Training Log Archive: Jon X

Event: Compasssport Cup Final - Burbage
 

To the start and all that.

Compass Sport Trophy final, Brown course 9.8km

Started off steadily through the heather but maybe 20secs too low at #2 and again at #3, got into my running a bit on the track run across to Lady Cannings and then pushed pretty hard on the long leg to #7 (took the tracks round to the right). Jase was struggling with illness so could see him ahead and caught him near the control.

Kept control through the interesting vegetation mapping at #8 and #9 but lost 20/30 secs going too far right at #10, might have been better to read my map instead of trying to run up the steep slope!

Took the path-but-more-climb route round to the right to #11, this had a good line in but in retrospect was probably not worth it (maybe a minute different?). Then went straight to the re-entrant but didn't see flag. Stood there. Read descriptions - on the crag. Went to crag. No flag. Stood there. Stood there some more. Eventually someone else went to re-entrant and found flag hung low between two rocks. Description was re-entrant, it is #12 that is the crag. Duh. Maybe 2.5-3 mins lost on this leg including the route.

Too high on the next leg and didn't really get the map here (in my favorite screen of rough open with scattered trees), missed too high, relocated, missed too low. Luckily then saw it from below. Another 2.5-3 mins lost.

A bit more confusion in the detailed rock at #13 but contained time loss to no more than a minute which from the splits was a lot less than most other people! Rushing after that and nearly ran too high above #14, then took the path-but-more-climb route to should-be-trivial control #15, think this would have been good if I had used my compass at the end of the leg instead of overshooting (1-1.5 mins gone).

Okay for the final few but tired on the scramble up the cliffs and then through the heather. Disappointed with the way I let it all get away from me in the final part of the course - glad I persevered as against all expectation, Jase's illness and Rog's lost SI card meant that my run needed to count after all!

And - most importantly - FVO won again! Only three of our team who scored were people who scored for us in the final a year ago - what a great club :)

Back too late from London on Thurs, heading straight to Sheffield from work on Fri....but luckily had to go home at lunchtime so sneaked out for anti-clockwise Leckie circuit. Felt middling but got it done and at a decent pace.

I suppose I could have gone out pre-breakfast had I really wanted to....

Luckily didn't have to get up at 4am today. Less luckily the hotel fire alarm went off at 5am....

From hotel through Hyde Park and Green Park to St James's Park, then made my way back via a lap of each ending by running up Kensington Palace Gardens and back down Bayswater. Almost ran into Kensington Palace itself but then spotted the sentry up ahead....

Much more sore after circuits than usual so a quick jog to check I could actually lift my legs up at all.....

C • That will teach you... 3

SLOW street event round Wandsworth. Even though I was one of the first to arrive then I still somehow managed to be the final starter......

Running strongly to start but flagged a bit in the middle (blaming the late night followed by 4am start this morning!), and made a bad decision on route, picked up two 10-pointers on the try-for-them-all circuit when I should have left them and could have picked up a couple of others right near the finish. Picked up again at the end and a pretty decent session, it does slow you up having to stop to write down the answers though!

Almost in time but a combination of pit-bulls, torch failure and inability to work out how to access the final underpass saw me 58secs late. Winner (John Owens) missed four controls with over a minute to spare, I missed six controls and was a minute late. It was rumoured that I was the first vet until someone pointed out that John Owens is also an M40!

More work shenanigans got me there with just enough time left for the Hundreds.....

This week it was me sharing the stations with Jamie - no chance for shirking!

Includes warm-up/stretch after.

Golf course lap with Fraser and Fi.