Training Log Archive: Spur

Brown course at Rannoch Moor for FVO's 40th birthday. Flat tyre en route and reached start at 1.00pm rather flustered! But seemed to do no harm as was leading at #1, caught Mr Eades at #3 and caught Steve at #7 with a clean first half. Overshot the first river crossing en route to #9 and lost about 90 seconds and toiled uphill through bracken to the control, where I found Steve who had re-overtaken me. Kept with him to #12, got slightly ahead to #13 using a path route then were neck and neck to the finish. Pleased with this run. Scalp - Kenny Milton.

C • Poor 1

Jog round Gleniffer Braes. Met some highland cattle!

Jog round Shawlands to try and get legs moving again. Feeling pretty rusty and stuffed up. Looking forward to getting back to the forest at Rannoch.

Pre-match loop round the Serpentine in Hyde Park.

C • In 2

Orcadian strip the willow endurance and haphazard Schottishe at Muir of Ord Runrig party.

C • Seriously 1

Day 6 Coulmony. A tougher forest today to test tired legs! 6th today for a good finish. Drifted left onto path at #3, lost a minute but relieved to relocate quickly. A bit hesitant around various paths to #7 but ok, drifted right at #10 losing a minute. Lost 2 mins in confusing bracken at #12 and 13, probably with too straight an attack, although some rivals lost even more here. Trudged uphill through marsh to 15 but spiked it and 16. Didn't feel in control en route to 18 so was relieved to see the boulder just before the control and a clean fast final loop got me home a few seconds before Brad and Roger Lewis, just enough to pip Tom from Norway to 7th place overall.

C • Some rivals lost more here... 1

Day 5 Roseisle. 3.5k walk to the start! 25 controls through the dunes today. Nice and clean to #12 then total meltdown at #13, got confused around the double river crossing and wasted 3 mins in the wrong block. Small overshoot at #20 but ok round the rest, although tiring in the heat. 9th place today; should have been 6th and have blown 2 places in the overall standings. Frustrating.

Day 4. Loch of Boath. Pretty clean almost all the way round, running well until tiring slightly uphill to #11 of 13, where I then made an annoying 2 min mistake, stopping short confused by a slight unmapped veg change when I was on the right line. Overall another pretty good run and finished 4th again (although had 2nd at #10). Running 5th overall but Ben and Brad have a 'game in hand'. (1210 BOF rankings points, now my best score in the last year after Croeso dropping off).