Training Log Archive: Rosco

Mainly stretching and Achilles exercises.

Harvester Leg 5, Winterfold

After some great work from the four boys before me, my major goal was not to undo it all. I figured the best way to do this would to play the percentages, to chose very very safe routes.

I wasn't sure what the lead was, but I later found it started at 13 minutes and by the end of the leg was over 30. This, of course, was not due to my brilliance - far from it! I had a very average result. But it shows the tactics were right - the NOC guy, in his haste to chase us down perhaps, binned 20 minutes early in the course and that, as they say, was that.

Everyone FVO had really solid performances and the long trip felt worthwhile since we returned with the silverware.

wu little bit of warming up

Event: Harvester Trophy
 

Easy pre-Harvester trot round Hombury Hill with Jon and Will in the sunshine.

Kinnoull Hill Race, Perth.

Fi and I took a quick jaunt up to Perth for Kinnoull as we enjoy this one, it was a lovely night and we had some birthday cake to deliver. In a much better place than this time last year too, thankfully.

Knowing the route narrows early on, I tried to make reasonable pace but, although I was on the front line, the usual banter starters went for it from the whistle; I found myself outside the top ten. Managed to pass a couple before the narrow, but the front group of four or five had a gap. Things opened out a little and I made a forward move, feeling incredibly better than last year, although wary of the climb to come. It ebbed and flowed as we climbed, but, basically, the front two got away, I kept station with a guy in a green top and a backwards, matching, hat, and we dropped everyone else apart from a bloke in a red t-shirt and shiny red trainers, who, by the very top, had caught and passed us both.

What, by the way, is going on with hill racing? Is it some kind of fashion parade? I was much more appropriately attired: purple vest with green writing, old favourite black shorts with a red stripe and orange, mud-caked fell shoes. No coordination there will you find.

So, with the front two long gone, it was a battle between we three for the 3rd podium spot and the glorious £5 voucher. The other two were looking frisky and I was just hanging on. First red got a gap, then, on the long fast descent towards the far turn point, green really went for it, red tried to keep pace, but as things flattened out, it was too much, he slowed, we cruised past. Red out of it, I was still working hard to keep pace with green, certainly not on his shoulder, he wasn't getting away at least.

Then, on a short, sharp incline, I was in front, into third, excellent, though perhaps a little early... I kept the boot in, tried to make a gap, pretty much succeeded, I was on my own. This made it trickier, though, to follow the route through its many little junctions. This played into the hands of green and as we neared the edge of the wood, he was back on my heels, life newly leased. This was a narrow bit of path so I stuck my elbows out and gathered myself for a final push; out onto the track and I put the boot in, upped the cadence, made my move, didn't look back and hoped it was enough, I kept pace to the line, didn't look back and, thankfully, it was enough.

Pleased with that: pleased with how I felt, pleased with my wily old fox tactics, pleased with the result, pleased with the course, pleased with the evening.

Fi had fun too, but managed to get lost with 30 other runners. Oops.

wu to start and a few drills
wd working out where it had all gone wrong for Fi and her posse

Event: FVO WEE Barrwood
 

FVO WEE, Barrwood.

Really fun course on the new contour only Lidar data, pretty testing, great training. Thanks Jase. Decided to treat it very much as training and focused on interpreting contours and following my compass, not running hard at all. Found it difficult at times to work out what was up and what was down. Felt at the end there was quite a bit more going on than shown - the old map has quite a few hills here. But in general it was great and everything was in the right place relative to each other.

Everyone else messed up somewhere so I cruised to the win; the essence of orienteering.

wu wee trot about
wd collecting a few flags