Training Log Archive: Mark3

Enjoyed this, thought I was doing pretty well but turns out lost quite a lot of time to rcro in the last few controls thanks to some sub optimal route choices, the time we spent revising the map on the coach paid off more for him than for me!

It will be a very good routegadget to watch the dots running round since we were dead level at about 7 and then I was winning for ages before losing spectacularly on the penultimate control.

Don't think I lost significant time to other people, rcro just has very good map memory. A deserved victory-and he got a plaque and everything, whereas I just got a voucher...

Achilles not really affecting speed too much,but definitely feeling the 27+k yesterday at around the 7k Mark.

Actual distance 27.53km

First mountain marathon...really glad it was only one day!

Found running with a bag fine; admittedly not a lot in it, but still.

Really struggled with the 1:40,000 scale. Features the size of houses often weren't mapped at all. Nightmare.

Didn't appreciate the 6k leg to #1 before I'd got into the map, so stuck to the path for the first half - even this not as easy as it sounds since on the ground there were far more paths than on the map. Went via #7 and hit that pretty well, which gave me some confidence.

Too far S on #2, lots of unmapped limestone pavement kind of stuff - some bits the size of cars with massive crevices in between. #3 was fine.

Stopped to consume an energy gel which promptly exploded, leaving 80% on me and 20% on the floor. Need more practice at those.

Fine to #4, Pete Ward caught up with me just after; he'd started 13 mins behind and I'd stayed ahead for 2 hours, which I was pleased with seeing as he's done the OMM and stuff before and is used to the crazy scale.

Saying that - we did #5 together and messed it up, thought we were on mapped path but actually on unmapped path (literally no way of telling on this map) and came out too low.

Slight mistake on #6 as well but relocated ok (amazingly). #7 easy since had already found on way to #1. ]

#8 was my undoing- garmin tells me I was way too low, then after I'd missed it, went way to far South. Probably never closer than 400m or so - bit disappointing given how the rest of the course had gone really.

Didn't know where I was and couldn't relocate so decided to give up; had run 25k by this point and was pretty tired; only option would have been to go right to the summit, which would have been ok orienteering but it was over 1000m away uphill, so decided against it. Probably should have gone to the summit on the way as the safer option; maybe got too confident...or delirious.

It was pretty warm, and 500ml liquid wasn't enough.

Vastly underestimated how long this would take, how hard it would be to read the 1:40k map and how little path running there would be.

I probably won't be doing another one any time soon - on my own at least. It was quite unnerving being alone, in the middle of nowhere, with barely any other competitors and with no confidence in the map...

On the plus side, Achilles didn't feel too bad at all. Still a bit tender but not painful to run.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/594822047

C • That's well hardcore 3

72 lengths. Possibly getting a bit better at swimming?

Jog to test achilles. Not better yet, but definitely bettER. Felt ok afterwards and still feels ok the morning after, which is a big step forward.

Cardio fitness has plummeted though; watch tells me I need 25 hours to recover from my 20 minute jog; it used to be an average of 19 after an internal session....

Nothing tonight; nothing on Monday. Should really do double again tomorrow then :) don't know if I can face cycling; might go for a gentle jog and see if achilles ok - been doing massive amounts of stretching/icing/massaging/notrunning etc so fingers crossed...

Cycled to Purdown in the dark, was planning on running up the hill to the monument thing a few times but it was dark so only managed one. Achilles felt ok during it though which was good. Hopefully getting a bit better at cycling so HR is a bit higher.

Hopefully HR getting higher during swimming as well as my arm gain a bit more muscle (ie - some)

Knees a bit sore swimming immediately after cycling...it would be disastrous to acquire another injury while doing activities I'm only doing to be being injured!