Training Log Archive: Frostbite

Southern Champs, Netley Heath.

Found myself running all the way to the start and still arrived a minute late. Luckily I had met somebody on their way back who told me it was still a long way off otherwise I might have missed my start time.

Started steadily without much conviction and never really got into it. Route choices were a bit random - you never knew if you were going to get heavy brashings, knee deep brambles or beautiful runnable forest in the white. Light green generally gave the best running. If I was fitter and a bit stronger I would have just dealt with it but as it was I was constantly getting bogged down and deviating way off line.

Lost a couple of minutes, maybe 3 at number 8. I went straight to the re-entrant just above it, didn't see the control, couldn't work out that it was the re-entrant and failed to spot the earthbank that I was expecting to lead me into the control. The result was a couple of minutes zigzagging backwards and forwards across the slope, judging my position off the corner of the field and coming back to the same place, but this time I saw the control below me.

Lost more time at 11 - route choice across dark green (rhododendrons as it turned out) with no nice looking routes. I went left because it at least had a path even if it was further, then missed a turning and lost at least a minute.

Fine from there if a little slow, and just hoping to get back without any more calamities. After the road crossing I was much happier with my lines, straight-ish generally being reasonable running.

21 minutes down on Quentin, I think.

edit : now that I have filled in Routegadget I think it would be fair to say that I was being very vague about route selection and allowed myself to drift fairly hopelessly away from what plans I had. 7, 8 and 11 in particular were not really what I intended, 6 was easy but the wrong choice, 11 should have been easy but also the wrong choice. Not good.

C • Route choice 5

Forest sprint, the Nower, Dorking. Sprinted off up the big hill to number 1 because I knew Lulu was starting a minute behind me and she can run faster than me. This put my heart straight into dangerous territory and I couldn't keep it up - it felt a bit wobbly but I was running fine. Proceeded to find all the controls without any bother until I got distracted by Paul Gebbett in the wrong place at 14 (?) and at the same time Charlie overtook me and stole my concentration off me. The result was losing 30 secs on a control which was right next to the path I had been on before I diverted to the wrong side of a bramble patch.

About 3 minutes down on Charlie, 4 on Quentin. Never saw Lulu but she did about 22. If only there were some results to look at.

Gledhow Park and Chapel A. Mostly steady but put in a couple of fairly hard efforts up Potternewton Lane and up Gledhow Lane. I wanted to get the HR up above 155 and sustain it there and see if anything happened. Nothing did really. My legs got tired and that was about it. It was a bit of a struggle going that fast.

2:49 for Potternewton Lane. 4:10 for Gledhow Lane and up into Chapel Allerton as far as the Regent.


**** new shoes ****

Spen Road, Spen Lane and Adel.

Not feeling on top form before I started, mainly on account of having been called by work last night and not getting to sleep until 3:30am. Started off a bit uncommitted and finding it hard work, and it started to sleet as well. Then I started to feel a bit better and got on with it. Worked hard up the hill and moving relatively well coming back down. A pb! yay.