Training Log Archive: Magic

Not OMM Day 2 but an easy relaxing day exploring bits of Cardiff with Ciara that didn't involve much in the way of walking! A little stiff myself but otherwise grand.

Event: OMM
 

OMM, Day 1, Long Score (7 hours), Brecon Beacons. Made a decision right from the off to skip the SE loop as it looked like it would contain several kms of tussocks and would allow us to collect more controls at the end. Unfortunately this plan failed in two ways; firstly we would have run out of controls to collect before our time elapsed, but that never became an issue as we had to retire prior to that anyway.

Started out moving okay but not fast (had the best part of 8kg to carry so I wasn’t complaining about that!), picked some nice lines and had no navigational issues. Time seemed to be going very slowly but the distance still looked quite intimidating, but Ciara’s knee started hurting after about 2.5 hours. Topped up on drugs we trudged through the tussocks in the NW before turning south for some much better running.

Unfortunately this is what finished Ciara’s knee and when we got back into the terrain at OFD she was struggling to keep walking. It quickly became apparent that we would have to cut our plans short for the day and then that there would be no point in going out tomorrow.

After a very slow and painful walk to the finish we were incredibly lucky to be able to get a lift off Steve Willis as he was heading back to the event centre. This allowed us to get dry and changed there, full of food and then in the car to be back in Cardiff for about 8. A very comfortable end to a nice day in the hills, even though it wasn’t the planned one.

Despite our less than optimal route choice, finishing early and not getting all our planned controls we still ended up about 3rd in the Mixed teams (On Day 1). Next year!

C • OMM 7

Buying lots of food.

Introductory session at Bounders with the Social Club at work, really good fun but my arms (especially my fingers) won't be thanking me tomorrow. Would be nice to do it a bit more often.

Home From Work. Legs absolutely battered from all the sand last night, surprisingly so, had no option but to take it nice and easy on my last sunlit evening run of the year. Taff was well full of water which mean it must be wet up in them hills for the weekend..

Last MDC Tuesday evening run of the season, which is sad as I will have to find other things to do on a Tuesday evening now. Round the dunes of Merthyr Mawr in the dark, including an ascent and decent of the big dipper and a trip to the beach. Enjoyable as ever and a great food in the pub afterwards.

Saw the FRA nav leg map, truly awful - "you must use crossing point to cross walls/fences", yet there were several legs where there was a boundary and no crossing point...

IW. Very wet and I was very slow, felt the world better for it though. HRM strap battery appears to have died half way round yesterdays run.

C • IW and HFW 18

HFW. Making the most of my penultimate opportunity to run in the evening light for the next five months :-( Went to explore Grangetown as I always get disoriented here in the dark. Git disorientated in the light as well! Sort of get it now though (lots of straight roads but no right-angles). Bit further than I was planning but it was slow so I think I just about held together.