Training Log Archive: AngusL

MV Nut Wood
Short notice short run on Nut Wood. My concentration wasn't there today. Slow and although I did well on a couple of controls, it wasn't coming together. Big mistake on #7, trying to go straight from #6 to #8 as if it was #7. Realised my mistake while relocating, but it cost me at least 3 minutes.

Not exactly covered in glory. I need to get some more woodland practice in.

Race pace 10:19/km.
Over ran 18%.

Blue - Splits

Swimming at Nuffield Health - a breakthrough!
A milestone for me: the first time EVER that I've felt completely relaxed at freestyle. I planned to do my usual 8-4-8 cycle but surged through 8, then 16 and on up to 20-24 (I'll admit to losing count). Four laps of breaststroke because I felt I ought to, then back to another 16 freestyle to finish. Absolutely delighted!

24 freestyle
4 breaststroke
16 freestyle

Richmond Park: three laps
Wind shifting but still present. Average substantially higher than previous rides at 30kph on leaving the park, and ended at 29.6kph after traffic lights on the journey home. Time round was nine minutes faster than last week and almost eight minutes faster than my previous PB!

BAOC Ash Ranges (or a run in a pine sauna scented with Radox)
Wow - this felt hot! I think the unseasonably warm weather means that we're not used to running under direct sun in this temperature, because it's only about 22°C, but it felt hotter.

Good terrain: heather and gorse to the east, which although dry was quite tiring to run through so tracks/trails were often a faster option; pine forest and the open ranges to the west, smelling so typically pine-like it felt as if someone had spilt a lorry-load of Radox there.

Overall a tiring and slightly slower run at 8'43"/km, and ran 17% over the stated race distance. 10th out of 40. Detailed comments in the splits.

Brown - Splits

Swimming at Nuffield
Quick session before driving to the airport. Self-induced time pressure probably led to starting too quickly and I struggled to keep my breathing under control.
8 laps freestyle
4 laps mixed
Alternate pairs to 15 minutes

Richmond Park opposing loops
Most "entertaining" ride for a while. On the way to the park, my chain started to slip while accelerating. I decided to coast gently to Sigma Sport in Kingston and see if they could get me rolling again. A quick check over and they decided it was simply cable tension in the rear mech, and sent me on my way. I was a little tentative as it seemed to still be an occasional issue. Then on the one way system as lights turned to green the chain snapped and I narrowly avoided doing myself an injury. Thankfully only 400m from the shop so back I went chain in hand and they kindly fixed it on the spot for the cost of the parts.

Back out to the Park and once again felt the wind on the run down to Roehampton Gate. Focused on getting the pace up on the flat legs, and did most of the run from Robin Hood to Roehampton at 35-40kph. The headwind there became a tailwind as I turned to the Star & Garter, so I maintained 30-35kph for most of the climb up that hill. Felt good.

Once again, put in the 45-50kph sprint on the final 1km home. It feels good, and I'm stretching the distance out a little further each time.

Richmond Park: two laps
Felt much stronger after yesterday's rest day, particularly noticeable on the climb up from Robin Hood Gate, where I was still at 29kph at the start of the bend left. Held up by traffic between Kingston Gate and the Star & Garter on both laps, and by a police car on the usually fast descent to Robin Hood Gate. :(

Boosted by the results of the fitness assessment at Nuffield: VO2 Max (almost) off the scale at 61ml/kg/min, back where it used to be, and resting heart rate at 55bpm (always struggled to get it below 60).

30 minutes swimming
8 laps freestyle
4 laps breaststroke
8 laps freestyle
4 laps breaststroke
8 laps freestyle
then mixed to 30 minutes

Felt tired after four days consecutive - having to pause more often. Slowing the pace helps, like I didn't know that already…

Richmond Park: three laps
Sunny day, but very windy. Never had to push hard all the way to Roehampton Gate.

Almost squeezed off by an amateur driver in an MPV. Heading up from Kingston Gate to the Star & Garter, the car decided to overtake me (even though I'm doing about 22mph). There are cars coming and he realises he can't get past, so rather than drop back, he squeezes me in. I shout and then once he's past and not going much faster, I pull out and alongside his driver's side and share a couple of choice words through the window. He looked a bit surprised to see me!

Unfortunate to see an ambulance at the bottom by Kingston Gate. Car pulling into the car park hadn't looked to see the cyclist coming down the hill. Not good.

BAOC Shrivenham

14th out of 46. Quite pleased with that, and I know how I could have saved time. Race pace was 6'27"; ran 21% over the race distance - probably not unusual in a semi-urban race obstructed by buildings.

Brown - Splits

20 minutes swimming
8 laps freestyle
4 laps breaststroke
8 laps freestyle
4 laps breaststroke
8 laps alternate freestyle/breaststroke
then mixed to 20 minutes

SLOW Wimbledon Common Night Event

4th out of 19 runners. Race pace was 8'49"; ran 34% over race distance, probably messing around the challenging controls.

Long - Splits

20 minutes swimming
8 laps freestyle
4 laps breaststroke
8 laps alternate freestyle/breaststroke
then mixed to 20 minutes

Richmond Park: clockwise loop
Quick lap round Richmond Park to try to reduce stiffness after two orienteering races and because it was a lovely day. Just got round in time to take Jamie to football.

BAOC Dibden Purlieu
Having had Paul C trail me last week, I think I've started to put into practice a lot of what I learnt from him. This felt like a good run. One mistake at the end, which I still don't quite understand, but quite fast otherwise.

I spent about 30s at the start looking at the map. There weren't any in the start funnel, and I wanted to get a feel for it. Then off to #1, choosing to run on a track initially to get my sense of distance, then cutting across woodland to the control.

Bearing to #2 - no issues - and tracks to #3, which was allegedly a thicket behind some gorse, but I'd call it an excuse for a bush. I stopped about 5m beyond it and saw it behind me.

Path then bearing to #4, but ended up being distracted by other runners too far north. Pleased at least to be the one leading the correction here. Fast up the hedge (and through gorse!) and on a bearing into woodland to #5 - spotted to my right - then round the wood, and bearing to a good attack point for #6 - slightly further north than I'd expected, but I'd lined it up that way.

Into the wood for #7, slightly cautious and hence slower looking ahead for the thicket but nailed it. Consciously planning ahead on the tracks to #8, deciding on my route through to #10's attack point. Good route into #8, but should have paid more attention on the actual control location - lost 20s?

Straight to #9, steady run up towards #10, carefully through mixed vegetation and almost nailed #10 (5m down the hill, but pleased with that!). Straight through more detailed vegetation to #11 and over contours to #12. The planner did a good job with those two legs.

Steady out of #12, looking ahead to #13 and #14. Stopped very briefly (<5s) a track too early on #13, then bearing, aware of contour detail, to #14 - slightly further in than I'd anticipated - contours went a bit AWOL on the map. Good to the vicinity of #15 about 100m away, where 2-3 people were looking then saw it out of the corner of my eye slightly further north. A photographer caught me leaving this one - interested to see how my first action photo comes out. It felt like a very fast in/out.

Chose to follow longer tracks to #16 rather than risk a boggy valley. I messed the track pattern up - I'd taken the wrong fork earlier (east, not middle) and although I was checking bearings on the climb being on the wrong track didn't help and so I ended up a segment too far north. Quick spot and correction but probably 90s lost.

OK through higher heather to #17 and on to #18 tucked down on a vegetation boundary. Decided to cross open scrubland which turned very marshy - should have remembered - and that with the heather before was very tiring. Slowed on the climb to a very easy #19, but sped up with the end almost in sight.

Two mistakes coming up. First, located a control one section north of where I needed to be for #20, despite trying to run on a bearing from my attack point. No more than 15s. Then round to within 100m of #21 and off on another bearing. They'd worked fine all day, but now I was 25m north of where I needed to be. I'd run north of east, not south. Utterly confused as I thought I was right, but followed David May in to the right control eventually and sprinted to the finish.

Ran 10.32km on an 8.5km course, 21% over. Race pace was 7'33"/km.

21st out of 45. Disappointed. Where did I lose so much time?

C • Keep at it 1

Brown - Splits

SLOW Crouch Hill (sic) Street-O
It's been a while since I did a Street-O, and it showed at the start of this event. First, I forgot to start my watch; second, it auto-paused at the first control, when I realised I'd left it on the cycle setting. Must have lost a minute when I changed the settings over.

Other than that a good run, I think. Decided to go for a perimeter run and I was drawn to the eastern edge over the railway line, known as "the ladder".

Worked up to the north where I started thinking about planning exits from controls (per Paul's guidance at Congo Stream last week) and keeping moving.

Tired after the hill climbs two thirds of the way round, but put in a useful final burst to make it back with 47 seconds to spare. Disappointed to have made a mistake noting down control #1 (19, not 39), but I think I should be pleased with 640 points.

Update: fourth out of 69, behind Ed Catmur, Helen Gardner and Paul Couldridge. I am pleased with that. Those extra 10 points would have made no difference.

Holmbury Hill
A very leisurely ride with Tim and Stuart. Staggered at how easy it is to get up hills these days: middle cog and I would say just grind it out, but there's no grinding - it just happens. Nice to have lost the excess weight.

Definitely aware that my old hard tail Specialized doesn't have decent travel up front (all of about 3cm) on the original 14 year-old Manitou shocks. Three descents of Barry Knows Best, Yoghurt Pots and Telegraph Road led to very tingly fingers!

BAOC Congo Stream & Henley Gate
This was great training. Drove down with Paul C who offered to run behind me for the first half to observe and add tips later. Really generous offer, and one that I've learnt a lot from. Thanks Paul!

A tale of two halves, literally. The first half was on Henley Gate on a slightly enlarged 1:10,000 map at 1:7,500; the second was the opposite Congo Gate at 1:5,000 shrunk to 1:7,500. I found this transfer challenging, I think because the control circles weren't the same size, so I read the Congo Gate section as a shrunk map not actual size.

[Note to self (like the rest of this isn't…): write your notes up sooner - it's easy to forget.]

Anyway, dragged slightly to my left on the route to #1, but straight to #2. Track to #3 and then bearing to #4 and to the vicinity of #5. Should have used an attack point and bearing for #5 as I was a few metres off on the final approach and I'd have lost more time there if it wasn't for Paul.

Hit the fence to the south of #6 and moved north - would have preferred to have it the other way round - and then good to #7, albeit with slight hesitation on road networks. Happy with my route to #8 and at least to the attack point for #9. I should have kept an eye on the compass from there, but ended up about 10m too far north (from the satellite trace) and relocated off #4 about 100m away!

OK to #10, then track towards #11 heading down the slope with a good idea of how #12 would appear. I'd caught up with myself on the map, and although I got to #13 OK, I ran round in circles leaving it! Track to #14 which was fine, but I think the map was slightly out as my attack point (the path off the track) led me up too soon - no time lost.

#15 was fine. Miscounted path junctions on the way to #16 and ended up a section too far north. Corrected by Paul and then OK across open to #17 and slightly off to #18 (possibly another map issue). #19 was snared up in brambles which tired me. #20 was transitional - nearly missed it!

Second half. Super technical this, with controls properly hidden in pits. Really good fun, but very challenging. Add in the map issue, and I was lucky to get back in a reasonable time!

Followed Paul #21 to #22, but was tiring, so dropped to concentrate on the map. Got a good sense of control flow at #22 at least. Heading up the hill to #23 and found it OK, but was pulled south on the approach to #24. Corrected and then stopped short of #25 tucked down in a ditch - a taste of things to come.

Good to #26, but drifted south to #27 trying to run both a bearing and contours simultaneously. Good to #28-33, stopping short of #34 and then slightly overshooting #35. Remainder went OK: #36-38 were good; need to concentrate on fast short-distance bearings for #39, then #40, #41 and home.

Course was 8.1km so ran +15%. Race pace was 8'40" per km. Finished 18/34.

Body Pump at Nuffield Health
Warm up 10 minutes on cross trainer
Warm up weights 5kg
Legs/squats 10kg
Back 7.5kg
Triceps, biceps and lunges 5kg
Abs 10kg
Warm down

Richmond Park clockwise
Quick lap with Rich Fish.