Training Log Archive: rcro

Westbury Harriers Group 2 with Alex. Boring out and back Portway loop.

As per last week started out to be told we would go at the correct speed for group and faster people should go in Group 1. Doesn't seem we actually went any slower at all.

Felt like a hard session and got my fastest time W on Portway by 20s.

Was 2 degrees but still felt ok in t shirt and shorts, but did start feeling a little faint when stretching out afterwards. Not sure if they were linked.

http://www.strava.com/activities/222853245/overvie...

No idea if I'm going to do much training at all this week - haven't been able to find a lift for Wednesday so will have a fairly empty log unless I can think of anywhere interesting for a longer run instead (and the weather is any good for it).

C • group one 2

Event: BOK Galoppen & ASO League
 

BOK Galoppen at Moseley Green. 8.9km brown.

Another disastrous run - estimating about 20 mins of mistakes. Highlights:
1 - 2 mins finding lots of depressions but struggling to match to map, along with open and ROST. Control was effectively inside a tree.
3 - went in too early, maybe 1 min
5 - pathetically slow but clean
7 - couldn't run up the hill
8 - 3 mins lost being a bit too high - went in when half way down hill from top path to bottom path. Led Clive in who thought very low, and he was pretty much last person I saw on run.
9 - couldn't stay upright - 1-2 mins lost vs everyone else
15 - went to control on big wet hole (pit) to east first, but didn't cost me
18 - ended up far too far north and finding lots of small clearings and shallow depressions but nothing to relocate from. Hit fence to north and found 19 from it. Vegetation hopeless and felt contours were pushing me the wrong way - should have gone straight and taken elephant track. 9 mins
21 - ankle tried to go on landing on track coming out of control - having to pay too much attention to traffic leaving to watch footing. Luckily it was ok and managed to get going again almost straight away.
26 - no idea where I went here as I found 10+ large depressions on my way to this yet remarkably few are mapped. 2 mins faffing around before hit the black x and went back.

Often felt that the map was more of a hindrance than a help. Good course with little scope for path running, but more difficult due to under-foot conditions. Thought my pace when moving was pretty poor but taking out time for mistakes is pretty close to last week (which was quite clean).

http://www.strava.com/activities/222388787

Looking at splitsbrowser, seems a lot of people ended up paired up which may part explain why I seem to have made significantly more mistakes than most - could have done with there being a few other people out there to help me find some of the controls today.

C • Don't hate the player, hate... 1

Event: League 3
 

NGOC League at Woodchester. 6.8km blue with 220m climb.

Trying to work out which was best out of map, terrain, course planning and control siting. Decided in the end that the best positive was that National Trust charges are getting so high now that Woodchester gets retired after this mini-season.

Given I can't get 3 counting scores for league wasn't trying too hard, and then trying much less hard after 1 - took me 5 mins to do the path bit (1k), then another 5 mins fighting brashings on steep slippery slopes in the circle before punching. Similar trouble on exit - think taking below route would have been much better.

Another 1k path into 2, seems a bit orange-y... Slow up hill to 4 and struggling down, same after 6. Not sure what's going on with map at 5, or 7, and a lovely big dog leg on 8.

Things picked up after 10, as given how little I was not trying and how much I was enjoying it, skipped 11 out to save going up the side of the valley only to come straight back down. Thought about visiting 14 and 15 on way back, but saw them from path so decided that was good enough navigating. Still did the climb into the finish.

Not one of NGOC's finest hours and lots of people moaning afterwards. Just cannot believe how much worse it was today than last year's (which I thought was great). Can't imagine that many people with miss orienteering in Woodchester now.

http://www.strava.com/activities/221973133/overvie...

Much better news is that Geoff has agreed to be my controller at Gloucester!

C • map 2

Westbury Harriers.

Hillsdon Road loop as expected - 10x short hills so quite easy session. Maintaining 50-55s for each and feeling ok, but was often getting boxed in on the last corner by people cutting me up and then slowing down for last bit of climb - went round the outside for the last 5 so had a bit of extra distance.

Fast group tonight, faster than normally are on this loop, but the recoveries seemed to be getting very long towards the end - was normally first to be ready to start again when often it's other way round. Still ended up lapping the slowest as early as the third effort!

http://www.strava.com/activities/221390119/overvie...

MLS training event at Hawley. 8.9km brown course.

Am not this area's biggest fan and found the brashings hard enough to tire me. But then, wasn't pushing 100% as only found out when I arrived it wasn't part of the league.

Course planning was a little weird with some big dog legs (4 was the biggest), and I still think that the best route out of the start (based on map) was to double back and run through assembly and finish - I wimped out and fought through undergrowth to get straight to finish avoiding assembly.

Not too many misses - bit unsure about paths at 2 (30s), too far east on 11 (90s), a path too early on 14 (60s) - so quite a steady run. Was in a train most of the way from 2 until the finish, but seems we dropped the Guildford guy at 17 - still managed quite a bit of independent navigation.

http://www.strava.com/activities/220942406