Training Log Archive: olsoran

DR headtorch session: good numbers out
To and from Coull hill

5 x 3 mins hills at Coull. Tough...tussling with ME and MT. Quick back down to the bottom.
Excellent session.

Visits to all RD17 arenas

Out and back along the lane late on with headtorch and T.

Headed for Beinn Bhuidhe from top of Loch Fyne with K. Fast stomp up the track for 7k then steep uphill. Soon into snow. Got to about 720m and deep snow and poor visibility so turned back. Shame but thought we wouldn't have seen a thing. 30 mins after turning, sods law but the sun came out. Very slippy decsent, needing to be careful beside the steep sided gorge. Rapid stomp back down the road, with some compensation coming with a beer and coffee in the Loch Fyne brewery bar.

19.8k/795m 4hrs 59m

Pleasant jaunt around Loch Coille-Bharr and then Loch Barnslugan with K. Early wetsuit swim stop in the former...too chilly for long. Nice lighting and lots of evidence of beaver activity.
Small rucsac.

Early start with SallyW and MarkT...and Bruno. Round the Lamahip loop. Tough keeping up with the two of them on the up but held my own better on the rougher stuff on the way down.

Into Aboyne to pick up car from garage

Wood chopping

Enthusiasm for dnc at Tyrebagger definitely insufficient to outweigh attractions of haggis and a dram or two as one is allowed on 25th Jan. Heavy legs from too much road over the weekend readily endorsed the decision.

C • haggis 1

Weary.

Wanted a long one and had a few hours to kill in Edinburgh so....it turned into a bit of a Seventies sentimental run.

Up to Tollcross and 144 Outdoor Sports...couldn't leave that out.
Grassmarket and The Castle Trades Hotel...It's probably good the latter isn't there any more....It wasn't nice inside.
Cowgate and The Green Tree ..which wasn't there..shame, that was a good pub and good beer. They've steam rollered it and built some nineties box and called it OX184.
High School Yards for the Geography bit, not to mention the Meteorology and Oceanography.
Pleasance Gym...well posh now.
Arthur and his seat..had to go up it the direct route...no steps in our day.
Back down to Pollock and Holland House..back gate was shut. In the main gate and out by St Leonard's.
Mr Nelson and his maps...he's gone too.
Salisbury Road and JTs flat. (He's still about though and running faster than ever).
Minto Street but The Minto Hotel of that party is no more.
Suffolk Road and on to KB for the Botany and Geophysics. Probably other stuff I was meant to learn too.
Something about hills..had to go up Blackford Hill..got stuck in the gorse coming down..there's more these days.
Number 408...Morningside Road. Ice cream shop has long gone it seems.
The Canny Mans is there of course...don't know if the body is still hanging from the ceiling.
Through the posh bit to Marchmont Road...down to 59...think that was the number, then across the road and down a bit to Robertson House. Greens off licence opposite still going strong.
Corner of the Meadows for the start of Tuesday intervals, then up Buccleuch Street to Spartans Club..Union offices now.
A lap of George Square for the Sports Union meetings, the library and back to Appleton Tower for Maths, Police boxes on the corners are take away cafes now.
The Union, McEwan Hall and Potterow and all that new building. Underpass and down to Chambers street.
On to Deacon Brodies and a short climb to Milnes Court, before descending The Mound.
Tiring now..why did we spend a year in Stockbridge?! Frederick Street and Howe Street, no real ale shop and The Shambles is now The Stockbridge Tap.
Turn left and along to 35 Dean Street. Looks as salubrious as ever. Some things don't change.
Really really regret having lived in Stockbridge as the hill up to Queensferry Road seems steep and long. Across the bridge over the Water of Leith, past Drumsheugh Gardens of the new year snowball fight and onto The Rutland Hotel.
Then it's back to a finish in Morrison Street.

Sentimentality and self-indulgence aside, very pleased at how things went. Felt pretty good for most of it and it was only the last down and back through the New Town where things got more sketchy.

C • A few memories in there for... 2

Didnt particular fancy the Arthur's Seat O so..
Kind of rare for me to really enjoy a road run...But this was good.
Wandering about the Old Town reminding myself again of how good it is. Felt pretty good too.

Cold.
Never been into Heriot's before.
A great Edinburgh Street Race. Loved it. Lots of challenges. Lots of hesitations, plenty of near collisions, with pedestrians and motor vehicles. Felt to run well though. No doubt some time lost on some route choices...8 and 22 for example, and quite a bit of faffing. Really good fun.
3rd M60 behind DonP (46) and GavinC (48). That's possibly about par given respective road running speeds!

1st race as an M60.

Logs...a few hours of. Not best prep for a street race tomorrow but fun and so what.

Out late on with a headtorch just after sundown. Still lovely conditions. Up to the steading, a lap or two of stubble then over the fence and up to Craigmore; back through nicer bits of Potties wood and normal track.

...hedging

Not felt 100% since Friday so entered the Short this time just wanting to see how it went. The good ... The running was fine or better than...the bad was that the navigation was worse, at least to 1. Shocking.

Still, nice to be running again. First training lost to sickness of any type for a very very long time.

Excused myself from AARC duties just to be safe. Hoping to be good to go again tomorrow.

Coaching at Tilquhillie but something underlying not tempting me to run for at least another day.

Definitely not quite right.

Pre Dess race

Well, that was a bit weird and somewhat unexpected.

4 mins 28s, or thereabouts, slower than last year. Snowy but not particularly slippery but was going backwards from halfway up the first hill and just didn't seem to have anything. Was considering packing in at the end of the first loop but told myself I couldn't do that so plodded on for better or worse.

Have a bit of a cough now but nothing really untoward, maybe the low temperatures had something to do with it.

Leisurely at sundown up to Torquhandallochy and short convoluted wanderings in the west end of Potties wood. Cold.

To and from DR session on the green.

DR pairs out and back relay.
4 x 1400m approx with 2.30 recovery. Tough but good session. Paired with LiamH. Good turnout tonight.

Aboyne Academy RC new term. 25 again. Headtorches, possibly for the last time this winter, round the longer Balnagowan loop. Usual kind of fartlek session resulting from the spread of ages and abilities. Good fun though.

Fencing in the sunshine.

Completed nine years of a continuous AP log.

Felt like another day off wouldn't do me any harm.
...did Start duties at Glen O'Dee for a while...but couldn't stay long enough to compete.

Nowt I think - certainly not El-Brimmick.

Pretty puggled from the last day or two, and could readily have rested but doing my bit to help k get over long haul jetlag.
Toms cairn loop from memorial - normal way up then steep descent down the track through the fields and back up the road. Nice morning to be out. Good chat.

With SW and buggy up to IWs then onward with both to Potarch, including my first ever shot at a buggy run (never had such sophistication in our day). S left us to return whilst IW and I did a few loops in Sluie before heading back through Craigmore. A welcome cup of tea at his house before home.
Tough pace to begin with, particularly off the back of the last few days, but once we'd dropped the buggy and pilot we could slow down a bit :-). Lovely day
(Garmin seemed to lose location for first half)

C • buggy run 2

Way too much heather for my legs. Even if mine weren't still somewhat shot from the Detox I'd have walked an awful lot. Very close to throwing in the towel on more than one occasion. Lots of mistakes to compound the issue.
This is one tough part of MoD.

Corybeg and Lamahip tramp with T. Breezy on high but always nice up there. Usual route up then back via Bogieshiel and Home Farm. Didn't see a soul until back at Home Farm.
12k/551m 2 hrs 35 mins.

Ate something that didn't agree with me last night and wasn't sure about doing this but felt ok warming up so went for it.
Tough up the hill past the church as usual and going much better once that first 2k over. Tracking usual folk down the road including SaraH and MilesN. Passed Sara at 3k and caught Miles at about 5. In a group with Miles and just behind Mark and Sally going up the farm track. Caught Sally on the road but couldn't quite get up to Miles and Mark.
One minute quicker than last year and about 50s on 2015 so happy.
MT won Ballogie battle by about 3s with SW being only about 5s behind me. 8s neighbourly spread! Fun.
57th/397 ... 57th last year too.
9th V50
1st V60 PC 41.50

C • We have all eaten "dod... 2

North again.