Training Log Archive: Jon X

Recovery run round Leckie, felt a bit harder than it should have at the start, still felt like that at the end.

Edinburgh Rat Race "Mean Streets" prologue, put together a team with Pat and Fraser on Thursday evening and begged an entry on Friday morning.

Basically a 2.5 hour score event, with various challenges at 12 of the 26 checkpoints. Had a pretty good strategy and got to the kayaking in the first three teams there so no queuing. This seemed a good plan as the queue must have been half an hour by the time we left ten mins later - on the other hand then later they made the exercise easier to reduce the queues....

Met Lard, Rosco and John S half way round (they did the southern loop first too but the other way around), and were about 100m behind them for a while. Finally caught them at the challenge in the gym underneath the Omni centre - only to drop behind again when we realised half way to the next checkpoint that Pat had left his bumbag in the gym. I legged it back to get it but it cost us 3mins or so - cost me some rather more tired legs too!

We thought we were going to clear the course in the time but then there was a 15/20 minute queue at the "Dragons' Den" checkpoint so we made the decision to go and get the final two first. At the final checkpoint Lard and co showed up again having also bailed out of the queue shortly afterwards.

We decided not to gamble on going back to the Dragons' Den and getting through it by 7.30pm before it closed (if achieved would then be worth it as the score would outweigh the penalties for late return to finish). This meant the two teams found themselves dashing back over George IV Bridge to Princes Street Gardens for the finish pretty much head-to-head.......however luckily our team was the team that did not need to save anything for eight hours of Rat Racing the next day!

Our final score for all points except one was 380 out of 400 - ended up in 3rd place behind a male pair who got them all and were nine mins late, and a mixed team (including Magic) who stayed in the long queue and missed a 10 pointer at the end to be back only 2 mins late. So lots of FVO names in the top few places!

Probably actually ran for just under two hours in total - after the kayak stop then the other challenges were all pretty short. As I had forgotten my camelback this meant I never managed to get my water bottle out, pretty dehydrated and close to cramping by the end. Lesson learned!

C • making it easier... 1

Put in a last minute entry for Saturday of Edinburgh Rat Race......

Back to the gated road. Went a bit further along it this time. Still didn't get to the first gate. Did notice that it climbs steadily on the way out. Turned round after half an hour and felt a lot easier on the way back...

Got out a bit earlier tonight but still nearly 7.30pm, no wonder I keep feeling rubbish if going out that late after no food since lunchtime.

Did 2 laps of the loch with 3 mins rest between them. No looking at the watch so pleased they were so close - first was 9mins15, second was 9mins17. A bit down on the times for a lap from intervals a month or so ago, happy enough though as not quite so wrecked by the lap this time.

Pulse down to 102 within a minute of finishing the first, and 112 within a minute of the second. Didn't fancy a third though!

More laps of loch, 22min wu / 18min wd

Feeling tired and also busy busy busy - decided to take this week's rest day rather earlier than originally intended...

Persuaded myself out to the gated road by Boquhan for some reps although didn't feel in the least like doing them. The road is good though, undulating and no traffic, suspect I may out there a few times in the coming months - a good location for a road tempo run perhaps.

Started just before the road on the muddy track, did 12x90s with 30s recovery, turning round half way. The road may be undulating but that means some parts are downhill.......and only one rep was over 400m, hmmm.

C • good effort! 1

Run out below Leckie with a few token drills at the end, run back via Watson House.

Run with Rosco and Fi exploring North Third. "Exploring" being code for not knowing where we were most of the time.

Fi made sure we were getting our five-a-day with good skills spotting the wild strawberries and raspberries, mmm.

Time includes a warm down jog. It wasn't pouring with rain the first time we got to the car.....