Training Log Archive: KingTim

The gut rot came back last night in the hostel. Either a dodgy curry or still not better from last week's bout. Not feeling good today at all.

John had planned us some awesome training exercises over on Lossie so I really wanted to go and try and rectify my bad feelings about orienteering after yesterday. Bad decision I'm afraid. Lossie is effing difficult. I couldn't make head or tail of the map, let alone find control sites to hang training kites on. Suffering from lack of energy and sleep I just about held it together for the first exercise. Then on the second one I spent 25 mins trying to find the second control so gave up and went back to the car for a snooze and to grapple with the "might as well give up orienteering and take up cross-country or fell running" demons that were going around my head.

Event: British Relays
 

Culbin West.

What a shocker. First leg on Premier. Ran proper fast in the mass start, keeping up with Craney all the way to 1, then I realised it wasn't my no.1. Soon found the right no.1, then totally lost no.2. Spent 4 mins trying to relocate and find it, by which time I was the only one left anywhere around.

So off I ran at full pelt hoping to find someone good to latch on to. Nah ah. All long gone. So I got myself in a boo and bumbled my way around as fast as I could and consequently navigating very badly making mistakes all over the place. 1 hour for 6.6km. What the hell is the point of all my winter's hard training if I can't get the rewards from the sport I'm training for?

Still, Matt and Mark did a fine job of bringing the BOK Barracudas (someone's gotta sort out the team names!) back up from the bottom and we finished in 18th.

Event: British Long Champs
 

Culbin East.

Not too bad until the end. Was actually orienteering fairly well for most of the course, making my usual handful of mistakes, but control flow was pretty smooth. Was running quite strong, at a steady pace anticipating a full 2-hour jaunt. All good until I fell into the planner's end-of-course trap. Got toally lost in the light green on no.31 and spent over 7 mins trying to find it. Up until that point I was only seconds behind John.

The best thing about the day was being caught by Jon Duncan at 32, beat him into 33, then managed to keep up, yapping at his heels through 34 and down the run-in.

The sand in my Swoops very kindly gave me an eff-off blister right behind my right ball.

Training event at Roseisle pre-BOC. Great exercise to get my head into this techinical terrain, especially with the pather removed from the map. Went round with John; walked the first half of the course talking through our route choices and discussing tactics etc. then took in turns leading one another jogging round the rest of the course.

What a beautiful area that is.

Pretty much same as yesterday, just slightly different route around the Blackboy Hill corner. Astonishingly my quads are aching today after yesterday's jog. How can my muscles forget everything they've been doing for the last 18 months or so in just 7 days?

Very strong wind tonight. So much so that it took me over a minute longer and my AHR was 10bpm faster. On the down-wind side I was beating at around 135-140. Trying to keep at a constant speed on the up-wind side I was more like 155-160.

Think I'm just about over my gut-rot now. Been on calorie-catch-up all day at work.

C • Rankings 2

Still not 100% better. Feeling unusually tired and stomach doesn't feel happy, but I'm eating normally again. Really didn't feel like running but conscious of the looming British elite course I felt I had to do something to prevent my legs withering away.

Just a gentle lap and half of the Downs. On my own due to a communication break-down with John "crippled by an acorn bruise" Hartley. Passed him heading out on my way back. Surely that must count for a point or two?

Still not right inside, and still not got much energy.