Training Log Archive: Jon X

And glands still up. Looking forward already to getting up for the red eye to Heathrow in the morning.....

Disciplined training doesn't need to restart until Monday it seems. So Abi says anyway....

Surprisingly, despite a mix of laziness/injury/laziness/illness in May/June, only 2 hours down on averaging an hour per day in the first half of the year. Although the Snowdon race in just over three weeks is not seeming quite such a good idea as it did a few months ago when I entered!

C • Boot Camp has started!! 3

Still not up to it, feeling pretty ropey tbh

Not up to it today. Even before I realised it was raining and Brazil were playing. Ankle still pretty sore dammit.

Tay Long-O on the Ochils, based from Sherrifmuir Inn.

Had just about got away without my ankle tendonitis bothering me at Jukola and it seemed to be okay based on a week of lethargy and zero exercise. A week like that first of all because of recovering from no sleep at Jukola on Saturday night, and then because of sore throat and swollen glands (so perhaps not so recovered from no sleep!). Not helped by a week of cocktails and World Cup diet! Woke up still with a bit of a cough etc....

So in a stroke of genius I did the long course and didn't put my orthotics into my fell shoes. Ran out of steam halfway round despite taking it steady and was pretty much on one leg for the final hour as well. Feeling a bit sorry for myself by the end. And that was before the football had even started.......

C • #1 3

jog to start and shuffle back to get lunch before the footie

zzzzz

World Cup and Fi's Celebratory Cocktails.

Travel back from London. Fell asleep in front of the World Cup.

World Cup and evening cocktails.

Morning flight to Heathrow then off to the Rose Bowl at Southampton to watch England cruise to victory against the Aussies. I reckon they could make a habit of it...

Feeling pretty run down after Jukola and all that.

Jukola 2010, leg 2. Rosco was moving through the field well early on during leg 1 but (in case I needed to be any more intimidated by prospect of this terrain in the dark) had thrown in a large error in the middle of the course. He picked up 150 places again round the last section and set me off just after 1am.

And as expected it was very dark, very low visibility, very hard.....not the best time or place to add the extra ingredient of being very stupid. However at #1 that was exactly what I did, got in a strop with all the slow people getting in my way, lost contact, lost confidence that I was even close (I was very close) and ended up going a long way out to relocate. Then all the way back to almost exactly where I had just been. 12 minutes lost.

Gave the terrain enough respect after that with only minor errors costing 1-2 min or so, very wary going to #6, stopped one marsh too soon at #7 and then exited it the wrong way, then too keen to do my own thing on the long leg tp #14 and ended up bashing through some pretty rough brashed stuff all alone midway through the leg. Found others later in the leg but that just meant more frustrating walking behind a line of people on a narrow marshy track through bushy green. So delighted to be able to run on the rocky ridge near the control that I overshot and led a whole posse into their control (a marsh in a green re-entrant) - however relocated quickly and back to mine (a green re-entrant 50m earlier).

From #15 it was the sting in the tail for lap 2 runners, a common section with a couple of tough long legs, whilst laps 1 and 3 were gaffled together for a track run to a couple of controls on a not-so-steep hill and then a route back basically through the fields. The lap 2 split from #15 to the end was 200m longer (2.3km vs 2.1km) but was taking the top guys 8 mins longer (maybe 11-12 mins different for me therefore) - might have been better for the team (and me...) if only I had swapped legs with Jase after all!

I was pretty good again on the longish legs to #16 and #17 then up the hill to #18 and down it to #19. And then thought I was done, with just a run down into the field for the last 2 controls remaining. Didn't use my compass and swung way off line, ended up having to run back up the field to #20 past a line of runners coming the other way, pretty rubbish way to give back 20 of the 200 places I had gained in the past 4km. So maybe the field gaffle would have been wasted on me!

Quickroute here

So I went out 917th and came back 748th, dread to think where I was by the time I punched #1, even by #5 I was still down in 925th! A pretty average 672nd (of 1477) on the leg, just a few seconds behind Roger Coombs and a few ahead of Duncan Grassie. Without the error at #1 it would have been a decent enough run, just wary and hesitant with a couple of wobbles, and leg position would have been around 450th place.

Jase showed his technical skills to run much nearer 10mins/km and drag us up another 200 places, catching Steve Barrett for the Scottish Old Boys in the process. We had a good battle with them after Rog got a bit of a gap on leg 4, but in the end Donald ran well on leg 6 and it was a bit much to ask Tom to get 30mins on John Tullie on leg 7 - although he did get a 12 min gap in the last 2.5km!

Great race, great event, great occasion. I am sure I'll be back for more!

Event: Jukola Relay Kytäjä-Jukola 2010
 

A bit more time on the model area with Liz. More mosquitoes out there today. Lots more.

30 mins spread over about an hour and a half, lots of nervous checking of progress at the online terminal too.....

Jukola model area. Quite intimidating!

Decent warmup after a long journey - plus the race was too short to warm up over the fast few!

A visit to the Finnish version of a World Cup spectator race - one that starts at the same time as all the World Cup runners!

Only 12 on H40 including 5 Brits. I was 2 mins behind Patrick who was 2nd and was a bit scrappy out there so could have found some time. However I was also only 2 mins ahead of last place and finished 9th, with Ifor, Fraser and Phil the people immediately ahead. Hmmm.

FVO evening event at Laigh Hills, got slowed down a bit by gathering in the last 11 controls as I went - suitably rewarded with bbq feast afterwards though - thanks Gary and Louise!

Expecting some rather different orienteering over the next few days.....

Bizarrely but luckily felt much better today - decided to have another day off just in case though.

Felt terrible today and like i was coming down with flu, ached all over and pulse much higher than normal. Almost went home ill from work. Worried about Finland trip...

Head clearing run on Claife Heights and Latterbarrow after CJ & Tim's wedding.....working up an appetite for the follow-up buffet...

CJ's dad going pretty well for a man who had run a marathon 6 days ago and hosted a wedding party finishing not many hours ago!

Ended up being quite a hilly run and with some speedier sections, felt pretty strong and good to get out for a decent length run, it has been a while...

Easy stroll round Tarn Hows from the B&B before heading off to the wedding, blue sky everywhere so really did look just like it does in all those postcards...

Gentle run from home with Ross and Fi, back under the hill in the sunshine. Tendon not too bad, fingers crossed it is on the mend...

FVO evening event at North Third - Ross had been kind to us so it was decent Jukola training but not too long and with a nice track run at the end!

A bit tired for this after a few days travelling with early starts, bumbling around a bit early on (and in fact basically all the time until the track run....).

Good to get out after the last few days, tendonitis not too bad. Maybe it is the Dr Ackland "all injuries last 6 weeks" theory coming into play - as I did it at BOC, that would mean only a few days remaining....

No muscle soreness in quads or calves but paying the hill race price with my ankle tendon plus feeling right hamstring where it cramped on the descent yesterday.

No training although did manage a short stroll along Stanage.

Brad's birthday part 1 - FVO posse bike ride from Aberfoyle up the Loch Ard road through to Stronachlachar, then round Loch Katrine and finally back over Duke's Pass.

Another stunning day and a brilliant route (apart from the Lochs and Glens coaches early on!). Loving the traffic free stuff although before we reached that I did have a few choice words to say when I punctured (again!) after about 45mins.

Enjoyed the King of the Mountains challenge up Duke's Pass but couldn't quite stay with Tullster and Forest......although I'm sure Forest was coming back on the final section.....

Out for just over 2hrs 30 (time shown is approx ride time excluding puncture and Loch Katrine stop, plus a couple to regroup). Back to Aberfoyle in time for me, Rosco, Tullster and Forest to head back to Gargunnock for some additional festivities.....

...the Gargunnock Show hill race!

Still blazing weather and warm work on the ascent, legs not sore but feeling pretty dead (not surprising after this morning plus little proper running lately). Usual hill race story of the higher pace meaning walk section in places I am used to running in training!

High point of the route slightly below where I was expecting which was much appreciated as was having a water point there! Managed to stay ahead of Hazel up to there but was behind the lead woman - Hazel came past in hot pursuit about a third of the way through the descent (and got there just before the end - nice one!).

Not much to give on the descent (got cramp in right hamstring part way down which didn't help) but managed to keep it going enough to achieve main target of breaking 40mins.....and glad to have done my local race at last! (In retrospect having looked at the stats I am a bit appalled how slowly I did the descent........)

Ice cream in the field afterwards was VERY welcome - then off to Connor Celebrations phase 2 of drinks and BBQ, also very welcome!

Warm up jog with Rosco after some desperate stretching first.
Warm down - no chance!

Physio in the morning about the tendonitis round and above left ankle. Got a couple of new stretches plus advice not to run for a week while it settles down. Will try and follow the advice on the stretches but hill race tomorrow is too tempting to miss.....

Another great cycle in glorious sunshine, this time with Janine from chez Inman. Could get quite into this cycling lark........especially if it wasn't for punctures (got one on the Deanston-Torrie road), they are not my favourite thing.....

Parked up at Sherrifmuir Inn (venue for FVO post-Dumyat-event meal) and did a circuit via a quick chat with everyone enjoying the sun at Dumyat.

Comedy on the Carse of Lecropt road when I squeezed past two people on mountain bikes on a small slope, came round the corner and found it was not such a small slope after all - to amusement all round I was caught so badly in the wrong gear I had to stop, freewheel back down and then do it again properly, what a punter!

Managed to drag myself up the climb out of Dunblane and towards Sherrifmuir again, horribly hard work though, not sure I could have kept going up something much steeper. Not great as the steepest kilometre is only about 7% climb - I would like to think I need different gears on my bike but in reality I suspect I just need stronger legs.....

Chucked it down all day and miraculously turned fab for the evening. Same route as yesterday, needed some shades for the bits heading west though!

Could feel I had been out the day before, not used to this cycling lark...

C • HR data 5