Training Log Archive: ColmM

JK Long

Didn’t feel in a great headspace starting because my ankle was sore from the tape, and had been sore yesterday too. I tried to cut some of it with my compass to loosen it a little in the start box, and this helped a bit.

Actually starting was fine then, and navigated cleanly through 1 and planned a bit ahead. Solid route to 2, clean & safe on 3. Not flying but going fine. 10sec miss a tiny bit right on 4, and then 20sec of hesitancy when I could t see any of the water or figure the shape for sure on 5. Clean through 6 & 7, but hesitant with all the paths on 8 and lost a little more, maybe 20-30sec, and then similar on 9 & 10 deciding routes and being a little silly.

I was just being very scrappy, indecisive and not taking anytime to plan ahead like I should have. And all the while the ankle was bothering me in terrain and I just didn’t feel like I could run properly.
I went down to 11 which seemed fine, although I decided to drop down to the road to enter instead of contouring in at the end which was definitely unnecessary, but still the whole way down the big path in the middle of this route the tendons at the front of my ankle were sore and restrictive and didn’t feel like they were letting me run properly.
I navigated to 12 but when I felt myself start hobbling a little when running the climb into the control I decided finishing this would be putting my IOC in detriment, so I called it a day and jogged the road back.

Wholly unpleasant, but felt confident it was a good decision which helped. Ankle still really not that bad but I’ll need to figure out how I can tape it without it pulling at everything and making them sore, because I also won’t be able to risk not wearing some sort of support in crohane

Ankle work

Another shakeout

JK Middle

Started pretty nicely, feeling smooth through the first 3. But misread the hill on #4 and lost 20-25sec or so too low and then climbing up. Took the gully to the track on #5 but lots of people seem to have gone a lot quicker so not sure if there was a better route.
Some annoying misses on #6 (15ec), was a set of re-entrants too low, and #8 (15sec) veering way too far right. Struggling a bit get going after that, but Ali Thornton caught me into #9 which helped to try and push me on but I wasn't feeling great. Little misses from him meant I still ended up staying ahead on every control until #16 or so (incl. maybe 15sec of loss on a bad line to #11).
It helped to keep me pushing, and I worked to hang on on #18, but then ended up taking a straighter line in the 2nd half and punching ahead again. nicely pulled through the last few though, to come in in 38mins.
Not amazing given it's easy to account for 90sec + out there, and feeling a little terrain weak. But certainly not bad either. Good to get a hard middle run out before IOC, probably a little more strength work wouldn't go amiss.

Shakeout

JK Sprint - 18th
Felt clean, just a tad rusty. On further inspection I think there were a few more mistakes / missed routes than I realised but still probably can’t complain with it overall given no sprint training.

Nice easy loop up a hill in Abergavenny. Worked out very nicely, and even a bit of terrain for my ASICS. Definitely feeling better today, not perfect but getting closer.

Did 8x ~400m at Loreto Park. Still very coldy, as has been the story of the last few days, but wanting to run it out of the system. Ended up just taking these as long strides essentially to have something turning the legs over.

Squeezing in a little extra. A weird in between for the Jk, using the races mostly as training but will give them a proper effort, but focused on IOC a couple weeks later, so wanting to train through to an extent as well.

Easy miles with Mum on the bike which was most pleasant company. Still very ugh

Some miles with Rachel and then some solo. Feeling fairly shite from a cold, but not bad enough to not do anything. Hopefully will mount a recovery before the weekend.