Training Log Archive: HWW

"A night with Offa", or more specifically "A night with Offa's Dyke"
First bit of BGR-orientated training, and not a bad experience I have to say. This had initially come about from my plan to run all of the Essex Way - the 80-odd mile footpath from Epping to Harwich - at some point this summer. Having not found any of the usual Serpie Ultras willing to do it as I had in mind, I accepted the alternative suggestion of a 53 mile section of Offa's Dyke, to be run mostly overnight.

Thus it was that Serpie Alan Hall (who I'd paced round the Bob Graham last May) and I journeyed from Paddington to Abergavenny on Friday evening, arriving at around 21:45. After a few minutes waiting for my Garmin to find satellites, we set off running, heading north out of the town along the Old Hereford Road up the Gavenny valley. After about 12km, with the sun now below the horizon, we began our ascent on to a spur leading to the main ridge section of the Dyke path.

Having been very pleased with the power of my relatively little used Petzl Nao headtorch, I started to realise that perhaps all was not well. Within a few kilometres of running along the ridge my light was all but out and so I spent the rest of the night running by, but trying not to run immediately in front of Alan's torch light. That said, light lingered in the sky until around 23:30, and while there was no moon, making for a great star-scape, I was generally able to make out the path and occasional flag stones.

Around two hours after ascending the ridge, we neared Hay Bluff and began the descent to Hay-on-Wye, albeit with a minor detour to find a stream with sufficient flow to drink from. The route north from Hay brought the first signs of dawn light; by around 0400 it was near fully light affording some stunning views of pre-dawn mist carpeting a valley. We caught a first glimpse of the sun crossing the hills to the south of Newchurch. Since Hay Bluff, the route had ceased to be mountainous; instead the path was now steadily undulating and crested a series of rolling hills between Newchurch and Gladestry and then on to Kington. Our arrival here, shortly before 07:00, fortunately co-incided with the town's Spar, giving me the opportunity stock up on Irn Bru.

Up until Kington I'd been consciously trying to count down the miles, frequently asking Alan how far we had left and how many more hills. However, while the c.10 minute stop in the town left my legs stiff, the rest of the route felt easier, quite probably the combined effect of being re-nourished (finished off my Soreen loaf), re-hydrated and feeling the motivational effects of sunlight. Much of the path was now properly on what one would think of as Offa's Dyke; a clearly defined earth wall with ditches on one or both sides. Once we crossed the river Lugg east of Maes-Treylow I could definitely feel a second wind and so the final hour or so felt almost easy.

Annoyingly my Garmin didn't quite manage to last the distance. The battery eventually died as we approached Rhos-y-Meirch, around 2.2 miles from our destination. All in all a pleasing effort, and something which gives me confidence as I start looking towards what will most likely be a next May attempt on the Bob Graham, with the first targeted reccies in November or December.

Event: MV Park Race
 

Run to work with rucksack: the Stratford High St, Bow roundabout (north side), Mile End Rd option

Cycle from work to Mitcham for Park Race orienteering

Park Race orienteering, Mitcham Cricket Green (18 controls, 5.1km)
Generally pretty fast, just totally screwed up 6, losing around a minute to Ed here. 17 was similarly bad while I lost time at 1, 9 and 10 fumbling around to find the control.

C • 1, 9 and 10 1

Cycle back to Leytonstone from Park Race orienteering in Mitcham

The usual, pretty slow

Run to work with rucksack: the Orient, Vicky Park, Whitechapel Road option

Intervals around the City Runners' Run along the River route
5 mins warm up, 6 x (3 mins effort, 1 min jog back recovery)
1.42km (05:00)
0.92km (02:59)
1.04km (03:00)
1.01km (03:07)
0.93km (02:59)
0.96km (02:59)
0.88km (02:58)

C • City runners 2

Cycle back to Leytonstone from City Runners

The usual

Run home from work via Mile End Rd, Stratford High St etc., then a compass drop / delivery of a batch of compasses in Leytonstone. Such a nice evening for running!

Event: CHIG Frolics Event
 

Jog back through the forest from Woodford to Leytonstone.

Habs GLOSS (formerly FROLICS) - Light Green plus extension, 8.8km, 30 controls
Reasonably straight forward navigation around very runnable school grounds, made more challenging (and interesting) by the late locking of a gate, injecting some real route choice. This (between 23 and 24) also led to my biggest mistake by some way as I tried to approach through some light green. I had managed to get through here in the other direction when heading to 4. However, this appears to have been a one-way path, and I would have been far safer going round via 21 and past the finish.

One or two other slight lapses and poor judgement but fast enough.

Habs GLOSS (formerly FROLICS) - Light Green plus extension, 8.8km, 30 controls
Reasonably straight forward navigation around very runnable school grounds, made more challenging (and interesting) by the late locking of a gate, injecting some real route choice. This (between 23 and 24) also led to my biggest mistake by some way as I tried to approach through some light green. I had managed to get through here in the other direction when heading to 4. However, this appears to have been a one-way path, and I would have been far safer going round via 21 and past the finish.

One or two other slight lapses and poor judgement but fast enough.