Training Log Archive: rcro

Event: Tamar Triple Long and Middle
 

Jog to start with Will. Not feeling great.

10km Black at Braunton Burrows.

To echo yesterday's comment, another great course, and another great venue - but again a very difficult map with obvious features missing (including big paths), vegetation that could significantly affect running speed, and contours that, for me at least, didn't help me get a feel for the correct shapes of the dunes.

1 - seemed to be running to 1:5000 or 1:7,500 scale. 1 min
2 - thrown by the vegetation being a million times worse than mapped and then being unable to match ground from the re-entrant on S edge of control circle. Then went around and found an actual marsh with no control. All set to give up here as by now lost 7 mins in 200m. Turns out I'd made parallel error and was looking at what I believed to be a hill from the map (very small tick mark hidden under a thicket). The mapped marsh was bone dry.
3 - long leg. OK until in the circle, attacking from path to S. Map implied no change in height between path and control so I didn't change height - it was at least 10m higher, but, I guess, in correct place relative to paths. 1-2 mins
4 - ok until inside the circle then stopped as I hit a massive long depression that I assumed to be the massive long depression on the map (it wasn't, I was looking at a small depression with an indistinct path running through it). Then spent a long time pretty much standing still looking at the huge sand dune in front of me and wondering why I couldn't see it on the map. Turns out this huge dune was the form line contour with the control behind it. 3 mins. Totally frustrated by now so stopped using the map to navigate and, it seems, stopped losing time on every control.
5 - followed Joe Taunton through undergrowth. No navigation.
6 - would have followed, went on instinct.
7 - instinct let me down a bit and was too far south -30s.
8 - looked at map at contours didn't look "natural" so assumed the ground would look very different. I was correct. After fighting through unmapped thickets between 7 and path, stuck to a bearing and hit cleanly. Seemed to be quite a lot going on thee.
9 - instinct got me in to circle and then map was good enough to locate control :-)
10/11 - easy with strong attack points and little scope for going wrong.
12 - straight line. Not enough good features on map to check off but I did find the dried up lakes, and then saw the dry marsh before control to correct before too late. Vicious control site which was very steep drop through tall undergrowth to get into.
13 - map suggested NW was best route out and then straight line. Ground told me NE had a lovely path and took that with sharp detour at end through middle of "light green" to hit control. Instinct again.
14 - not confident in circle.
17 - undergrowth worse than mapped and again few good things to tick off or confirm location. After a while just started checking behind every lump and found control behind the second.
18 - compass + linking together bits of paths, with dark green as handrail. Would have been harder using the map.
19 - pulled to south route as north looked spiky. Should have gone north.
21 - quite a few unmapped paths here, some quite useful. Based on map control was at the top so went to top and found lots of old people looking confused. Control was in the one actual hole so in and out quite quickly.
22 - pretty easy but had to stop to see where the control was supposed to be before ascending hill - which was good as I had to contour not ascend.
25 - west route than approached from SE, should have just stayed on path. Wasn't expected TD2. 45s
26 - compass bearing + unmapped paths took me almost straight to control but needed a little bit of wandering to get happy I was where I wanted to be. Again quite a few looking lost.
27 - lovely little re-entrant. I overshot
28 - stayed on the dune longer than ran to the big obvious thicket. As I got close worked out it wasn't the mapped big obvious thicket, and as so many people running along the flat went past was easily pulled to correct site.
29 - pretty lucky as not even trying to navigate by now.

Hugely frustrating, and this could have been a hell of a lot better, but did enjoy it. Very hot and sweaty so glad of drink and ice cream after. Back by the hostel did manage to find ginger ice-cream on sale (very nice :-) ) and had a scoop of toffee & butterscotch and rum & raisin. Am sure Mark Two will approve.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1599927335

Event: Tamar Triple Urban Event
 

Urban race around Exeter University. Last time I ran here (in 2010), we had a very clear map that showed the variations in runnability of the terrain, and had exaggerated widths of paths so they could be seen. For some reason, since then they've remapped it and made it a hell of a lot worse...

5.1km sprurban course (29 controls) that made the best use of the area.

1 - took a fairly long route that appeared to avoid most steps. It didn't as there were two or 3 more unmapped flights. Should have gone via 23 instead.
2 - path around edge of building in ended up in a fenced off dead end (not possible to show clearly on map) - should have stayed on the grass.
12 - north route. Wanted to avoid the steps at the end, and could have done by following path around edge of building, but did not see path on map until after I had run past (and noted) said path on the ground.
15 - went through the canopy and had hoped to get there straight line, but the "rough open" there was actually rough and not mowed grass so had to go around it.
16 - north route. Hadn't appreciated the steps (but path mapped at correct thickness here), nor the very easy step free alternative right next to it (definitely not at correct thickness!)
22 - think I had the best route here but spent a very long time looking for it. Knew there were ways through as ran this before but very unclear on map.
25 - all set to go around road into this when spotted a miniscule path. It was later pointed out to me there was another one that would have been slightly shorter.
26 - description to me read as "Southern path, bend" but to planner and controller "Path, southern bend". With two path like features in the circle separated by impassable feature.

Overall a slow pace as struggling with heat and tired legs from a busy week. Some rain around 19 but unfortunately didn't last.

In summary, great course and venue let down by a difficult map.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1597629158

Woke up early on my day off... Pyle to Port Talbot along the A48 to get the last bit of South East Wales (described as east of Burry Port and south of Brecon...) joined together.

Not a hugely fun run but better than the alternative of out and back in Port Talbot, and a fairly nice and fresh morning with a bit of cooling drizzle.

As per last time, the train home was run by First Great Western - so my perfect timing didn't come to much. At least it was running today, just 40 minutes late and with half of it left behind in Swansea...

Think the weekend might be easy in comparison with this last week.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1594568954
https://citystrides.com/users/2892/map

Pleasant wet walk over to Spytty to pick up the car. Repairs covered by warranty so hasn’t cost me anything :-)

Completely knackered today - not helped by going to bed late, and struggling to stay particularly awake. Fortunately another half day, and managed to get out of work easily after, ahem, just 5 hours...

Next join on the list - Bike Park Wales up to Cefn Coed. Pretty slow due to tiredness, and still quite hot and sunny despite the forecast being for heavy rain. Did the bare minimum at BPW and pleased to see the back of it!

Up on the Taff Trail by the ironworks and over the viaduct, back along the river/tramroad, hadn't appreciated how elegant the Heads of the Valleys bridge is - hopefully the widening will be done sympathetically. Also passed a waterfall. Bit confused at end of the path as it just ended under a bridge, and way out seemed to be a bit like a corkscrew.

Bits of Merthyr I was in were quite nice, and finishing at Tesco quite convenient for doing some shopping.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1593748717

More disappointment from Suunto as the syncing isn't *quite* right - but at least it's getting far enough that it is putting the data onto the server. HR monitor going funny again too for the main part of ascent. Will give it another wash again tomorrow - but am still looking quite longingly at a new Garmin...

Unexpectedly held up in work despite working 2 hours more than half day... meant I just missed the last train back before everything got f***ed up - end result was had just 5 mins at home to change, pack rucksack etc. and leave to get across to Cardiff in time.

Ran from Cogan to Porthkerry Park in fairly unpleasant heat - felt worse than Saturday and managed to drink same amount for a much shorter run. Had some trouble navigating the short cuts in Barry with the OS map.

The park was nicer as had some shade, and ended with a cafe selling ice cream. Clotted cream, raspberry and peach flavour was very nice :-)

https://www.strava.com/activities/1591450107

Was just going slowly, and as not competitive, looking for the more interesting routes. OK until 3 - where two lads on bikes were coming down, one appeared to want to impress me by making his friend fall off in front of me, worked to a degree. Then heading up over the tunnel energy ran out and a struggle.

From 4 skipped 5 and went up hill towards 6 (passing 9 and 8 on the way), by 8 felt ready to collapse so skipped 6 and 7 as well as remainder mostly on the way back. Kept pace pretty slow.

Heat and stupid hours at work really not helping.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1591451634

Hot.

MDC run over Sirhowy tips and Machen Mountain on a very warm evening. No car until Friday so fortunately one venue where I could make do without.

Running as one slow group tonight - which suited me as legs are feeling this morning/yesterday/the weekend quite a bit, but some of the regrouping stops were pretty long. Great views and lovely evening to be out though.

Shoes lacking cushioning, so having been talking about retiring them for over a year now, this weekend looks like a good opportunity to relegate them to sand duties only. The stony tracks tonight were quite uncomfortable.

Thanks to Marcus for the lift home.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1589470255

300 miles and 6 hours of meetings. At least trains on time today so home in daylight! It seems to rain a lot more in London than it does in Wales.