Training Log Archive: Big Jon

Purple Thistle day 2 Mighty long course... Easy technical legs at start, chose the track option on 3-4 to save legs and brain. Started to 'race' at 16 (Out of 24). 3rd overall - albeit 33 mins behind Spongey... Managed to beat Oleg - first time for along while! Probably thanks to the sports drink I took - he bonked and struggled towards the end. Totally stuffed at end, struggled to walk down from finish.

Event: Purple Thistle 2016
 

Purple Thistle, 'middle distance' good technical run, one small miss near end, stopped too soon for Boulder - first control in woodland! Very tough going, struggling to run much.

Purple Thistle Plock event. Kept to tracks as much as possible and round rather than through the bracken, gorse etc! Think I got most routes correct but taking time. Legs a bit tired but going steadily.

Lochnagar with Chris for Running the Highlands. Brisk pace up all hills, struggling up the ladder and then pace at end along loch-side.
wonderful day - bright with a bit of high cloud, dry, decent breeze on top and very pleasant temp (about 17-18C).
Best pace on a Lochnagagr run for RtH - Chris was pretty nippy and didn't hang about. Only recovery was on the long more technical downs.

Knock burn to Kerloch up track with S. Steady start, feeling pretty tight in right hamstring, but eased off after a while (and a stretch). Steady effort up the stony track, a couple of breaks, but feeling OK. Steady run down - didn't seem so rough on descent as on climb!

Blueberry picking on way home, plus a bit of red-currant picking, then grass cutting, raking and borrowing plus some weeding. Hope I've not done to much for the long run tomorrow with Chris...

Intervals 13x1minute, 30-40 secs recovery. Lap of Dess Woods after all day map drawing. Needed to do something faster to get body working so settled on roughly 1 minute with 30 sec recovery - not enough so mostly 35-40 secs. Feeling much better (if a bit sweatier) by the end.

Down Deeside Way, past waterfall and started intervals on hill by Iain's. Out to fields and back via main path rather than hilltop route.

Surveying 7.5 hours. Tired by end (and wet).

Deeside way west, dow not river via other Gardens Cottage and Warren Cottage. Back via Deeside Way from east. Verges finally trimmed - but in a fairly half-assed way!
Feeling better than expected. Warm and humid.

7 hours surveying - hot (well for Deeside!).

Travel home.

0715 run with S. Stayed on the flatter track this time, out and back. Hot.

Wander round bird reserve, out for 1.5 hours.

0645 start... with S out to ridge and then back on lower track. Air temperature pleasant for once! but sun still hot.

Walk with S and E up ridge behind village - found old paths on lower part - superbly made out of huge granite stones. Decent footpaths all the way (just as well because the undergrowth was fierce!).
out for 4.5 hours, flagging at end in the heat.
Met Eva J in the village at the end - just before we dived into the bar and got a cold drink.

Along to pick up car - actually felt OK considering the walk, but it was mostly flat and smooth tarmac!

Walk/jog to top of Mont Lozere with S and E. Hot. Great views from summit.

Walk at Castagnols in evening with S - still roastingly hot. Out for about 1.5 hours

Walk along Tarn gorge - high to col then back down to riverside village, lunch, then back along lower track. V hot and out for approx 4 hours.

Evening walk with S at accommodation high on Mont Lozere. Saw an adder - another baby one, about 15cm long. Out for about an hour.

Canoeing in the Tarn. Great day out and managed to stay upright the whole way (nothing too technical in the way of rapids).
Lots of wildlife -especially in the first half which was quieter. Lots of huge cliffs and steep wooded slopes - spectacular!

Sat in car and read book to avoid going out in same area.

Day 4. Biggest orienteering joke since world cup in NZ in1994. Map was unreadable, uninterpretable, controls hidden, course never ever was going to match winning time. Basically a total farce.

C • Really? 2

Rest day, did a wee trip on the velo-rail (2 sets of peddles to propel a wee square open cart up and down a 4km railway) fun and good scenery.
Later a walk at Rochefort - up and along top of cliffs above the village, some stunning views.

Middle distance in more forested bit of the area. Started steadily and apart from a 30sec wobble at 2 felt I got everything as cleanly as possible. Tripped over invisible electric fence and smashed magnifier (and bashed thumb and battered right big toe badly).

Day 2 Not as hot (phew). Mostly OK but a couple of misses. 8th, 5 mins down.

Day 1 started well but physically collapsed between 3&4. Heat and/or humidity got to me and I struggled from there on. 10 mins down 7th place.

Sprint race at O-France. Pretty straight forward course but missed the river ford option near end! HOT

Easy day - visited a bird reserve on the Camargue then a long hot drive to north to accommodation. Temp hit 38C at one point.

Travel to France. Very late arrival - both Air France flights delayed...

Deeside way east, down to river and west along bank to first steep track to south road. Right glute still not correct - leg felt tight and awkward on pull through. Seemed to ease off on riverbank - grassy and slightly rougher/slower.

4 hours surveying, wet vegetation :-(

10x1+1 on Buzz Alley - psycho buzz isn't there this year ;-). Feeling right flute/hamstring insertion on all intervals, didn't seem to get worse as session progressed. Physic must be on hols 'cos no reply to my e-mail. So it'll have to wait till after French trip. Still at least the terrain at French-5 is ultra-technical, so perhaps I won't have to run too fast!

Deeside Way, waterfall, Iain's and up to turning area (start of intervals). Back on main track.

Only time for a short lap of Dess Woods. Pushed from Iain's to the top of quarry hill - about 4+ minutes.

Walk up Glas Maol with E and S. planned to do munro to the south but a refusal from E.
Out for about 2 hours. pleasant day - a couple of spits of rain, it bucketed it down driving back down Deeside :-)

4 hours surveying.
Afternoon - visit to Duntottar Castle and then Stonehaven harbour, pleasant poodle round for a bit.

C • Pleasant 1

Deeside Way, the whole thing, Aberdeen to Ballater. Cars pre-positioned and start at Duthie Park at 0930, felt right hamstring (just above knee) for a while but it settled down. Rattled along the tarmac to Culter, then rougher section till roads towards Drumoak. Stop (15 mins) in Banchory for scone then the Scolty hill (not as bad as feared or anticipated, mostly steady gradient. Whiz down to Potties then grind up the steep hill towards Kinker and the drag from there to home. Stop (50 mins for soup, a couple of toasties, slice of cake and a ginger biscuit (thanks E!) then onwards and downwards. Worst muddiness at the bampots croft next to Aboyne Loch (will have to take a snow shovel along and remove some of the mud) then a few other puddles. Slower towards Dinnet then e spotted a couple of cyclists ahead and the hammer went down - whizzed past them and then another cyclist almost caught us, finally he scented Ballater and blasted it! Stop at the Bothy for cheese scone, pot of tea and a large slab of cake. Job done :-)
Spotted a dead animal on road side near Inchmarlo when driving back into Aberdeen to pick up my car, stopped on way home - 2 dead otters, nose to nose. Possibly a mother and young? Appeared untouched, just lying on the verge inches from the road. Not sure who to report them to... any suggestions?

C • Arthur Boyt? 3

Had hoped to get a run in as right hamstring feeling OK, but spent the day in the garden, sawing, stacking logs, digging, laying slabs, strimming etc.
No more wasp nests :-)

1 hour sawing and chopping wood.

Aboyne and back for end of school term curry.