Training Log Archive: sjreeve

(moving time 01:15:44!)
NICS 6 FERMO
an awakening of really still how much i need to learn & put into practice. a great day for running - i was too complacent. had the mist & rain been down on the hills i would've paced distances properly & stuck to bearings. the moving time represents that for nearly 15mins i was hopeless & without a hope. routegadget shows bearings not being kept to & the general chaos. too say i spiked 8 controls is generous.
1 was straightforward but i lost time in the control circle not really planning how to get to the kite.
2 was the slap in the face that i ignored. it should've taken 1min - i took nearly 6! run + hope = hopeless. did i even look at the map? why run downhill towards the crags? why not just run south?
3 ok, so now i take a bearing & run into the wind. get only 1/4 of the distance and then head NW! (should be WSW) almost can't believe where i end up. use fence as a visual handrail but still not pacing properly. this takes twice the time it should have.
4 middle 1/3 of this leg goes wrong but stop and correct as only now can i seem to match the map with the terrain before it gets too bad.
5 started well but messed up my bearing & attackpoint from the top of the dry valley. possibly the only time i really stuck to a bearing and distance but the bearing was wrong! overran and looking back couldn't relocate for a while.
6 could've been a faster leg as again i had to correct myself
7 maybe could've saved a bit of time on route choice
8 again takes twice as long as it should and it was going so well, start climbing into the control circle too early and it then just doesn't all match up for a while.
9 lose some time on the route choice but no real errors
10 take too long getting out from the last control but not too bad
11 a more confident execution would've been good but confidence low by now
12 & F could've pushed on with these which would've improved the placings but in my mind i reckoned i was already down by 25mins on the course. having set out early after Rory & Jack i could see that i would just be falling down the placings.

don't really want this run to count in my overall placing for the 2012 NICS so will have to run the remaining two events - hopefully they can fit in.
...actually only have to run one more, but would like to better my score - ideally by being within 10% of winning time

collecting controls

almost selected, but not quite. http://www.nimra.org.uk/news/2012/home_internation...
i'll be at a wedding in Rome on the Friday, so it was going to be tough to make it back to be honest!
McCloy ran with Mullholland at the Snowdon Race & despite beating C Bailey in the selection race he is the more experienced/stronger runner.

If i had held it together over the last 5mile of the Mourne Way Marathon I think i could've put myself forward for the Jungfrau Marathon World Mountain Running Long Distance Event. Apparently M Kendall has been running from Newry to Rostrevor then up Slieve Martin on most days for his training. - not sure who else is going/selected (Dale is running the Trans Alpine)

Anyway, will see how it works out on my other holiday with the relatively "easy" Cotswold Ultra followed by the Oxford Ultra as part of the Thames Challenge http://www.ultrarunningltd.co.uk/thames-challenge.... . starting from the source - it should be mostly downhill!

out the door just after 7 for a course from 8 to 12, then travelled to work a closing shift until 9pm, not back in the door until after 10pm.
no real training other than some of the weekly 20mile walking behind a lawnmower! - probably did between 6 1/2 to 7 hours total today (12 - 15 mile?)

said I'd help with registration so went straight from work, weather wasn't great and traffic not brilliant so the planned warm up run didn't happen.
did a good hour on oentries

LVO WEE 14
Stormont, a new map & a straightforward course but at least 5 mistakes/errors wasting up to 5mins.
started ok, but was too far north of 3 losing 10sec,
thought i was on a good bearing for 4 but lost it through the trees, ended up 100m NW wasting 30-35sec
5 was horrendous just not reading the map & terrain at all - heading too far east, then too far south lost 40sec
6 slight overrun lost 10sec
7 bad route choice - simple would've been smarter lost over 1min easy.
8 dropped 30sec here and a bit of motivation lost as i'd lost confidence in either the control placings or my interpretation of the map or both!
a nice run to 9 - got refocused & started to flow hit 9, 10, 11 ok and running well on the climb.
didn't see the buried control at 12 on approach so went the whole way around the dark green to find it - lost 30sec
lost time on route choice to 13 (10sec) but ran stronger sticking to the grass - the paths looked too wet & slippery for a downhill sprint.
at bit hesitant coming into 14 - lost 10sec.
had plenty in the legs for a good run in hitiing 14, 15 & F well.
I had the pace in the legs for this one & wanted to run hard - which I did for the most part and that's why I've been critical - 3min 45sec errors listed above. a perfect run on the course with dry underfoot conditions would easily be under 20, even 18.

collecting controls

static & dynamic

a window of drizzle between the heavy rain. maybe out again later.

if hindsight is a wonderful thing, is proper planning priceless? as i got dragged into a wasted day & didn't get a chance to get out.
looking at the week ahead it would've done no harm to take on the lap the lough today as an alternative to a long run & to do it tomorrow would be madness - it looks like it could be a complete wash out until the evening.
Mon: ? wash out bank holiday
Tue: Spin? & Yoga
Wed: Spin? & Orienteering
Thu: ? work 8am to 9pm
Fri: post work Spin? travel to/dinner in? Fermanagh
Sat: Orienteering
Sun: travel back from Fermanagh (fit in run/race marshalling?)