Training Log Archive: Frostbite

Warm up - Harlow Moor Road to the Stray

Claro MapRunF orienteering, The Stray and Hookstone. Oh dear. I'm not sure I had the phone set up right, and it's also a 5 year old phone so maybe that wasn't helping. I got to the start, didn't beep. I stood around for 30 seconds, still didn't beep. I took the phone off my arm (Evie had lent me a fancy arm pouch) and then it beeped, so then I had to put the phone back on my arm with the clock ticking. Got to number 1, didn't beep. Took the phone off again and the screen had gone off, as soon as I turned it back on it beeped. From then on I had the phone in my hand. The next few beeped without me doing anything, but every so often I had to turn the screen off and on before it would register. Some registered straight away, some took 10 seconds which was frustrating but ok I suppose. That was fine until I got to the finish, didn't beep. Turned the screen off and on again, didn't beep. Waved it in the air, turned if off and on a second time and this time it beeped. Must have been there the best part of a minute.

I was also a bit crap, running was a struggle all day. Out on the Stray I was barely managing 10 minute miles. And I made a huge mistake when I missed a turning and ended up taking two controls in the opposite order to what I had intended. Must have lost a minute or more.

So the whole maprun thing was a bit frustrating, but it could be my phone and it could be just me. Maybe it's like this for everybody. I got all the controls with a minute to spare and finished well down the results. I was about 14 minutes behind Quentin and also behind lots of other less speedy people.

An interesting experiment, but nah.

C • MapRunF 6

Painful jog back to Harlow Moor Road. I had taken a second map of Valley Gardens that I thought I might also do, but it was just too busy there and I could barely run anyway.

After I got home I just wiped out and went to sleep for a couple of hours. I'm not doing very well at the moment.

Set off for another go at what I was trying to do yesterday. The heavy rain started after 2 minutes, the palpitations shortly after, and by the time I passed the tannery I.was struggling. I gave up and jogged through the park and back up Mill Lane instead. By the time I reached the park the sun was out.

Attempt 2. After the 20 minute sort of warm up I still wasn't feeling too happy but at least it didn't look like it was going to rain again. I set off prepared to have to stop again, but I was OK this time if still not exactly feeling great. The first climb and descent were ok, the second climb slower but still OK, and I managed to knock half a minute off my previous best. I should be a lot faster than this but it's just not going right at the moment.

Sunset, Meanwood Hall and Hollies. Same as Tuesday but tried to go a bit faster, but it didn't work out like that. My stomach felt bad, I had palpitations and I got a screw embedded in the sole of my shoe. It was sticking out the bottom rather than into my foot but I couldn't budge it and I couldn't really run with it either. I jogged home trying to put all the weight along the outside of my foot. And it rained as well, which was fine at first but it got heavier and colder and when I was stationary trying to unscrew the screw it was all a bit unpleasant.

Stupid running.

C • Screw this! 1

Sunset, Meanwood Hall, Hollies. Sore legs and still too hot.

Walk - Wharfedale 3 peaks. Started at Yockenthwaite, along the valley side to Cray, up Buckden Pike, down to Starbotton, up Great Whernside, down to Kettlewell, then the length of the Firth Fell/Birks Fell ridge to Horse Head and back down to Yockenthwaite.

Didn't see many people at all up in the hills. There were plenty of people at Kettlewell but it wasn't too crowded.

Very hot. I started with about 2.5 litres of water and drank all of it by the end, as well as a can from the cafe in Kettlewell. And I still felt dehydrated.

22.8 miles, 1500m climb 7.5 hours.