Training Log Archive: bradc

Event: SoSOL
 

INT SOSOL at Norman's Law in Fife.

Last time I was here I was organising, and therefore didn't get the chance to run, so I was keen to get out. Well, at least I was until I got up this morning, but I got dragged along anyway.

It took me ages to get into it. My head was foggy (no sleep / too much wine) and my legs seemed to be running through treacle. I made a few wee fluffs, and was generally tentative in the wood at the start, and shortly after we reached the open fellside Dixie caught me up, having made up 4 mins in only 26 mins of (my running time!). After that it was open and I forced my legs to try doing some of that running stuff, but they only co-operated grudgingly and flat balked at the uphill bits, of which there were many. I didn't really make any mistakes until, surprise surprise, I got back into the wood for the last few controls. The penultimate control, a crag in an area of unmarked crags, was particularly annoying as I lost about a minute looking for it whilst almost within sight of the finish! Oh well.

It's a lovely wee area and it was a cracking (if cold!) day to be out on it - just a dusting of snow underfoot and great views all around.

Trevor's Tremendous Terrain Time Trial at Polmaise!

I had low expectations of this - I'm pretty slow at the mo, it was cold so the ground was uniformly hard and occasionally icy, and I was wearing a lot more clobber than last time - so I was pleasantly surprised to be only ~20s down on that result. Will ran through me like a dose of salts, and I was resolutely rubbish on the climbs (no power at all!), but I was still OK on the descents. I'd judged it pretty well - again - as my laps came in at 12:33 and 12:41, with the only real difference being that, like most, I was a lot slower on the first, flat running, leg second time around.

No time for a warm down.

A very slow and easy warm up lap of the course, with multiple stops to hang bits of tape. Insufficient warm up, really.

Easy lunchtime jaunt out from the house with Jon, who had popped by to collect his trainers. Plenty of snow & ice about, so we took our time going up through the woods to the Gathering Stane & back via the big track. Lovely views across to the hills.

11 hours on the train to and from Stockport, for 6 hours on-site. Hope all the connections work out!

Beccy's doing the O tonight so I had to get my run in from the Livingston office during daylight hours. Nice and sunny it was too, although rather cold for shorts... brrr.

Taking FraserP's advice I headed out west from the Innovation Centre, crossing the bridge on the B7015 and then into the woods. The track led NW to the river, at which point I turned WSW on the big track and found the trail network heading out to the Five Sisters and beyond. Great! Somewhere new to run. My legs felt grand, but the paths were very icy, so there was very little opportunity to go hard.

C • That's funny 6

Oh dear, a 3km time trail - that should show up just how bad I've got as a result of all the lack of training over the last three months. And so it proved...

...just to have another excuse for the inevitable disaster I turned up too late to do any proper warming up. I had time to do three easy circuits of the track, but no drills. Phew. Excuse #1 duly laid to rest. I noticed that the track was pretty slippery too, and my choice of footwear - trail shoes rather than trainers - afforded only very limited grip. Excuse #2 duly garnered.

Anyway, off we went, and off I plodded. It was clear from the off that the 11 min mark was never in any threat from my slow feet. I have to say that I didn't give it everything, but I felt that if I had I've have gone phut. So, steady as it goes; I didn't respond when Ron ran past at 4.5 laps. I caught Euan McK at 6.5 laps, and overhauled Jon at about 7, but only because he'd slowed up a bit. The ignomy of being lapped - admittedly by a flying Rosco - was well deserved!

Well - a fair reflection of recent training. On the upside, I recovered very quickly and felt as if could have had a good stab at another attempt within a couple of minutes - after all, 11 mins isn't even half a session!

A poor 3 laps of the track to warm up. Then 3 laps and an easy lap of the loch to warm down.

A new set of pilates exercises tonight. Fresh from a - ah - refresher course with Kim at the weekend, Cheerleader Lard enthusiastically took us through a variety of new and more intense positions than our previous sessions. Some of them were... rather difficult.

Only one set of new circuits tonight. Again, a different focus: less cardio, more concentrated core and strength focus. With bonus map reading exercises between reps. Quite the most novel circuits session I've ever done! I expect to feel sore in new places tomorrow.

After circuits...

It was such a gorgeous snowy night that I couldn't resist joining young Mr Dean on a tour of the golf course for a warm down. The snow was soft and smooth, the light was absolutely surreal... marvellous.