Training Log Archive: fletch

Event: Indian Ocean Events Offroad Series Event 1
 

About 15 minutes of stopped time at controls removed.

First terrain run of the year at our first Nomads training. Thanks Craig for setting the course. Long legs to big features, mostly just getting a bit of a feel for terrain again and some rough nav work. Mine was very rough. Stopped on the wrong knoll at 3, made a total hash of 4, looping around the knoll and coming down the far side at totally the wrong angle, then changing my route choice to one with no attack point on the way to 8, ending up too high, and not wanting to correct, even though I could see the control feature further down the hill.
Ah well, much improvement to come, I hope. Felt better in terrain that I thought I would, though caught my toe and stumbled/fell a few times. Shoes are comfortable, but a little roomy. The downside is this is the first time I have actually worn them, and one of the lace loops broke when I was doing them up before I had even started. Grr.

Ran more or less with tRicky and Oscar, trying route comparison a couple of times and having a chat about each leg in breaks at the controls.

Hard to pick the detail off a 1:15 000 map after so long.

Event: Kingsley Metro Series
 

A couple of poor route choices early (to the first and third controls that I did probably cost me a couple of hundred metres, and put me behind a bunch of people after 5 controls. Very frustrating to see the people at the head of the queue disappearing into the distance as you wait in line to punch.
Fortunately had the legs to run through everyone in the space of one long leg, and didn't look back. Had people streaming in behind as I left for a couple of controls, then strangely quiet and I had an unnerving feeling that I had missed an obvious route option.
Sten was leaving a control looping in the opposite direction as I approached. It was my 11th, so I figured we crossed pretty close to 10.5 controls in, with 21 to get... Made a late decision to throw in a loop up the hill, which I think worked out OK.
Unlike previous weeks I didn't cook, as the temperature was only high 20's and without the humidity. Ran strongly but with just a little in reserve as I was more intent on being smooth through the controls and not screwing up like I have on the previous couple of races.
Surprised to have a comfortable win when I got back to the finish. Can't remember who came in what order after, just that Craig and Oscar finished ;right next to each other.

About 3km before, 1km after. Legs felt pretty reasonable after the first km of WU.

Just so I don't forget, I have a physio appointment booked for WEds, 6:30pm. Hope I can still walk by then.

C • Bedroom duties? 1

Slow, uninspitrd run from school to Clayton's, through the limestone and sand traks to the beach. Beach back to the stairs and home again.

Couldn't face getting up in the morning again, so ran after school. The heat, combined with not wanting to have to find all the correct marks on the track and the desire to see if I can run on sand (with shoes on) again without flaring up my foot led me to ditch the 15x300m session and run effectively the same thing by time on the sand.
15x 1on 1 off, working the efforts hard (although the distances probably don't reflect it). First 8 with the wind, last 7 back into it.

Couldn't face getting out of bed this morning, and after my busy day for the week at work combined with being on staff cleaning roster this week, couldn't face running in the afternoon either. Wednesday just replaced Friday as this weeks run-free day.

BTW having now done a couple of fitness classes and attempted to bend over on the run and pick up balls I realise just how rooted my back is :(

run 21:33:02 258.62
Orienteering 1:57:46 26.83

285km in 21 running days for January. That's pretty good for me... Nice to have some consistency back in my training

Hmmm.
Can't really come up with any excuses tonight. Legs felt pretty loose and ready to go and felt like I got into a good rhythm early. Then I hit the first hill and felt like I was moving alright, but just felt a bit leg weary and lacking power.
Was obviously more conservative in the pacing than any recent efforts, and despite the legs not feeling great, got up Durston better than I have for a while and really attacked the downhill for the firs ttime in a long time. Made me feel like there was probably a better time there today if I started harder, as I felt like I was finishing as fast as my legs could turn over, but also felt like I could have held the same pace if I had hit the top of Durston suffering a fair bit more.

Tooms' Golf Course 5k TT - Splits