Training Log Archive: Frostbite

Black course - White Horse and Hood Hill. My first Black course for years and on a physically tough area on a very very wet day - I was thinking more about surviving than racing when I started. I was quite pleased in the end with how I kept going but I was finding it very tough at the end. The only bits that weren't rocky, slippy or boggy were in the green where you had to run bent double.

3 silly mistakes - number 7 where I just lost track of where I was and ran too far, number 20 (the long leg) where I had a decent route until I started heading for number 22 instead. I ran through 22 and 21 on the way to 20 in the end, but looking at the times I didn't lose too much. And number 31, where I was heading right but everything below the control didn't make sense and I couldn't work out what level I was at, then I saw some people milling around on the wrong bit of slope so I joined them for a bit, then came back to where I had been originally and saw the control just above me.

Less than 7 minutes down on Duncan, more or less keeping up with the youngsters, so I am quite happy.

Butcher Hill, Newlay, Kirkstall. Must be months since I've been down by the Aire. It was well full today after loads of rain, and everywhere was very heavy going. I felt better again today - not particularly quick but comfortable, even in the heavy mud.

Adel Crag. Still a bit tired from Sunday but feeling much better than last week. Found it a bit hard work at times considering I wasn't really going very fast, but like I said, better than last week.

Stickle Pike, Brown course. Possibly my favourite open Lakes area, worth the trip up to the Lakes and the weather and views were lovely. Apart from the torrential downpour when I reached download.

Lots of controls, lots of climb which I struggled with but actually I was quite pleased with how I kept going. No problems with the heart. I went through a bit of a bad patch in the middle of the course and then died on the very last hill, but it doesn't really show in the splits. Navigation was mostly fairly easy although a few controls you had to be very precise knowing which lump of rock was which. I only missed number 6, described as a re-entrant which I still can't see on the map, so I had to aim for the middle of the circle and hope for the best. I only lost a few seconds.

I maybe didn't get the route right for 8, dropping early then having to climb at the end. I think doing it the other way round would have given better running.

Beaten by a bunch of juniors, but leading old man so I can't complain. Although not as fast as Mark Seddon on Black who overtook me on one of the big climbs.

Last time I was here, national event 1994, 13.2k, 600m climb 82 minutes. I've been looking at the map (1:15000) and there is so much left off compared to today's map, but it all looks so much clearer.

C • Encouraging ... 1

Struggled out to Bywater then just jogged home and walked up the donkey steps. Pah.

Adel Crag, again. Not feeling much better than on Tuesday but maybe not so tired and a bit more prepared to work at it. Considerably quicker despite the mud, but still not very fast. Guts hurting towards the end.

Adel Crag. Struggling from the start, with a bad belly and sore legs. Heart was was no problem at all. Didn't intend to do the whole run when I set off but I got a bit better after the ring road and kept plodding on, then regretted it when I was struggling back again.

from Blubberhouses, up the river and the west side of Thruscross reservoir, round the top then back across Hanging Moor. It was a bit further than I had estimated but I was ok. No problems with the heart but I was careful not to push very hard. HR was a bit high for the speed maybe, and it crept up a bit on the few steep climbs, but everything ok.

Fast running is bad for me.

Just a jog, Falls of Bruar and a bit of Baluain Wood. The woods are beautiful here - lichen and moss on the floor and lovely open pine forest. Shame there is no detail. I could run uphill but I was not trying to run very fast. Feeling better than early in the week but not much better.

Walk with Tasha, Stanley and Evie. From Loch Moraig above Blair Atholl to Carn Liath and back (the southern most summit of Beinn a Ghlo). Lovely day mostly, lots of sunshine. We could see showers sweeping across the other hills but none of them got us.

JK relay, Newtyle Hill. Not in a very competitive team, just as well because I was exhausted. Struggled up the big hill out of the start then just plodded round. I didn't have much idea of racing against other teams - apart from getting overtaken on the run-in by CLOK (Nick Barber I think). Slow, palpitations.

Felt better at the start than yesterday but still having palpitations as soon as I tried to run. I thought that just getting round without mistakes would probably give me an ok result so I walked all the uphills, shuffled on the flats and downs and just made sure I got round. My only significant error was to get into the mapped windblow leaving 6, costing me maybe a minute. Should have gone straight down to the path.

11th place, but on a good day I could easily have done mid 60s.

I knew I was not alright before I started. Tasha was worried about me starting at all because I looked so ill after jogging to the start. Palpitations palpitations. Started badly with a 1 minute miss at the first control but my mind was on trying to keep moving uphill. 2nd and 3rd were ok because they were downhill or flat, but as soon as I started trying to go uphill again after 3 I knew I was done for. Frustratingly I was doing quite well at that point, just by spiking the 2nd and 3rd controls.

Walked to 12, then finished the course from there mostly walking and jogging where I could.

Oxley, starting slowly then speeding up. Felt fine until I was nearly home when the heart went wobbly again. Up till then I was going quite nicely.

Just a cruise round School Lane, stepping stones. My legs felt good but my heart rate was all over the place and I had palpitations all night afterwards. Two steps backwards.

Newmillerdam, Brown course. Not feeling as comfortable running as yesterday, and my heart started to wobble a bit around 15, 16, 17 when Pauls came past me. I couldn't stay with him, then climbing up to 18 it sorted itself and I reeled him back in again, but never managed to get back in front. I maybe didn't always pick the fastest routes, but I was clean on all the controls except 13, where I lost about 2:30. I was pretty close to it first time but it was further down the hill than I was looking, over a brow on a steeper part of the slope that didn't show up on the map. I had a second go and got to the same place, then aimlessly ran around in circles until I found it.

Lots of other people lost similar amounts at the same control, including Andy Thorpe, Martin, Pauls, Mikey. Aidan Smith was first in 46. I was 8th.