Training Log Archive: rcro

Jog to keep warm. Started recording once I realised how far it would be - can confirm the 1500m to go sign was 1500m from the start.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2855475822

First non-urban orienteering since July, I think, and almost didn't come as feeling quite vomity-sick yesterday evening and into the night. Managed to sleep without throwing up which was a positive!

Cold day with snow on the top and wasn't really going to race hard - tussocks put paid to that anyway. Cags compulsory, which threw a lot of people but given the weather I wanted to take hat and gloves as well - wore the gloves (and ss base layer) but kept the rest in a bum bag and felt just right temperature wise. Stealth white kit so nobody could see me to follow.

Bearing clearly wrong on 1 - features not lining up - then had to fight it on 2 (building behind was a giveaway). From there assumed that magnetic north adjustment had been put in the wrong direction and just used contours. Looking on PC now, think I might have been right with that theory...

Some inconsistent mapping of gorse and bog that cost me a bit of time on 4/5. Then had a surprising amount of trouble on the compulsory route section 12-13; think first part was misreading which gate I was at, 2nd part using compass so veered off right, 3rd part the massive barn we ran pretty much through was mapped as a tiny dot on the end of a thick path.

After 13, navigation seemed trivial, but I know the golf balls bit pretty well. Pace was very slow though due to snow and rocks - was picking quite a bit longer routes to try and avoid the rocks as in these conditions were slow walk at best. Coming down the other side was interesting as snow was offering no grip and there were cliffs and allsorts to fall down. Went through a big patch of unmapped bramble on the most obvious route (to me) into 18, but should expect that from Harlequins.

Went straight 19-20 but started and thought road would be better for me. Left ankle started hurting 21-22 in tussocks but don't recall twisting it. Lost a little time on 22 as stupidly assumed the person in front had looked properly when he dipped down into the depression with the control in and not found it.

A nice but long day out. Came the traffic free way through Canon Frome. Being such a long drive really does highlight how far you are from anywhere once past Bromyard. Might be why the kites like it so much - two in Kyre, and a buzzard on pretty much every upright telegraph pole after Bishops Frome. Tenbury was nice to stop at, a bit more lively now it's got a supermarket.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2855476177

4th: http://harlequins.org.uk/results/20191110_Titterst...
Says a lot about the standard of orienteering in the Midlands - I wasn't exactly trying very hard today!

Short warm up with Pete as a bit late getting out. Also had to be on the start early (with no space to stretch) for a 2 mins silence as it's the Saturday before the second Sunday of November so really not much time at all.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2852581444

Not really in serious race mode today and as was feeling a bit sick on the way over and then toilet queue took so long that there wasn't really time for a decent warm up. On and off pissing with rain throughout, but not as bad as the main storm from the morning.

Much busier than I expected - well over 400 runners, and course was quite narrow. Was forced well out to the left on the start and then as it started narrowing became a case of sprint-slow-sprint when there was an opportunity to move - just too busy to flow. First uphill bank and the whole lot came to a complete stop for 5+ seconds - next k from there ended up being a lot of effort just to have some space.

Last part of the lap had the "hills" and these seemed quite significant. Second lap was a little more spread out so it felt a bit easier and was at least starting to gain back a few places and finish strong. Whole second lap felt a lot better than the first.

Running quite well for how I felt - but well down on where I should be. I think starting a bit closer to the front would have helped as being stuck in the traffic jam took up a lot of energy. Equally, better prep, warm up and mindset might have also have helped.

Regarding traffic jams, the new parking charging system doesn't seem to work for large events - queued for 15 mins to pay, then in cars queuing for 10 mins to pass other cars queuing to pay at a different pay station, then 5 mins queue to get through the exit gates, not helped by lots of car having not paid at a machine and expecting to be able to pay on the way out...

https://www.strava.com/activities/2852583936

Short warm down with Pete before getting out of wet clothes. To the top of the ski slope.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2852585117

Quite glad it wasn't me driving as motorway had got quite dark by Port Talbot.

Another easyish run collecting more streets - Maesglas and Mon Bank. Quite a lot of unlit sections and turning back on myself made pace quite slow. Happy with how I was running.

First half was pretty cold. Think I'll need to upgrade to a fleece for going into work in the morning.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2848340804

Easy one from home, ticking off streets. Had hoped to start in daylight but the early train was 30 mins late and normal train cancelled - so didn't happen. Meant the unlit bits were a bit dark.

Quite nice to go down some roads I've never been down before - and probably never will again. But worth noting the back road into the new Allt yr yn estate has finally opened (4 years after they built the estate...) and some bits of road surface are actually finished now. Could be a useful cut through when I want to mix routes around.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2845968100

FoDAC session was 3x 6 mins at 10k pace - so with lots of friends not being there didn't see any real benefit driving to the session when it's easy enough to do by myself. So, 5x 6 mins tempo pace on the flat with 90s jog recovery around on way to, and in Duffryn.

Pace not especially quick - some of that was mental, some down to doing quite a lot of turning and not following a laid out or smoothed track, and some slowing to look at the fireworks, which were the biggest and best I've seen for a long time. I was expecting some of the bangs to shatter windows - more like sonic booms than fireworks. Still not sure why anyone buys them when there are literally thousands others to look at.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2843581971