Training Log Archive: fletch

This was always going to be a bit of a struggle after last night. Didn't get much sleep as P has been sick and snoring loudly, and early start. Decided to use the first leg as a warm-up rather than doiong a proper one. Could barely get out of a walk for most of the leg as my achilles didn't want to play but after drifting around aimlessly for a while, they came good and I tried to refocus (with limited success). Very poor run (25:09 from 1 to Finish). Some scratchy in the circle, some far worse. Was trying to take it easy and stay in control and look around more, but really struggled with the sun glare on a lot of legs and had trouble seeing anything useful.

Ran a bit harder from the start for this one, as I was at least warmed up, but if anything I was worse this time. I briefly retired at number 8 when I decided I am so crap at this sport there is no point competing at Easter, but started jogging again after slowly walking about half the leg.
Start -1: A bit wider left than intended, then didn't see the control till after I ran into the creek junction after the control.
2 - Ran to track junction, then up track to end of clearing, a bit vague through the rocky ground, but not too bad.
3 - what the hell was I thinking. Went across the top of the hill with a vague plan that I didn't execute and didn't stop to work it out, so jogged around in frustrated circles for a while, not making sense of any features on the map till my second proper attempt at relocating, by which time I was about 150m away from hte control.
4- Not too bad. Probably should have picked something closer than the clearing on the spur to attack from.
5 - OK to circle. Misjudged distance from end of clearings to control and farted around a bit
6. Way too vague on the way down the side of the spur, then spotted what I thought was the right clearing down the hill. Ran confidently down to it, somehow failed to see the two massive rocks that the control was at, decided I was way off and ran away in a big loop before returning to the same spot to find the tape
7-OK
8 - Assumed I would see the massive lone boulder running from the edge of the big rock surface, but didn't, and bounced back from the clearing behind it.
9- Slow, but safe route choice over the top of the hill thne down the creek. Still hesitant when I got near it. Could have gone much straighter and much less climb
10 - Saw that the cliff I was after was the 'bottom' of the rock detail and prompty ran to the boulder field in the NE of the circle instead before doubling back to control
11 - Through pines, around end of pines after creek, up right side of line of rocky ground, straight past the control, which I looked at and decided was still rocky ground, not a distinct boulder, and ran to the rocks beyond. Had a little look around, then ran back to the right spot.
Finish - slow jog in feeling quite depressed. Not quite suicidal.

C • Good-o 5

So much for cranking out a solid training week in the run-up to Easter. Wednesday off was no great surprise. Full on day, and too knackered either side of work to get a run in.
Thursday still feeling tired (a disturbing pattern here). Thought at lunchtime that I'd run after work, but felt drained and dehydrated after finishing.
Friday I nearly got out of bed for Thursday's intervals session, but not quite. Was still keen at lunch time, then trod on a bee at the beach during the afternoon, which made things less comfortable, then remembered that I was meant to be mowing the lawn and cleaning the house for a Saturday home open. Raced home and did the housework, but wasn't quick enough to get it done and get to McGillivray. Finished up about 6pm, pretty knackered and couldn't face not eating dinner to run at 7:30pm, so another day gone. To top things off the home viewing was cancelled.
Had another good night's sleep, but woke up feeling wheezy and blocked up. Hopefully just a hayfevery reaction to lwan mowing. Seems to have improved a bit as the day has gone on. But got hung up doing housey things, so any run tonight is gonna be after dinner.
Anyone up for a 7:30ish run this evening??

C • I wish 1

Well, it took another puff of the ventolin to convince me that runnig would be OK, but glad I made it out the door. Running felt really easy for the first 5km and legs felt great (funny what a few days off will do). Unfortunately, my guts got unsettled about this point and got progressively worse. As I headed for the coast I was starting to desperately think through which public toilet would be closest and wondering if I had any chance of getting there. Never been so happy to see a building site portaloo in my life. That was about the 10km mark, and felt much better again after that. Ran steadily through to 80 minutes and then put in a 10 minute surge along the coast at '10km pace'. Didn't quite hit the pace, but felt OK, although the pounding on hard ground in oldish shoes was beginning to take its toll. Held 3:41's for the 10 minutes without looking at my watch, so that will do.
Right achilles was pretty sore after that, so shuffled slowly home from there.
Data to come when I am reunited with download cable.

Another short session with a high intensity and plenty of recovery. 2 laps of the grass farm, with jog back (340m) plus 4 minutes recovery.
Chris bolted at the start of the first one and it was all I could do to stay in touch. THankfully he faded after the big descent and I got through for the win. Second rep started far more conservatively. Still struggled big time up the main hill, but got going alright once it flattened out again and ran well through to the end.
7:47, 7:53. Much happier with those times than a couple of weeks ago.

Then jog over to SAS sandhill for 2 short reps again. 40, 43. Greg smashed me in a head to head on the second one, running a 35. Unbelievable.

Shattered and nauseous afterwards (again). Mixed a very slow shuffle with some walking back to the cars.

Made the important decision that all recovery runs between now and Easter must be done with a map in hand. Unfortunately, I then got stuck at work until late, so even if I was super motivated, I would only have been able to run after 7:30pm, which would have made map reading problematic. I wasn't that motivated, so it wasn't an issue :)

C • map reading 12