Training Log Archive: Frostbite

Green course, Harden Moor. Windy and cold. I only did green because I was doing the late shift marshalling the road crossing and then collecting controls after. I wore half-moon glasses for the first time in ages and seemed to get on with them much better than I have done previously. I think perhaps the deterioration in my eyesight has got to the stage where I cannot manage any longer without them. For the first eight controls everything was marvellous - I could actually see the map, and I could actually spike controls instead of just guessing. Then it started raining on the way to #9 and I had to put the glasses away and peer at the map from a distance instead. The result was a 2 minute mistake at #9 - I couldn't see that the re-entrant with the control was contained within a u-shaped hill, so I was looking down instead of climbing up. I also ran right past #14 because I couldn't see where the circle was, another minute lost. And I couldn't find the finish.

Bimbling around on the St Ives side of the road collecting controls.

In the mountains of Hertfordshire, Therfield Heath. Straight out of the car after 3 hours driving so the first mile would have been a struggle anyway, but it was also straight into a 40mph wind so it was quite challenging. It got better when I turned south and into the valleys, but I still wasn't moving all that well. Lovely day apart from the wind. Sunshine and 13C. The South has primroses and daffodils already.

I think maybe I came here once before, doing hill intervals in the fog with Steve Nic. Maybe. More than 30 years ago.

Church Lane, Parkside and Weetwood.

Aire night score, Bramley Fall. Started very slowly and messed around at the 2nd, 6th and 10th controls I visited. I couldn't read the detail on the map at all without glasses - I can still get away with it (sort of) in the daytime but not at night. Got better as I got used to it a bit, and speeded up towards the end when I was running out of time. 22 controls found out of 34, although I accidentally claimed 23 on the results. It was an honest mistake.