Training Log Archive: Frostbite

Seven Arches. Slow. A bit snuffly.

Round Hill, trying quite hard but not going very fast. I was aiming for under an hour but lost the path in a bog on the way back and lost a minute or two. I'm not sure how, I've run through the same bog many times before.

Gentle plod with Simon. Adderstone Rigg, Bridestones, Malo Cross, then back again missing out the Bridestones. Wet. Struggled to find paths. My legs were tired.

White Rose middle distance, Dalby, Black course. Quite physical but not unpleasant, lots of brashings and ploughed tree lanes to cross. I passed Rob Baker early on but didn't see him, then he caught me again at 12 after a couple of legs with path running and white forest. Back in the physical stuff I overtook him again and stayed ahead until the finish. My only mistake was at the second last, where a gully that was really a series of depressions had three controls on it, depression at the near end, gully half way along, depression at the far end. The depression at the far end was my control but I stood by the gully control scratching my head for 10 seconds.

7 minutes down on Harrison McCartney, Marcus and a bunch of M21s.

A problematical day. Woke up with palpitations, which isn't actually all that unusual, but they usually go away after breakfast. This time they continued all day at work and all the way home. I thought a run might straighten things out but it didn't, so these two miles were a bit of a struggle. It's the first time in well over a year that I have tried to run with palpitations, I had forgotten how hard it was.

Pizza for tea did the trick, although maybe the run helped as well.

School Lane, park, Mill Lane.

Woodhouse Ridge and Sugarwell. Very wet and slippy, particularly on the Ridge where I was struggling to stand up at times, and it was also pretty dark under the trees which didn't help. Slow on the Ridge, faster on Sugarwell, took it easy towards the end.

Supposed to be recovery speed but I took Evie with me and she wasn't impressed with the pace. In the end she just left me behind.

Hot. Damn hot.

Woodhouse Ridge, Sugarwell and Tunnel How Hill. Plodding along, no drama.

Eaglescliffe, riverbank to Aislaby and back along the road. A bit fat from too much lunch, uncomfortable. Bits of this used to be my school cross country course, a long time ago.

Control hanging, collecting, shadowing, Burbage Mines. Good fun area, I think the kids got a lot out of it.

Seven Arches. A bit more spring in my step but still seemed to require a lot of effort to beat 9 minute miles. Damp and atmospheric, until the last bit through the park that was sunny and bright.

Woodhouse Ridge and Sugarwell, back through Meanwood and up the Donkey Steps.

Seven arches. Still slow, a bit less awkward but my quads were protesting at the end.

Slow, awkward.

Long walk.

Starting from our accommodation in Ramsey, down to the pier, then North Barrule, Clagh Ouyr, Snaefell, Bheinn y Phott, Injebreck Hill, Colden, Slieau Roy, St John's, Slieau Whallian, South Barrule, Cronk ny Arrey Laa, Lhiatee ny Beinnee, Bradda Hill, Port Erin. About 31 miles, lots of climb, 10.5 hours.

I was in cloud from North Barrule to Snaefell but after that it was clear, and even got sunny later in the day. I could see Scotland and Ireland. I was finding it hard to keep the pace up. It's not really an easy walk, lots of climb and quite a lot off-path. I was really suffering by the time I got to the last steep climb up Bradda Hill, overheating with no breeze and having to push through the bracken.

Beautiful hills covered in purple heather, dramatic sea-cliffs, an old tram on a hill top, an old aeroplane on a hill top, lots of padded crash barriers in case I walked a bit fast and slid off the road. I didn't see a single person out walking until I reached South Barrule.

This is roughly the route of the IOM Ultra, formerly the IOM mountain marathon, but avoiding where they say is private.

http://gb.mapometer.com/walking/route_4382767.html

C • nice 2

Woodhouse Ridge and Sugarwell. Heavy.

Adel Crag. Started at a good pace but not really pushing it, and got slowed down by some head high bracken where the path used to be going onto the moors. Still, I was doing alright at the crag (30:35) and legged it home from there. Post-operation pb.

Portobello parkrun, Edinburgh. Ran quite hard from Steve's house to get there in time for a 9am start. I asked somebody who looked like a runner who told me Scottish park runs start at 9:30. I sat around in the sunshine for twenty minutes before trying to get my legs going again. After 4 days of mountain climbing and a week since my previous run it wasn't really happening. I chatted to Lorna Eades at the start, and saw a bunch of Strains out to celebrate Sheila's 100th park run.

When I eventually set off I wasn't going too badly. I passed Murray after half a k, but as he was running with his mum that isn't as impressive as I would like it to be. There aren't any kilometre markers like in Leeds, but I knew it was three laps and did the first in 7:40 ish, the second in 7:50ish, then my legs seized up a bit on the last lap and I was desperately hanging on to the people around me to finish in 23:18. My best since 2011, and better than Evie again.

Shuffled back to Steve's house a bit the worse for wear.

Carn Gorm, Meall Garbh, Carn Mairg & Creag Mhor from Invervar. Mostly fine day. All the tops were in cloud, but the ridges weren't so we got some views at least. A good day out.

Set off for a stroll along the valley from our cottage near Bridge of Balgie. The nearest munro was out of the cloud so we decided to set off up that, then continued up on to the next munro a bit higher up and in the cloud. Up to that point the weather was fine, even a bit sunny at times, but on the way down to the road it started peeing down. We got very wet. We hitched a ride with some French tourists back down to Bridge of Balgie.

Meall a'Choire Leith and Meall Corranaich.

Meall Ghaordaidh from Glen Lochay. A bit wet but ok.

Ben Lomond from Rowardennan. Lovely sunny day, a bit hot at lower levels. Went for a swim in Loch Lomond afterwards.