Training Log Archive: roar

Rest day on Sat on which happened to to be the only rainy day of the week (might also have been up extremely late) and then travel on Sun.

I finished the bird house but it didn't even last the night back up on the tree...

Mont Charvin with Graeme and Jonny.

The luck with the weather this week has been unreal. Cold starting but just pure sunshine then for hours. Pretty steep climb through some fields and a farmer's yard felt weird. Also had to pass some beekeeping place that had the hugest fluffy dog. Briefly very scary but he was friendly. It did cool down a bit as we got higher but I was very glad I had the shorts this time. We dwent for the clockwise lap of the lake and had lunch hal way round, watching Conor and Colm descend from the summit.

Post lunch we had the final push. This was kinda sketchy in patches. It probably wasn't that bad but at one point I didn't see the cables and climbed up a bit too much. I then had to traverse this slab with footholds full of scree and I was pretty scared by that. It kinda got to my head and I then chose a bad route around another cable and I got very uncomfortable. we got through anyway and had a little sit before the last ridge bit where I felt much better. There were a few steps around corners with big consequences but the cable helps the confidence, until almost at the top there was a sign saying "via ferrata closed"!!! Few pictures at the summit, Mont Blanc peeking from the clouds before a steep descent with many hairpins. Took a slightly different route down for variety and met Conor and Colm about 10 mins fr the end in another perfect timing hike.

Roc Du Cornillon via ferrata with Graeme, Jonny and Colm. Nice walk up and then the usual. Pretty fun, less scared than I was the last time. Again lovely sunny day and just very enjoyable

Foret de Charvette, downhill o-intervals

After the lads were finished work up the hill on another sunny evening. Bloody tough work to get up to the start I will say but managed. Started with Conor and Colm.

Interval 1, Was just about able to hang on with the downhill and navigation, hitting one of the controls in first. Little miss to the second last and Colm got a gap which he held to the finish though I got Conor.

Then another suffer up to the next start where none of us read our maps so we stood about a bit embarrassingly lost.

Interval 2 Jonny started at well, though he wasn't going as hard. Hit the first circle and had no clue what was going on. Conor beeped it, Colm was on an entirely different part of the hill and headed on. I stood there confused and Jonny came and said I was right at it! Blasted down the hill to try and catch, clean for the next and then caught the lads missing the third. Together then until I suffered on a hill. Mad downhill trying to catch still and nearly got cleaned out by an electric fence. Was within touching distance but eased up for th open.

Really fun, decent oing from me and just had a great time racing again!

Lazy morning followed by a nice afternoon of grass cutting, weeding and attempting to re-build the bird house.

Le Pecloz & Mont d'Armemaz w/ Graeme and Jonny. Colm and Conor were running.

3 degrees starting off but dressed lightly as steep from the off and it just kept going. Was down to singlet and rolled up trousers by the tree line. Then it got steeper and felt reasonably exposed with some slightly scrambly sections and a big ol' cliff down the side. Hard work too. Nice little final section right up on the ridge with sections no wider than 50cm.

Lovely summit lunch in the sun looking at Mont Blanc, stunning views. Steep descent with one backwards bit. Then Graeme and I did Mt. d'Armemaz while Jonny went down. This path was right beside the cliff again, with some cool erosion features. Good progress up there, a few quick photos and a very nice downhill to meet Jonny. Met a dude with some cute long sausage dogs with high boots jackets and GPS trackers that really wanted a chat but we couldn't deliver with our lack of French.

Was pretty tired for the last bit of steep down. Knee was slightly questionable so wasn't the most happy but still enjoyable. Flat bit in the valley and a nice church to finish a good day.