Training Log Archive: rcro

For second day in a row I shunned the double deck bus and waited for the coach to turn up later - with everyone on the bus thinking I was weird. For second day in a row coach overtook bus on motorway and got into Newport first :-) Makes the coach much more empty now they load it second.

Still, hamstring not totally happy for intervals but tried anyway - at less effort than maximum. 6x pairs of 90s efforts - 10s rest inside pair, 90s between pairs. Smooth pace and seemed consistent throughout. Heart rate felt high - but haven't done real intervals for a while now.

Tried to get bit of extra distance on way back to hit 200k monthly target - Polar sync server is down at the moment so can't see if I actually did it.

MDC run from hill above Abercarn.

Route not really good for me - very wet under foot and rocky. Didn't have any sense of balance tonight.

Able to run well once down in the valley but hung back for the wet and stream crossings as was sharing my light. Although didn't really like the route did at least join up a couple more runs.

Food in pub took an age to turn up - and wasn't what I ordered, but at least was good portions and cheap.

https://www.strava.com/activities/727126351

Long run with Ben - from Pen Rhiw Wen.

Roughly following SW Traverse - up to Garreg Lwyd, over Fan Fraith, Garreg Las, Carreg yr Ogof, Bannau Sir Gaer - and then back mostly "avoiding" the peaks.

Weather was on and off horrible - but was quite fun as area feels very different to the bits of the Beacons we'd been to before. Detoured and ran over the limestone pavement on way out.

Area to east of Fan Fraith looks like it'd be great for orienteering - and its only 3k from the nearest parking.

Coming back was fighting wind, rain, hail, bog etc. etc. and took much longer than we'd expected. Quarry and lime kilns made for interesting finish.

Knee fine, but pace was very slow and, off the rocks, ground couldn't have been much softer!

Drove back to Swansea the long way to give Ben bit of tour of area - found Bethlehem.

https://www.strava.com/activities/724794129

Started out slower than normal but got going once into offroad section. Probably overtook 10 or so - 3 on lap 2.

Negative splitting - and going pretty hard for last k to overtake and break away. Nice to be back ahead of Mark Matthews.

13th - but a long way down on 12th.

https://www.strava.com/activities/723051936

Fedw Wood and Gaer Hill.


Another "easy win" down - had an annoying gap of about 50m of bramble to join up.

Footpath I'd planned to start on didn't exist so jumped the wall and went through field. Some fancy slotted pivoted gates on footpath by farm we missed out on by taking fence on MDC run. Found the trig.

Not really trying at all, and flow was being broken by stiles and gates anyway - still nice (albeit windy) day to be out.

Having had trouble with shoes not gripping for parkrun, all seemed fine for this.

https://www.strava.com/activities/723051916

Somebody from Pulhams must have read my log as today we went an even sillier route. Despite my misgivings as first we winded down the lanes of last night's run (before detouring even further to try and avoid a queue) - cannot disagree with 70 min time given traffic. Just Caerwent (and I suppose Shirenewton...) left to get full set now.

10 down, 20 to go...

Knee fine until I'd been at desk for an hour.

When the only two nice rail replacement coaches both come down from Bourton on the Water each morning - have resigned myself to accepting drivers will go silly routes. Today we left via Abbey Wood, Filton, Aztec West, and as the motorway was queuing from Magor we stayed right on to Brynglas rather than go straight down Chepstow Road. Whatever's not right with my knee doesn't like these "long" journeys. Still, we somehow beat the parallel double decker bus - that would have been painful...

Slow paced jogs from Spytty around the lanes on mudflats to Waterloo Arms and back. Knee not happy with road, but feels a lot better for having run that it has done since Tuesday night. Black Mountains is a definite no now - but at least I can still "run" ok.

https://www.strava.com/activities/721416397

Starting to run out of "easy wins" now. https://citystrides.com/users/2892/map

MDC run up Fan Frynach.

Fairly nice climb up from the north - but as we'd taken so long route was cut short to just do a loop on the top.

Came back down a fairly rough steep track in the dark which meant barely walking. If we didn't jump the fence and just carried on down would have been much smoother and firmer...

Knee unhappy by time I got home - maybe too long waiting for food and then in car for drive?

https://www.strava.com/activities/719189713

Long slow run from Lydney up to Parkend, taking in Lydney Park on way out and Kidnalls on way back.

Knee fine for first 13k, and the non downhill parts of last 4k so still a bit sore at times. Pretty easy terrain in terms of gradient and cushioned shoes - suspect Black Mountains race in its entirety might not be wise - but doing the horseshoe to minimise descent (and ascent) could be ok...

Slow early on as footpaths mix of not signed and not maintained - so then stuck mainly on road. Also had cattle being herded the other way so jumped fence and went through really rough field instead of track.

Kidnalls didn't look quite as bad as I remembered, think it, with Pillowell and Yorkley, could make a nice "urban" map.

https://www.strava.com/activities/716588330

Newport parkrun as knee not totally right. Keeping pace "easy".

Nice and steady to first corner then began the overtakes (46, with 65 lapped). Able to get good pace going for little effort.

One Newport Harrier kid almost got a boot up the arse as he kept weaving across the path and getting in my way as I was overtaking - which meant I was stuck behind him for 600 yards or so. It's only a run not a race, and he finished nowhere near me at the end, so what's the point being an arsehole?

https://www.strava.com/activities/714969398

Turning into a beautiful (if hot, when in the sun) day - great day for the Transfan

Bridge toll to Newport in 1 hr 5 - a mere 45 mins late. Ouch. That's why I'm not driving

Need to do more, and as I hogged table seat on train in, and had a coach home, with leg room and working air conditioning, wasn't quite so seized up as yesterday.

Reverse loop of Machen race. Pretty slow pace but kept it going to the top - some motorcross riders said they were impressed. A little bit dark under the trees at the end.

Don't seem too bad from it, but will see how it is in the morning.

https://www.strava.com/activities/713472818

Worked out I've already done about 13 hours of commuting so far this week. Any hope of doing less work for next 5.2 weeks has been ruled out as my old team has now admitted it does actually need me so the chief actuary has been asked to second me back to old job (working around my new job). Will suggest I only do it if they promise to listen to my advice (given I am supposedly the "expert") and pay me contractor rates :-)

MDC run around top of Piercefield Park and up WVW almost to Tintern. Tuesday night debuts for Ben and Mark - and a nice one to start with.

Going fairly well after first climb to Wyndcliff car park. Knee feeling better after run than it did before and at start - but this was fairly short and flat so still think a Transfan might be too much too soon.

Very slow up the 365 steps to be certain of not slipping. Reasonable pace on the top. Didn't need a torch in the end - wasn't really dark enough to make out the lights on the bridge whilst we were still running.

https://www.strava.com/activities/711198134

6.40 train seemed to work well today - fairly empty and working wifi - so will do that again. 80 miles in must make me one of the longest distance commuters into office now... But if it cuts the number of hour+ long bus trips in half then its got to be a good thing :-)

0734 Bus to work - 76 mins (21 late)
1647 Bus home - 65 mins (5 late)

:-(

Legs really not liking it being so crampt. Will get up early and go through Gloucester tomorrow...

Long run with Ben looping from Redbrook to join a few more runs together and test if I should run Transfan next week. Probably not.

Slow pace in the sunshine up road into Knockalls. Tracks overgrown following felling - contractor's son has been made aware of my dissatisfaction :-)

Railway bridge in Monmouth was nice to run over, but slow on footpath up as dark and lots of trees down.

Took section of road across to Trelleck Common rather than footpath to save a bit of time, but knee wasn't so happy. Similar at the Narth - needed torches from here on. Nice temperature inversion in the valley so looking over the cloud.

Properly dark from Bigsweir and time was 8:20 so diverted from planned ODP to come straight back along the river.

Not great, but rather push it a bit now and pull out of doing all of Transfan rather than keep to short distances and then get into trouble half way along.

https://www.strava.com/activities/707564508

Easy session (3x mile) made easier by barely trying at all - aiming for roughly 7.5 min/mile pace per "effort" but didn't time it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/704175792

MDC run on Sugar Loaf.

Legs really not up for the ascent and took 3km to loosen up. Amazed to still get to the top faster than the first two times I raced it.

Slightly cut the route to keep it fairly short and flat. Reasonable pace on ridge down but knees not liking it when steep.

https://www.strava.com/activities/703006085

Slow jog. Legs as expected but real trouble was humidity making me go a bit light headed half way round.

https://www.strava.com/activities/701626725

C • Good to get out. 1

Second go at Stretton Skyline. Unfortunately weather not playing ball and rather than rain was hot and bright sunshine for Lawley and Gogbatch climbs. No extra people giving out water and sweets (beyond the drinks stations) today either - so glad I took food and water with me this time.

As I know something isn't quite right in left leg tried to keep within my limits - and did so at least as far as CP2 as about 1 min down up to Pole Bank, and lost another minute on descent. Very Marcus friendly entertainment as counted 25 tractors in a row going along the road whilst we were up there. Quite depressing to start mid way down and still be getting overtaken on uphill.

After the A49, then started gaining places. Not blisteringly quick (have to admit that my walk up Ragleth hill probably was about as hard as I could go), but recovered on top and didn't get lost going down.

As per last year, everybody else seemed to go around the field rather than straight line which I did - so rewarded myself with a "free" toilet stop before Caradoc. Slightly poor route up by the top lost me some seconds - and then the descent was a bit too steep and hard ground for what knee liked. Had quite a fight with the stile coming off. After today, I now don't like stiles.

Walked Lawley, would like to have walked down - again steep and hard for knee. Ran the fields though, between stiles, and able to run on to Gogbatch too. Walked most of rest of top - hot. Drank a lot here.

From the top, all about just getting back. Didn't like the down, didn't like the road - but managed to keep going right to the end, and kept pace good.

End result was 9:09 faster than last year - which is combination of improved stamina and hills, and despite the steady start. May not be able to walk tomorrow, but to be honest legs felt worse after last year.

https://www.strava.com/activities/700455778/

Useful experiment going home via Ashperton. About 10 mins slower than Hereford on a clear night - but the 417 is so badly maintained it makes me ashamed to be Herefordian. Imagine 15 miles of Mark & Alice's driveway - almost stopped to check if all the rumblings and vibrations was actually from damage to car rather than just road noise.

Newport parkrun as keeping it easy and local.

Keeping it easy - that was until found out about the adhoc mini-MDC mob match, so had to go harder than I'd wanted to keep Clare behind me.

Everyone else's pace was set better today - only overtook 21 (net) and lapped 77. Picking pace up as went on and reasonably quick on finish straight but not flat out; only 2s off my best time so clearly going quicker than I thought with Mark P at the end.

https://www.strava.com/activities/698643703

C • How did you manage to count them all?! 2

Easier than I expected after so long off