Training Log Archive: RHF

New Forest with Nick, Whitley Woods to Bank to Bank again

Farley Mount and Kings Somborne with Nicole
Tried out the new temporary cycle lane on Hill Lane (painted solid line, parking for parkrun when restarted will be difficult!) and the temporary barriers on the Avenue. Then looping up through Knightwood to Hursley. Feeling okay and moving quicker up the hills than Nicole. She was flagging post sessions. Over Farley Mount was roughly okay, the road does go on and then has a solid continous gradient. More hilly than I remember after the top. Lots of cyclists out and about, got overtaken by a few! Quick stop in Braishfield, was starting to feel a bit stiff and achey by this point. Not done many long rides for a while but don't think I was struggling as much as I did the early ones in April. Ordered myself a couple of bottle cages yesterday.

Bagging my local trig pillar behind the old OSHQ
Not the greatest views from this one! Not much line of sight... I would have liked to have seen this place 10+ years ago. Felt a bit better today, moving a bit quicker than other times recently. Still a bit tired!

For the map geeks, more info here: http://trigpointing.uk/trig/303 Interesting to compare the pics and the comments! From 2007: "On a business visit to the OS, and treated to a tour of the site, including the trig. Whizzy photogrammetry, but most impressed by the map folding machines!" In a normal world, you could visit me and learn about the even more whizzy photogrammetry!

Sports Centre Maprun with Nicole, Rach and Dean
Quick lesson then they did the Score and I had a run round the light green. Moving okay, a bit tentative down some of the steep slopes in road shoes. Made one mistake in the woods, took the straight line then bailed to the path too early. Then a little jog round to find the others. They all seemed to enjoy it :) we'll give Lakeside a go when that is ready.

Lordswood and Greenways
Took a good suggestion to walk down to the Greenways, meaning the whole run was basically in the shade and on nice trails It was still pretty warm in the shade and I was pretty hot. Nice loop and actually felt fairly good running (first time in a while!) Saw a fire engine at the entrance to the woods, which is a bit concerning. So many people having BBQs and fires in areas when it is so hot and everything is so dry.

Garden stretching
Had planned a ride but work up feeling shattered and wanted to be able to walk this afternoon.

Greenways loop through the Cemetery and little Tescos
Didn't feel amazing, nothing much to report.

Garden stretching

Greenways loop
Post stretching in the garden. This felt like a struggle. Legs felt tired and I didn't have much power on any hills. Took a small walk after the hill up to the hospital. Do like the Greenways, some bits of it could do with the vegetation cutting back at the moment!

Cycle into the Forest
Didn't want it to be too long so planned a sub 50km route. Wanted to take in one of my favourite descents of lockdown and tried a new road out of Totton linking to Cadnam. Had been a bit worried that the roads would be super busy but they weren't too bad. Think I should try and get out a little earlier now people have some freedom to drive. Alright road to Cadnam then under the motorway and through the Forest. Flagging a bit in the last third and especially up Ryedown hill. The descent I had been looking forward to down Ridge Lane from the Ower dual carriageway was horrendous. It had recently been resurfaced with gravel and it was awful. The bike kept on bouncing on bits of gravel and other section I felt like I had no control and was going to fly off. I won't be using that road again.

Post work Greenways with Nicole plus cemetery
One of the first days for a long time that I have just felt like I wanted to go for a run, so I did! Taking it pretty steady and did the loop over the top past the hospital. Didn't feel great but I got out.

Sports Centre MapRun Score
While Dave did the Light Green, quite good to see him a couple of times (sometimes heading the opposite direction!) Felt very unfit to first few controls. Small mistake to the depression in the grotty wood (my main focus was getting into the block of wood and was too far right and high). In general all of the controls in the woods took a lot of time to record, walked around the control and got the phone out (disrupts your flow a bit!) Good to see Dave for a bit and then do a cool down lap together.

Evening jog through Upper Shirley then back via the Greenways
Had planned on going via the Common but thought I'd keep it shorter and easier. Quite warm and explored a new road

Bramshaw Wood with Nick and Matt
Matt was down visiting so joined up for a run. Dropped Nicole out and she ran back home. Some minor excitement as we found a lost car key and tried to find the owners. Then settled into an explore of Bramshaw woods and the plain above. Felt fairly good but a bit flagging the last 5 mins or so especially going uphill.

Test Way leg 5 - Ashamsworth to Linkenholt to pick up the last leg to Combe Gibbet then along the ridge back

Manor Farm CP explore with Marko

Forest run with Nick
Only the second time out to the Forest and my first run with someone else. Went to a new area, hadn't looked at the map and we just ran round. Very dry but unsure if road shoes were the best choice. A few sections were really good, a few sections with a bit too much green and bracken. Some nice trails

As a "Lockdown" indoor task, I went through all of my O maps and indexed them. A job I have been meaning to do for a while! Since taking up the sport in 2012, I have done 239 events (totally 243hours). My best year was 2015 with 48 events. I thought it would be fun to write about some of my map highlights.

First area - Blidworth Woods Jan 2012
Had done a few training sessions on the university campus with NOC before heading to my first event. Ran an orange course and got the piss taken by my housemates for running against 12 year old girls. I finished first and must have enjoyed it as my second event was 3 weeks later and a light green.

Toughest area - High Dam 2017
Physically and mentally these South Lakeland areas are hard work (also Bigland from the JK 2015). I hadn't orienteered as much building up to this, mainly was running around then. Nothing though can prepare you for the steep rocky slopes. I was 35th in 2hrs55mins which is the longest I have been out on an orienteering course. I was cramping up after the spectator control (where a lot of other people retired). One of those courses and areas that you are just happy to get round!

Most unique - National Library of Latvia 2018
Part of the spectator races of the 2018 World O Champs in Latvia. That morning had run a long distance on sand dunes and then we headed to the impressive National Library for the unofficial indoor world champs. You were meant to do 2 sprint courses but the one course took me over 90 mins! The course took you up to the 10th floor and back down many times just to change one floors. I was shattered and I have never spent so looking stood still looking at a map thinking: what on earth is going on? It was ridiculous

Worst area/I won't run on again - Ringwood Forest North and Sidbury Hill
A tie for these two areas, both I have run on a couple of times and are relatively local. The key complaints being: the map not reflecting reality, the undergrowth and runnability off path before horrendous, the planning often being poor. I would happily never run on them again, but likely will...

Area I'd most like to run on again - Glen Affric 2015
Another WOC spectator race, this time from 2015. The final day on Glen Affric was tough and I twisted my ankle on trod and had to retire. The map looks great and I would really love to get back to the wild landscape of Scotland (spent a lot of Lockdown dreaming of exploring wild places). I believe most of the forest has been felled so it can't be used again... I would love to go back when fit and do this kind of area justice

Best performance - Portugal O Meeting 2019
One of a few international international events that I have run. Portugal O Meeting day 3 on some really runnable sand dune forests. I had gone out with friends and had a poor first few days. I got a bit frustrated at being beaten and not doing as well as I want. It came together on this day and I think this is one of my best technical performances. The straight red lines may be a bit of an exaggeration but it was good!


Best experience - Jukola 2014
Just an incredible experience in Finland. Own of the world's biggest orienteering events and a privilege to run it. The sheer numbers were amazing (1700 teams of 7 people + women's relay + spectators). Spectating the start as light fell and the thousands of head torches ran into the woods. The "mini" mass start for my leg was bonkers with a 1000 people heading into the forest.

Best result - British Sprints Champs 2018 Bath University
Finished 7th in the B final so 25th overall on Men Elite. I had thought a lot about tactics for this race. My goal was to get through the heat into the B final while saving me legs for the final. I spent a fair bit of time understanding the map especially how the under passage worked in the centre of the map. Both tactics paid off and I was really happy with my result.

Biggest mistake - Holme Pierrepoint 2012
One of my earlier runs and my worst ever mistake (control 8 to 9, +12 mins). I got confused by the mapping (maybe colourblindness?) and thought I was looking for a control in the woods. I even used the actual control as an attackpoint (didn't check the code). Silly

Most run area - Kings Garn Gutter
One of SOC's top areas and one I have run on quite a few times (plus training runs and cross country races). Quite varied with forest rides and plantation at the top and a mixed open area at the bottom. Home of the infamous dodgey car park on a Saturday night. Other contenders for this would be Fritham, all good and I like how in places the plain feels quite remote. It has a small bermuda triangle that I always struggle in!

Most recent area - High Rigg, Lake District March 2020
Pre lockdown! What now seems an age ago, I headed up to the Lakes with my Dad a week before lockdown. Most of the trip was spent hill walking in not the best conditions. I had spotted that was an event on High Rigg and thought it worth a go. Dad ran the orange and I ran round the brown. The area was great, really enjoy these areas. A small miss to number 1 then settled into it. That was 3 months ago and I have not picked up my compass since! Done a lot of online and virtual orienteering!

Test Way 4: Linkenholt to Middleton
22.83km 5hrs40mins total

Basically completely new area. Down some big tracks between fields for the first bit towards Hurstborne Tarrent. Went slightly the wrong way at one point as we followed the hours (I thought it seemed odd, then went back to OS Maps app nav for ease). After that we decided to walk through the villages, as in places it skirted behind the houses. Got a little cold and damp so sheltered in the entranceway of a church. Lovely single track through the woods then back down to St Mary Bourne. Nicole got a tea and we sheltered where youths usually would by a park.

Then back to some more big tracks that went on for ages. Nicole flagging a bit but I didn't feel too bad. Last section through some woods and fields with a lovely strip of wild flowers along the edge.

Test Way 3: Middleton to Horsebridge
21.44km 5hrs40min elapsed

The start of new areas to explore. A big private woodland with some very large barn buildings then across some fields behind Wherwell. Chilbolton Common and West Down were nice.

Got confused on the railway section to Stockbridge, thought it was going on for ages and that we would hit the Mayfly pub at some point. Then we popped out at the end! Turns out the pub was basically at the very start of the old railway (it had been a bit disorientating how we got onto it).

The railway path was a bit dull in places, felt like a big green tunnel. Shame it didn't open out the views more. Highlight of the day was some chocolate Guinness cake from the Italian in restaurant. Yum, never been disappointed by a Guinness cake