Training Log Archive: Magic

Edinburgh Rat Race, Day 2: nine to five. Despite the Channel 4 interview when we were (again) busy faffing with route marking we didn't approach this with the expectations of a good result. None of us have done more that a few rides over the past months, two of us had never done an adventure race, kayaked or abseiled... Great team then! Surprisingly none of this seemed to make much of a difference. Clean start meant we were near enough the front not to get held up cycling (carrying) the bikes down the steps in the old town and an on the ball Jonny made sure that we were through the aerial photo orienteering and anagram in no time by working out 'ratify' as the answer after getting the i and y! Then had our only mishap of the day with a puncture in the city centre, took 5 minutes to change. Got stuck into a good rhythm after than and were pretty much on our own until the kayak, where despite massive amounts of cramp and swan attacks we cruised along the canal and passed one of the two mixed teams ahead of us in the process. A long cycle, a short O course around Heriot-Watt and a long bike down and up a very steep track (which zizi took a dislike to) to the Pentlands where poor Jonny had to swim a very uninviting length of a reservoir while zizi and I looked on, had some food and recovered! A good descent (with Jonny and me trying to keep up with zizi) was followed by my favourite memory of the weekend; zizi falling off her bike in a hay meadow and becoming very "cross" with herself because she couldn't move with cramp (Jonny and I watched from a safe distance!). Poor Jonny, only just having warmed up from the swim was then subjected to cramping himself while crawling through a wet storm drain under the bypass - this bit is going to make great TV! Easy spin back into the centre from there with a short but fun abseil in the library (?) of Napier Univ. Max points (1000) but about 13 minutes behind team Helly/Hansen so we knew it was going to be close (we beat them by 13 points the previous day). Too close, we lost by .7 of a point (or maybe 15 seconds) over 8.5 hours. Still it was awesome fun and we did far better than we ever expected.
Results: (Average Joe in a Buff): http://www.ratraceadventure.com/page378.asp

C • nice one! been thinking abo... 5

Edinburgh Rat Race, Day 1: Mean Streets. Last minute entry with Jonny G and zizi. Lots of faff sorting out the check points and working out times that some of the challenges were open/closed. Picked a route heading anti clockwise round the northern controls, then crossing over and clockwise around the southern ones. Worked well until we got to the Dragons Den one where the Dragon's lived up to their name and took an age interrogating people, waited 10-15 minutes resulting in being back 2 minutes late and having to miss a control. Otherwise Jonny got wet (but not as wet as Brooner!), I got slightly tipsy and zizi ran away from both of us. Finished second overall with 388 points and first mixed team. Surprised but we were expecting to do better on the run anyway.

C • congratulations 2

Lots of work, driving and rain so no run.

Still not well but well enough to do the Rat Race on the weekend - think I'll be fine at low intensity.

Whoop, a nearly normal feeling run, although the cough is still there. Actually managed to run in something approaching a normal manner and even managed a few hills. Decided against the Sprint O in Graves Park in favour of a steady run and I think it was the right thing to do. Legs well tired for a short easy run though!

No time today, busy with work, but cough still present - think I need to do some more light running to try and move it.

Well tired and legs sore from yesterday, silly after so little running but it shows how little I've been doing.