Training Log Archive: Thraws

Back was very sore in the morning and I had to treat it with ibuprofen. So I was already in a pretty bad mood driving to Ockley in the pouring rain. Leith Hill is hard enough in good light, but in the gloom I worried it would be extra challenging in the tricky bits. Then the state of the car park field (which I was already worried about) sort of broke my spirit. Again, we'd paid premium prices to do battle with a mudbath, then park in among nettles and cowpats. So my composure was all gone even before I took on the muddy walk to the 'arena' (a muddy field). At least the rain was stopping. We were straight into the 'squiggly bits' and I lost a bit of time on 1 but didn't let it affect me. Thereafter was good through to 12. I used paths where I could and slowed to a walk for the compass legs and was pleased to get these pretty cleanly too. Probably switched off a bit as we'd been in the hard stuff a while and I figured it must ease off. But it didn't and I proceeded to make a number of serious errors which seem mostly to be the result of under-shooting but were certainly caused by my inability to pick out from all the detail on the map any information which could be useful. i went up and down the wrong path near 13 and wasted nearly 10 minutes. Almost gave up, but not quite. Was steadier through 15, then couldn't make paths fit at all en route to 16 and ended up running around with a bunch of others till I ended up at 17 with six more minutes wasted. I had given up by now, but I still managed to trip on a branch battling through the grot to 18 and nearly had a stick in the eye. Don't blind yourself on your last orienteering race! Ended up lost again looking vaguely for 20 and rout was complete. It'd probably be almost half an hour of mistakes if I could be bothered to work it out. And all my own fault. Heart just wasn't in it.

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and E Village. Heat B. If the London Marathon experience rated 10/10, this rated somewhere about 3-4. It cost almost as much to enter, involved a long and tricky journey on public transport, and had a special feel. But the latter dissolved pretty soon. Sure, it was great to be in the Park surrounded by Olympic venues, but there was a total lack of occasion around the orienteering. And then the starts were delayed, the news trickling out by word of mouth, and I began to feel that the 20 (!) pages of final details and hoop-la surrounding out of bounds, customised bibs, elite seeding and event t shirts was all somehow misplaced. The courses were ok, I suppose, but I've been to more enjoyable park-Os. For a fraction of the price. My back was cause for serious concern, but I forgot about it once I had map in hand and raced through the first ten (very easy) controls. I was heading for an A Final place, which was my ambition, but heading towards the bridge on leg 14 I failed to see the yellow strip between the wall and OOB and went a long way round to get on the towpath. Probably lost about 2 crucial minutes. Then missed the route to the left on the next leg too. Ended up a late starter in the B Final. Back was sore but ok.

Almost inevitably, the finals were delayed by over an hour. And then it started raining and then it absolutely poured down. We stood and stank for almost an hour as earlier starters than us headed off into the wet and drowned finishers pushed past looking for their kit in the overcrowded clothing tents. It was still heavy when I went out and I was worried about grass and steps. Actually I quite enjoyed taking the latter three at a time down and two at a time up as I went the (probably) wrong way round the Aquatic Centre. There followed a daft bit through a garden, where I repeated the single massive mistake of round 1 by missing the only viable route to 9 and shedding over a minute. In retrospect it seems I also missed the quicker route to 15 as I couldn't tell whether it was on or below the bridge. 16 was interesting. I could see the straight route through the grass which I'd have to walk. But I opted for the longer route round as it meant I could keep running. I'm pretty sure that was wrong. Finished with an average and disappointing result and a strong feeling of anticlimax. Not helped when I went to watch the climax of the Championship races (no radio controls so v limited commentary) and found there were about half a dozen other people there.

I have until the 20th to decide whether I want to run the London Marathon again.

Lovely day. Decided to give the Beach Run a miss though (reluctantly) and focus on the weekend instead.