady" "recovery" run. Boring. Failed to avoid pub after & had 1.5 pints & some crisps with Sam. Rock n roll. But good...

"Steady" run around Vic park, two big laps, calves seemed OK, but some r shin pain near end, and wore new ROn Hills(God i'm so trendy), which were very tight, I was hot, and afterwards my right upper outer thigh hurt. oh well. so what? 31 minutes. 7½ min miles is about right? grass & hills.
http://www.mapometer.com/running/route_2846965.htm...

Monday, work, tired. Band practice (andy williams ) pm, two lagers, i always get free beer! Knackered.

Very cold - 0 degrees at Stock Hill. BOK ASO Blue course. Right calf sore but not "injured".

I usually do terribly at Stock HIll, as the dark low forest complex bit foils me, but this course didn't really make the most of the area. I was legging it around the course spiking most controls with relief more than anything.
Went off very fast and it was all clicking into place... until......
Lost 30 secs at no 4 due to being on wrong path (lucky escape there....) then after no 5 I mistakenly went round the outside of the forest into tussocky semi open - another minute lost. Got stuck in the dreadful tussocks on the moor (no 10), not happy, the map should say this was as bad a Slow Run - it didn't, another minute lost, and then about 90seconds at the marsh (no 12) as the lake had receded so the terrain didn't make sense & the control was "hidden" - why hide a control when the topography's changed?
Got stroppy & decided to really hammer it home - a quick glance showed the rest of the course should be simple, & by & large it was, so i really crucified myself over the last controls trying in vain to catch Matt Leathwood, but he was a marker so i spiked all the last controls. PLeased with splits over the last controls cos of this. Can't believe Adam's time, though Clive's was good too. 3rd place. 3 weekends - 3 good runs. Hello 2013!!!! :-)

C • Didn't make the most of the area... 4

Buggered! Rest.

Gym - 18mins on stair trainer/ascender, then 25-ish mins on ghastly cross trainer thing. Got very sweaty but heartrate stuck at about145. Not impressed. Bored. "cardio" workout. Legs felt a bit weird.

Bristol's climbing church - Under cover rock (UCR) indoor roped climbing + Sam - good. Not been for about 10 months? Enjoyable, did nothing hard, led some wild overhangs on jugs, had beer & crisps afterwards. What's not to like?