Training Log Archive: Jon XIn the 7 days ending May 10, 2009:
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Sunday May 10, 2009 #
Orienteering race 50:31 [5] **** 6.2 km (8:09 / km) +175m 7:08 / km
shoes: VJ Falcon
British Middle Distance Champs M40, 2nd place (although should have been third as Tim Tett ran faster on M21E which was the same course).
Really fancied this race beforehand, area looked v interesting and tricky with lots of rock detail (in the East Midlands?!), and lots of controls to make life difficult for all those pesky fast runners. Still quite fancied it even after I couldn't follow the warm up map at anything quicker than a jog!
However...funny course shape at the start meant I left #1 navigating #2-#3 by mistake - lost about a minute and Dave Peel (from 2 mins behind) could see me coming out - he got me in sight and chased hard on the leg to #4, only 15secs behind me at the flag. Kept in front through the road crossing and on as far as the circle at #11, hesitated there and Dave got it first. He slowly pulled away although got him back in sight a couple of times, last saw him leaving #20 as I arrived.
Couldn't win the race without passing Dave so gambled on going straight through the bushes to #23, got offline and then confused by open hill under the printed control number (-90secs). Then compounded it all with a messy bit of route finding to #27, caught in all the high nettles to start with, then cutting in without an attackpoint from a path I hadn't meant to be on in the first place, then confusing a ditch and a stream and stupidly turning the wrong way in the circle (-2mins).
Disappointing scrappy finish so was surprised to beat all the other M40s - not complaining though! And despite the sacrificial veterans being sent out to trample the bramble and nettles for those pampered elite types, I did at least sneak into the UK Cup points this time too.
Really enjoyable race on a great area - sunshine too so all good.
Really fancied this race beforehand, area looked v interesting and tricky with lots of rock detail (in the East Midlands?!), and lots of controls to make life difficult for all those pesky fast runners. Still quite fancied it even after I couldn't follow the warm up map at anything quicker than a jog!
However...funny course shape at the start meant I left #1 navigating #2-#3 by mistake - lost about a minute and Dave Peel (from 2 mins behind) could see me coming out - he got me in sight and chased hard on the leg to #4, only 15secs behind me at the flag. Kept in front through the road crossing and on as far as the circle at #11, hesitated there and Dave got it first. He slowly pulled away although got him back in sight a couple of times, last saw him leaving #20 as I arrived.
Couldn't win the race without passing Dave so gambled on going straight through the bushes to #23, got offline and then confused by open hill under the printed control number (-90secs). Then compounded it all with a messy bit of route finding to #27, caught in all the high nettles to start with, then cutting in without an attackpoint from a path I hadn't meant to be on in the first place, then confusing a ditch and a stream and stupidly turning the wrong way in the circle (-2mins).
Disappointing scrappy finish so was surprised to beat all the other M40s - not complaining though! And despite the sacrificial veterans being sent out to trample the bramble and nettles for those pampered elite types, I did at least sneak into the UK Cup points this time too.
Really enjoyable race on a great area - sunshine too so all good.
Running warm up/down 20:00 [2]
shoes: VJ Falcon
jogging and stretching beforehand, yet again a minimal warm down.
Orienteering 10:00 [2]
shoes: VJ Falcon
Not exactly gaining in confidence from my efforts to jog round the controls on the warm up map.....
Saturday May 9, 2009 #
Orienteering race 19:36 [5] **** 3.1 km (6:19 / km) +60m 5:46 / km
ahr:154 max:164 shoes: Brooks Ghost
British Elite Sprint Champs, Men B qualifier.
No chance of making the A final but keen to make the B final this year. Started on same minute as Clive Hallett on parallel heat and kept seeing him which encouraged me I was doing okay - got to the finish and he was back already!
Thought I had run okay with a few minor blips but missed an obvious route near the end despite hesitating to look at it, dropped around 30s there. Had to be in top 20 for B final and made it okay in 18th with 45s to spare.
Scotia won the heat in 15:03, well ahead of Oli ad Craney. Dave P ran 18:05, quite interesting doing splits as we go at a similar speed on many legsbut I just can't sustain the flow for more than a few controls at a time without a bit of minor hesitation/time loss here and there.
No chance of making the A final but keen to make the B final this year. Started on same minute as Clive Hallett on parallel heat and kept seeing him which encouraged me I was doing okay - got to the finish and he was back already!
Thought I had run okay with a few minor blips but missed an obvious route near the end despite hesitating to look at it, dropped around 30s there. Had to be in top 20 for B final and made it okay in 18th with 45s to spare.
Scotia won the heat in 15:03, well ahead of Oli ad Craney. Dave P ran 18:05, quite interesting doing splits as we go at a similar speed on many legsbut I just can't sustain the flow for more than a few controls at a time without a bit of minor hesitation/time loss here and there.
Orienteering race 20:43 [5] ***** 3.2 km (6:28 / km) +70m 5:50 / km
ahr:153 max:164 shoes: Brooks Ghost
British Elite Sprint Champs, B Final, 44th place.
Not as warmed up or focused for this as I was never going to excel - as a result not really the best run including a really annoying mistake losing 30secs going for a gap-that-wasn't (red line not cut - it was for the A final but somehow lost in OCAD translation apparently).
Scrappy route-finding early on, especially at #1 and #4, was rushing a bit. Got into it and passed my 1 min man but after the 30s error at #14 started rushing again and lost route-finding time at #15 and #16 too. A cleanish run would have scraped into the top 30 (30th was the final UK cup point too!)
Not as warmed up or focused for this as I was never going to excel - as a result not really the best run including a really annoying mistake losing 30secs going for a gap-that-wasn't (red line not cut - it was for the A final but somehow lost in OCAD translation apparently).
Scrappy route-finding early on, especially at #1 and #4, was rushing a bit. Got into it and passed my 1 min man but after the 30s error at #14 started rushing again and lost route-finding time at #15 and #16 too. A cleanish run would have scraped into the top 30 (30th was the final UK cup point too!)
Running warm up/down 45:00 [2]
shoes: Brooks Ghost
warmed up properly for the first race, less well for the second. warm down jog to the bratwurst van.
Friday May 8, 2009 #
Note
(rest day)
Not planned
Thursday May 7, 2009 #
Note
(rest day)
Planned
Wednesday May 6, 2009 #
Event: Dumyat Hill Race
Running race 44:21 [5] 8.0 km (5:33 / km) +440m 4:21 / km
shoes: new Inov8 Roclite
Dumyat Hill Race, 58th place of 254
Wasn't too sure about doing this race really. Very sore and tight ITBs after the weekend. Spectacular bruising on my right thigh from slipping climbing a gate on Tuesday's run. Ran really well in this race last year as well as being in better shape than this year, so not much chance to beat last year's position. Wet muddy slippery conditions so not much chance to beat last year's time.
But then I read the inspiring race description posted by Lard on Attackpoint - "Man up and come and have a go if you think you're 'ard enough!" - so that was enough to persuade me to run. Although not enough to persuade Lard it seems.....
I knew I needed to do a long warmup. But obviously getting there in time to do so was beyond me. So started off fairly steady, was a bit anxious that I was too far back but then realised Angela was not far ahead so all was well. Pretty close behind Brad for the first part of the descent, passed a group only to realise he had pulled away from the front of it, about 45secs behind him at the (windy!) summit.
Not that inspired to descend hard - thought Brad was too far ahead to catch and Pat B too far behind to catch me. Started the descent a bit tentatively and was ridiculously slow down the two steep banks in the wood, lost about 5 or 6 places there. Didn't like the slippery road either but was a bit put out to get passed by Robin Orr at the bottom of the road.
Luckily my feeble descending meant I had loads left for the final section and could pass Robin and reclaim the other places too. Less luckily one of the guys a few second ahead of me at the summit descended two mins quicker than me and caught Brad into the bargain - he (Gary Fraser) finished 36th so I definitely should have been a good few places higher. Good fun though and actually reasonably happy with how I did for the level of effort put in - felt reasonably strong if not speedy, plenty left at the end.
Wasn't too sure about doing this race really. Very sore and tight ITBs after the weekend. Spectacular bruising on my right thigh from slipping climbing a gate on Tuesday's run. Ran really well in this race last year as well as being in better shape than this year, so not much chance to beat last year's position. Wet muddy slippery conditions so not much chance to beat last year's time.
But then I read the inspiring race description posted by Lard on Attackpoint - "Man up and come and have a go if you think you're 'ard enough!" - so that was enough to persuade me to run. Although not enough to persuade Lard it seems.....
I knew I needed to do a long warmup. But obviously getting there in time to do so was beyond me. So started off fairly steady, was a bit anxious that I was too far back but then realised Angela was not far ahead so all was well. Pretty close behind Brad for the first part of the descent, passed a group only to realise he had pulled away from the front of it, about 45secs behind him at the (windy!) summit.
Not that inspired to descend hard - thought Brad was too far ahead to catch and Pat B too far behind to catch me. Started the descent a bit tentatively and was ridiculously slow down the two steep banks in the wood, lost about 5 or 6 places there. Didn't like the slippery road either but was a bit put out to get passed by Robin Orr at the bottom of the road.
Luckily my feeble descending meant I had loads left for the final section and could pass Robin and reclaim the other places too. Less luckily one of the guys a few second ahead of me at the summit descended two mins quicker than me and caught Brad into the bargain - he (Gary Fraser) finished 36th so I definitely should have been a good few places higher. Good fun though and actually reasonably happy with how I did for the level of effort put in - felt reasonably strong if not speedy, plenty left at the end.
Running warm up/down 40:00 [2]
shoes: new Inov8 Roclite
Nice long warm down back up the course to see some of the others, then a lap of the loch. ITBs still killing afterwards though.
Tuesday May 5, 2009 #
Running 59:30 [2]
shoes: Brooks Adrenaline Nov 2008
Nice easy FVO run round and about from Keir roundabout. Trigpoint and fort amongst the scenery on my run again - just like yesterday!
Monday May 4, 2009 #
Running 36:41 [3] 5.93 km (6:11 / km) +135m 5:33 / km
shoes: Brooks Adrenaline Nov 2008
Down to check out the (delightful) new parental home in Dorset, went for a walk up to the hill fort on Hambledon Hill. Decided to run back across the fort, down and up to the other fort at Hod Hill, and then back to the car.
The climb up to Hod Hill made it pretty hilly for a recovery run but really enjoyed most of it - I was good and ready to stop by the end though.
The climb up to Hod Hill made it pretty hilly for a recovery run but really enjoyed most of it - I was good and ready to stop by the end though.