Training Log Archive: schnitzer

Ringstead - East Lulworth Cove - Ringstead (Dorset Coastal Path). Easy jog over the cliffs looking out to a calm sea in brilliant sunshine. Happy days. Felt a bit rickety towards the end. Ankle very tired.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/weymout...

Canford Heath. Back at proper home for a few days. Usual hill rep route (odd splits have 20m more climb) - felt fresh and very strong. Looking back thru my stats it would seem today's times are awesome...

07/09/07:
1) 17:45
2) 17:02
3) 17:35

04/01/08:
1) 15:51
2) 17:07

19/01/09:
1) 17:05
2) 17:00 (slow due to some accidental clay surfing)
3) 16:56
4) 16:39
5) 16:50

Today:
1) 15:28
2) 15:05
3) 15:43
4) 15:04

Ankle useable but still hurts and feels extremely unstable - what little swelling there was has gone. Time to start some exercises.

So the ankle is not as bad as last October. I even walked to the pub last night and this morning I can still walk - the most of the damage this time is on the inside next to the achilles. With my history of ankle accidents I'm tempted to feel chuffed that it's been 5 months since my last episode esp what with all of the potentially dangerous situations I've put it in since then. In reality however I was just lucky. My ankle is ruined and needs a Rich Robinson style rehab project to ensure future stability.

C • rehab 5

Ambleside - Wansfell Pike.

http://www.mapmyrun.com/run/united-kingdom/amblesi...

Wansfell. Another Bilbo map/course, this time a contouring exercise - made some changes and turned it into a control pick. Now I wanted some revenge on this area as back in Jan 07 at the EDS week not only did I go over on my ankle slightly but also got extremely lost on the moor and esp in the woods at the bottom - so badly in fact that the tapes were collected in b4 I'd even finished. Started right at the top and carefully made my way down the steep terrain to number 1 thinking nice and easy today, went to check the direction of 2 and turned my ankle - well training is going really well this year so thought I might fuck it up a bit. Numpty. A couple of mins of rest to see how bad it was and then carried on, limping a bit. It didn't get much better so I called it a day at 20 controls, stuck it in a stream for a few mins and then...

...slowly jogged back to the car, falling on my ass down a rocky path for good measure.

Esthwaite Intake. So after a lazy morning spending multiple 50p's on the dryer at the Wasdale Head NT campsite (not the most efficient machine - recommended not a lot) felt totally wrong driving outta there what with the weather being proper lovely. Mountains were not on the agenda tho - some o-training in sexy forests was however. A speedy blast back across Hard Knott and Wrynose ensured a significant reduction in tyre tread and after some lunch in Ambleside checked myself into the YHA at Esthwaite, hung me washing up in the drying room to finish off the work that 2hrs in the campsite dryer had started, did a few hours programming in the nice and quiet lounge then headed up the road.

First middle training. Map/course provided by Bilbo but not specially for me - who knows for who and when this took place. Alarmed at the state of the wood (major boggy + loadsa wind-blow) went off at a steady pace concentrating on knowing where I was 100% of the time. Only a couple of small in the circle misses plus a bit of a bendy route on the long leg. Not sure how much speed one could utilise in a place like this with this much green and grot...

...so I gave it a go. Sprint training. A three-step process executed over and over again. 1. Check map, 2. Check ground and 3. Check for branches in the eye. Simply ran as fast as I could - major fun.

Back on me travels once more. Drove from Leeds back to the Lakes, had a quick chat with the nice people (if a bit laid back) at the garage, then with me Bruv and then headed over to Wasdale Head (ahhh me second home) via Wrynose and Hard Knott. Me lovin it and the Schnitz lovin it not so much - I'll make it up to her on Fri - new rubbers and discs/pads all round.

Was a bit annoyed to find it had been snowing a lot again but didn't stop me from jogging up Scafell Pike in just a t-shirt and o-bottoms. Felt really easy and didn't have any probs maintaining the speed on the steep bits. Turned around approx 650m from the summit once it got a bit too icy for my liking. It was also -10 wind chill apparently - my nipples certainly agreed.

1) 43:30 (25:30 where the path forks)
2) 28:10

Read summit in the Wasdale Head Inn (drinking Yewbarrow - mmm) in Trail magazine about a particular climbers definition of adventure being 'not knowing whether you are coming back or not'. A bit severe... I prefer 'not knowing when you are coming back'.