Training Log Archive: Big Jon

Chest still not right. No survey - 6-day site visits in morning and too dreich to attempt survey later.
One last DNC tomorrow to get the 8 counters...

First for a while, took steady and felt good. On a couple of stretches I felt the wound site, but only just.

2.5 hours surveying, lovely cold crisp sunny day. Another chunk done.

Hanging a few controls before club training, out about 30 mins.

Coach cpd stuff all day - anyway minging weather so not likely to have been outside! Chest a wee bit better.

Hanging controls for Sunday club training. Out for 45 mins. Had planned to run gently but first hill had been choking and coughing so took it at a walk instead.

3 hours surveying. Chest no worse than yesterday but legs exhausted after DNC!

2 hours surveying. Mild but windy. Feeling a bit better today.

Deeside Night Cup. Tyrebagger. Should not, would not have been running but needed the points for overall score - I know, just the sort of stupid thing I'd tell juniors off about ;-).
Anyway no warm-up, started and just kept plodding away - struggling on all hills, walked almost everything and running hard on tracks lasted about 30 seconds each time before wheezing took over.
Reasonable run, missed 6 stupidly - maybe a minute and at 13 I had brain fade and overshot slightly. Nearly compounded the error but saw a boulder on the hillside and eventually spotted it on the map (drawn too close to a path), probably another minute there.
Pleased with route choices on all except one (leaving 13 I thrashed a bit).

Surveying 1.5 hours. Throat and chest still bothering me and feeling very lethargic. Took it easy and just did a short visit. Lovely day - sunny (late afternoon) and great views, lucky to live in Deeside ;-)

Head cold... :-( choky throat. Will take things easy till fully over it.

rest day - walk with S along River Dee from Dinnet, very scenic in afternoon sun. Out for about an hour.

Victory Hall out Deeside Way to west, Balnagowan south track and back via Tarland Way and castle woods. Legs still feeling pretty ropey.

Collecting some controls from Coull. Legs felt dreadful - utterly without energy after first 10 minutes.

Walk round Aboyne Loch and golf course with E. Found 20 golf balls - Dixie they're yours when I remember to take them to an event!

C • golf balls 4

3 hours surveying, another bright sunny day (though chilly wind).

DNC Coull. 3rd on long course. Too many little errors (lost at least 4-5 minutes in 5 mistakes. Really struggling in the terrain and got tired by half way. Still first orienteering 6 weeks to the day since last O - at DNC in Glen Dye. Happy to be back doing real running... well walking in large parts to be honest :-)

Warm-up - 2 laps of Lodge o the Loch and easy up to start & back from finish.

Surveying 6 hours

Wee run round Clatto and Camperdown Woods. Pleasant but tracks a bit grotty and woodland has no features. Tired legs, took a long time to feel I was running.

Surveying 5 hours. Tired at end, long walk in/out.

Active rest day, helping at club coaching, then 30 mins sawing logs.

With E from Burn O'Vat south then up Cnoc Dubh and back down above gorge. He really pushed me on much of it - especially the downhills.

The harder bits - mostly uphills trying to stay with or even ahead (honestly) of E. Trouble was he just sprinted a bit to catch me at the top of the climbs...

Legs were slightly achey after Sat evening - lots of hills and on snow.
Think I'll have sore legs tomorrow - hardest I've run since appendix op. Good news was that the op site felt fine, but guts still not completely settled yet - still accumulating the 200 bn bacteria I need (and trying to get the right ones too!).

To DAP and some running around to marshal at gate and back. Nice and snowy underfoot and cold clear night. Wonderful.

Back to the usual.

Surveying 5.5 hours. Legs a bit tired this morning and fairly worn out by end of day. Good progress.

First for a LONG time.

C • feels 1

Surveying 5.5 hours. Feeling stronger than yesterday. Cold and breezy but fairly sheltered in trees.

To and from forest.

Surveying 4 hours. A bit tired but still moving by end..

Cycle to/from forest. Saved a lot of walking

Down to Kinker and back to post letter. Not feeling very up for it but took steady and managed fine. Legs feeling sprightly, the rest of me not so much.

Walked round Orange course introducing newcomer to O.
Out for about 60 mins on course plus another 30 mins to start and back twice (manning start for last shift).
Feeling a lot perkier than yesterday - maybe try a wee jog tomorrow.

Quiet day at home - slowly improving.

Ho Hum. Back to illness - got E's stomach bug (he was ill on Monday night). Up all night... feeling totally washed out.
I just want January to pass and let me get well again.

Surveying 70 mins. Lovely cold sunny day.

Deeside Way towards Kinker, down big pine avenue to steading, across road, down to fishing hut and along riverbank to mill, back up to main road and along Dess road to Deeside Way, across Dess Burn, up past waterfall to main track and back up to turning circle and home. A few surges near end on uphills and flats - not great but something there so not just plodding along.
Things are improving :-)

With S, a wee trot round Dess Woods. Hillier than previous runs and legs feeling it a bit by end.

With BP through Aboyne Castle woods toward Aboyne golf course and back. Always was going to be a bit longer than the planned 25 mins. Walked last bit back to his house. Felt OK running, pace got a bit hot at times but mostly he was gentle with me!

2 hours wandering and chatting at Detox, lots of chatting.

Dropped off on way home and ran back on road to DAP, then up through woods. Managed to run all the hill. Feeling sprightlier then past 2 days running.

Paid for it later - suddenly feeling cold and tired at tea time, slept in chair then to bed at 7pm for an hour... Maybe overdid it a bit.

New Year's day adventure. Parked at Glen Girnock and wandered west through the wood towards the river, east along bank till we found an abandoned fishing hut (slightly moved from original location and a wee bit squint but it provided shelter). Started a wee fire, cooked sausages and marshmallows. All the time the snow/sleet came and went intermittently. A great start to the year. Walking about an hour.
River bank and new flood channels are amazing with huge gouges in some parts and massive sand/shingle deposits elsewhere. Never seen so many huge trees washed down a Scottish river.

Bit of zig-zagging around paths from home, trying to avoid too much climb. Abdomen feeling a bit crampy on downhills.