Training Log Archive: bradc

Swindale regional event. M35L, 8.9km +305m.

The day dawned bright and clear, which meant that we got a really nice view of Ullswater as we trundled along it at <20mph for 5 miles behind two stupid tractors that didn't pull over. Two heartstopping overtakes were required to get us to the event just in time for me to be late. I was feeling pretty done in by the long job up to the start - shades of yesterday again, erk - but at least I'd got some food down my neck yesterday night and, although slow, I was able to move.

Slow is what I was for the first 50 minutes, particularly on the climbs, but I was gradually feeling better, and had only accumulated a couple of minutes of fluffs and prevarications in the first 11 controls. I then found myself feeling OK and started running a bit faster, which was great, except that I promptly lost touch with the map and crashed into a 5 minute error. Idiot. I found out later that Dave C had been bamboozled by exactly the same unmarked path as I had, and had also blundered badly, but that just makes TWO silly beggars!

To some credit I then saw Mark Chapman and thought, right, he's not going to pass me, I upped the pace and stonked it home through the last four controls. So I can sort of do it.

It was a nice area, runnable and with pretty straightforward navigation, i.e. it was exactly the sort of area I'd had loved had I been fit. I'd have been happy with a time in the very low 60s. Och well. On the mend now!

Jogged all the way out the start and a fair bit of the way back.

Jogged to the start of the JOK Club Champs at Loughrigg. Very little energy before I started, and completely whacked by the time I made it up the climb to the start! All thoughts of trying to run a course had evaporated by that point.

I headed off to number 1 and I was walking within metres of the start. Ah. That'll be me still rather poorly, then. At least I had plenty of time to look at the very fine views; Loughrigg must be a glorious area to run on when fit. And when the bracken is down, which it wasn't. It was very much up, and often at chest height (admittedly, not all that difficult, in my case). I'm not sure that I'd have made it round the men's course (8.7km) even if I WAS fully fit; I think that the best time was over 100 mins. Whoops.

As it was, I did numbers 1-3 very slowly, then started heading home via 10, 9, then 13-16. Much teetering and slipping in places, an alpinist climb of a wall that WAS taller than me, and some very poor navigation to boot.

I was utterly wrecked afterwards, felt a bit queasy about food, and had to put my coat and hat on and shivered/snoozed in the car. Perhaps it might have been more prudent to have had a day's recovery instead...

I knew that this was coming - courtesy of Jamie. 'Run'ning to and from the bathroom all night...

C • Bad luck! 4

FVO Intervals - I made it there this week! 12 x 1 minute on, 1 minute off, around the loch. Total muddy splatter fest, fan-tastic stuff. Worries about being too tight after last night's circuits were unfounded. I felt pretty fluid and easy, to be honest; my lungs were OK, but I couldn't quite make the legs move fast enough. That put me at just about the same pace as Ben Stevenson, and consistent all the way through the set. Jamie was way off the front, of course, with no Rosco to give him a hard time - next week!

So - need to work on that leg speed. Effort level was really a 4.5...

Aroond the uni loch / green meadow (incredible algae - I tried to write "bum" in it with my finger but my Pond Graffiti only lasted for about 0.001s) before and after the intervals, with the usual drills before the set. Splish splosh through the mud, ah, such fun, the simple pleasures in life...

C • Split intensity 3

The all-new FVO circuits session, hosted by our very own Mr Inman! 13 of us turned up ready to be bent and mangled into a pulp. Courtesy of some masterly forethought by Jase, though, we started off with 30 minutes (45 minutes with explanations) of Pilates exercises.

Ah, thought everyone. Easy life. Not so. Those muscles are those ones that are going to hurt most come Wednesday! Good stuff - my brain had forgotten some of the moves and my body had forgotten all the rest. Ouch.

A quick break and then 30 minutes of proper runners' circuits, burning those core muscles into a cinder. Well, when we weren't laughing at each other doing the crab walk. It's harder than it looks, folks.

Great session, great banter - thanks, Jase!