Training Log Archive: rcro

Fundamental equipment for a night race is a torch, so with mine in my living room (and not my hallway...) this was going to be interesting... Luckily was able to borrow a reasonably good light from Niki.

Hard quick start and worried about burning out. Stuck to tactic of trying to gain as many places as possible at 2k point and then hold everyone up of Wye Valley Walk. Struggling to see contrast in the mud so having to be very cautious - people behind were close, but making as much of a meal about it as me. Dropped them on climb out from the cave.

Then a few surprises up to the gate - caught and overtook first Mark Buxton, then Gavin, and on the long grass section caught and passed Tom Mollekin too. Just about holding up on second bit of WVW but making it hard to be passed. Dropped on the steps, overtook another and then was closing in on Phil Boorman and another guy so hard push all the way into the finish.

Pretty good run tonight - 18th overall, 3rd NGOC but 5th MDC. Pleased - and not as though had an easy few days training and ill. May struggle to get much faster than this.

https://www.strava.com/activities/837522310

Event: Street Event 4
 

Migraine didn't go away in the night (lack of painkillers in stock not helping) - just about made it in to work but not with it so spent all afternoon home in bed.

Quick test to see if recovered enough for street-o - very tentative pass.

SWOC street-o in Whitchurch. As per above - just pleased to be able make it.

Started and finished running behind Ben Doherty, but on my own for almost the whole time.

S-4-11-1-2-10-30-20-5-7-24-18-19-25-15-6-26-31-14-21-13-23-F. 310 points.

Running reasonably well - rarely hard and only pushing it chasing Ben into finish to avoid penalty.

Happy-ish with route, but think I should have looked at dropping 2 and 15 as think would then have had time for 22, 16 and 17 (extra 20 points). Remembered the paths by 15 were blocked off so planned around it - because of this was cautious into 18 and went long way round (but it was open).

Pub food took a long time to come so not home until 11. Important thing is that I still seem to have full vision - much better than last night, but not planning on continuing last night's frustrating exercises of uploading Gary's Fellsman GPX into OS maps (v. easy) and then save decent PDFs (*should* be v. easy...)

https://www.strava.com/activities/836441985

Taffs Well, Garth Quarry, Pentrych, Garth. Fairly steady pase group but feeling quite good. Eyes going bed on drive home suggest dehydration - pretty made still an hour after getting home and having been sat in dark. Took in salt on train home as rushed and maybe this was too early? Glad I've got "emergency" crisps at home at the moment. Or maybe today's BBC news article has come true in that 1 in 5 people in Wales dies from sepsis every day and I'm in today's unfortunate 20%?

Very nice orange soup post ran, and three fantastic puddings -and despite no Dallimore coming.

https://www.strava.com/activities/835319781

Slow jog from home. Aim to be easy enough to act as a recovery, and include enough climb to stay ahead of Ben on YTD ascent. Took as an opportunity to run down some new roads. Only just enough light for the first track over the railway.

Watch a bit slow to register some of the climb, but ended up at a broadly correct figure (260m). Strava translates into 294m. If I reset elevation to what Strava thinks it is gives 226m (not enough!) - but if I create this as a route on Strava, using identical elevation dataset, gives elevation of 287m! Will take 260m for this log.

https://www.strava.com/activities/834076158/overvi...

Cannop Ponds Galoppen. 8.6km Brown.

Given had heard Brown maps were short, started early enough to have a new map but late enough to not have taken off me. Bit funny that they were running short as it never seemed busy - and although I was with people at various points - woods seemed very quiet.

Again, quite a lot of controls for the distance - could easily scrub 1, 5(maybe), 7, 9, 12, 19, 23, 27, and probably others, without really making any difference at all.

Generally hard going in the mud - slopes slippery in south part, mud very sticky and sapping in the north.

Lots of people (not children) at 1 looking lost - asking me to show them where they were - "We're 100 yards from the start - go back and relocate!". Found 4 hard to get up to, similarly hard getting out from 5 and across the valley.

6 was in completely the wrong place according to the map, the GPS, and what was there on the ground. Not helped by the map being wrong too. At least 1 min lost - would have been more if I hadn't seen people around on way in first time

Bigger loss (2 mins+) on 16 as area was in such a mess and couldn't match anything. Eventually gave up and worked off memory from when I put a control near there about 4 years ago. I was a bit wrong but even looking at map now cannot see where I was without referring back to GPS.

On my own from here to 26. Clive overtook just after 27 than ran off after Jackie, who was going the wrong way. I went less wrong so was ahead into the finish.

Nice place for orienteering - but think it could have been planned a little bit better to cut out the extra controls - 11 legs less than 150m and further 5 or so less than 250m. Maybe if there were less controls to put out could have spent more time making sure they were all in the right place!

https://www.strava.com/activities/832939516

Event: NGOC League 1
 

NGOC League at Cooper's Hill. 6.1km blue.

Really would rather have gone up mountains today and enjoyed the snow but was very cold at home all day yesterday so wasn't keen on the windchill. Still Cooper's Hill is quite nice, and a few other things to do whilst over here to justify the trip.

Navigation all pretty straight forward. Only time loss for nav on 14 as went bit far south looking for a possible way up.

Other time losses - 1min-90s due to out of control dog on S-1 and again at 3. Had to stop at least 6 times in total. 3 mins on vertical descent into 9. Didn't like it - deep leaves offering no grip and hiding things to catch feet. 45s(?) on 14. Found finish before 22, but time was reasonable.

Felt like a lot of controls for the distance today.

https://www.strava.com/activities/831617272

Post orienteering loop of west half of Sheepscombe map. Didn't have OS map with me so had to guess the way back from Ebworth Centre - wasn't the route I planned but did get me back. Woods looking good.

https://www.strava.com/activities/831616981

Jogging the one bit of CWR Leg 4 I'd not done before. Amazed they are allowed a race crossing the road here - had two minute wait first time, second time had more sympathetic drivers. Very windy up here, sticky mud - and definitely tiring legs when fighting both. Could see snow on the ridge behind Longtown.

https://www.strava.com/activities/831616116

Phone did eventually turn up - but at the cost of another day wasted holiday and a huge amount of goodwill owed to work