Training Log Archive: bradc

Spanish O champs at Sierra del Molino, M35L course. Rubbish. Despite knowing that it would be rocky, I stupidly chose to wear an Active Ankle on only my bad left ankle, and inevitably badly sprained my RIGHT ankle shortly after leaving number 2. Stupidly I carried on, hobbling until the pain went and despite having time to notice the rather nasty looking long leg from 6 to 7. Which, when I got there, looked like (and turned out to be) a mountaineering expedition, complete with knee-quakingly vertical cliffs and ravines, scrabbly descents, desperate scrambles uphill - gratuitous hell. Fraser bailed and ran around the (very) long way, which took him 21:30; my near direct route took 29:30, but should have been roughly equivalent in time had I been a) not injured, and b) more decisive. Anyway, I finished, but somehow managed to miss out control number 14 whose circle merged with number 13, and hence came away with nothing after all, save for a now even more badly mangled ankle. Fraser tore his calf muscle after #10, and failed to finish - and will almost certainly be out for longer than my estimate recovery time of 10-14 days.
All in all - b*ll*cks. Well, nearly; Beccy's W35L course stayed in the nicer bit of the area (avoiding all the ridiculous cliffs and badlands) and she had a great run, finishing first, a minute clear.

C • well at least it wasn't sno... 4

Spanish O champs model event: Sierra del Molino, near Calasparra. Can't believe it, it's raining! Well, barely, and it was a nice cool temperature for running - low teens. An OK run, legs fine; I was a bit scrappy when I lost concentration after 50 mins (as always). Pleasant area, though fairly rocky underfoot, as it always is here.

Spanish O champs official training day 3: El Pizcalejo, near Cehegin. Medium distance again, and a mix of the previous two days' terrain: more open and rockier than yesterday, with olive groves etc., but generally faster underfoot. Relatively clean again. Vegetation in Spain is all spikey. I came back with a nice big gash on my leg and a ripped FVO top, boo. Oh, and I jarred my duff ankle. Good temp for running, about 20C again.

Spanish O champs official training day 2: Sierra del Burete, near Cehegin. A much nicer area than yesterday, wooded, still rocky underfoot but lots more runnable. Was very glad of the bramble bashers, but still came back ripped and torn by all the holly bushes. Warm again, about 20C, but my legs were working better today and I really enjoyed it. Concentration waned a bit after 50 mins, as it usually does.

Spanish O champs official training day 1: Sierra del Oro, near Cieza. A hot day and an alien landscape: very rocky, tremendously steep & tough underfoot, with many impassable sheer-sided barrancos and great big cliffs. I struggled with the heat (25C), the terrain and my lack of fitness, and never really got going. The course as laid out was 11.5km and 520m of climb, which I presume was the elite course from the Spanish O champs of 2005, which was when this area was used. I cut the course short (I'd have been out for 3 hours!) so that Beccy could have a run as well.