Training Log Archive: AlibongoIn the 7 days ending Jun 9, 2008:
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Monday Jun 9, 2008 #
Note
(rest day)
Resting at home today. My legs are agony, I can hardly walk, two of my toes are badly bruised and the nails may do something like dropping off and I have two blisters. Not too bad really considering...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alibongophoto/sets/72...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alibongophoto/sets/72...
Sunday Jun 8, 2008 #
Orienteering race (Mountain Marathon) 8:18:30 [3] *** 18.3 km (27:14 / km) +1200m 20:31 / km
shoes: Walsh
LAMM Day 2 - Glen Dessary to Glenfinnan via Sgurr nan Coireachan
More bagpipes! A rude awakening at 5.20am. My legs were sore but my feet were intact, we taped our feet up, had breakfast, put waterproofs and soggy shoes on, packed up quickly and we were off at 6.40, no time to think about it...
Running as far away from the midges as soon as possible was a good plan. The route to #1 was along a flat track to a bridge - how kind of the planner to think of an easy one and lull us into a false sense of security... before having to hoof it up 400m down to 250m and then up to the top of a Munro! The feeling at the top was great but going down to the next control was horrendous for me and with the slope going down to the right, my shoe kept cutting into my left foot just on my ankle bone - it felt like a hammer hitting it with every footstep. I pleaded with Claire for us to go up to the ridge but she wasn't for budging. I just had to to grin and bear it for 2km but at least the clouds had lifted and the sun had come out!
We slid down the next descent on our bottoms as it was easier than walking, passed a few people here much to their surprise! We weren't too chuffed with having to go up another 150m in a short distance to the next control but the views down Glen Finnan and beyond were absolutely worth it. It was pretty hot down the last steep killer descent to the road and with only 3.5km to go we managed to run/jog/walk along before actually running into the finish. It was a great feeling to finish and still be walking - just!
It was a fabulous event and I might have whinged a bit at Claire but she was a great partner to have and I'm glad that I did my first LAMM with her - thank you Claire, you kept me sane. And yes, she did stop talking...!
More bagpipes! A rude awakening at 5.20am. My legs were sore but my feet were intact, we taped our feet up, had breakfast, put waterproofs and soggy shoes on, packed up quickly and we were off at 6.40, no time to think about it...
Running as far away from the midges as soon as possible was a good plan. The route to #1 was along a flat track to a bridge - how kind of the planner to think of an easy one and lull us into a false sense of security... before having to hoof it up 400m down to 250m and then up to the top of a Munro! The feeling at the top was great but going down to the next control was horrendous for me and with the slope going down to the right, my shoe kept cutting into my left foot just on my ankle bone - it felt like a hammer hitting it with every footstep. I pleaded with Claire for us to go up to the ridge but she wasn't for budging. I just had to to grin and bear it for 2km but at least the clouds had lifted and the sun had come out!
We slid down the next descent on our bottoms as it was easier than walking, passed a few people here much to their surprise! We weren't too chuffed with having to go up another 150m in a short distance to the next control but the views down Glen Finnan and beyond were absolutely worth it. It was pretty hot down the last steep killer descent to the road and with only 3.5km to go we managed to run/jog/walk along before actually running into the finish. It was a great feeling to finish and still be walking - just!
It was a fabulous event and I might have whinged a bit at Claire but she was a great partner to have and I'm glad that I did my first LAMM with her - thank you Claire, you kept me sane. And yes, she did stop talking...!
Saturday Jun 7, 2008 #
Orienteering race (Mountain Marathon) 8:58:17 [3] *** 20.0 km (26:55 / km) +1310m 20:16 / km
shoes: Walsh
LAMM Day 1 - Fassfern to Glen Dessary
On Thursday lunch time I saw that the LAMM was going to be at Glenfinnan, having only ever climbed to the top of three Munros unaided this was a scary prospect indeed! That evening, I got my purse out of my handbag to get some emergency money and as if by magic out came a Bank of Scotland £10 note with the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Monument on the back, a good omen I thought as I stuffed it in my rucksack.
Friday morning came, Claire arrived and we spent all morning packing and sorting all the kit and food, weighing this and that, discarding non-essentials and testing out JonX's tent in the garden to make sure we could fit in - we did with a squash and a squeeze and so it was packed too.
Once we had set off I felt more relaxed, if we'd forgotten something now it was just too bad!
We arrived at the campsite in good time to pitch the tent, wolf down a Wilfs and have a chat with other people as they arrived. Slipped into something more comfortable - a midge net and oh how we laughed at people trying to pitch a tent covered in the wee blighters!
I didn't have a great night's sleep and our alarm clock was a piper, I do like the sound of bagpipes but NOT really at 6am... Anyway, there was a race to get on with so up and off we went in the bus to the start, choking on neat midge spray and smelly helly whiffs as we wound our way along the road to Fassfern.
Sadly the midges followed us to the start but the sun burnt through the morning mist to reveal a glorious day.
The first control was at 590m and 3km and took us 1:36.08 - it was going to be a long day I thought... the terrain was not too bad underfoot but too steep to run on and none of the teams who passed us were running either, just walking faster. The route to #2 involved a steep descent followed by a long contouring stretch on a rough stony hillside and again nobody appeared to be running - it was too hard going for that. The next leg was 2.5km and 300m straight up a fairly bland hillside at the hottest time of the day (fortunately we found some water to drink on the way to re-hydrate) but we were rewarded at the top with a fantastic view across the glen and just had to cross a steep rocky valley to get to the control.
My favourite part of the route was #3 to #4; although Claire might say otherwise as she disappeared into a bog up to her thighs and I had to haul her out! You could see exactly where the control was from #3 and we just went for it, helped by the fact that it wasn't too steep and down hill! On the way to #5 we had to climb over a deer fence, "better find a sturdy post, just in case" said Claire. I collected a few bruises here. After that, Claire started running and I was very impressed, so I trotted along behind until we got to a beautiful river crossing. We were very tempted to cool off in the rock pool but we kept going, it was a race after all, straight up 200m climb and 500m to the next control.
Control #6 was a short leg across some amazing rock slabs and it was at this point I began to feel tired and my feet were sore. Claire chose the next route to #7 straight down to and along Loch Arkaig and I wished she hadn't! I cursed her all the way down that 45 degree slope through forest fight complete with rocks and crags and nasty bits to catch your feet in and she started cursing herself along a further kilometre of it, we decided that we would have been quicker swimming along in the loch. In fact, the further we went along the more I wanted to lie down and let the ground absorb me and it was here that I had visions of dead bodies lined up with sheets over them at the finish! This was the low point. We were a lot happier when we saw some other people and found a wee elephant track for the rest of the way to the last control. The finish was in sight but first there was a horrendous bog to cross and it was hard to find the strength to jump over the deep bits in order not to be sucked up and drown in it! Finally, all that remained was to wade across the river and dib at the finish!
I took a few paces and lay down in the middle of the finish area using my pack as a pillow, it felt heavenly just to shut my eyes in the hope that I would fall asleep, Kirsty B-J took my water bottle away to fill up with water and off I went into la la land... Claire came back from the toilets and said, "Get up, get the tent up, we need food NOW! Come on GET UP!" She meant it! I knew she was right, so I did!
The campsite was in a fantastic location with stunning views and there was a breeze - just enough to keep most of the midges at bay. I put the tent up but my legs were so sore that I had to do it crawling around on my hands and knees. Claire made dinner whilst lying down as a wind break. She set the grass on fire but the miniscule stove produced some lovely nosh, our next door neighbours polished off the extra portions when we were having our yummy hot chocolate custard drink concoction. As soon as the midges became unbearable everyone went to bed and then the snoring started and I woke up boiling - unbelievable!
On Thursday lunch time I saw that the LAMM was going to be at Glenfinnan, having only ever climbed to the top of three Munros unaided this was a scary prospect indeed! That evening, I got my purse out of my handbag to get some emergency money and as if by magic out came a Bank of Scotland £10 note with the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Monument on the back, a good omen I thought as I stuffed it in my rucksack.
Friday morning came, Claire arrived and we spent all morning packing and sorting all the kit and food, weighing this and that, discarding non-essentials and testing out JonX's tent in the garden to make sure we could fit in - we did with a squash and a squeeze and so it was packed too.
Once we had set off I felt more relaxed, if we'd forgotten something now it was just too bad!
We arrived at the campsite in good time to pitch the tent, wolf down a Wilfs and have a chat with other people as they arrived. Slipped into something more comfortable - a midge net and oh how we laughed at people trying to pitch a tent covered in the wee blighters!
I didn't have a great night's sleep and our alarm clock was a piper, I do like the sound of bagpipes but NOT really at 6am... Anyway, there was a race to get on with so up and off we went in the bus to the start, choking on neat midge spray and smelly helly whiffs as we wound our way along the road to Fassfern.
Sadly the midges followed us to the start but the sun burnt through the morning mist to reveal a glorious day.
The first control was at 590m and 3km and took us 1:36.08 - it was going to be a long day I thought... the terrain was not too bad underfoot but too steep to run on and none of the teams who passed us were running either, just walking faster. The route to #2 involved a steep descent followed by a long contouring stretch on a rough stony hillside and again nobody appeared to be running - it was too hard going for that. The next leg was 2.5km and 300m straight up a fairly bland hillside at the hottest time of the day (fortunately we found some water to drink on the way to re-hydrate) but we were rewarded at the top with a fantastic view across the glen and just had to cross a steep rocky valley to get to the control.
My favourite part of the route was #3 to #4; although Claire might say otherwise as she disappeared into a bog up to her thighs and I had to haul her out! You could see exactly where the control was from #3 and we just went for it, helped by the fact that it wasn't too steep and down hill! On the way to #5 we had to climb over a deer fence, "better find a sturdy post, just in case" said Claire. I collected a few bruises here. After that, Claire started running and I was very impressed, so I trotted along behind until we got to a beautiful river crossing. We were very tempted to cool off in the rock pool but we kept going, it was a race after all, straight up 200m climb and 500m to the next control.
Control #6 was a short leg across some amazing rock slabs and it was at this point I began to feel tired and my feet were sore. Claire chose the next route to #7 straight down to and along Loch Arkaig and I wished she hadn't! I cursed her all the way down that 45 degree slope through forest fight complete with rocks and crags and nasty bits to catch your feet in and she started cursing herself along a further kilometre of it, we decided that we would have been quicker swimming along in the loch. In fact, the further we went along the more I wanted to lie down and let the ground absorb me and it was here that I had visions of dead bodies lined up with sheets over them at the finish! This was the low point. We were a lot happier when we saw some other people and found a wee elephant track for the rest of the way to the last control. The finish was in sight but first there was a horrendous bog to cross and it was hard to find the strength to jump over the deep bits in order not to be sucked up and drown in it! Finally, all that remained was to wade across the river and dib at the finish!
I took a few paces and lay down in the middle of the finish area using my pack as a pillow, it felt heavenly just to shut my eyes in the hope that I would fall asleep, Kirsty B-J took my water bottle away to fill up with water and off I went into la la land... Claire came back from the toilets and said, "Get up, get the tent up, we need food NOW! Come on GET UP!" She meant it! I knew she was right, so I did!
The campsite was in a fantastic location with stunning views and there was a breeze - just enough to keep most of the midges at bay. I put the tent up but my legs were so sore that I had to do it crawling around on my hands and knees. Claire made dinner whilst lying down as a wind break. She set the grass on fire but the miniscule stove produced some lovely nosh, our next door neighbours polished off the extra portions when we were having our yummy hot chocolate custard drink concoction. As soon as the midges became unbearable everyone went to bed and then the snoring started and I woke up boiling - unbelievable!
Wednesday Jun 4, 2008 #
Fitness Pilates 1:00:00 [1]
Orienteering race 51:14 [3] ****
shoes: Inov8 Mudclaw
WEE at Barr Wood. As usual I had another WEE blunder through the woods. This wasn't helped by my 'attempted' faint in the filing room this afternoon at work, I obviously didn't have enough oxygen in my brain to get me any further than over-shooting #8! Oh dear, better have a good rest and make sure I eat loads more before the weekend.
Tuesday Jun 3, 2008 #
Run (Terrain) 1:13:00 [4]
shoes: Brooks GTS
Run with FVO folks from the Goddard's lovely cottage in Braco, it was a varied terrain run along paths, tracks, through woods and fields - the best bit was through a fabulous stretch of Scots pine trees. The route crossed some wee ravines and nasty barbed wire fences, which called for some nifty techniques and some sneaky through the wire tricks! It was indeed a lovely evening, some of us were lucky enough to see osprey... We were then followed by some curious cows followed by hefty bull and the last time I looked it was picking up some speed (serves me right for wearing a dark pink top) so we all legged it! It's amazing how fast you can run when the adrenaline kicks in...