Training Log Archive: Big Jon

Wee run in Dess Woods, down to bridge, along to Iain's, up to top gate down to Deeside Way and back. Feeling OK.

With Dan G round Balmoral checking out area for start, finish etc. Pleasant day and warm by end.
Out for 2-40 total.

short trot round Hill of Banchory - lovely morning, blue skies, warm, sunny..... spring is back!

Lots of ab work..... will wait till tomorrow and see if I'm strong enough.

Dess hill, twice 4x1 x 2
Feeling good - decent length warm-up and after pilates, so hit first one hard, good distance on first lap, then better on second lap. Tempted to go for third but decide3d against it - better to get high quality than destroy myself.
Helped by lovely sunny warm day. Feeling like summer with a warm pine smell in the trees.

Warm-up over to Iain's and back on lower track, then loop down to Deeside Way for warm-down.

After-school athletics club - a bit of warm-up a few sprints (living dangerously!) and warm-down.

Glen Tanar with Ewan (on his bike). Started at Stable yard , up to 2 bridges , then right onto long Tuesday loop. Passed about 50-60 youngsters in 7 groups - Duke of Edinburgh expeditions? Must be a bit crowded to travel in such large numbers - they're hardly likely to see any wildlife and get a taste of wilderness.
Legs were OK and settled into a decent pace, pushing slightly harder on uphill sections and then worked hard from top back - trying to keep Ewan doing more than just free-wheel back!

Meant to run today but right calf had a twinge in it after Friday run, so rest day to let it recover.... hopefully!

Forest Sprint, Mulloch. Dull, overcast, damp evening, not inspiring, but got going OK and pushed through race (though legs felt pretty terrible). Not completely clean, a few wobbles and hesitations but nothing major. Map is need of major revision - vegetation has changed a bit!

Jog to start with Ewan then back from finish to number 9, back to download and then back to finish again to try to see Ewan - saw him near finish, having missed last control, went there with him, so decent warm-down for once!

Feeling much better mouth-wise but still not really feeling like a run, I'll start tomorrow!

C • I'll start next............... 8

Mouth still sore, body recovering pretty well, legs OK.

Recovery day - also had dental work done to start replacement of crown - involved removal of root (which I hadn't anticipated) so spent rest of day nursing aching mouth.

JK Relay - M120+ 3rd leg, started a bit messy technically, then after about 1/3rd of course felt empty and struggled from there to the finish. Team ended up 16th. Completely wasted - nothing left after 3 days of racing.

JK Day 3 Llangynidr, M50L, 2nd (TT).
A great run - no errors, just a little hesitant on some legs - and struggled on tough heathery bit in NE of area. Caught NB at 10 then had a good race with him till end - he was running significantly faster than me but wobbled at a few controls. I was dropped on Orange section of course round plantation until he wobbled at 2nd last control.
Very pleased with weekend results - raced hard and mostly cleanly, limited by fitness, back was about 90% fine - a few minor spasms after Day 3.

Decent warm-up, with Sarah to start and then a few strides.

JK Day 2 - Merthyr Common, M50L. 3rd (TT & CH). Very pleased with run - missed about 90 secs on first long leg of course and a few hesitations. Back was fine apart from a couple of jars on stumbling.

A decent stretch at campsite to try to loosen legs.

JK sprint. Not sure what to expect of back, so started steadily, felt OK. Back probably better after race than before!
9th in M50 - happy as no errors (and even one fastest leg - don't know what the others were all doing there!) and fairly smooth on most legs. Lost a few seconds when loose crown fell out so had to stop and pick it up.

Travel Ripon to south Wales.

busy at home then travel to Ripon

Surveying 5.5 hours, back mostly fine.

Lap of Dess Wood - feeling awkward and too many tense muscles.

Home down Deeside Way, across A93, first left to riverbank path, down to flood hut and back up to A93, across and back up Deeside Way. Legs feeling very fresh (as they should be!), back a bit tight and awkward - still fairly major structural problems, running twisted. Reckon I can start JK but we'll see if things hold out with hard running.....

Walk at Glen-Livet bike trail area - while Ewan and Sarah did red route.
60 mins, mostly terrain, back fine. Left knee aching after - walking squint.

Back improving, no pain but muscle tightness and soreness.
Walk near Inver 75 mins in terrain.

Getting a bit better.

Back still bad.

Back still giving gyp now and again.

Back gone twang! Probably from logs yesterday!

Rest day, but lots of log heaving and barrowing.

SOL 2 Faskally, short brown. Decent run, a couple of hesitations and some wobbles (some due to fallen trees blocking chosen routes.... I min down, fairly satisfied since I walked a lot of uphills today and my legs were not sparkly anywhere on the course.
Nice new map with squeaky clean contours (based on Lidar data).

Lochnagar (guiding runner). Tourist track up and down via Glas Allt. Steady climb to just above statr of footpath, then met snow patches - good condition but slowed, Ladder was completely covered in a snow rampart so traversed into rocks for second half. Plateau largely clear across to second climb, large snow patches - but good condition. Low vis so a bit worried about finding route back so careful to link back to path where possible. 2 other guys at summit - with large overweight black labrador. Return into wind - really cold - just as well I had taken spare gloves and hat as I had to lend them out! Some big snow patches on descent alongside Glas Allt including one from bridge to waterfall - burn completely covered.
Great run and good to reach the top - but it was touch and go at times as to whether we carried on - the wind was strong and cold, visibility was low (30-40m) and guy wasn't all that happy - his uphill legs gave up on ladder and we had to walk uphills from there. But he perked up on track on descent and was doing a pretty decent pace along Loch Muick. His first Munro....

Wee run to loosen legs, down Deeside Way, up to Dess Woods and back on main track. Feeling OK, no major aches.

Guiding for RtH, Balomoral Estate, long Ripe Hill loop and cairn pinball at end - Albert, various marriage ones, purchase cairn and John Brown. Found a new track I'd never been on before with a cool little bridge over a meltwater channel. Cool day and damp, almost cleared at west end, but not quite - the guy still hasn't seen Lochnagar!

Rest day - had planned to go for an easy 20-30 mins but life got in the way!

Guiding for RtH, Cambus , Cnoc Dubh, visitor centre, Vat, drove road, Loch Davan, hut circles, Kinord, across to railway and back along Deeside Way. Feeling good after initial 15 mins. Guy is a decent runner but he was flagging a bit by the end.