Training Log Archive: rcro

Had a blood test scheduled for this morning and after that didn't really feel like doing too much with the weather not so good.

Eventually went up to Ebbw Vale to tick off the square I've got there. Heart Rate monitor having a very off day as was well over half way around before it started looking plausible. Until then, highest HR was when I was removing a thorn from my shoe...

7.7km Brown course.

By my reckoning, my first time "forest" orienteering in Daylight, other than in Gwaelod, since October 2017 as I pretty much quite completely after the last bad ankle sprain. Entered today as these are among very few blocks of wood west of the Severn that I've never been in before, and wanted to see what they are like.

I know I'm not quick in this terrain, nor is my ankle really up to handling brash or being caught by brambles - so never really tried, and took all the off-track bits very cautiously to make sure I didn't get injured. Route choices weren't about being the fastest, more getting variety of terrain and seeing how much I liked it - so routes like 2-3-4-5 could have been done a lot quicker if I wanted.

Likewise on 7-8, once I'd seen the obvious route was on the road, took a long detour back to the Glasshouse so that it would overlap with other runs on my heatmap, and save me having to do a second run, and it got me a bonus hill climb too.

Starting to get a bit bored on the second half. Terrain mostly good and some nice features, but I didn't really like going through the terrain in the blocks around 12/18/14 - and that's a bit we had to do twice!

No major time losses, and despite not really making any effort to keep in touch with the map, always knew where I was to within 100m or so and the flags appeared roughly where I expected them to. It's a worthwhile area to have mapped, but still in the mindset where I'd prefer to stick to the paths.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5101844955

Bringsty today. Had been a bit rainy and so finding these shoes had no grip as surprisingly damp compared to yesterday. Soon ducked out and went to the road and did a bigger loop though Linley Green and then overlap with yesterday on the bottom side of the Downs, returning through Brockhampton with some appreciated downhill. Loop cleverly avoided the fiercest of the hills. Last run over here before I go back - then legally won’t be allowed back into Herefordshire until Monday :-/

Worked out Prince Philip had died as saw a union flag at half mast in someone’s garden.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5095777792

Seem to have messed up display settings for attackpoint on my iPad - now not in “mobile” mode and can’t see any way to put it back as the link at the bottom has disappeared.

Recovery run on the Downs. Legs felt good until I started running and then it proved to be quite hard. Wanted a respectable placing on the segment I took a wrong turn on - but this had 50m climb and was head on into a strong wind so ended up harder than I really wanted. Took a different wrong turning, but that’ll do for now.

Realised half way round I should have brought my map with me so I could update the paths. See what I remember at the weekend. Would be good for a MapRun one day.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5089959020

After the daytime all going perfectly to plan, being stuck in a queue of traffic behind a tractor from Goodrich all the way into Hereford and slow toilet queue ate into warm up time - to the point that all I had time for was 400 yard jog over to the waiting pens - but as I’m not race fit and wearing my most basic shoes I wasn’t taking it too seriously. Not seriously as shown by me, Pete and Leyton slowly wandering into the massive 18 minute pen and chatting to each other, and then noticing the race had started some distance ahead “we’d better get a move on or we will be lapped...”.

Seemed to be a fairly quick start with me, Leyton, Pete and Sam Harris all together along the Roman road but I had broken ahead by the first k. I’d worked out quickly the km signs were too soon but still amazed that the watch beeped 3:27. With a stretch target of 18:30 did think I could ease off the pace a bit but kept it up to see what happened. The corners around Westfields were a bit tedious, the gravelly section had me concerned about tripping on buggering ankle, and the second lap was a lot less fun, and less easy, than the first. Pace was still holding up at 4km so it was all down to getting through Westfields and holding on to the end. 17:13 on the watch as entered the field and after what felt like a minute of “just a little bit further, I can make this” finished on about 17:45.

Target was to be 18:xx so missed that somewhat. PB from Cardiff Parkrun April 2019 was 17:52 so got 7s off that tonight. No warm up, no sped work for over a year, no super shoes, not race fit - so I don’t really know what happened here. Thinking maybe I should have vaporflyed after all but a decent confidence boost to do this without them and shows that sub-17 *might* be possible with training and mechanical advantage. Not sure if I can repeat this - but at least now I don’t have to, as regards races 2 and 3 it’s already job done with PB in the bag.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5086634533/overv...

Results - 85th place with official time 17:44
https://8000a96b-a8fc-416c-87eb-da813fc315e2.files...

C • Good effort. 5

Decent warm down as the food/Monross marathoners had a 30 minute easy run in the schedule. They wanted pretty route so I took them down my favourite footpath through the middle of the chemical works, around the back of the bus depot, and around Aylestone Park. Sun came out early on, so had a great view of the sunset over the Hay Bluff ridge with PYGF and Waun Fach peeking above. Makes me realise just how much I’ve missed being up here.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5086634364

Trying the new shoes from home. Not a huge difference in speed but can't be sure how much of that may have been down to taking it easy early on, and there being a head wind most of the time (given wind supposedly coming from NW, there was definitely wind coming from the NE and SE too.

Segment times don't look too bad though.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5080195451

No plans for today - so joined Marcus with running the Newport bit of the coast path.

Fairly windy, and after turning around at Nash quickly started getting stomach cramps as usual running into wind. Meant had to stop a few times when it became too uncomfortable but at least managed to get home without having to abandon part way with a net downhill run.

Nice to run with someone again. No way I would have gone anything like this far, or this steady otherwise - and think it’s probably what my legs needed over a shorter faster run.

https://www.strava.com/activities/5073443522