Training Log Archive: gg

Warm up, and then escaping down to the arena

JK Long Kilnsey. Had 20-25 minutes of a pleasant run (decent start, leading from the 3rd control). On my way up to 6 I could see that I was catching Doug pretty quickly. After crossing the last wall before 6, it started raining. Then it started hailing. Then it started hailing so hard it hurt. I put my gloves on, ran another 30s with my map over my face, then I stopped to put my jacket on. My hands were already so cold I struggled with the zip and it took me a good 20s+ to get sorted out. Felt like it had dropped about 10 degrees almost instantly. I carried on up the hill to 6, but I couldn't look up due to the wind and hail directly into my face. Had to keep my hood held over my eyes so I could keep going. Luckily 6 was by some big stones so I just ran to them. 7 was even worse - couldn't look up so just ran on compass until the ground changed from grass to rock, passed the rock and then looked backwards! It was a bit better to 8 as I wasn't running directly into the wind/hail, but as soon as I got onto the top approaching the control it was a complete white-out. Found the control more by luck than anything. By this point I was also getting very cold very rapidly (especially my hands) - I couldn't find the controls and keep moving fast enough to keep warm - maybe one or the other but not both. There was also getting on for an inch of snow/hail on the ground in places, making the limestone (or even spotting it!) more and more treacherous. I took a look at the course and realised I had at least 2km running uphill away from the arena into the wind and even more exposed areas to go before heading back to lower ground (and at least 60-70 minutes running left - likely a lot more given the conditions!), and I made the decision to call it a day and head back down the track.
Found out that Doug had quit 5 minutes before me, and that a fair few other people had too. Tales of hypothermic elite runners made me feel I had made the correct decision - although I am gutted to not have had the chance to race and challenge for the overall victory.
Took a long time to stop shivering and get warm.

I feel sorry for the organisers who put in so much effort, but from my (albeit retrospective) perspective it does seem that to hold a JK at the earliest possible Easter on an open, exposed hillside with a lot of limestone like Kilnsey could be regarded as a bit of a risk. On my way to number 1 I encountered Kris Jones hobbling off the hill with an ankle injury from the limestone. If that had happened to a runner at the highest point of the course during the stormy weather, it could have been really serious.

C • tough decision 32

Morning jog round Conyngham.

JK middle distance. Wass. Loved it. Quite straightforward in the first half, high speed orienteering, then pretty intense second half with full concentration and changes in direction, terrain and speed. Only lost concentration once - lost 15s (?) on the TD3 leg in the open bit! Decent run and win by 90s.

Morning jog round Conyngham Hall. Found an old orienteering map in the bushes!

JK Sprint at Leeds Uni. First sprint race since last JK. Decent run, loved the area. Good course, got caught out twice (10s each), plus a few sub-optimal route choices. 5th behind some good sprinters. Happy with that.

Easy trot with F on arrival in Knaresborough after the journey up/down

Brunel

Easy run around Horsell Common, McLaren and Fairoaks

Brunel University (JK 2017). Usual awesome British sprint campus.

Easy run around Horsell Common

Long day at Olympic Park and Hackney Wick. Almost in shape for British Sprints now. Somebody gave the whole park a hair cut since I was last there - feels completely different with winter vegetation and all the bushes chopped down!
Hackney Wick is absolutely awesome - small but perfectly formed for sprint racing.

Bitch of a commute there from Woking though.

C • British Sprints 2