Training Log Archive: awk

Physio appointment booked for Thursday.

JK Relays, Pwll Ddu, M165 (AK, Tony Carlyle, Steve Webb), 10th/60+ teams. Individually: 39:16, 20th. Can't say first leg is my favourite, but enjoyed this! Good start, keeping with pack by choosing best line into 1. Lost a bit of time on climb up through 2-5, but kept head technically, with maybe 15-20s or so on r/c to 5, and a few secs to 7? Otherwise, worst loss was on descent to 9, when should have spotted path routes to left and right, but kept on ploughing on following train through marsh. Very clean over last section, but no legs. Thought was well down, but only 90 secs or so behind top ten or so, coming in with a pack of six, taking some useful scalps. Great relay course, vastly improved map - super day to finish with. Have to be pleased with top 10 overall!
Overall, in spite of day 2, has to go down as a successful JK, with results better than would have anticipated before the weekend. Lots to learn though, not least taking on board exactly what said before: training is simply not systematic enough, and not sufficiently directed. There's no doubt that the terrain finds you out, but also need to tighten up for sprints/urban. Focus on building up some terrain background in lead up to British (and Zermatt), before turning attention to September Sprints/Middle. Most racing likely to be urban given calendar, so need to make sure that training during week gets in the rough stuff more, but not a bad platform to be starting from.
In the meantime, need to suss out pain in left hip (hip flexor?). Sore after Sunday, easing off a bit in warm up for relay, but could feel it throughout. Didn't affect any runs, but doesn't feel good.

JK Long Day 2, Merthyr. M55 8.1k 70:18 16th=. After a series of poor runs on terrain, needed a bit of a confidence booster, so set out to take it steadily and get it absolutely right technically, focusing on compass and making certain could see landforms. Much happier with map from the word go. Came pretty close to aims, spiking most very cleanly, which was very pleased with given conditions (the thunder-lightning as started to warm up was entertaining!). A small wobble at 3 when veered slightly right, 20s; almost lost concentration going to 7, but kept on line at critical moment; hesitant into 8 when hit a/p (stone scree) but couldn't see pit below and scree was a bit wishy-washy so started to wonder (20s). Another 20s or so at hidden waterhole on silly run-in at end - what was that doing as a control site? Otherwise time loss pretty much all physical, which knew was going to happen, but kept going steadily all way and was glad to be so closely in touch (other than JM and MS who stomped all over everybody!). In fact, turned out to be best ever JK individual long day - 13th= Brit - so no complaints!

JK Long Day 1: Merthyr. 8.7k 200m. From best to worst! Got a decent start, but from the word go felt that I wasn't 'getting' the map: couldn't see the shapes for the detail. Warning bells at 4 when went off line, tried to use a sharp re-entrant as a/p, and got it wrong 100m up the hill: 1min+. Seemed to settle in a bit then, but got line slightly wrong out of 6, turned ankle, and spent too much time focusing on that rather than on correcting, read a formline hill (felt bigger than it was mapped at) for a bigger contoured hill to left, kept on wrong line and paralleled into crag 100m+ to right. Ouch! 5mins relocating, and felt that didn't want to risk anything further on a run that was obviously going nowhere. Jogged cagily back through 4, and worked out what had gone wrong there: sharp re-entrant didn't really exist, and had used larger re-entrant further up hill that felt was undermapped - too much detail not enough shapes. Map was not 'wrong' - more a matter of style. Says more about my inability to adapt than anything else, and need to learn lesson, not least that both mistakes equally stemmed from failure to keep compass line.

Jog back from course to finish. Taking it gently to make sure ankle not turned again. A bit sore, but more precautionary than anything else.

Event: JK 2014
 

JK Sprint, Swansea University, M55, 2.2k. 8th 15:45, (w/t 13.22 Jorgen Martensson). Couldn't have asked for a better run in the circumstances. Almost perfectly clean execution, with just a 10-15s hesitation coming out of 7 as had started navigating to nearby 3 rathert than more distant 8. Possibly a couple of marginally slower routes chosen, but none that I hadn't seen, and all debatable. Lack of fitness showed in final splits - slowest of the top 20 over the last leg and run-in combined - but still managed first ever single digit finish at this level, which was 'dream' target - this was the main focus this weekend. JM was some 80seconds clear, showing us all what it's really all about, so just on a minute down on second, which I'm more than happy with at this stage. (Reckon Gary L got the fastest legal split on 21, those under 50s look decidely dodgy -cutting through the garden probably)

C • W00p! 2

Crompton's Park and back, via cricket ground. Exploring new estates near the park. Legs continue to feel weary - no bounce at all at present. Beautiful evening.
Looking back over past few weeks, it's all been pretty pathetic. No rhythm, no structure, not enough. Excuse has been work, but although it's affected in short bursts (dance show week!), can't hide behind that all the time. On the other hand, have stayed injury free, which is a big plus. Even so, need to do something about this, and inject a lot more discipline. There's an autumn season coming up that definitely want to be fit for!