Training Log Archive: rcro

Run across Gloucester post meal to catch 9.15 train. Worth the effort as our Sprinter has been upgraded to HST and I now get to relax in a reclining leather seat with a free copy of the Times and a carriage to myself - declassified first class win

Event: (Cancelled) Bridgnorth WM Urban League
 

Team came 46/90. Gary Wakerley didn't come last either

Leg 5 for NGOC. Up against other orienteers running for Westbury and Wells. Quite happy to let Westbury beat me if it meant they got top 2 on the mixed...

Feeling fairly good despite getting up at 7.45 to be at Cranham in time for my 11:45 start... Bit worried on the motorway when I got past the M4 junction and a biblical rainstorm began and meant the traffic wasn't going above 20mph until after Michaelwood.

Strong start - got straight into running pace and kept at it. Just everybody else started slowly then at the top of Painswick started running much faster and left me behind. Lost loads of places - thinking I was outside of top 30 (my aim for the run) by Painswick - even some GWR lady that was barely 5ft tall dropped me.

Still, despite losing all these places got to 5k at 20:35 - by my standards that's pretty good. Stopped for a toilet break before attacking the hill. To everyone's great annoyance, just at the bottom of the hill, the clouds cleared and the sun came beating down strong - really unpleasant and was overheating massively - walked most of it and slotted in with some old Team Bath guy. Once at the top of the hill it was into shade and downhill and was going steady.

Walked the two hills either side of Haresfield. Others around were running it and catching me, but I just wasn't going sufficiently quickly with my running pace to justify the amount of energy it was using compared to walking. Took half a cup of water and a couple of jelly babies before topograph - a mistake as made it feel like my stomach was knotted for rest of run.

Bit of a climb in Standish Woods, felt a little light headed climbing it, but kept on going whilst chatting to same Team Bath guy. Descended the fields well for me, didn't get lost (overtook 2 using this clever tactic) and took the Tewkesbury guy who had burned up and was walking.

Steady 4.5 min/k along canal to finish. Hell of a slog and really wanted it over. Team Bath guy powered ahead, but nobody else got me.

May have finished 22nd, but still thought more than that had overtook. Pleased to get some cheers on the way from Tim H, Scott and the Palmers. Seems to have been a fairly steady run - 4:30-4:50 min/k when running but had been hoping to sneak in under 90 minutes so a little bit disappointed with what, for me, was probably a good run.

Mark Ponsford (Leg 2) and Chris Harrison (Leg 8) both also look to have had very good runs, and suspect Scott and Joe both got top half (and not too far down) - haven't seen results for all legs.

http://www.strava.com/activities/159248425

C • on route 1

C • on route 1

Event: Street Challenge
 

NGOC urban. 7.1km on straight line.

NGOC following BOK's lead of making a complete mess of orienteering. Crudely updated version of last year's basic map - just this time we weren't given a detailed map of Pittville Park on the back - rather had to make do with the whole area mapped as yellow, and some roughly drawn paths.

So, made a balls up of trying to find the unmapped subway under the Evesham Road, but the subway was still the better route, then lost a minute of so looking for a knoll as the control circle had a brown dot in it, pissed off at the complete lack of vegetation so hovering around an elongated knoll in a block of trees about 30m off the correct location. Control description was tree - it was on a little tree in open. Brown/red dots were in the centre of every circle to show where control was.

Running with Ben Arkell for much of 6-9. He was clearly faster but I was often getting him by the route choice quicker, and being more confident at junctions. Well done to him for not getting too distracted by me and doing his own thing. Got away from him after 8 by taking the sneaky route choice of heading SW to start when control was NE.

Second half was better, but lost a load of time looking for 15 ("small tree" - unmapped) when there were several other small trees in the area, and map too poor to be sure of the location. Took some time to find 16, obviously entered from a different path to the expected. Finish had no flag or banner.

Had some words with Pat and organiser at the end - I can accept the basic street/path map but you can never use unmapped features (say, trees, in an area of lots of trees) for control sites, and not show uncrossable boundaries where they affect route choice without making the end result massively unfair. Hope no beginners were getting caught out by the crap map and dodgy controls.

http://www.strava.com/activities/158501236

C • Maps etc 1

Event: BOK Urban and Park Series Event 8
 

BOK "Urban" race at Penpole, incorporating their Klub Champs. With the champion being decided on these results, BOK went some way to make the event memorable.

In the absence of anybody else I'll take the bait and say it straight - catalogue of errors and disappointments make this a sad moment in BOK's long history.

Pre event - website maps gave a location on the wrong side of the map to where assembly was, and for those who went to the correct side, there was no signing at all for people coming up from Lawrence Weston so you missed the turning. Those who didn't find the event were the lucky ones.

Now let's move on to the course. From the beginning... 1 was in the right place! Undergrowth west of control was non existent so the best route by some way was to go in from west rather than follow path right around, which wasn't great running. That's the highlight of the course.

2 - was mapped in the wrong place, much further from the open so lost time going out to open only to have to go back in.

3 - went to the right place with no trouble, started bashing around the shoulder deep nettles before quickly realising control wasn't there. Retraced steps and went along top of depression and found it some way further along. It was in the wrong place. 2 mins lost. Then messed up 4 as control was right next to the path junction that should have been 50m away so I missed it and went long way round.

5 - well I didn't find it. I went down to the path, ran 100-150m along and found a control on a crag, and went on back up the hill. Just it was number 113 but my crag was control 112 and a further 100m along the path. Vegetation on the slope was complete bollocks as most was white, but patches of dark green - all mapped as light green.

6 - got stuck twice in brambles and nettles trying to get to it. Unmapped. Shouldn't have gone in from 7. On return took very wide route around paths to avoid getting stuck.

8 - descent was stupid in trainers - far too steep. The bit of white I was in closed into dark green fight too. Found control no problem, but was same as punched at 5. No point trying from here on in and given the 1000s of unmapped paths I was finding when trying to exit Penpole felt like giving up.

9 - now we're in to urban, the map can't be bad. Oh no, there's a massive uncrossable fence where a path is mapped. Had to go further around - confused as the park I ran through was nothing at all like the path on the map. Therefore can only assume I ran OOB... (I didn't).

10 - might just have been ok!

11-12. Massive block of trees between 11 and road unmapped, then the "impassible vegetation" (green) symbol used for huge area of rough open with dense undergrowth. Control was clearing edge which should have been easy, but clearing in badly mapped open ground was not - overshot, went back, and struggled to find control even then because it was actually not in the clearing, but in the "impassible vegetation".

13 - hidden, looked at direct path to 14 and thought better of it - verging on inpenetrable. Around was good.

15 - veg boundaries were all wrong, lucky found the control kite up a tree so lost no time. It was some way in the wrong place so very lucky.

16 - don't think it was quite right (too far SW) but as the kite was half way up a telegraph pole it was hard to miss.

16-17, paths in open were all wrong, but could guess which to take. Should have stayed on the tarmac as the direct path towards end was very rough.

18 - was in the wrong place and not on or near feature. Found kite and moved on, with Paul for company, taking exciting route across uncrossable fences and around weird buildings.

19 - should have followed Paul in, but lined off the fence corner but the map is wrong and the feature is 30m out.

20 - rather than battle through crap went back around 18/17 area, think I crossed an uncrossable crag on the way.

21 went well

22. Leaving 21 seemed a long way uphill to find path junction, again dark green was actually rough open, from aerial photos looks like that path IS further up the hill than mapped (there are two rows of gardens behind the houses, but only the first is olive green on maps), and then the kink in the path is 100m earlier than mapped. So stopped well too early. Someone eventually found it - unmapped path went straight to it.

23 - mapped wrong, too far west.

24 - getting across open harder because path in wood mapped wrong side of bulge in vegetation. Lost a bit of time getting in to control, and it was placed too far east. Only way out avoiding bramble was over uncrossable crag, which didn't exist.

25 - veg was impenetrable so went west to path to get through, it was about 50m further west than mapped. Glad of unmapped path out of control.

Run in - not even that was right! Apparently dark green veg, but was actually open run! 20m in about 10s, or, due to SI units being out of sync, 30s on splits.

So, Trevor Crowe has been relieved of his award for worst new orienteering map (Burrington Ham) - this one wins by a country mile. I got the impression whilst I was out there that the mapper and planner hadn't actually visited the area, and just based the map on aerial photos and old maps. I didn't think it was possible to get the urban bits so wrong.

Planning was ok but control placing let it down a lot. I don't think it's wise advertising this as part of an "urban" series, given many people turned up wearing shorts, and I don't think you should be planning for people to require trail shoes for little bits (descending down side of Penpole twice, for example) if a large part is on hard surfaces. I probably should be glad I didn't run short.

Sociable BOK didn't attend today so the barbecue after - the Halletts were the only ones (with brief visits from Phil M and Alan) - outnumbered by UBOC/NGOC.

Will stick my neck out a bit and say that, including the organisation, this was probably the worst event I've been to. Worlebury and Ringwood North were nothing on this.

Portishead now has a lot to live up to!

http://www.strava.com/activities/158160845

Usual route around Chipping Sodbury.

Incredibly slow - hoping its down to combination of extreme heat, lack of prep, not stretching after Sat and being very rough underfoot.

Probably shouldn't run too hard the next few days if I want to be in good form for the weekend.

http://www.strava.com/activities/157699934/overvie...

Event: South of England Urban League
 

Event: Summer Saturday
 

5.1km Long course at Danby Lodge.

Not really much point in trying when neither the start nor 1st control punches worked for me. Kept going at a fairly slow pace. The two routes 6-7 were equal in time based on me v Paul L'Estrange.

Big big problems at 9 - the map has to be very wrong and lost 4 mins. Lots of other people were not finding it the same time as me and even Dudley thought it was some way in the wrong place (having, it seems, found exactly the same platform as I did first).

Not good on 12 either - confused as there was more going on further up the hill than mapped.

Hung around afterwards as had volunteered to collect in controls, problem was that the two organisers had both disappeared to collect without talking to eachother, nor given me/Pat any instructions. After 90 mins one reappeared having only found 3 of the controls he'd gone out to find as the others had been picked up and dumped elsewhere... I did well to find a pile of 8 and then two others still in situ. Suspect there's a lesson in organising in there somewhere - at least it was a lovely day for sitting around in the sun.

http://www.strava.com/activities/156460394

Andy Creber's midsummer night race at Lydney Park.

Great course as always, and amused by the sudden stream crossing 100 yards from the start!

Started out at the front chatting to Dave Austin but quickly pulled ahead of him and was building a lead on the drag up the valley. Realising the pressure on me - to set the pace for the race, and to go the right way! Did the first big hill fairly well and further extended lead on the second drag. Then long descent - my speed just wasn't as good as the others, and then having to slow down in the twisty bits to find the way to go meant Dave and somebody else had caught up by the stepping stones and I had to work to keep ahead of them on the final descent of the lap.

Lap 2 was longer - went along the valley for further. As per before broke away on the drag, and had a good lead by the next hill. Just wasn't very quick with a lot of walking meant the gap closed a bit, but I wasn't going to hang around and see how much walking the others were doing.

Hill 3 was where I died, down to a walk, and 2nd place was close enough that I could hear them breathing for the last part. With the lead almost lost it was about the worst place to have a technical descent into the Scowles - tried carefully but in the end had to go for it.

Here on in it was go as fast as I could to try and build a lead big enough that couldn't be lost on the final descent - twisting through trees suiting me as an orienteer helped and then flat out down the track, scuffing feet on bumps fairly often. 2nd had closed in, but was still 200m or further behind. Last hill up into the twisting paths - I knew where I was going now, fast. Vanessa Lawson cheering me on, surprised I was at the front, kept pushing, to the the pond - straight through, no slowing down, no time to lose. Final straight, turn and look back - no lights visible. Just a steady cruise up the hill into the finish.

NGOC got first and third. First time I've won at running and have trophy to show for it. Am sure Mark Burley wishes he came out to this now...

Had to hang around pretty late as taking Vanessa back and some confusion as to whether there was a runner missing - all resolved by 12.30. Just a shame that the water pressure back in Filton seems to be incredibly low tonight that showering was quite a pain.

http://www.strava.com/activities/156460390

C • congrats 4

SWOC mass-start score at Llangattock. Treating it as training as knees still not great from Monday, and large scope for messing up.

Route 1-3-4-5-9-2-7-13-12-11-10-14-15-23-24-16-18-19-17-21-22-26-F. 380 points less 30 for being late.

Went off in a different direction to most - going down the hill to get the low pointers early - as would be less useful to add time on at the end if late, and ended up waking the first 4 or 5 controls up. Slightly off on 101, confused at 103 and a little off on 104.

Walked up hill to 113, then big mistake for 112 - working off the wrong tree (did the tree I was looking for actually exist?) - result was being 6 contours too high and about 100m of really rough rocky brackeny ground between me and it. 3 mins lost. Better on the others here but the bracken and rocks made it so rough I couldn't run.

On west side of road was reading map well and was clean - knew 119 could be tricky but my line was perfect. Sadly saw lots of holes and assumed I was too far north - and had thought I was going too far right anyway. Soon realised I had actually been looking at the holes just west of control. 90s lost really at the wrong time but could have been much worse.

All clean from there on but not managing to get the pace up due to sharp undulations. Punched 121 after the hour was up so knew I was going to be quite late.

End result was a tie with Mark S so must have been an ok run. Enjoyed it, and a lovely evening for being out on the mountains.

http://www.strava.com/activities/155624417

Car seems very happy too - filled up the tank to find the last tank averaged just 1.6mpg short of the theoretical best "extra-urban" average, and on the way back it was telling me I could still do 1,030 miles before I need to fill up again! Says something to be disappointed that 79.1mpg for the drive home wasn't another new record.

Birthday run from Blaise. With Westbury group 3, who it turns out are quite a bit slower than me.

Asked beforehand what shoes to wear and was told trail. Turns out it was all tarmac and knees will be hurting for a few days now.

Fairly effortless in Blaise, steady up the hill but slowing to let them catch up.

In Henbury the leader got us to do a mile effort around school, went on only 90% effort due to shoes but won easily - 6:06. He said afterward that I should be in group 2 and was faster than any Gp2 people he took around a few weeks ago.

Underlying fitness obviously there, never really trying but keeping a good pace in the heat/humidity. Should try and do more of these sessions.

http://www.strava.com/activities/154383203/overvie...

C • horrid route 2

Last chance to set a time in 20-24 age class so went to try Chipping Sodbury. Fast course but has a long uphill drag (maybe only 10m-15m or so climb) which was exposed to sun and against a fairly surprising breeze - return was in the shade and shadowed from wind by hedge!

Not feeling great - as ever - something to do with a run of very late nights and pollen. Started out very quick but gradually slowed the pace down such that the first k was a little under 4 mins. Last 4k seemed to be quite consistent and was fairly comfortable at that pace.

Seems the course was a bit long - GPS beeping before getting to the km markers - giving me 5k time of 20:23 on strava - fairly happy so close to Little Stoke time given I think this is a harder course.

http://www.strava.com/activities/153283947/overvie...

Guest appearance from Andy Creber, but he left once he'd put night race flyers on all the cars .

Event: Street Challenge
 

Race 3 in the NGOC series. Really really hot - hotter than yesterday, and a rather disappointing turnout. 6.2km long course with optimum route 8k.

Started in the Park Campus, not running well. Then lost a bit of time trying to find the control at 3 and probably ran about 20m looking.

Took south most route to 8, then the interesting direct route away from roads 11-12. North route to 13, but mis-remembered the map and went in too late, bot much lost.

Good course and planned well within some fairly obvious constraints. Enjoyable. Should try and get access into Bourneside School for more variety for future.

http://www.strava.com/activities/152817659

Event: BOK Urban and Park Series Event 6
 

Urban in Bath. 5.4km long.

Didn't really get in to this and felt it was possibly the least nice of all the urbans so far this series. Really struggling to read the map with the 2.5m contours and narrow gaps, finding lots of extra parallel alleys that went into peoples' gardens.

Stopped on way to 1 as couldn't see gap where 20 was, then overshot as grass looked private, had to go back for it.

Down to a walk up the hill to 6, only to lose the last 3 contours straight after to get back on to main road as no route choice. Approached 7 from the south but map a little misleading as took the alley to right of big building and ended up in a garden, owner seemed fairly relaxed about it - paved area was a different shape (much wider) to map hence the mistake.

Again ended up on parallel alley on 10. Didn't see best route to 11 so went back up but still fought my way along the path, didn't look like many others had before me. Caught out by unmapped locked gate coming out of 16 - climbed over as absence from map implied crossable.

Finish a little dull as just the reverse of the outward route.

About 3 mins mistakes, but not going quick at all. Nice to run somewhere new but maybe would have liked a bit more up the hill to justify all the climb, and for the courses to return by a different route rather than have us going back over the areas we started in, and leave the southern half of the map completely unused.

http://www.strava.com/activities/152418761/overvie...

Event: HOC Regional Event & WMOA League 7
 

HOC Regional on Clee Hill. 9.6km brown.

Reeled in 2 mins on Alice on control 1 but not going great in tussocks. Blew up on the climb to 2 and knew from then that it was going to be a slow run.

Think I was quite a bit unlucky compared to others on the course as, after 1 (which itself was very easy - contours visible from start) there was nobody to lead me in to any controls before 12 as Mark S was long gone ahead.

Was going north of the line on 2 but unsure when hit a very obvious marsh to south of ruined fence edge. Got to the edge, knew I should have been too far right so went left - but it was to my right. Lost 60-90s and Alice caught up again.

Overshot 3 as didn't see mound in marsh and went to the form line mound 100m beyond - just ahead of Ben Mitchell so missed the benefit of having it shown to me as per next two brown runners - saw Alice punch so had to overtake her for third time.

Not quick on descent 5-6 as rocks/bracken combination not my favourite. Eventually found some track to take me down the lower bit. Control lower down than I thought. Bearing on 7, got it bang on.

8 looked tricky and went in without a plan. Found it straight away but sadly a COBOC guy had overshot, was dithering around and followed my exit back up and acted as a beacon to the control for the next group of 6 or so people.

Not convinced paths were right to 9 as one went right to control - so I didn't need to faff around cutting up. Nearly got lost on taped route as had refolded the map but there were very few tapes.

Joe caught up after 11 but I was paying better attention so still together at 12, in a train with Ben Mitchell for the next few but I was at the back working off buildings so not making their mistakes and getting to controls about same time.

Paths to 17 as dead. All pretty straight forward from here. 21 came much earlier than I expected, climb up to 22 a killer.

Suppose 3 mins mistakes over 9.6k isn't too bad, disappointed that I had no pace at all for the hills and was struggling even a walk at times. Do feel that luck wasn't on my side so much today, as I'm sure Adam P will agree that orienteering in open areas is more about seeing people in the right place than fine navigation - always people around for me to lead in when I was navigating well, and nobody to be led by when I wasn't.

Good area, and felt the course was planned to use the best bits.

http://www.strava.com/activities/151051495

C • speed 20

Event: Summer Fun
 

Pomphrey Hill parkrun before the rain started.

Started out quick - too quick, 5th at end of first lap and 3:30ish 1st km. Hill is pretty sharp and comes at the end of the lap after about 1k of descending - so makes you try and run it faster.

Soon slowed down and quite pleased with about 21 as I would say it's physically the hardest parkrun course that I have done.

Now in work for the rest of the day to make up delays from earlier in the week - just the data due Thursday morning is still making it's way over... Half hoping the weather is pretty wet in the Forest this afternoon to make me feel I'm not missing out.

http://www.strava.com/activities/150629037/overvie...

C • get the pace right and... 1

C • get the pace right and... 1

Event: BOK Urban and Park Series Event 5
 

to/from start

Urban race around Stoke Gifford. 6.4km on straight line.

Very well planned and good fun despite the rain and my running/o being not so great.

Opted for interesting rather than fastest route to 3.
4-5 planned to go along paths to east but saw people go through field and went with them - not the best route.

7-8 southern route. Very little between southern and northern I suspect. East route to 10 was pleasant but very wet!

Tim caught me as a did a complete circuit of the bush at 11 so gave me some new incentive to keep going. Took different routes to 12, mine maybe a bit better. 13-14 very muddy.

Cutting across grass towards end of 17-18 a mistake as it was very sharp and legs now stinging. Had worked out north to finish best route for me without Tim's help. Not helped totally by the finish being further in than mapped.

Steady run, but still not good as suffering from Monday/yesterday. Better than I probably expected. Course the nicest urban of the year so far - if anything the rain helped me with the extra distance as it kept me cool.

http://www.strava.com/activities/149480870

Looking at GPS plot, the roads in the estate by the railway have been named after steam locomotive classes. Amused that the planners managed to slot in roads named after Voyagers and Adelantes - can imagine thousands of railway enthusiasts having a fit if they knew multiple-unit trains were being immortalised in street names!

From Clapton in Gordano around Cadbury Camp.

Running better than the group today and steady on the hills. But pace was still very slow with lots of stopping.

Trip home would have been a lot quicker had the road through Cribbs been open and then the police not stop me at the top of a lovely empty slip road at Aztec West for 15 minutes so that they could remove a 4x4 whose owner had decided that lane 1 of the main carriageway (beyond the slip road) was a good place to park.

http://www.strava.com/activities/149140984

Disappointed with time. Pushing hard all the way trying to get ahead of Keith (managed it for the last hill) but 20s down on my PB from 2012, which can't all have been down to conditions underfoot.

Got to the top of the first hill in record time, and ok in the first fields. Seems I lost it all in the gorge and over half a minute slower through the field before the finish. Strava seems to think it was my best time through the mud on the top of KW hill and I was going reasonably well.

Dead for Dynamite Hill and walked all of it, struggled with the finish hill compared with my best.

Was hoping to do a bit better.

http://www.strava.com/activities/148714969/overvie...