Training Log Archive: rcro

First day proper. 8.5km M21 course.

Started out ok and safe. Then lost 4 mins on 2 as not used to their mapping distinction of white and yellow open - so stopped far too early. OK for a while from there and kept seeing both Ali Gardner and Ben Beresford - both started ahead of me.

Left 14 slightly the wrong way and passed close to 12 but still just behind Ali at 15. Took better route through marshes on long leg (but walked as it was very tough) to get ahead then lost nearly 10 minutes in the circle at 16 as spent all the time looking for a hillock (description "East side of southern hillock"). Went within a couple of yards of it but didn't see it as hidden in a shallow depression surrounded by thick veg. Relocated from south, north and west and did complete tour of all hillocks in the area before Ed Stott caught up and was able to show where it was. Accept that it was in the right place based on everything around it, just I didn't look there as it wasn't a hillock! Seems that somewhere Ben had ended up behind and we found control together, but Ali must have punched and gone ahead.

Not so happy by now so set about trying to make back the now 5 mins I'd lost to Ed. Straight route to 18 and got to control just ahead of Ali somehow. Reasonably lucky on 19 but was surprised it was my control as feature so small and good into the finish.

Managed to get the 5 mins back on Ed and finished well ahead of Ali and Ben - who I know were both going at roughly my speed - so *reasonably* happy. Not the nicest area with the open tussocky marshes and furrows towards the end but pleasant all the same and good to be doing a bit of proper orienteering once again - and without much in the way of actual mistakes.

https://www.strava.com/activities/359455458

Watched the sprint finals in Forres followed by pizza in Nairn and weather held out for most so made for a nice day.

S6D - Day 1 Achagour - C39 - Splits

Making the most of driving up by doing a bit of parkrun tourism. Between a very Welsh me and a kid from Bedford I think for the furthest traveller.

Paced myself for 21ish as didn't want too hard - and was bang on time at half way. Then in the last mile set about catching the 21 min pacer and passed with half a mile to go.

Tough finish as the head wind was fairly strong (sadly, it was also there, but less strong, going out from the start), but coped ok.

https://www.strava.com/activities/358708122/overvi...

Drive up to Inverness was fine until Inverness - just over 3 hours non-stop but had trouble getting back across Inverness from Eden Court after

3.2km Men Red course - basically an extended version of the ladies' courses.

No major mistakes - just hesitant into 1 and missed that I could exit 7 to the south.

Pushing fairly hard - to see how I compare to world class athletes. Turns out punching properly rather than with SI air units is quite a bit slower!

Quite nice run, but as it was actually fairly easy had to take it hard to get anything out of it. Good start to WOC, maybe not so good for GB but tomorrow is another day.

https://www.strava.com/activities/358983538

C • running hard 2

S6D - Nairn Sprint - Men_Red - Splits

Event: WOC 2015 & Scottish 6 days
 

Driving up to Glasgow today - had hoped for slow, easy, stress free but other motorists had other plans and lost 40 mins due to a "crash" (was barely a dent - but shut three lanes) by Walsall and another hour at Lancaster for reasons unknown. At least from Kendal onwards it was lovely!

Usual tricks of looking for people I recognised - saw David Hunt, Potters and HOC Fords. Heading the other way were lots of brand new buses on delivery, Bristol MW, Leyland PD2 and a First Great Western HST carriage -so plenty of things to try and liven up the journey. Still gladly resting in a very posh Premier Inn now.

One note for driving back next week - the M6 to M5 link is down to one lane, this afternoon the queue was all the way back to Wigan...

Home from work late and pretty tired after collecting watch from sorting office at 7am(!). Spent an hour or so fiddling with it getting it working and trying to get it to not sync every single activity I did with old watch and still ended up having to do a double-hard reset to get GPS to work since clearly it only partially synced sports settings. On the plus side, it appears to working, has now synced completely, via the Mac, and for the first time ever did actually find the right start location!

Out to Gaer the top way and trying to get some hills in whilst keeping it easy paced as been suffering from yesterday a bit. Quite a lot of the paths on Gaer are now much more overgrown and brambly than when I was last out a week ago so made the pace very slow at times.

https://www.strava.com/activities/357546224/overvi...

Intervals with Lliswerry. A fairly stupid session that Ifor would rightfully hate - 30s efforts with decreasing rest of 2:30/2/1:30/1 (4 sets) - more of a test of changing speed quickly and taking the right-angled corners flat out.

Seems I was running fairly well for doing no efforts in over a month, but legs were desperate to do some clockwise running by the third set.

Apparently sessions are usually balanced towards more effort less rest - but good to see 50-60 runners out doing intervals given it is smaller club than Westbury.

https://www.strava.com/activities/356817810/overvi...

C • Stupid Session 3

MDC run along the coast from Nash Point. Into a very strong and turbulent wind.

Apart from wind was quite nice out with some steep climbs. Quite interesting at the turn around. Almost felt like you could do a sprint map of it.

Came back along the beach which, for me, was a mistake. No grip on the rocks and did some quite big slides and a fall could have meant serious bang to head. Very slow and the pebbles have pretty much killed my shoes.

Should have dropped out of the beach at the ladder but wasn't keen on the extra climb. Went back up at the next opportunity and left others along the beach and was managing 4 min ks with the wind behind - much faster than the 7-8 min/ks along bottom. Seems I've got another KOM (1/38) - but it's hidden and so not shown in my feed, but 2/41 and 8/94 on others where I didn't feel too quick clearly show was going ok.

https://www.strava.com/activities/356168254/overvi...

Came back through Cardiff, as assumed it would be better than the sat-nav suggestion of via Ogmore (!). Wrong... After two days in a row there can now confirm the impossible in that Bristol isn't the worst place in the world for driving in - given how easy traffic signal phasing and sequencing is I've no idea quite how they've managed to get it so wrong. Rush hour via Bridgend and Ogmore was actually just as quick as 9.30pm through Cardiff! Won't make that mistake again