Training Log Archive: rcroIn the 31 days ending Mar 31, 2011:
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Thursday Mar 31, 2011 #
Note
Final year project went for printing (at £91 cost) this afternoon, so after 2 weeks of working 8am-2am (or later) I'll be able to see daylight once again. Really can't be doing with sitting down at all any more - legs feeling really stiff.
Monday Mar 28, 2011 #
Note
Anyone up for a bet on how long it'll take for Matt Crane to overtake me on Saturday? Given project work will scupper any plans for training this week, I'd guess 2 and a half minutes after my start...
Saturday Mar 26, 2011 #
Orienteering (BOK "Cafe-O") 46:27 [3] 6.78 km (6:51 / km) +150m 6:10 / km
shoes: Saucony ProGrid Triumph 7
Helping Katy Dyer with her "Cafe-O" participation exercise. Went for a run around the permanent course when it was quiet.
Really seemed to be struggling for any sort of pace for 2/3 of it - only getting moving remotely well towards the end.
Seemed to keep bumping into people I know right the way around the course.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/75179345
Obviously pushed myself too hard though. Still not properly fit following cold the other week, and prepared for the run by not eating any breakfast/lunch and drinking pretty much nothing... Had a bad headache come on pretty soon after I'd finished - hence pulled out of the SWOC regional for fear it would have turned into a migraine (and climbing steep hills probably isn't the best way of curing a natural susceptibility to dehydration at temperatures above 10C...)
Really seemed to be struggling for any sort of pace for 2/3 of it - only getting moving remotely well towards the end.
Seemed to keep bumping into people I know right the way around the course.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/75179345
Obviously pushed myself too hard though. Still not properly fit following cold the other week, and prepared for the run by not eating any breakfast/lunch and drinking pretty much nothing... Had a bad headache come on pretty soon after I'd finished - hence pulled out of the SWOC regional for fear it would have turned into a migraine (and climbing steep hills probably isn't the best way of curing a natural susceptibility to dehydration at temperatures above 10C...)
Orienteering 20:00 [3] 2.0 km (10:00 / km)
shoes: Saucony ProGrid Triumph 7
Collecting yellow course controls in from around the field below the house at Ashton Court. Was rather hoping the air would clear my head but the sun stubbornly wanted to stay bright.
Wednesday Mar 23, 2011 #
Running 23:00 [3] 3.75 km (6:08 / km) +3m 6:07 / km
shoes: Saucony ProGrid Triumph 7
Slow, steady jog from home to Coombe Dingle. Didn't feel great but it's the most running I've done for over 2 weeks.
Orienteering - Urban (BOK Klub Night) 1:00:00 [0] 1.6 km (37:30 / km)
shoes: Saucony ProGrid Triumph 7
BOK Klub Night was Trail-O, with everybody going around together (hence so slow). OK but technically easy, even for the juniors, as is the case generally with Coombe Dingle.
This is the last of these Klub Nights I'll be going to this season. Shame they've not turned out to be much of a success (although the 12 year olds who go enjoy it) - really the only way it will ever be viable is if there are regular challenges that would interest the older active non-elites in the BOK.
This is the last of these Klub Nights I'll be going to this season. Shame they've not turned out to be much of a success (although the 12 year olds who go enjoy it) - really the only way it will ever be viable is if there are regular challenges that would interest the older active non-elites in the BOK.
Saturday Mar 19, 2011 #
Event: WNL 12
Orienteering - Night race (WNL Parkend) 58:20 [3] 5.75 km (10:09 / km) +145m 9:01 / km
shoes: inov8 Roclite295 (1)
Last WNL of season and came to it unfit from cold and knowing that the result would be unlikely to change my position in any of the leagues.
Went S-6-8-25-5-4-14-19-15-27-21-20-18-13-F
Unsure where to go after 6 but decided that the top of the map would be too far for too few points. Proceeded to mess up 25 horrendously so good to have GPS to see where I went afterwards. Got 14 and 19 ok but found all the fallen branches hard going. 15 alright but find that the N-S path to the west was covered in brambly crags and lost a lot of time trying to find a way down.
Would have gone for 11 between 21 and 20 but it looked steep and was worth only 20 points, so I left it. Similar done with 10 (between 20 and 18) where I got fed up of battling through the trees and went to the path, which was wet enough for me to not want to stop off to look for the control.
Thought about getting 3, 2 and 1 towards the end but thought that my speed was too slow for it to be worthwhile. Suspect it was the right decision.
Disappointing end to the season, but then my standards are now a lot higher than they were two years ago!
http://connect.garmin.com/player/73944200
Went S-6-8-25-5-4-14-19-15-27-21-20-18-13-F
Unsure where to go after 6 but decided that the top of the map would be too far for too few points. Proceeded to mess up 25 horrendously so good to have GPS to see where I went afterwards. Got 14 and 19 ok but found all the fallen branches hard going. 15 alright but find that the N-S path to the west was covered in brambly crags and lost a lot of time trying to find a way down.
Would have gone for 11 between 21 and 20 but it looked steep and was worth only 20 points, so I left it. Similar done with 10 (between 20 and 18) where I got fed up of battling through the trees and went to the path, which was wet enough for me to not want to stop off to look for the control.
Thought about getting 3, 2 and 1 towards the end but thought that my speed was too slow for it to be worthwhile. Suspect it was the right decision.
Disappointing end to the season, but then my standards are now a lot higher than they were two years ago!
http://connect.garmin.com/player/73944200
Thursday Mar 17, 2011 #
Note
Feeling better at last - after two weeks of basically no training.
Have no lift to WNL on Saturday and not prepared to drive back on my own in the dark after a hard run - anyone else going from Bristol that I could go with/give the handicap trophy to pass on to Mike Farrington?
Have no lift to WNL on Saturday and not prepared to drive back on my own in the dark after a hard run - anyone else going from Bristol that I could go with/give the handicap trophy to pass on to Mike Farrington?
C • Lift 5
Sunday Mar 13, 2011 #
Event: Sothern Champs, Hambleden
Orienteering race (Southern Champs) 1:30:49 [4] 10.93 km (8:19 / km) +330m 7:13 / km
(sick) shoes: inov8 Roclite295 (1)
Nice area, nice course. Did the 9.5km M21 "Short" course which was only 1.4km shorter than the women's elite!
No problems with navigation except 10 (no 139) where I navigated to the end of the earthbank, only to find that the earthbank continued for much longer on the ground than it did on the map! 2 mins lost.
My long leg - 13 to 14 - seemed to take a long time. It was the only point where I felt that the map was 1:15k as everything else seemed to come along quite quickly. No idea why I had a string of TD1 and TD2 controls near the end. A bit boring to say the least...
Disappointed that I hadn't shaken the cold before now as I should have been able to knock a good 10-15 mins off by just keeping to a sensible pace - just didn't have any energy today.
Wildlife - numerous kites, buzzards, pheasants, deer and what I think were hares - never seen any before but these were rabbit things with very long legs.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/72837676
No problems with navigation except 10 (no 139) where I navigated to the end of the earthbank, only to find that the earthbank continued for much longer on the ground than it did on the map! 2 mins lost.
My long leg - 13 to 14 - seemed to take a long time. It was the only point where I felt that the map was 1:15k as everything else seemed to come along quite quickly. No idea why I had a string of TD1 and TD2 controls near the end. A bit boring to say the least...
Disappointed that I hadn't shaken the cold before now as I should have been able to knock a good 10-15 mins off by just keeping to a sensible pace - just didn't have any energy today.
Wildlife - numerous kites, buzzards, pheasants, deer and what I think were hares - never seen any before but these were rabbit things with very long legs.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/72837676
Note
12 months today since we held BUCS at Sallowvallets.
Am still not an elite orienteer, and BUCS still haven't paid the Forestry Commission invoice for land access. I wonder which will (both big ifs...) happen first?
Am still not an elite orienteer, and BUCS still haven't paid the Forestry Commission invoice for land access. I wonder which will (both big ifs...) happen first?
Saturday Mar 12, 2011 #
Event: WNL, Eastnor
Orienteering - Night race (WNL Eastnor) 59:38 [4] 6.07 km (9:49 / km) +250m 8:09 / km
(sick) shoes: inov8 Roclite295 (1)
Pretty poor performance overall - was wondering as I was going around why I always perform so badly when in my home county. Probably because the choice of venues is always the grottiest bramble-fest that the organisers could possibly dream up. Suspect that pretty much every control description tonight could have been "bramble patch, marshy"...
Went S-11-14-9-15-24-25-17-23-19-26-16-6-7-8-13-12-5-22-4-10-2-1-F.
Cold and lack of fitness from a week of no training meant I was struggling with the gentle-ish slope up from the start. Really wasn't going fast at all and for a lot of the way was just walking slowly.
Made a big balls up of 24, spent ages stopped wondering where I was when I was probably in the control circle all along. Contouring along to 25 was difficult due to slope and poor balance, made worse when finding I was a good 20m+ below the control. After 19 went down hill with the aim of going onto the real hills. Had a change of heart and decided I should instead try and get all the rest from the park.
26 and 22 very brambly and horrible. Disappointed that I just didn't have enough time to get 3 at the end.
No positives apart from coming back in time. So, how the hell was I only 9 points behind Ifor and third overall?
http://connect.garmin.com/player/72673294
Went S-11-14-9-15-24-25-17-23-19-26-16-6-7-8-13-12-5-22-4-10-2-1-F.
Cold and lack of fitness from a week of no training meant I was struggling with the gentle-ish slope up from the start. Really wasn't going fast at all and for a lot of the way was just walking slowly.
Made a big balls up of 24, spent ages stopped wondering where I was when I was probably in the control circle all along. Contouring along to 25 was difficult due to slope and poor balance, made worse when finding I was a good 20m+ below the control. After 19 went down hill with the aim of going onto the real hills. Had a change of heart and decided I should instead try and get all the rest from the park.
26 and 22 very brambly and horrible. Disappointed that I just didn't have enough time to get 3 at the end.
No positives apart from coming back in time. So, how the hell was I only 9 points behind Ifor and third overall?
http://connect.garmin.com/player/72673294
Sunday Mar 6, 2011 #
O - Planning 2:00:00 [0] 6.0 km (20:00 / km)
(sick)
Another check around Cannop Ponds in order to resolve some controller queries re: BOK/ASO event in May. Problems were mostly to do with security of controls and tags going missing. Two of my tags were on the wrong feature due to there being a few unmapped features and me being lazy with adjusting to the map scale. What is most interesting is that one of my fairly immobile control features has somehow migrated 20 yards south over the last fortnight. Any ideas how? I don't think my tag moved as I remember the tree I attached it to!
Managed to almost cut my finger off (with a pair of scissors) putting new tapes out today - I hope people appreciate the risks I've had to endure for their enjoyment at the event!
Was walking with a couple of friends (one had plasters :-) ) so very, very slow going. Absolutely knackered after yesterday and my cold is much worse. Walked over to Mallards Pike Lake afterward we'd finished with checking sites.
Managed to almost cut my finger off (with a pair of scissors) putting new tapes out today - I hope people appreciate the risks I've had to endure for their enjoyment at the event!
Was walking with a couple of friends (one had plasters :-) ) so very, very slow going. Absolutely knackered after yesterday and my cold is much worse. Walked over to Mallards Pike Lake afterward we'd finished with checking sites.
Note
Couple of WNL "wow"s:
1. Results up within 24 hours (on NGOC site) - this season we've been lucky if it's inside the fortnight!
2. I came 5th on what should have been a runners course - despite not being a good runner and having a cold! Still only around 730 WNL points though - a very pronounced difference between the very good and the good last night...
1. Results up within 24 hours (on NGOC site) - this season we've been lucky if it's inside the fortnight!
2. I came 5th on what should have been a runners course - despite not being a good runner and having a cold! Still only around 730 WNL points though - a very pronounced difference between the very good and the good last night...
Saturday Mar 5, 2011 #
Event: WNL Minchinhampton
Orienteering (BOK "Cafe-O") 55:16 [3] 7.67 km (7:12 / km) +185m 6:26 / km
shoes: Addidas Swoops
Tried the "Cafe-O" exercise, based on Ashton Court's permanent course. Did a 7km blue course - wasn't going to push myself because of cold and saving myself for night-o afterwards. Kept to straight line route where possible - seemed quite successful.
Only one error near the end. Seemed to speed up once I was up above the quarry.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/71435325
Only one error near the end. Seemed to speed up once I was up above the quarry.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/71435325
Orienteering - Night race (WNL Minchinhampton) 1:00:03 [5] 8.79 km (6:50 / km) +190m 6:10 / km
shoes: Addidas Swoops
Went S-3-10-4-19-18-26-5-6-7-8-12-25-20-15-27-23-21-16-17-2-1-F. Think that totals 470 points out of 610.
Was slightly off at 10, but seemed to hit everything else fine - but veered off route between 25 and 20. Very quick area - I'm very surprised how I managed to run so well given my cold.
Original strategy was to stay on just the common but having done pretty much all of it by 32 minutes I decided to go for the high pointers on the north west. Interesting unmapped dug-out hole below 27. Hit 23 bang on, no idea how. The climb to 16 and 17 was very tiring - hence why I had to miss out 9 which I planned to get near the end. Was one hell of a sprint to the finish though (for me at least).
Was held up for 3 seconds by Paul Taunton's wife blocking the finish control as I was finishing.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/71435320
Was slightly off at 10, but seemed to hit everything else fine - but veered off route between 25 and 20. Very quick area - I'm very surprised how I managed to run so well given my cold.
Original strategy was to stay on just the common but having done pretty much all of it by 32 minutes I decided to go for the high pointers on the north west. Interesting unmapped dug-out hole below 27. Hit 23 bang on, no idea how. The climb to 16 and 17 was very tiring - hence why I had to miss out 9 which I planned to get near the end. Was one hell of a sprint to the finish though (for me at least).
Was held up for 3 seconds by Paul Taunton's wife blocking the finish control as I was finishing.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/71435320
Wednesday Mar 2, 2011 #
Running 19:43 [3] 3.9 km (5:03 / km) +30m 4:52 / km
shoes: Saucony ProGrid Triumph 7
Jog to Coombe Dingle. Had GPS on to make sure that I didn't start off too fast - took it at a fairly relaxed pace so surprised to have done it in under 20 mins. Some idiot decided that it would be a good idea to walk into the side of me with no warning on Whiteladies Road; apparently it was my fault...
http://connect.garmin.com/player/70960619
http://connect.garmin.com/player/70960619
Running (BOK Training Run) 1:01:29 [3] 8.69 km (7:05 / km) +60m 6:50 / km
shoes: Saucony ProGrid Triumph 7
Up Kings Weston Hill, towards Penpole and back via Shirehampton Golf Course and along the Trym.
Slow pace compared to last time but I didn't feel it was too slow. Quite aware that my pace was fluctuating a lot tonight. Lots of owls about on KW Hill.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/70960608
Slow pace compared to last time but I didn't feel it was too slow. Quite aware that my pace was fluctuating a lot tonight. Lots of owls about on KW Hill.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/70960608
Tuesday Mar 1, 2011 #
Running 15:00 [3] 2.5 km (6:00 / km) +30m 5:40 / km
shoes: Saucony ProGrid Triumph 7
To/from the Downs. Seemed to be going too quick up Whiteladies so slowed down to a much more sensible pace just before Tescos on the way up.
Running (UBOC Training) 41:15 [3] 7.17 km (5:45 / km) +60m 5:31 / km
shoes: Saucony ProGrid Triumph 7
Easy jog around Stoke Bishop and up to Falcondale Road.
Seemed to be going a bit too slow for what I'd have wanted to picked up the speed a little bit towards the end.
My old driving instructor went past was going around Stoke Bishop - but his learner didn't seem very good at keeping to the left.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/70787959
Seemed to be going a bit too slow for what I'd have wanted to picked up the speed a little bit towards the end.
My old driving instructor went past was going around Stoke Bishop - but his learner didn't seem very good at keeping to the left.
http://connect.garmin.com/player/70787959