Training Log Archive: rcroIn the 31 days ending Dec 31, 2013:
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Saturday Dec 28, 2013 #
Orienteering (Chepstow Park Wood) 1:06:05 [3] 8.19 km (8:04 / km) +240m 7:02 / km
slept:5.0 shoes: VJ Integrator High (1)
Very informal at Chepstow Park Wood. Part updated map. 6.5km blue.
Lots of brambles and lots still to do with the map but very nice to run somewhere "new". Stuck to the paths a lot where I could and had to back out of deep undergrowth shortly after 3.
Second half of the course was much much nicer - the light green veg was lovely and runnable and GPS plot shows an absolutely perfect straight line through the lt green right from control 10 to 11!
Caught out climbing the hill for the last time as ended up the wrong side of some young (evidently less than 20+ years old as unmapped) holly bushes.
Finished a distant third - Pete (mapper) 50, Matt 56 - of 10 or so.
Good pub afterward - plenty of warm food at low cost, not bad given it was flooded out on Christmas eve. Traffic management around the racecourse on the way to Bristol after slightly less good...
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/420783111
Lots of brambles and lots still to do with the map but very nice to run somewhere "new". Stuck to the paths a lot where I could and had to back out of deep undergrowth shortly after 3.
Second half of the course was much much nicer - the light green veg was lovely and runnable and GPS plot shows an absolutely perfect straight line through the lt green right from control 10 to 11!
Caught out climbing the hill for the last time as ended up the wrong side of some young (evidently less than 20+ years old as unmapped) holly bushes.
Finished a distant third - Pete (mapper) 50, Matt 56 - of 10 or so.
Good pub afterward - plenty of warm food at low cost, not bad given it was flooded out on Christmas eve. Traffic management around the racecourse on the way to Bristol after slightly less good...
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/420783111
Thursday Dec 26, 2013 #
Running - off road 48:09 [4] 7.93 km (6:04 / km) +250m 5:15 / km
shoes: inov8 Mudclaw300 Yellow1
Jog around Bringsty. The Teme has dropped a lot since yesterday - either that of the fog meant I couldn't see the floodwater.
Rather cold 1 celcius and roads icy - warmed up to a tropical 2C by the time I finished.
Due to cold and late breakfast really had no pace at all. Made some effort on my two hills and struggled pretty soon - made me want to be sick. Not helped on the bigger hill that I forgot the start point so slow jogged the first 50 yards - very very lucky to set new records on both.
Lots of people out today - enough cars driving down to make people ask if the hunt was coming - turns out it was just a lot of people turning up at the same time to go walking. Just missed the group of runners go across.
Seems that whilst I was running somebody had crashed their car on one bend - managed to take out 6 of the 8 black/white chevron signs and then driven off without reporting it...
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/419742109
Rather cold 1 celcius and roads icy - warmed up to a tropical 2C by the time I finished.
Due to cold and late breakfast really had no pace at all. Made some effort on my two hills and struggled pretty soon - made me want to be sick. Not helped on the bigger hill that I forgot the start point so slow jogged the first 50 yards - very very lucky to set new records on both.
Lots of people out today - enough cars driving down to make people ask if the hunt was coming - turns out it was just a lot of people turning up at the same time to go walking. Just missed the group of runners go across.
Seems that whilst I was running somebody had crashed their car on one bend - managed to take out 6 of the 8 black/white chevron signs and then driven off without reporting it...
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/419742109
Tuesday Dec 24, 2013 #
Running 45:23 [5] 10.01 km (4:32 / km) +100m 4:19 / km
slept:6.0 shoes: Saucony Powergrid Triumph 9
Not wanting to drive far forced myself to run downwind from worcester. Pre breakfast and no warm up.
Surprising how fast you run without trying when its heading out of town so thought to stick with it and see what times I could get. Ran right up until my feet were in floodwater before turning around - sadly before 5k. Still got to 5k in 30s less than my best previous time and then took it very easy on the hills just after. Once I realised I'd done 4 miles and still under 30 mins thought worth carrying on, and this worked out well until I came across a blocked drain and had to use my wits to get around the water.
Last 3k right into the wind and rain and some big gusts right at the end were strong enough to push me back - not helpful when running flat out at sub 3.5 min k to try and break my 10k pb. Got to 10k and the wind had killed me - Strava says it's a new pb but I think it was 4 seconds short - should have ran a bit more in the middle.
Not going to accept any arguments that the 5k was mostly downhill (maybe 5m more down than up) and both records may be short because GPS went funny - the wind and the rain and worcester were awful so to get anywhere close to any records is some achievement for me.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/419046642
Surprising how fast you run without trying when its heading out of town so thought to stick with it and see what times I could get. Ran right up until my feet were in floodwater before turning around - sadly before 5k. Still got to 5k in 30s less than my best previous time and then took it very easy on the hills just after. Once I realised I'd done 4 miles and still under 30 mins thought worth carrying on, and this worked out well until I came across a blocked drain and had to use my wits to get around the water.
Last 3k right into the wind and rain and some big gusts right at the end were strong enough to push me back - not helpful when running flat out at sub 3.5 min k to try and break my 10k pb. Got to 10k and the wind had killed me - Strava says it's a new pb but I think it was 4 seconds short - should have ran a bit more in the middle.
Not going to accept any arguments that the 5k was mostly downhill (maybe 5m more down than up) and both records may be short because GPS went funny - the wind and the rain and worcester were awful so to get anywhere close to any records is some achievement for me.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/419046642
Monday Dec 23, 2013 #
Note
Flood warning on the Teme? Must be home for Christmas then...
Saturday Dec 21, 2013 #
Running - off road race 54:59 [4] 9.65 km (5:42 / km) +145m 5:18 / km
slept:5.0 shoes: inov8 Mudclaw300 Yellow1
Night cross country race from Beechenhurst Lodge.
Distinct lack of training and too much time at work recently so little hope for tonight and just to have an easy run. Started alongside Andy Stott and let him go on ahead.
Rain had eased off when I arrived but started again just before the race and was heavy enough that full beam torch was just lighting up the rain and nothing else.
Interesting course, with good off track bits. Very muddy due to the rain but good fun. First run in terrain without the ankle boots so opted for the longer non-tunnel route to keep my feet a bit less dry and to keep the tape working. Turns out this was a very wise decision as I seemed to overtake a dozen or so people on the first lap as I was completely on my own on the other side - and it took half a lap for anyone to catch me. Then overtook those people again at the tunnel second time...
Very dead on the chair hill first time but felt like I was doing better second time around - Strava says I was 10s faster second time. OK finish.
Would do this again if convenient.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/418135227
Distinct lack of training and too much time at work recently so little hope for tonight and just to have an easy run. Started alongside Andy Stott and let him go on ahead.
Rain had eased off when I arrived but started again just before the race and was heavy enough that full beam torch was just lighting up the rain and nothing else.
Interesting course, with good off track bits. Very muddy due to the rain but good fun. First run in terrain without the ankle boots so opted for the longer non-tunnel route to keep my feet a bit less dry and to keep the tape working. Turns out this was a very wise decision as I seemed to overtake a dozen or so people on the first lap as I was completely on my own on the other side - and it took half a lap for anyone to catch me. Then overtook those people again at the tunnel second time...
Very dead on the chair hill first time but felt like I was doing better second time around - Strava says I was 10s faster second time. OK finish.
Would do this again if convenient.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/418135227
Tuesday Dec 17, 2013 #
Running 51:20 [3] 7.84 km (6:33 / km) +120m 6:05 / km
slept:4.0 weight:70.9kg shoes: Saucony Powergrid Triumph 10 g
From Westbury, around Blaise.
Very wet underfoot and wearing the wrong shoes - wasn't expecting so much off road. Having to be very careful with ankle.
Feeling very fat and slow from lack of training and too much working.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/416916089
Very wet underfoot and wearing the wrong shoes - wasn't expecting so much off road. Having to be very careful with ankle.
Feeling very fat and slow from lack of training and too much working.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/416916089
Saturday Dec 14, 2013 #
Event: Western Night League
1 PM
Walking 55:00 [3] 4.0 km (13:45 / km) +350m 9:34 / km
slept:4.5 weight:69.8kg shoes: VJ Integrator High (1)
Up the Skirrid helping the marshal time runners. Very very very windy - was often having to lean more than 45 degrees into it to remain upright and at times being blown off my feet. A little bracing.
Looks to have been a decent result but without Kit to follow up the hill, Duncan got lost :-p
Think walking up took me over 40 minutes, jogged most of the way down in about 12 - think I descended the steep but much better than when racing last year. Had to stop a few times as getting embarrassing when I was going down the hill faster than the last runners who were alongside me (I gave them a 2 min head start!)
Good conditions underfoot and, despite the wind, quite a nice day.
Looks to have been a decent result but without Kit to follow up the hill, Duncan got lost :-p
Think walking up took me over 40 minutes, jogged most of the way down in about 12 - think I descended the steep but much better than when racing last year. Had to stop a few times as getting embarrassing when I was going down the hill faster than the last runners who were alongside me (I gave them a 2 min head start!)
Good conditions underfoot and, despite the wind, quite a nice day.
5 PM
Orienteering - Night race (WNL Crickley Hill) 58:26 [4] 7.51 km (7:47 / km) +170m 6:59 / km
shoes: VJ Integrator High (1)
WNL at Crickley Hill. 2 sided odds/evens course.
S-1-9-25-21-11-19-17-5-3-15-27-23-13-29/
-30-28-6-4-8-2-14-18-F. Think it's 150 points dropped so well off the top.
Pretty poor run - combination of random foot pain earlier in the week and spending a couple of hours getting properly cold up the Skirrid may be partly responsible. Big thing to annoy me is that the torch unplugged twice - given where the cables connect it means that I have to take my top off to reconnect, and with the wind at times holding on to the map was interesting...
Still, at least the wind and cold was nothing compared to the afternoon!
Started on odds as quickly found a nice way to clear the map and change between two 30 pointers. All went well until just before 3 where the torch unplugged the first time - about 90s lost. Saw the gate but no control and assumed control on gate - overshot and lost 30s or so coming back. Small loss on 15 as thought on veg boundary. Bigger loss (close to 1 min) on 27 as overshot and hit the rock below, came back through the thorns.
Went too far north on 7 and was at the green trees not the white ones, gave up as thought worth only 10 points and carried on - seemed to be matching features to the wrong things but that is easy to do here... Lost so much time on first loop had to do a lot of replanning the evens. Torch went again crossing fence into 28 so another min lost - and that basically killed all my plans. Fought through the brambles, took stupid route 6-4, then after 2 could only really head back.
Without the torch going would have had an extra 3 mins so would have been worth risking 2-10-12-16-24-18 and taking the penalty if I was late. Certainly would have had time to get 16 and 24.
Went into the pub afterwards with all the sociable orienteers (pretty much everybody had driven off home by the time I finished...)
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/415722497
S-1-9-25-21-11-19-17-5-3-15-27-23-13-29/
-30-28-6-4-8-2-14-18-F. Think it's 150 points dropped so well off the top.
Pretty poor run - combination of random foot pain earlier in the week and spending a couple of hours getting properly cold up the Skirrid may be partly responsible. Big thing to annoy me is that the torch unplugged twice - given where the cables connect it means that I have to take my top off to reconnect, and with the wind at times holding on to the map was interesting...
Still, at least the wind and cold was nothing compared to the afternoon!
Started on odds as quickly found a nice way to clear the map and change between two 30 pointers. All went well until just before 3 where the torch unplugged the first time - about 90s lost. Saw the gate but no control and assumed control on gate - overshot and lost 30s or so coming back. Small loss on 15 as thought on veg boundary. Bigger loss (close to 1 min) on 27 as overshot and hit the rock below, came back through the thorns.
Went too far north on 7 and was at the green trees not the white ones, gave up as thought worth only 10 points and carried on - seemed to be matching features to the wrong things but that is easy to do here... Lost so much time on first loop had to do a lot of replanning the evens. Torch went again crossing fence into 28 so another min lost - and that basically killed all my plans. Fought through the brambles, took stupid route 6-4, then after 2 could only really head back.
Without the torch going would have had an extra 3 mins so would have been worth risking 2-10-12-16-24-18 and taking the penalty if I was late. Certainly would have had time to get 16 and 24.
Went into the pub afterwards with all the sociable orienteers (pretty much everybody had driven off home by the time I finished...)
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/415722497
C • pub 1
Thursday Dec 12, 2013 #
Note
(injured)
Left foot started hurting walking into work this morning - so bad I almost gave up. Felt a bit as though the ankle was locked in position as couldn't pick front of foot up.
Improved a bit for last half of walk in and didn't notice it too much once I'd overdosed on painkillers. Felt a bit weird yesterday but wonder if it's a combination of the cold, tight muscles from lack of stretching and running on hard surfaces on Tuesday for the first time in a month - hoping it will get better quickly.
Left foot is the one caught in the trap laid across the path on Tuesday but I didn't think It'd done any damage - just knocked my balance.
Improved a bit for last half of walk in and didn't notice it too much once I'd overdosed on painkillers. Felt a bit weird yesterday but wonder if it's a combination of the cold, tight muscles from lack of stretching and running on hard surfaces on Tuesday for the first time in a month - hoping it will get better quickly.
Left foot is the one caught in the trap laid across the path on Tuesday but I didn't think It'd done any damage - just knocked my balance.
Tuesday Dec 10, 2013 #
Running 1:03:13 [3] 10.87 km (5:49 / km) +50m 5:41 / km
slept:4.0 weight:69.9kg (injured) shoes: Saucony Powergrid Triumph 10 g
Run from Bradley Stoke.
Reverse to normal, then down through Stoke Gifford and around back by Little Stoke.
Skipped the extra loop at the end as knew it was longer than I wanted to run so went straigh back then back into Three Brooks down as far as the bridge - since we'd set out somebody had laid a tree branch right across the path to trip people up which I didn't see in time and slid along. Threw it well out of the way.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/414449874
Reverse to normal, then down through Stoke Gifford and around back by Little Stoke.
Skipped the extra loop at the end as knew it was longer than I wanted to run so went straigh back then back into Three Brooks down as far as the bridge - since we'd set out somebody had laid a tree branch right across the path to trip people up which I didn't see in time and slid along. Threw it well out of the way.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/414449874
Saturday Dec 7, 2013 #
Event: Southern Night Championships
Event: League 3
12 PM
Orienteering race (NGOC League) 45:00 [3] 5.83 km (7:43 / km) +210m 6:32 / km
slept:4.0 weight:69.3kg (injured) shoes: VJ Integrator High (1)
NGOC League at Woodchester - new map. 5.4km blue.
Definitely nowhere near pre-injury fitness, no pace at all up the hills to stand any chance of making up for being so slow going down. Shoulder been fairly sore since the fall on Wednesday so a little uncomfortable. Very cold after standing around on the top of the hill for a while discussing the Galoppen.
Quickish blast to 1 but slowed as it got steeper right at the end of the climb. Lower path to 2. Thought the best route to 3 was to drop back down to the lower path but the woods were nice and contouring along the slope was more interesting. The quarry wasn't quite as I'd have expected when I got there.
Mess of 4 at the end - didn't match streams very well and expected control to be on a stream junction not a spur. No pace on 5-6. Top route to 7 seemed ok.
Big balls on 8 - stayed too high and probably cost me about a minute. Then another big balls on easy control 9 - too far east. Knew that those two mistakes had cost me any prospect of a decent result so went slower and steadier for the rest. After 11 decided very late on to cross the marsh rather than go around the dam.
Much much nicer than I had been led to believe - most of it very runnable. Not as steep or stony as Sheepscombe. Very constrained to plan courses so lots of on/off paths but was very pleasant.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/413138838
Definitely nowhere near pre-injury fitness, no pace at all up the hills to stand any chance of making up for being so slow going down. Shoulder been fairly sore since the fall on Wednesday so a little uncomfortable. Very cold after standing around on the top of the hill for a while discussing the Galoppen.
Quickish blast to 1 but slowed as it got steeper right at the end of the climb. Lower path to 2. Thought the best route to 3 was to drop back down to the lower path but the woods were nice and contouring along the slope was more interesting. The quarry wasn't quite as I'd have expected when I got there.
Mess of 4 at the end - didn't match streams very well and expected control to be on a stream junction not a spur. No pace on 5-6. Top route to 7 seemed ok.
Big balls on 8 - stayed too high and probably cost me about a minute. Then another big balls on easy control 9 - too far east. Knew that those two mistakes had cost me any prospect of a decent result so went slower and steadier for the rest. After 11 decided very late on to cross the marsh rather than go around the dam.
Much much nicer than I had been led to believe - most of it very runnable. Not as steep or stony as Sheepscombe. Very constrained to plan courses so lots of on/off paths but was very pleasant.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/413138838
3 PM
Orienteering 15:00 [2] 2.0 km (7:30 / km) +40m 6:49 / km
shoes: VJ Integrator High (1)
Collecting in the westernmost controls. Jogged it all this time - not easy to hold all the controls without dropping.
Waiting for the last competitor to run through the final control was having a chat with a potential NGOC recruit whose been out to all the leagues this season - still trying to work out his nationality.
Waiting for the last competitor to run through the final control was having a chat with a potential NGOC recruit whose been out to all the leagues this season - still trying to work out his nationality.
Wednesday Dec 4, 2013 #
Orienteering - Urban race (MLS) 46:58 [3] 8.91 km (5:16 / km) +70m 5:04 / km
slept:4.5 (injured) shoes: inov8 Mudclaw300 Yellow1
MLS at Warminster Camp. 8km brown course.
Not the most exciting of urban-y areas. Didn't feel I was running well but was maintaining a fair pace when I was going.
Slipped over on some lethal wet concrete on way 3-4 and arm was covered in blood in no time so made sure my steady pace was a bit slower and was much more careful off the grass for the remaining 7.5km.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/412107345
Not the most exciting of urban-y areas. Didn't feel I was running well but was maintaining a fair pace when I was going.
Slipped over on some lethal wet concrete on way 3-4 and arm was covered in blood in no time so made sure my steady pace was a bit slower and was much more careful off the grass for the remaining 7.5km.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/412107345
Tuesday Dec 3, 2013 #
Running - off road 1:01:20 [2] 9.71 km (6:19 / km) +150m 5:52 / km
slept:4.0 shoes: inov8 Roclite295 (2)
Sunday Dec 1, 2013 #
Event: WMOA League 10
Orienteering race (Postensplain) 1:19:55 [3] 10.24 km (7:48 / km) +305m 6:48 / km
slept:5.0 weight:69.1kg (injured) shoes: VJ Integrator High (1)
8.7km brown course.
Area has a split personality - some bits were beautiful but others were awful. From the parking area looked like it wasn't going to be nice at all.
Started in an ok bit but was careful with getting through all the felled. Long leg to 2 got progressively worse and didn't really enjoy the walk through the bracken/brambles up the hill at the end. Similar for 3.
Around the top on 4, straightish on 5 but slightly further E than I'd thought I was - control broken and constantly beeping/flashing unless you tried to punch. South route to 6 but with hindsight up and around the road would have been better - brambles got worse to W of 1 and felt like too much height gain.
Went to platform instead of re-entrant to 7, followed gully into 8. Road to 9 - was some beautiful white that ended in all sorts of crap just before the control. E Path to 10 but think that straight along the stream may not have been too bad.
Drifted off line on 12 and ended up in the wrong re-entrant. It had a control (82 when mine was 85) but the (unmapped) distinct clearing, (unmapped) stream, (unmapped) deep brambles beyond and no existance of (mapped) green vegetation meant it matched perfectly. Thought it through and worked out where I would have to be if indeed in the wrong place and fought through the brambles to the right control.
Next 4 controls all clean and planned to keep us in the nice bits. Path to south for 17, then out to north rather than along the gully. Not really certain of where I was on 18-19 so lucky to find the control.
Went wrong on the navigate to finish as I ran to the finish banner, which was not in the same place as the single finish punch - which itself was unflagged and in a different place to the map. I'm glad the controller made sure that the undescribed finish control was easy to find.
Had no energy for this at all, and after the grot at 2/3 and slog to 4 and 6 had lost enthusiasm too. Some very nice bits of the forest just a shame about the undergrowth elsewhere. Not sure it's better than Fyfield but worth going to run on a different map.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/410918100
Area has a split personality - some bits were beautiful but others were awful. From the parking area looked like it wasn't going to be nice at all.
Started in an ok bit but was careful with getting through all the felled. Long leg to 2 got progressively worse and didn't really enjoy the walk through the bracken/brambles up the hill at the end. Similar for 3.
Around the top on 4, straightish on 5 but slightly further E than I'd thought I was - control broken and constantly beeping/flashing unless you tried to punch. South route to 6 but with hindsight up and around the road would have been better - brambles got worse to W of 1 and felt like too much height gain.
Went to platform instead of re-entrant to 7, followed gully into 8. Road to 9 - was some beautiful white that ended in all sorts of crap just before the control. E Path to 10 but think that straight along the stream may not have been too bad.
Drifted off line on 12 and ended up in the wrong re-entrant. It had a control (82 when mine was 85) but the (unmapped) distinct clearing, (unmapped) stream, (unmapped) deep brambles beyond and no existance of (mapped) green vegetation meant it matched perfectly. Thought it through and worked out where I would have to be if indeed in the wrong place and fought through the brambles to the right control.
Next 4 controls all clean and planned to keep us in the nice bits. Path to south for 17, then out to north rather than along the gully. Not really certain of where I was on 18-19 so lucky to find the control.
Went wrong on the navigate to finish as I ran to the finish banner, which was not in the same place as the single finish punch - which itself was unflagged and in a different place to the map. I'm glad the controller made sure that the undescribed finish control was easy to find.
Had no energy for this at all, and after the grot at 2/3 and slog to 4 and 6 had lost enthusiasm too. Some very nice bits of the forest just a shame about the undergrowth elsewhere. Not sure it's better than Fyfield but worth going to run on a different map.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/410918100