Training Log Archive: BrandNewMe

Sore knee from yesterday but managed to crawl out of bed for Jill’s session. Getting (nearly) unbroken sleep now which helps. I am not sure I’ll be able to keep this going in the new year when Ray and I are both at work and we have a baby to get to nursery as well as getting the others out of the door. Trying to work out the logistics is just too much to think about.

Lucy missed basketball today due to a football injury. In her first match for her new team she ended up in a heap in tears and when I asked her what was wrong she yelled so all the spectators could hear ‘that girl there shoved me over so my fingers bent back and then sat on top of me so they bent back more!’ Hmm. Maybe reduce the volume on the accusations next time. Although the other team were playing pretty rough.

It’s hard to gauge when they are making a bit of a fuss about nothing and when they really are hurt, so I suggested that as she can’t do basketball now was a good time to catch up on running training. We’ll see tomorrow whether she makes a miraculous recovery and can go to rugby instead of doing intervals with me. Today we jogged over to Graeme’s road and ran up it then right and right again home. We went hard for a mile. There was moaning. ‘I can’t believe your making me run up Graeme’s road, he lives on a massive hill’. It took me a while to work out that we were thinking of the same road, it’s just our interpretation of what is a massive hill differs.

C • Massive great hill 1

After a morning of football watching it was good to get out. Ray got the morning slot alas, and the afternoon slot is a bit too late to be heading to the hills this time of year. Glad I didn’t turn up to the HBT long run as they were out 3 hours! Ffs. Instead I satisfied myself with Portobello in the murky late afternoon. Tried to keep the mileage 8 min miling but it fell apart for the last couple as I hit the hill in the road and my pelvis muscles just sort of gave up and I got v bad cramp. Got it done though.

To Newhaven for chips via Granton on the cycle paths. Then back to Scotland Street and on through town. Home via Considerit. Yup, we were one of the people in the massive queue

Did lots of walking and seemed to have flared up my knee again.

There’s a hill near where Loz does training so I tried it out. The bottom of the hill was Porto & Fi, the top was 80 secs later. I did 10. Nice night for it.

Day off, not that I really can spare time at work to take a day off, but Ray’s not got long left of paternity leave and it’s fun to do something with just the three of us. Got Bertie in the cycle trailer for the first time and went very slowly to silverknowes, then Leith for brunch We went to Toast which had very good cakes and excellent Shakshuka (which is what achingly hip Edinburgh brunch places do instead of a fry up).

Then home via a lap of Leith Links, Lochend Park and then up past the otter which I saw for the first time! I haven’t cycled queens drive much and I was in absolutely no danger of taking any strava glory. Nearly had to get off and walk!

Reps while Loz ws at training. Cycle path maze near Trinity.

2 x 2 mins
2 x 3 mins
2 x 2 mins so progression from last week.

Pouring rain

Early starts not getting any easier.

Didn’t get much sleep last night and got up v early as my knee was really hurting. Loz had a party and Lucy had basketball for a few hours so Ray and I did a buggy run through Craigmillar, Newton, Danderhall on the cycle paths then picked our way down Burdiehouse burn an Ellen’s Glen home. By the end everything was hurting as I m not used to running that far. Various parts of the pelvis area were cramping. Ouch.

Family walk down to the Haven and back. Probably at least 8 miles. It rained on the way there and back and Loz and I hadn’t brought out waterproofs. We had to wait outside the cafe for quite a while for a table too but it was worth it as ever.

British orienteering junior selection panel has the junior manager on it again for 2021. Jeez. Do they not read their own welfare recommendations (https://bof2.sharepoint.com/Performance%26Talent/P... ). Do they not care? Do they not wonder when they ask for a higher levy why a sizeable proportion of the British Orienteering public tell them to f’off? As someone who got to WOC very much despite British orienteering rather than because of it I am so disappointed that they are still coming up with such absolute shite!

C • welfare policy 7

Run around queens drive and a bit of Arthur’s seat while Lucy was at swimming.

Ray and I witnessed a cyclist being hit by a car this morning. The car must have been turning at no more than 10 miles an hour into the cyclist who was just cycling along Newington Road. It was really horrific. The massive bang. The pedestrian next to her shouting. The trainers flung off her feet, the victim lying moaning on the road for about half an hour while the ambulance worked on her. She was conscious but unable to move. We were both very shaken up by it indeed.

The cyclist absolutely seemed to be the innocent party. Broad daylight, car decides to turn across her path and hits her side on. It reminded me of last night though when I was rushing driving Lucy to football. Coming out of Mentone Terrace onto Mayfield Road I was about to move but something made me check again before pulling out. It seemed like the dark shadows were moving when a cyclist appeared from nowhere, dressed entirely in black and with no lights. I came very close to pulling out right in front of them. I drive around Edinburgh’s student neighborhood where we live most nights, ferrying kids to clubs and about half the cyclists have no lights. It is so so dangerous! This morning was horrible. There are some really bad drivers out there. Cyclists need to give themselves as much chance of being seen as possible, because bad things happen to totally innocent people. I think I might propose we whack a £30 matriculation fee on students but give them some free lights. Lecture over.

p.S. I always always where a reflective when I run at night too. You look like a dick but it massively reduces the chances of being hit.

C • Better a dick... 2

Bit ill too busy. Work work work. Finally writing Brexit movement of goods advice for work. Reminds me that I ought to do a bit of stockpiling.

Bit ill too busy

6 x 2 mins on 1 min off. TFL a bit sore. Boiling tonight. Disused railway by Inverleith Row as Loz was at Letham Park

Jill’s training. Early start, lack of sleep and the exercises themselves are slowly killing me.

Pentlands from Bonaly. Fun. Muddy. I felt good but my times were slow. Tried to run the hills hard but my strava said I was still slow. It was hard to stay on your feet though. Wiped out a few times.

Not getting enough sleep. I’ll fall over sometime soon and just not bother to get up.

Buggy running for the first time with B. We have a different running buggy from last time as we gave our other one away. This is aThule running buggy / cycle trailer. It’s big and unwieldy. My shoulders are going to be massive if I do this regularly. The safety strap for your wrist is designed for right handlers which is a bit irritating.

Anyway, down to holy rood park to see Loz run an XC. He was much further up the field compared to last year.

Then big rush to John Muir CP for East Area o training. Another really excellent session for the kids. The coaches are doing great work.

C • Sinister 1

Today’s brunch was Honeycomb at Bruntsfield. New number 1 for me. Achingly poncey, not as friendly as some of the other lovely places (Salt Cafe, the Colony, Fountain Cafe) I didn’t want to like it but it was really very tasty indeed.

3 Friday brunches left. South of Edinburgh is done.

Bit too busy with work. If we could just get some sort of Brexit free trade agreement sorted that would help. It’s going to be utter chaos for us and pretty much any other importer under the current plans. Keep trying to work out how we can make it less of a shit show - and failing.

Trotettes. Pentlands from Bonaly. Fun.

From Meggetland to the meadows. A lap of 3 x 3mins on 1 off then a middle meadow walk and back to Meggetland for pick up.

Jill’s training. Does me good but the early starts are not getting any easier.

Up, around the meadows and back. Felt good tonight.

Meggetland while Lucy was at rugby. Up to Oxgangs Tesco then took a direct path to Dreg. Up into the Pentland a bit then back through Swanston village, Cockmylane, Myreside and canal. Nice outing felt good.

We have been watching a bit of the Vuelta. The cycle races have been a key part of his parental leave - jammy sod. Does anyone know if there is orienteering in any of these amazing Spanish hills? Ray is keen to go but it’s always nice to tag on some foreign o where possible. And it would blow the kids tony minds if we went on holiday abroad that didn’t involve orienteering and we don’t want that.

Steps - 21,543

Bit ill- steps 10,210

Lots of walking. Steps - 22,894

Arthur’s Seat handicap. Nailed the route a bit better this month. The

Jogging around while Lucy was at football

Steps - 13,273

With Lucy who was tired and had had a tough day at school. Some kids are bloody horrid.

Around inverleith while Loz was at running training.

Steps15,001

Jills training. Starting to feel much stronger. Calf twinges on the way there so no running today.

Steps - 10,191

Just setting off for a morning walk with Laurence when both of my calves started pinging. Strange tightenings. So We didn’t bother.

Steps - 6,618