Training Log Archive: Mark3

Felt ok despite yday, slight hamstring niggle but not serious. Probably.

Easy first couple but missed tiny set of steps on 3 and so went all the way around. Used them on 6.

Happy to 16 although slipping around all over the place on the paved bits. Trails would've been better. Overtaken by Shuoc (Nathan Lawson I think?) uphill and then he took a better route than me into 17too. Caught NOR (someone at Notts uni; 1min ahead starter) here though.

Got a bit of a gap on 18 (hillier but shorter route) and stayed just ahead until 22. Didn't know what happened 23 but turns out he made an error, so ahead to 24 but then I didn't see the cut through through the OOB and so went all the way around, and he was right with me again, then I failed to cope with the pressure and missed the control and he got ahead. So playing catch up now, some diff route choices but very similar up to 29, then 30 my route was bad (and bad to 31 too) and he was away. Both made same mistake on 32 going wrong side of uncrossable, but I gained some time back on 33 only to lose it again on 34, introducing totally unnecessary steps and corners. Pressure again. Then too low for 34 as well!

Thought I'd blown it but the sprint on the last few controls had saved me, finished 4 secs up (and so had dropped nearly a minute over the last 5 controls, which isn't great). Still, not bad for someone who ran 30 miles yesterday, right?

No results yet since two controls mislabelled and they're sorting that out.

Enjoyed the run; good area; not raining.

1st, 40mins up, new course record :)

Wanted to keep doing 1 ultra per month at least, and this didn't clash with anything good. Despite route looking a little underwhelming, nice to do half the length of the peaks in one go.

Constant mizzle, but not actively raining, so started with just ls and 3/4s. Gloves on and off constantly; exposed in the wind at times and constantly wet due to the cloud.

Select group of about 30, some looked pretty serious. They weren't though. Started quite fast and no-one came with me, and that was that. Course record was 5:21 and on paper I thought that should be beatable.

Went through the first CP slightly before the organiser got there, and the second seemed a bit surprised too. HM in 1:38 which was a bit disappointing tbh, all easy marginally uphill trail carrying a bag, hoping for more like 1:30. Then another 5k or so easy before the tissington trail (now the pennine way and the high peak trail; gets confusing) ended. Easy Midshires way for a bit, nice downhill, before crossing the A6 and joining the Limestone way.

The Limestone way isn't like the others; it's muddy. Sliding about in road shoes but held it together ok to CP3 at Miller's Dale. Slight flooding and a steep down and uphill (Clif bar) before extremely muddy limestone way slowed me a lot - farm track with two deep ruts filled with water, and mud in between - in fell shoes the mud would have been fine, but the only way in trainers was to splash through the ankle deep water. There were several miles of that.

Marathon at 3:33 which was quite pleased with given terrain etc. Then the Limestone way got a bit nicer, up onto some moorland; probably good views of everything hadn't just been fog, couple of muddy sections but mainly good tracks. Some marginally challenging nav sections which might've confused people, but trivial with the gpx.

Slight uphill, but nothing really, onto the contour around Mam Tor and then down to Hollins (only time I saw any actual people out) and then down to Edale. Stayed upright until this bit.

Felt like I could've kept going, which is good as I'll have to next week. Probably should've run tomorrow too (Marsden to Edale, along the PW) but fancied the o instead and didn't want to push it too much before next weekend. Enjoyed it more than expected. If it's that wet in future, trail shoes would probably be better despite the 25k easy at the start.

Flying back from Dublin. Was going to go out this morning but only got to bed at 2am and sleep seemed more important. Good decision; exhausted.

C • What were you doing til 2am? 2

Run with Billy and Nathanael. Felt pretty good.

Windy run around Dublin - made it out to North Bull Island as planned and then the (tarmac) route I'd planned was private through a golf club, so had to freestyle it across some sandy salt flats which would've been really nice in appropriate shoes, but was wet/splashy and slippery in road shoes.
Pleased with speed overall given that and the wind; not feeling too bad by the end.

Led by me and so included zero stopping; fairly brisk as I felt pretty good. Group was all a similar standard so no waiting for anyone until near the end (which means maybe the pace was a little fast,I guess; although it is B Group; if you want to play with the big boys...)

Icy. 3ish degrees. Mittens too much, but hands freezing when I took them off!