Training Log Archive: Frostbite

Stepping stones, steady. No problems while I was running apart from a bit of a wobble on the donkey steps, then fibrillation started when I stopped. I got it to stop more or less straight away, not too bad and feeling a bit more positive. I will have an easy week.

Walking - Cader Idris with Tasha, Evie, Stanley, Charlie, Louise, Janet, Jenny and Helen, from Ty Nant car park. Nice steady climb until we got above the snow line, then it was a bit trickier but everybody was fine. Cold at the top. We had waited for the rain to clear at midday before setting off, and conditions got steadily better as we climbed. Just as we reached the summit ridge the top cleared for the first time and for about half an hour we had fantastic sunny views in all directions, before it clouded over again on the way down. About 3.25 hours including a lengthy stop at the top, 6 miles and 750 metres of climb.

Troubled by palpitations from the start, got to the right location for number one but no bog roll. Spent a few minutes walking around and identifying every feature on the map before sitting down in the correct place to wait for the others. Saw Tasha but no others. They all found the bog roll, although it turned out to be considerably wrong.

Jogged from 1 to 6 to meet Evie because I knew there would be no marker there, then did the last few with Evie.

Got back to the car and after a discussion with Charlie about the location of number 1, set off again with Mikey to check it out. Mikey had found the bog roll the first time so he could show me where it was. Turns out the control hanger had made a significant parallel error.

Running out to number one with Mikey I was barely able to move. I was running flat out along a track and he was taking the piss and walking beside me. Lovely forest, not a good day.

Very slow plod through the dunes at Harlech, heading north for a while then coming back again. Ventured onto the beach for the last few minutes to be blasted by hurricane force winds and freezing rain. Bracing.

Hill walking with Stanley. From above Dyffryn Ardudwy to Pont Scethin and onto the ridge west of Diffwys. Our original plan was to climb Diffwys and Yr Lethr, but they were both in cloud so we headed the other way and followed the ridge down to Barmouth. A very nice walk once we were on the ridge, but the track via Pont Scethin is a bit of a drag.

Having trouble with palpitations from the first climb. It doesn't slow me down too much when I'm walking but annoying and uncomfortable.

Beer trail in the hills above Harlech. Running ok but struggling against the others on the hills. Got ahead of Charlie and Nick when they overshot a dubiously placed control, and ran most of the rest with Mikey until the last significant hill when he jogged away from me. Charlie overtook me again on the same hill and I chased them both to the beer, a minute or two behind.

Easy running in the sand dunes at Harlech with Evie. We lost our way a bit and got into some spikey stuff before getting out into the nice dunes and then the beach. Pleasant.