Training Log Archive: BrandNewMe

I like the orienteering 'race' activity type. I am not sure I'd call what I was doing racing, but just surviving. The course was pretty simple, due to the terrain. Which just made me sloppy, doing a 90 degree error out of 10 for lots of bonus 'impenetrable' forest. Then started to lose heart a bit when we came out of the trees. 10k is a long way to be running with calf pain. Mucked up 15, and 16 and was tired to 17, then bimbled into the finish. I was exhausted, truly exhausted. Run in - me 1:00, Lucy (6) 1:18.

Need to take a gel next weekend. Need to address my total lack of fitness. Probably need to get my calf looked at so I can go training. Bleed this BUPA contract dry before I start a new job with a new BUPA allowance.

I liked Max's planning, but the area is just not very exciting. Interlopers has some great people in with great ideas, but a lack of good areas apparently. I don't understand this possessiveness over forests. If you have a keen team of volunteers that want to put on a top event, then give them a top notch area to run it on regardless of who may 'own' it.

Afterwards, dead on my feet, on to the yellow course. Lucy has decided that she has moved on from white. Yellow this time 'dark green' next apparently. She is reluctant to hold, or even look at the map though. This could prove problematic. Classic quotes, as I try to explain navigation. "Why do we always have to listen to what the north arrow has to say? How do we know it is not lying?" And she was moaning when she got her feet wet on the way to number 3. You have to be prepared to get your feet wet, I explain. "I am only prepared to get my feet wet at the last control!" She could be a better orienteer if she spent less time chatting and more time looking at the map. Thankfully she found the yellow quite tiring, so walked most of it.

Warm up in Edinburgh while Lucy is at judo, as I won't get time to do one at livi. Jog from judo, up the muddy side of the bog, walked the steep hill at the end to save my calf, thrn jog back via Castro, stopping for drills.

Not many as I had to stop to answer a woman's questions as to what I was doing and why, which made me feel a bit self concious. That's my excuse anyway.

Sprint. First since last year's World Cup MSR in Halden I think. Fun, if not very successful. Main misses, wrong entrance to 3, 4 I went left after the underpass to go down the east side of the building, not realising that there was an uncrosable wall under the blue line. Considerable time loss here, also I *could* have punched through the fence and saved time if I had wanted. Minor moans.

Went right out of 7 - dead end. North out of 10, ditto. Looked at 14-16 while I was going 12-13, struggled to see 15 on the map, thought that it would be an easy control to accidentally skip, then when I was running the leg, I did almost skip it, getting to the intersection 50m south of the control before I remembered. Overshot 20 - it was a v narrow alley, the rest fine. 17 didn't register. There were two punters titting around here in front of me that made me impatient, and I tried to punch through the back (it was grippled), but I must have heard it bleeping for them not me. Ah well, it wasn't the first time this has happened...

V scrappy, 5 secs lost at 3, 7. 10secs lost at 10 (should have looked up!!!) and 15, 15 (?) at 20, and loads at 4. The only ones mum best me on were 4 and 20, so I am pleased. Beth Hanson thrashed me. Good to see her running well.

I enjoyed the course, so thanks Graeme, and thanks to Jane and Jane for the crèche services!

Glorious competitive commute all the way from Watsons along the canal to work. I could see his shadow on my shoulder the whole way into a lively headwind, and I was gritting my teeth and digging in. By the end it felt very much like when BUPA make you do a VO2 max test on a bike, I was exhausted, but still going. I was able to affix the mandatory rictus grin to my face and swallow down the panting when we hit lights at the work industrial estate, cause thems the rules of competitve cycle commuters - show no weakness. He had the good grace to thank me for the draft.

C • Competitive Commute 1

Slow day at work and excess energy - lunchtime cycle. Balerno loop. Did the reps hill in 5:25 which is a bit lame. Fun though. 3 x roadworks, and lots of learner drivers titting around in Currie got tiresome.

Test run for my calf. Over the crags then up the royal mile. I stopped at St Giles's when it was getting too sore. Then on to the BB for trotter drinking :-)

Blood tests back. Vitamin D levels are "severely deficient". This is common for people with ctd, and is good, cause low vit d makes you feel shit (achey bones, muscles, feeling down, poor concentration, tired, weak blah, blah, blah) and I feel shit; so I am looking forward to feeling awesome in a few months when the supplements kick in. That how I likd to think it works anyway. Bring it on!

I had time to do some bike maintainence last night. I now have the luxury of 2 brakes as opposed to 0.5, a front derailier that works (when you give it a hefty kick at the right place at the right time), a massive new bell that sounds like a swiss cow bell, and v my lame but useful in an emergency front light now works.

And I was going to be sensible and rest my calf, but then Tessa asked if I wanted a jog, and how could I refuse! Over the crags and back up the bog. I could straighten my leg nearly fully after the first little bit, it wasn't affecting my stride too much and the chat masked the pain.

Tessa, running! Brilliant!

Woke at 2:30 and couldn't get back to sleep, so got up and did jobs. Well tried to, but my legs were so fucking sore I couldn't stand up, so it was mainly just reading the paper...