Orienteering race 1:15:28***** 8.5 km (8:53 / km) +150m8:10 / km shoes: Inov-8 O-Roc 250 (2)
SOL4, Lossie. Blue/M40S - 6.9km +125m.
Well, no beating around the bush, I was dreadful today. I need to be on my A game for Lossie, and today I wasn't even in the reserves. Focus totally lacking after a very poor night in the tent with one very obnoxious tantrum child from hell; even my GPS watch decided to commit hari-kiri on the start line. I simply was unable to apply any technique to temper my many navigational deficiencies in the technical stuff - missing #2 by miles, going to #4 before #3, and running from #6 to #15, blowing #11 and #16. Had hoped for more success in the flat forest thereafter, but fell over en route #17 and completely lost my bearings - a quite incredible 6-7 minutes dropped. Got #17 at the same time as Donald P and Jenny Ricketts, then bashed off to #18, arriving just after JR, who'd taken a very different route. I then found myself chasing after Jenny, who was very impressive - smooth and confident through the terrain, and moving very well. I took slightly different lines but freely admit that I wouldn't have been running as hard as I did had she not been there to up my game. There's a lass who'll go places.
TRIMP 150
Orienteering race 40:45 7.37 km (5:32 / km) +161m4:59 / km ahr:158 max:169 shoes: Asics Gel Cumulus 15 GTX
SOUL at Dufftown, MM day 1; old man's course (2) - 5km.
Had been feeling rubbish in the morning again, having had a headcold / sore throat relapse Thurs/Fri, but I don't think that this actually affected my race too much when I got going. Nice area, good mix of urban and woodland.
I was mediocre; blew #5 (first in the woodland), missed a path and got disorientated, and was rubbish on the last two, when I'd put my head down to try to gap Al D (whom I'd caught 4 mins in the second woodland) and got myself into a right tizzy, dropping 30+s. Just being generally hesitant and moving too slowly. As Graeme nicely put it in the campsite afterwards - "yes, I saw you out there, and you looked heavy". Indeed, that is how I feel when I run these days. But at least he tempered it with "and I thought 'Brad hadn't used to run like that'". No, I certainly didn't - all my bounce has turned into plod! But there's hope yet. TRIMP 112.1
Orienteering (Training) 59:36*** 8.26 km (7:13 / km) +172m6:32 / km spiked:0/13c shoes: Inov-8 RocLite 319
Beecraigs East WEE: Green, 5.4km. Hackfest. Not feeling well to start - stomach pain - didn't get any better. Lost the will to compete in the nettles at #3. Lost the will to run when not being able to work out what I was looking for at nos. 6 and 7. Lost interest altogether hacking up the non-existent trail through the grot to #11. Not fun.
TRIMP 120.
Running hills 41:43 7.2 km (5:48 / km) +251m4:56 / km ahr:153 max:169 shoes: Inov-8 RocLite 319
Lunchtime Dumyat from the top car park. Up the tourist path, back down the ridge/sward, loop of Cocksburn reservoir to finish. Lovely and hot day, very sweaty! Steady as she goes... the march of mediocrity continues. If I want to improve any I'm going to have to break things down and start throwing some speed & interval work into the mix... but I'm not sure if the old vertebrae will take it :-/. Last time I tried it, I broke. Hmm. TRIMP 100.8.
Elliptigo47:21 20.27 km (25.7 kph) +141m ahr:143 max:162 shoes: Elliptigo
Evening dash out on the ElliptiGO after kids' bath and before B had to go out - not quite enough time to do the full Braco return. Still full of dinner so a bit of a struggle! TRIMP 88.7.