Training Log Archive: Psuba

Poole Town Race, Wessex Night League.

I wasn't sure if I was going to go out and once I did, I wasn't sure how long I would run. I went out anyway just to see how my injured toe would react, very carefully. I had my walking trainers on which are 1/2 size larger than all my running shoes to give some room for my feet (all of my running shoes were pressing slightly on my swollen toe once I put them on and were painful). I didn't warm up and expected to start slowly and turn back at any point, or come back halfway if things got uncomfortable.

All of this meant I wasn't expecting anything other than some feedback on my feet today, this wasn't a competitive run as far as I a concerned.

I started slow as planned, then after my feet felt OK with the easy pace and my adjusted running style (heel strike and longer paces instead of the one I started to adopt over the last 10 months to move to front foot strike and more rapid pace, which obviously would put more strain on my toes), after about 7-8 minutes I was brave enough to up the pace a little bit, to about 80% effort (still being careful with turns etc that would stress the feet).

Technically speaking, I finally had a good strategy for the score (not sure if this was because of the slower pace allowing me more time to think or just so happens that I am starting to know the area now), and only really had one mistake with some confusion costing me about a minute. Of course, I wasn't anywhere near the pace I would expect without an injury.

Overall with all the precautions my toe lasted the course, which is encouraging but I won't be looking for any tricky ground (like a proper terrain for Orienteering) for a while to allow it to heal.

Ah - finished 4th but of course that means nothing in the context of the injury.

C • Around for the Romsey one? ... 3

Travel + trying to rest my foot to help heal the toe injury! Only half size larger shoes for now :(

Control Picking in BUEK Cup.

Mass start:


-5C deg, so bloody freezeing to start with. This means my eyes are watering and I did not have a very good start, difficult to see - and I duly kicked something while in full flight to control 1 and I actually took flight only to land flat on the ground. I have destroyed my right big toe, AGAIN, 3rd time in 3 years, just when it has healed. Based on experience this will AGAIN mean a few months of recovery, just what I needed in an Marathon prep period :( Socks fully bloody and I limped all the way through from then on, no chance of being competitive. Not that I would have been otherwise, considering that we had some of the cream of the Hungarian O-team, but I could have competed for the M40+ honours.



That said, I am not sure my strategy was right, as usual with a score type event, although this was more control picking with a twist, a new format for me so taken my time during the run to plan this out. The idea is that you are not allowed to pick two controls after each other if they are connected on the map with each other. You would have to pick another control in between. And I almost managed a decent strategy until I messed up completely when I mistakenly thought I already punched No.55 on the way out, when I planned to do it on the way back. I duly left it, even though it only would have added maybe 30sec to my time as it was almost on my route back anyway. So that will surely mean dropping back in any case.

And.. that said, I had some other setbacks - navigational errors that I could truly not be blaming on stupidity, simply my navigational capability:
- 31 to 40 running on rough bearing then on the path and did not take enough time to be in control, so overran the control and had to double back, lost probably 45s
- 34-52 was overly cautious running on the path too much (although in control all the way)
- 45-50 decided to not run around as the path was overgrown but go across the green on compass bearing, then was lured off course towards the end by something white that I thought was the flag - it wasn't but I had to go back, so another maybe 1m. Also I suspect I was too slow through the green, but that didn't count any more given my toe troubles.
- 51-47 wasn't straight enough so took some extra distance although corrected in time
- 48-49 I knew I should have run up to the railway track and run there but decided I wanted to check I had all the right controls before heading back so took the path down to do that (in vain...) before heading back up to the green to contour around to 49. This took far too long and should have done what I planned initially. Probably lost about 1m there too
-49-42 (yeah, it should have been 49-55-42, but here was my stupidity thinking I already punched 55 on the way out), I changed my mind and switched from the trail to the railway track as it was near instead of running all the way to the bench and crossing the railway line there. Bad decision, the edge of the railway line offered much slower running in the condition of my feet, so lost probably at least 30 sec if not more

Then into the finish...

Just to see if there was something worthwhile buying in the Adidas outlet year end sale. There wasn't.

The usual "Preszilvesztralis Fibrinogen Borgony" with friends.

Part 2 - down

Warm up to Gellert-hill

O-Intervals training on Gellert Hill.

Took the opportunity of some sunny (albeit windy) weather and +8C to run the training session I missed last Thursday, using those interval maps. In effect it consisted of 8 intervals of about 5-6 "controls" each. As there was no instruction on the break between intervals I just took this on feeling.

Wasn't fully geared up for this as I have no suitable shoe in Hungary for this: I have an agressive O-shoe but that is with spikes and Gellert Hill has a lot of concrete so this would not have been appropriate. However the trail shoe I have and used is not aggressive enough in treads in a lot of the hillside to give me the traction I would have needed. Well - I managed for a training session anyway. I also did not take a compass which caused me a few directional errors losing time where I should not have, I purely orientated myself on the features, but Gellert hill (and its map) is very detailed so a few smaller mistakes (i.e. which is the tree I should aim for) were creeping in. Also felt my thighs quite a bit especially towards the end - not as fast on the inclines as I suspect my clubmates were when they did it last week!

A good enjoyable session though, definitely felt like I was orienteering and not just running around in a park.

With one interval lap on the Czako athletics track thrown in just for fun.