Training Log Archive: FE

Army Frith Hill Score - 25 from 25
Started in heavy rain after long torrential downpour.
4 plus minutes in circles and never out of touch with map. Nothing like Frith's small features in the summer to focus on fine navigation.
Tight chest after 40 mins and walked then carried on, but still a tad too fast.

Saw consultant, "keep running and listen to your body". Took away a large bag of standard pills. Tests and scans over next month or so- happy they are being thorough.

Hankley North - Army Green 50.50 steady
5. 20s
9/10 - 5.00 Ran straight through 9 veg bound, over some indistinct paths
A touch slower than Colin w/o mistakes, taking it easy. Wet heather far preferable to 28 degs.
No issues but I was never pushing it.

Deserted and cool, too good hurry. Slept 2 hours in the afternoon.

One good night's sleep and up for the Olympics RR- real classic!

A record 20 mins with GP!

Army N Hankley Score - 18c from 25c. 28degs - 2mph wind!
Entered score to stop me becoming competitive(!). Fine for 25 mins, then felt the heat in the high open heather and made sure I backed off.
11. -2.30 Over compensated for taking better line out of control. Was over 100m too far north, made worse by it being on the most physical terrain.
-1.30 drinks & laces.
Really happy to have completed a very hot hours run with only mild chest tightness towards the end.

Found it helpful to jog & stretch in the shade.

It would be cooler sleeping in a tent.

Not at the races- nothing like controls to focus the mind. Still worthwhile when Windmill Hill proved too much yet again and called it a day. Airless 26 degs didn't help.

Windmill MLSS Score - 32 controls
1. 10s
8. 60s thought holly was thicket on map to locate pit from.
14. 10s one ride further over.
19. 60s this was on wrong gully!
24. 25s went below fallen trees instead of above.
Stopped for over 3mins and managed to find Jim's glasses, time already deducted.
Really enjoyed this, warm but not hot, ran at pace a steady/easy pace dictated by navigation. Chest felt all the hills, thankfully not many on the route I took. Still beat Foxy.
L hand slightly swollen at finish- so my claim of poor circulation in my L arm was not imagined, made worse as it did not other symptoms at A&E.

More unscheduled tests until after midnight Tuesday. Plan is to see GP and discuss if any meds/intervention is required for continuing AF- one of many orienteers!. Also minimise already modest alcohol & tea consumption and hope it helps. Fine to carrying on running...

Reigate Priory - ran at 70% effort, difficult across valleys and ridges, and dropped to a walk briefly a few times. Made only mistake going to 15 of 16 total, dropping unexpectedly to lake that threw me and brain fade set in. Perhaps there was an underlying reason- so after losing 1.30, decided to miss extra 2k loop. No HRM. Felt slight ache in chest, otherwise felt very good. Very much my type of area, and planning style, of height judgement/management and hilly!

In A & E for 7.5hrs until 1.30am and woken at 4am with repeat test results. Will need to follow up with GP and specialist.

Slept 10.25 hrs Thursday night.

C • I hope everything is ok Frank 2

First acceptable night's sleep for 6 days. Stiffness gradually improving daily. After initially losing 0.5kg, now carrying around 1.5kg of extra fluid.

SMM Day 2 - 5 hour score - 145 pts
Only slept 90 mins, and felt as though it was 4am at the start where I was 2 mins late- last starter again.
1. Added nearby 10 pointer at last moment that was good use of time if within time limit.
2. Passed 2 controls from the end of yesterday that wouldn't count. Felt awful stopping frequently up the hill. Got better when it levellled out.
3 - 5 Fast terrain.
6. Tricky contouring, gradual drop across deep stream, ridges. Still way too high at the control's stream.
7. Had a good chat raising morale with somone who had 25 mins less to finish.
8. Drop to river and climb Haystacks (last big climb) in heavy rain. Getting more confident could finish in time, drank and eat and removed jacket, just before sun came out. Climbed relatively well.
9. 450m descent to next to last control looked far worse on map.
10 & Finish Well in time but shuffled at near max. 24 mins to spare, relief!!!
Would have given odds of 20% of finishing uninjured, never mind unbruised.

What could have been done better:
Plan day 2 more, 2nd longest route was only a 1k longer adding 55 pts. and giving similar result/position to day 1.
Work on planning A, B & C options.
Had 400g of food at the end. Only used 2 gels, 80g jelly babies and 1 trek bar. Need more experience of what works and is practical.
Given more time and less injuries, do some short maximal steep hill work.

Good points:
Basic RC plans. With more preparation fitness wise, can achive a decent result. Legs still kept going- just an awful shock. Kit worked well.

Event: Saunders Lakeland Mountain Marathon
 

SMM Day 1 - 7 hour score - 255pts
Last MM was 40 years ago, previously did well (prizes) anywhere apart from the Lakes.

Took 3 mins to clear mind to plan route at the start after road closure on the way and losing chinagraph. Started just after official last start time.
1. 90s Hesitant tricky with no one around.
2. 2 mins, no one in sight, didn't find a path through toughish bracken/heather.
3-5 Gorgeous hidden valley, some good splits.
6 & 7 Continuing to move well.
8. Worst hill ever (70% plus), felt ill and starting shaking, HR OTT.
9. 4 mins - Mentally hard having shredded legs so early in weekend. Saw crag and appeared runners were ignoring it, overshot.
10. Sat down to appraise whether to stick with plan, didn't spend enough looking at a plan B that was almost as good and very dooable.
11. Took 2 hours to reach next control after getting to foot of hill for plan A and wisely pulling back from serious time penalies and further leg shredding.
12-16 Tidy and moving OK. Descent to over night camp was steep and wet rocks & slippery bracken. Felt envious of people with poles! 8 mins to spare- drained.
Despite not finding a plan B and extra 70 pts, had a good result.
Start pack weight 4.98kg- all up.