Training Log Archive: bradcIn the 28 days ending Feb 28, 2010:
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Sunday Feb 28, 2010 #
Note
(rest day)
Long distance on the same map as yesterday - you must be kidding. Didn't even bother trekking to the start to pick up my map. Beccy got to #7 and couldn't find it and retired. Some determined people took 33 minutes to find it, but half of her course's runners retired. Not what orienteering is all about, surely?
Saturday Feb 27, 2010 #
10 AM
Running warm up/down 20:00 [2] 2.0 km (10:00 / km)
(injured) shoes: Jalas Jukola FLX
To the start of the orienteering - with a very sore achilles.
11 AM
Orienteering race 1:20:00 [1] 4.0 km (20:00 / km) +50m 18:49 / km
(injured) shoes: Jalas Jukola FLX
Middle distance WRE at Las Navetas, near Ronda. Basically, more like scrambling than orienteering. Dense limestone karst, with rocks everywhere, most of which weren't mapped because the entire map would have been black. I couldn't make any sense whatsoever of the mapping; I couldn't see the shape of the land because of the rocks, I couldn't even make out knolls (most of which were actually just big rocks), and there was no chance of me using my sole O technique of running in a straight line. So, I couldn't find anything. By the time I found myself in heavy thicket on a vague hillside near #9 at the far end of the course, I had lost at least 30 minutes already - a good 20 minutes at #8 alone. I had no means to relocate and since my achilles had been killing me from the start anyway, I jacked and limped back. A third of the field retired. Incredibly, it was won in 51 minutes for 4.0km (although Jase, with all of his armoury of orienteering skills, managed 44mins, an amazing time, had he not been registered accidentally on H35!). Beccy came 2nd again.
Friday Feb 26, 2010 #
Note
(rest day)
Still raining in the mountains so bailed out & drove to Gibraltar. Cable car, monkeys & views all very good, not sure it was worth the 2hrs of queuing in jams to get in and out, though, nor the 2hr drive back with very grumpy child & stinking headache. Eurgh. Back in Ronda too late (abd too knackered anyway) for the model event, will just have to see the area for the first time tomorrow morning. Very early tomorrow morning. On the one rare weekend when we could take advantage of a creche to be able to both have similar start times, we somehow end up being assigned split starts!!!
Thursday Feb 25, 2010 #
11 AM
Hill walking 45:00 [1] 2.5 km (18:00 / km) +200m 12:51 / km
(injured) shoes: Inov8 RocLite 305
Miserable day. B not well either, so we did well to get out at all. Clambered down a steep path into a gorge to look at a massive cave, the entrance to a 7km system that leads thru to the other side of the mountains, near Ronda. Sadly not without a guide, and certainly not on a day like today. I suspect that the entire system would have been flooded anyway. The local white elephant, a large dam built nearby to form the Montejaque reservoir, only for the builders to belatedly remember that limestone is porous, is currently fulfilling its purpose for the first time in 60 years, due to all-time record water table levels! Might need a wet suit and flippers for the weekend's orienteering.
Wednesday Feb 24, 2010 #
11 AM
Hill walking 3:00:00 [1] 12.0 km (15:00 / km) +300m 13:20 / km
(injured) shoes: Inov8 RocLite 305
Gentle trot in the limestone hills at the back of Montejaque. Heavy work with 20kg of boy and backpack on my back. Thankfully the storm clouds stayed away. Incredible amounts of flooding and landslides everywhere in southern Spain, after three months of near non-stop rain half the roads in the country seem to have collapsed or have been covered in fallen rocks.
Tuesday Feb 23, 2010 #
12 PM
Orienteering 30:00 [1] *** 3.6 km (8:20 / km) +80m 7:30 / km
(injured) shoes: Jalas Jukola FLX
Set off to do a last bit of training in Barbate before heading to Montejaque in the mountains, but my heel was just too sore. Limped back to the car.
Monday Feb 22, 2010 #
4 PM
Orienteering 40:00 [3] **** 5.93 km (6:45 / km) +50m 6:28 / km
(injured) shoes: Jalas Jukola FLX
After a morning spent interestingly on a boat trip into the Donana national park, many flamingos and wild boar spotted, we stopped off on the way home for a wee bit of O training. 4.2km on a contour- only map, with 600m jog out & the same back. Heel decidedly sore today but I'm ignoring it, stupid thing. Nice terrain, all runnable & not too scratchy, unlike yesterday, despite the two areas adjoining!
Sunday Feb 21, 2010 #
Event: ESOC SoSOL Newtyle Hill
11 AM
Orienteering race 1:18:07 [3] **** 8.52 km (9:10 / km) +280m 7:52 / km
(injured) shoes: Jalas Jukola FLX
Middle distance race, H35, 4.7km+110m, it said on the tin. Well, I was cr*p and ran 8.54km. Wheels came off at #9, and I spent 20 mins looking for a 3 min control. Promptly blew #10 too as a result. Lacerated and dispirited, I jogged the rest. Of course, Beccy loved it and came second. Gutted to see that the bloke standing next to her on the podium was the numpty wazzock who followed me from #2 to #8 and who just started following the slightly faster guy who turned out to have won.
Oh well, the beer was free and my achilles didn't break.
Oh well, the beer was free and my achilles didn't break.
7 PM
Orienteering (Sprint) 30:00 [3] ***** 4.0 km (7:30 / km) +100m 6:40 / km
(injured) shoes: Asics Gel Cumulus 11
Having finally collected our training map pack from Sun-O, we saw that one of the maps was of Vejer de la Frontrra, the very old walled town where we're staying. So, it would have been rude not to have a go. Lots of little alleyways, cobbled streets, dead-ends and steps. And lots of up and down. Much fun. Heel spikey-sore.
Saturday Feb 20, 2010 #
Event: Andalucia-O-Meeting
11 AM
Orienteering race (Score) 1:56:04 [3] *** 15.64 km (7:25 / km) +160m 7:04 / km
(injured) shoes: Jalas Jukola FLX
So the holiday O starts with the longest day out, a 2hr Rogaine (Score to you and me). Map 6yrs old and at 1:15, subtle detail and out of date veg... okay, excuses, I struggled. Ok to start but stuffed up after 30 mins or so & suddenly realised how incredibly difficult it was to relocate when there are virtually no distinct features in the area! Oh well, it was warm and sunny and the running was pleasant. At least it was until my achilles went twang at about 1h30. Arse. So that's me hobbling again, right back to square one. Feck a**e drink wimmin, says Father Jack. More wine, vicar, say I. Sigh.
Friday Feb 19, 2010 #
Note
(rest day)
Hooray, not raining, but cool & windy. Explored Vejer, then went for a walk along the coast with J in the backpack. more wine. great!
Thursday Feb 18, 2010 #
Note
(rest day)
Travelling to Spain, early start, drinking vino tinto with dinner in our casa in Vejer de la Frontera by 6:30pm. Chucking it with rain & incredible flooding everywhere but we're on holiday, hooray!
Wednesday Feb 17, 2010 #
5 PM
Gym (Cross-trainer) 50:00 10.94 km (4:34 / km)
ahr:147 max:162 rhr:45 slept:5.0 (injured)
Geez. Crazy amount of work to do before heading off to Spain tomorrow, but I had to get some exercise in or I'd have gone bonkers. I didn't want to tempt fate and hurt my heel just before going on holiday, so it was strictly non-impact stuff. Worked hard for 35 mins, then backed off slightly.
Gym (Cross-trainer) 5:00 1.0 km (5:00 / km)
ahr:129 max:139 rhr:45 slept:5.0 (injured)
A wee warm down
Tuesday Feb 16, 2010 #
Note
(rest day)
Not necessarily a planned, but ultimately an unavoidable, rest day.
Monday Feb 15, 2010 #
1 PM
Running (Trail) 36:38 7.21 km (5:05 / km) +55m 4:54 / km
ahr:144 max:151 slept:6.5 weight:65.8kg (injured) shoes: Saucony Grid Jazz Omni
Well, my legs certainly know that they were in a race at the weekend... leaden thighs competing with my achilles to shout loudest. Surely the compression tights (aka yesteryear's comfortable running tights - funny how that happens) must mean that I'll be 100% recovered by tomorrow.
6 PM
Strength training (Pilates) 30:00 [1]
slept:6.5 weight:65.8kg (injured)
More hard core & bum work courtesy of Lard. We shall have buttocks of steel by the start of the racing season. Or rusty old iron in my case.
Strength training (Circuits) 30:00 [3]
slept:6.5 weight:65.8kg (injured)
As per last week, more plyo work, which definitely helps my achilles. It was really pretty sore at the start and fine at the end. I'm going to have to do this session three times a week! 30/10 and 20/10. Had to dash off and miss the warm down stretching.
Sunday Feb 14, 2010 #
Cycling (Road) 1:23:41 34.15 km (24.5 kph) +228m
ahr:122 max:147 slept:6.0 (injured)
I needed to get out for some post-race recovery exercise so, despite it being late and already getting gloomy, I dug out my trusty steed and went for a steady bimble out towards Auchterarder and back. My achilles was pretty sore after yesterday's abuse so I decided not to subject it to the strain of a return journey up and over the muir. A bit chilly and damp but just what the doctor ordered.
Saturday Feb 13, 2010 #
Event: Carnethy 5 Hill Race
Running warm up/down 20:00 [2] 2.5 km (8:00 / km) +40m 7:24 / km
slept:7.0 (injured) shoes: Jalas Jukola FLX
Warm up with Jon and Will, headed up through the Loup to check out the last-minute route change before the climb up Scald Law. It'll be slower up the path to get to the climb but then possibly nicer; not such a long traverse across heather. Slightly rushed return across the field to get to the start in time!
Running race (Hill Race) 1:03:02 9.11 km (6:55 / km) +647m 5:06 / km
ahr:163 max:172 slept:7.0 (injured) shoes: Jalas Jukola FLX
Well, for the first time in seven attempts, I failed to break the hour. I was 7 mins down on my "normal" time and 3-1/2 worse than my previous PW, which was in my first attempt way back in 1995 when I'd only just started hill racing. Initially I was pretty disappointed, but on reflection, the result was reallyas good as I could have hoped for, given the extreme paucity of running training over the last two and half months. So, buck up, the achilles survived; and if I can just get some training in there's plenty of sub-60 potential in the old dog yet.
A brief race summary: slow start, immediately realising my complete lack of pace. Boxed in on the path to the new fence crossing and dropped ca 6 places to JonX. Felt sprightly enough on the climb up Scald Law and got to the top in an OK time, but rapidly realised that that was it in terms of performance for the day! Pretty much had to walk up everything and just puttered along the flats, but was OK-average on the descents. Slippery today, though, particularly off West Kip, so no great speed. Nothing left for the Carnethy descent and I actually lost a place there - then lost two more across the field to the finish, as all I could manage by then was a jog. A gradually descending HR profile shows I was slowing down from the top of Scald Law - my legs, not cardio were the limiting factor. And that's how it felt.
I reckon that it was probably a good 90s off optimum underfoot conditions. due to the slipperyness and the revised early start to the Scald Law climb. Good effort, then, by Grump to get in under 59 mins.
A brief race summary: slow start, immediately realising my complete lack of pace. Boxed in on the path to the new fence crossing and dropped ca 6 places to JonX. Felt sprightly enough on the climb up Scald Law and got to the top in an OK time, but rapidly realised that that was it in terms of performance for the day! Pretty much had to walk up everything and just puttered along the flats, but was OK-average on the descents. Slippery today, though, particularly off West Kip, so no great speed. Nothing left for the Carnethy descent and I actually lost a place there - then lost two more across the field to the finish, as all I could manage by then was a jog. A gradually descending HR profile shows I was slowing down from the top of Scald Law - my legs, not cardio were the limiting factor. And that's how it felt.
I reckon that it was probably a good 90s off optimum underfoot conditions. due to the slipperyness and the revised early start to the Scald Law climb. Good effort, then, by Grump to get in under 59 mins.
Running warm up/down 30:05 4.31 km (6:59 / km) +1m 6:58 / km
ahr:132 max:144 slept:7.0 (injured) shoes: Jalas Jukola FLX
For the first time ever out of seven races, I bothered to jog back to Beeslack after the C5, and I'm sure that my legs will thank me for it. My achilles didn't like the 1km of road at the end but the rest was fine. Fine company too, courtesy of HelenB, JonX and Grump.
Friday Feb 12, 2010 #
5 PM
Gym (Cross-trainer) 30:00 [3] 6.54 km (4:35 / km)
ahr:143 max:161 (injured) shoes: Asics Gel Cumulus 11
A relatively gentle short workout on the cross-trainer to keep some mobility in the legs before tomorrow's race, and to try to ease off the sore back/achilles...
Stretching warm up/down 10:00 [0]
...followed by some nice stretching.
Thursday Feb 11, 2010 #
Note
(rest day)
Achilles feeling bad today, rest required, some massage tonight too.
Wednesday Feb 10, 2010 #
Running (Trail) 35:00 [2] 3.5 km (10:00 / km) +30m 9:35 / km
slept:7.0 (injured) shoes: Asics Gel Cumulus 11
Putting out controls for this evening's night-O. Lovely, crisp afternoon - too crisp for most, so it was very quiet on the Laighills and I decided it was safe to risk putting out SI units.
Running (Trail) 1:10:00 [2] 8.0 km (8:45 / km) +90m 8:17 / km
slept:7.0 (injured) shoes: Asics Gel Cumulus 11
Collecting in controls after the night-O. I gave the field ca 20 minutes and Fraser ca 12 minutes, then set off. Achilles hurting from the off - too much road. Saw nobody - certainly, none of the bad boys or dogs that worried the rest of the pack - until the Laighills, where I found David and waited a bit until I was sure that everyone had been through before collecting in those units. Then back across the railway to collect in those two, only to find Gerry following me..., having given up trying to find one of the controls I'd just taken in, whoops! Well, he got a very fast split from 9 to 10 :-). Jogged along with an increasingly rattly rucksack full of controls. No SI casualties, phew, so I was surprised to hear of the hassles that some people had had out on the course - I really saw noone bar David and Gerry!
Odd results - noone had punched #2 and nearly everyone had a negative split on #3 to #4. Investigation revealed that I'd somehow missed time synching #4 and it was 30s slow, and #2 had been reconfigured to be a check station but noone had re-labelled it! D'oh.
Odd results - noone had punched #2 and nearly everyone had a negative split on #3 to #4. Investigation revealed that I'd somehow missed time synching #4 and it was 30s slow, and #2 had been reconfigured to be a check station but noone had re-labelled it! D'oh.
Tuesday Feb 9, 2010 #
Running (Road) 54:16 11.13 km (4:53 / km) +137m 4:36 / km
ahr:150 max:161 slept:8.0 (injured) shoes: Asics Gel Cumulus 11
Well, this was cr*p. I've rarely felt less like a runner than today. I "ran" home after dropping the bike off in Springkerse Industrial Estate for its MOT at lunchtime, but the sporadically animated shuffle that was all I could manage could scarely be called a run. Crawled through Riverside, Cornton, BrOfA, over the hill, then along the road to Dunblane. Pants.
Monday Feb 8, 2010 #
6 PM
Strength training (Pilates) 30:00 [2]
slept:6.0 weight:65.3kg
Oof, this seemed to be particularly hard today... a bit stiff to start with, and Lard threw in some proper gnarly exercises. Ouch!
7 PM
Strength training (Circuits) 25:00 [3]
slept:6.0 weight:65.3kg
All change. Shorter, more intense exercises - longer recoveries. I didn't get very sweaty. Mustn't have been trying hard enough. Apart from on the push-ups... cheers, Lard!!!
Sunday Feb 7, 2010 #
Orienteering 46:58 8.42 km (5:35 / km) +99m 5:16 / km
ahr:141 max:156
A wee recovery test run of this Wednesday's night-O course. Some work required, but it has a couple of little choices that will reward careful consideration of route. My legs felt a bit tired after yesterday but much better than expected, and my achilles was also OK - maybe it'd have been better yesterday, too, if I'd remember my heel inserts! D'oh. A nice hot bath afterwards removed all the aches and pains. Job done.
Saturday Feb 6, 2010 #
Running (Trail) 1:19:41 14.35 km (5:33 / km) +347m 4:57 / km
ahr:145 max:164 (injured) shoes: Inov8 RocLite 305
After a morning of scrubbing instead of watching the XC, I managed to screech out of the house and meet up with Jon and Ross at the uni for a run. They were keen to retry Wednesday evening's run without the snow & ice, and since I hadn't run out that way in about 20 years, it sounded good to me! Sadly my legs didn't agree - after only half a dozen runs in two months, they're not enjoying being asked to perform again. My achilles has started hurting more again, too. So, I pretty much hung onto their easy-paced coattails along past Logiekirk to BlairLogie and Menstrie, wheezed uphill and then felt a bit better on the long way back along the track, road and down through Hermitage. Sadly I had nothing left for the faster-paced circuit of the XC course, and couldn't hang on at all. Calves, hams and back tight. I'm out of practice. Grand run, though, cheers chaps.
Thursday Feb 4, 2010 #
Running (Trail) 1:06:58 12.67 km (5:17 / km) +351m 4:39 / km
ahr:147 max:163 slept:6.0 (injured) shoes: Inov8 RocLite 305
A bit of everything in this run - track, road and terrain. Slippery with just a bit of snow on hard and rutted earth and, occasionally, ice. Up the golf course, down onto Darn Path (comedy slip in the ice and butt-plant a large rock), into BrOfA then up the Golf Course road for a change to Cocksburn reservoir. Legs a bit heavy and back a bit tight by now, so I was slow through the terrain over the hill despite managing to bypass most of the tussocks by making use of convenient sheep trods. Down to Waltersmuir reservoir, up to the Sherrifmuir road and back home via the path and Dykedale. Pleasant, if fairly slow.
Wednesday Feb 3, 2010 #
Note
(rest day)
Just one of those uber-busy days when I couldn't even get half an hour off at lunchtime to nip out. Bah.
Tuesday Feb 2, 2010 #
Running (Trail) 34:07 6.49 km (5:15 / km) +157m 4:41 / km
ahr:141 max:152 rhr:48 slept:7.0 weight:65.5kg (injured) shoes: Inov8 RocLite 305
Really pressed for time today and could only just squeeze in a dash to the Gathering Stane before heading out to a gig in Glasgow (unheard of!). When I say "dash", of course, I am being very generous in my description... it was a steady slither along the hard-packed rutted tracks coated with a slim layer of slippery snow. Achilles hurting a bit more today - did a bit too much on it yesterday.
Monday Feb 1, 2010 #
2 PM
Running (Trail) 36:56 8.15 km (4:32 / km) +53m 4:23 / km
ahr:150 max:160 slept:8.0 shoes: Asics Gel Cumulus 11
Lunchtime in Livingston - time to get away from the desk and take in the sights. Or not. Thighs a bit dead after Saturday's efforts, and achilles a tad sore... but what's new about that? Nice to be out and running.
6 PM
Strength training (Strength Training) 35:00 [1]
slept:8.0
FVO session, ably lead by Lard. Evil on the side raises!
7 PM
Strength training (Strength Training) 35:00 [3]
slept:8.0
Nice hard session - 1 x 45/10, and 1 x 30/5. Except for Dixie who had to do a double step-up exercise while we all watched and waited for him to catch on. :-)
Time includes warm up and jog there & home
Time includes warm up and jog there & home