Training Log Archive: Jon X

Good walk up Beinn Alligin with Phil, Ed, Pete and Ollie. Set off late to avoid the rain and hope the cloud had cleared - avoided the rain and got some good views on the way up including of our mountain, but somehow attracted the cloud to the entire ridge whilst we were up there. Then good views of it again and a great sunset on the way down.

Went up Tom na Gruagaich first and then round to Sgur Mhor, then came back over the Horns of Alligin - the ice that was there when Brad climbed it the day before was all gone - which helped! We had faffed around a lot at the start so pushed the pace most of the way up the first hill and felt pretty good, found it much harder work coming down the craggy stuff from 650m to 450m on the final descent though, back almost in the dark again.

Staying at Kinlochewe for New Year, missed the walk up Slioch on 29th but great walk round the Coire Lair horseshoe today, good views but not as much snow as would have liked. Went along Beinn Liath Mhor ridge first and then up Sgorr Ruadh. The others came back over Fuar Tholl but I headed back from the col down to the river with Pat. Not much difference in time - we were back at the car 10 mins before the others - pretty dark by 5pm!

C • Fook Me! 1

Intervals at Stirling Uni with Brad. Did two sets of 6x400m starting every two mins, four mins between sets.

Just about held it together on the first set but more consistent on the second set - definitely helped having Brad there to make me work!

Times were
(first set) 79.3, 82.8, 83.4, 84.7, 85.1, 82.2
(second set) 79.3, 82.1, 82.4, 82.5, 83.1, 79.2
average 82.2

C • ah - glad I missed your call! 3

Ran out to Coombe Abbey and did a lap of the country park, then ran back. Two min hiatus on the way home while I looked for where I had left my jacket in the woods - knew I had put it under the 'Private Keep Out' sign but it turned out there were four of them along the track!

Arrived at parents for Xmas - headed out to Dyer's Lane and did reps of 6 times 1km. Slightly uphill for first, dowbnhill for second, and so on. Times were 3:50, 3:22, 3:52, 3:23, 3:49, 3:24.

Fely okay given that it was 4.30pm and I had eaten two bits of toast all day. Brooks trainers are falling apart though - urgent need for a new pair in the sales!

Lovely clear day in Sheffield so I waited until it was dark and went out with my headtorch on - doh!

Went to the track planning to do reps but it was too icy/slippery, came home instead and went round Leckie loop, short of time so missed out the Watson House bit.

Big headtorch not much help in the freezing fog!

Have just had a look at activity split by type - lots of different activity in December (thanks to Club LaSanta!) but no intervals since November - oops. Need to try and sort that this week.....

Pre Xmas meal street-o in Dunblane. Jase's claimed "4.2km" turned out to be 7.8km really and 9.5km actual distance round the roads - cold night but warm work in the Santa suit (another outing for it!). Great fun and glad it was that long to get a good run in. Santa Jase was lurking at many of the controls - not quite sure what some of the locals made of it all!

Ran hard but couldn't quite keep up with Brad and Dixie - managed to keep them in sight but no chance of finishing before them.

Then up the icy roads to Sheriffmuir Inn for the FVO meal - Gareth was telling how David Cooke got his car stranded up there when the road was closed for 6 weeks in the early 80s in a proper winter - when the road re-opened the snow drifts were still up to the height of the pub's roof!

Got in from work at 7.30pm when it was about minus 2 degrees, didn't really fancy it but v sore quads from Sat still so talked myself into getting headtorch on and went round Leckie Estate. Glad I went, enjoyed it.

Wore nice light Innov8s for first time in over a year - felt great running but maybe that's because I wasn't going v fast.

FVO terrain run - we were supposed to run loops and stay together but it didn't work out like that! Ended up in a group with Jase and Ross, meeting up with Ali in a couple of places. Jase had a route planned and made sure we did our stuff by staying in terrain not running on the tracks.

Tired and v tight right hamstring from yesterday - loosened off for a bit but then got worse again. We were going nice and steady and that was just as well as I would have got dropped if we had gone much faster. Need to do more stretching and see if I can fit in a physio session this week too.

Good session though - I would be rubbish at doing this sort of thing on my own so glad to get out in a group - fab soup chez Inman afterwards too.

Event: Falkland Trail Race
 

Falkland Trail Race, just under 10km - was very festive as when we got there we found that the first 100 entrants got a Santa suit to run in!

There were a few Bah Humbug types who wore their normal kit but it was very funny standing around at the start with lots of other Santas - thought the suit would be a hindrance when running but wasn't too bad albeit v warm with the hat on - I did discard the beard though!

Couldn't keep with Jase when he pushed on in the middle section to try and catch Fraser - they were mid 20s in 40:20 and 40:26 with Fraser still just ahead. Jamie S was the fastest of us in low 39s and somewhere in the top 15, held on well after a fast start left him with stitch for most of the race.

Fairly happy except a bit weak in the middle section and lost about 10 places there - plus I couldn't catch the santa carrying a delivery satchel who was in front of me all the way - made a big effort to get there in the last km but he got me by two places!

ho ho ho

C • Vdot 8

FVO night race at Minewoods, mass start as usual. Steve B sneaked off the front but got run down by Jamie on the final leg - Fraser and I missed #15 together when we were close behind and so finished 3 mins back.

Lots of route choice especially in the urban bit at beginning and end of the course - kept it interesting the whole time.

National Event at Longshaw M40L. Started off running okay but missing everything, set the tone at #1 by running straight past telling myself 'it is 1:15,000 today, don't stop too soon' !!

Lengthy untimed river crossing in the middle and it was nasty steep bramble/bracken/boulder terrain for a while after that, just never got back into trying hard round the second half, just cruised back. Did feel tired though so not sure how effective it would have been to try hard anyway. Due for a couple of days off now, feel like I need them - a lot!

Event: ShUOC Chasing Sprint and Captians Memorial
 

Shuoc sprint-o round one, in the rain at Eccleshall Woods. Started off okay but lost 2 mins thrashing around at #5 and as I started at the end there was no-one around after that! Didn't push hard enough after that and frittered away a few seconds on several in the second half. Winners did 22mins.

Shuoc chasing sprint round two, in the pouring rain and freezing cold with chase start line-up in an open playing field, lovely!

Started with a group ahead and a couple behind, got in the group and worked my way through, was not as fast as the others but decided to try and get away through 12-13-14-15......got to the front at 14 and ahead via different route to 15......then missed the flag by 20 seconds and came back as they were all punching and leaving. Was never going to catch on the run from there to 16-17-18-F so eased off a bit and finished about a minute back, very frustrating though!

Rest day - needed it!

Really felt the late night and hangover during this one....was desperate for it to end so that I could relax and have some lunch.....

.....but then Rosco and I let Doug talk us into a last 'clear the head' run......must learn not to be so easily persuaded!!

LaSanta triathlon, did it as a team with Doug doing the swim, me doing the bike, then Doug doing the run.

Route is slightly further than Monday and felt like I was working harder - got Lard in sight on the climb and gradually caught him. Took a breather just before going past near the top and suddenly Rosco swept past - had been 60m behind me all the way up apparently! Worked hard on the descent against the wind and caught him, led him all the way back from there - however a bit of a hospital pass to Doug to give him a one second lead on Ross! Ross ran a fantastic time on the run to come through to 2nd overall - Doug ran well too and we were 7th to finish and 3rd team.

Pleased with how I did but gutted to just miss the 30 min barrier for the second time in three days!

Sore after the biking, found it hard work!

6-a-side across the main pitch - still involved plenty of running but luckily I managed to hide in goal for some of it......less luckily Ross's team beat my team convincingly by 7-4 or 8-4 or something equally emphatic. Despite the goalfest neither of the two of us featured on the scoresheet - although one of us did nutmeg the other at one point......

Enjoyable tennis knockaround with Ross, Kate and Ali.

Jon and Kate beat Ross and Ali 6-4, then Ross and Kate beat Jon and Ali 7-5....after Jon and Ali served for the set at 5-4.....

C • Ok, so I'm rubbish at tennis... 4

Volcano run (again!) with Ross this time. Went up and down the 'descent route' for speed, dashed back for the diploma ceremony.....were rewarded by the presenter being the lovely Sarah....

Bolas tournament with Ross. Round robin format, lost the first one to the eventual winners when their last throw scattered everything and left them 4 to the good - not sure they really meant it! Won two of the other three and were robbed in the one we lost after Rosco's pinpoint accuracy in landing on the jack at the crucial moment merely sent our boule scooting off miles away. On the other hand we won a game that was already lost when our opponents took an extra throw and changed their winning position! Good fun though and hopefully a suitable reintroduction to the sporting world for Rosco after two days of lying in a darkened room....

Volcano run with Doug and Jase - went out at 2.30pm and the sun is definitely hotter at that time! Legs starting to feel v tired now though, took a long time to get going.

LaSanta complex sprint race planned by Jase. Found it a bit tricky spotting some of the cups used as controls and went wrong once by the leisure pool, really enjoyed it though. Ross won in 11.08.

2.5km run, 14.8km bike, 2.5km run.
Finished 6th
11.31 run (10th)
30.02 bike (2nd)
12.09 run (=11th)
Haven't biked since last year in LaSanta so maybe I am training for the wrong sport!

Took the first run fairly steady (too steady?) and was about 40secs behind Jase but ahead of Doug and Janine.

Worried about going off too hard on the bike as I have done that before plus tired on the bike yesterday. Went off steady but felt good on the hill and started to work hard. Passing people but could see Jase ahead and he wasn't getting any closer. Got up to someone else on the descent and went past but he stuck in behind and drafted me (was into the wind downhill) - he did take it on briefly but it was easy sat behind him so went past again.

Got into LaSanta village just behind a coach which was slowing down massively for the big speed bumps, every time we got to one I was coming round the outside of it blind on the wrong side of the road, luckily there was nothing coming the other way! Even this didn't drop the other guy though and the two of us caught someone else in a white top coming out of the village. Could still see Jase and he still wasn't getting any closer! Attacked them both on the last little climb back to the complex (they both beat me on the first run so I was after a gap) - got a few yards but wasted it all as I couldn't get my bike helmet off in transition and didn't think to start the run while I did it - muppet.

They both dropped me at the start of the run and Jase started to pull further away. Was finding it painful but held the gap to white top and caught him again just before the last little climb. Pushed hard up it and dropped him - much to my relief as was shattered at the top! Got back into the stadium and was v pleased to have decent gap in front and behind so could take the last 300m steady!

Pleased with how I did on the bike but wanted a split under 30mins - the split times have both transitions in the bike time though! Really felt it in the second run but happy with 6th, one minute something behind Jase but safely ahead of Doug and Janine, had been worried they would catch me on the bike. Jase was 3rd and did a pb for the race - good effort! Think Janine had a pb too.

Went and stood in the icy leisure pool for a long time afterwards. This was very very good!

What a good class to have after the duathlon - man did I need it! Doing one of these in the sun every day would be just ideal.....

Into the afternoon so it must be time for another competition! This time it was the aquathlon and luckily I have the swimming ability of a large boulder so unable to do the whole thing. Did it as a team with Andy Mitchell (who was injured so couldn't run).

I am sure the run was more than the advertised 3km! Not that this makes it any better that Jase chased me down 20-odd seconds and overtook me in the stadium - after him finishing not far in front of me in the time trial and the duathlon this was getting familiar!

Went off a bit fast anf followed the leaders on not quite the correct route - when I looked over my shoulder Jase and Janine were together on the correct route so I sorted it out in time. Bit shocked how close Jase was by the time we ran over the causeway and after that I probably expected him to catch me. We were 4th overall but first team (overtook the leading team early in the run), so not all bad!

Most of the FVO posse did the whole thing which was a good effort - Cathy, Penny, Elspeth, Louise, Claire, Ali all did it as well as Jase and Janine. More success for the diploma-gathering Inman family of course - Jase 3rd again (another pb!) and Janine 1st lady.

5km morning run with Doug this time. Faster this morning - even without Ross to push the pace as he was dying in bed with a) a real bug or b) the nighclub bug......both seemed to be in evidence during the week!

Another fitball class, with a different instructor which made it varied. Good fun again and I was a bit more confident from the start this time. Could still be a lot better at it though!

Quick spin on a road bike before tomorrow's duathlon, just went up the hill to Tinajo and on further up the hill to the top of the climb. Had tired legs on the main climb which didn't seem like a terribly good sign! Good to be out on a road bike though - hadn't been on one since the same week in Club LaSanta last year.....

Most important part of the week, part one - Beach Day Egg Throwing Contest. Turned up fashionably late and this meant we got a good draw, throwing at the end when we knew what we had to beat. When our turn came then Louise took the heavy responsibility of throwing the egg far enough and I took the potentially messy reponsibility of catching it. A steady progression to an epic distance of 24 metres with egg unbroken saw us in the lead, and egg breakage as we strove for yet further proved no barrier to our eventual triumph. Diplomatastic. Or so we thought at the time....

Most important part of the week, part two - Beach Day Bolas Tournament. With Louise again and we crushed all-comers on our way to the semi-final. Where we lost. To a pair of Germans. He was called Klaus. Gutted.

Volcano run with Cathy and Louise - went up the scramble route up the inland side of the hill to emerge at the summit. Great views from the top with the sun starting to set. Find it so strange every time to run over the sand and shells halfway there, well uphill from the sea!

Good downhill run home to LaSanta to complete a busy day - ideal (?~) warm up for the duathlon at 8am tomorrow!

5km morning run - this morning it was the 5km hangover run after some serious cocktail drinking and nightclub dancing last night. Could have taken it easier but some kids ran off the front early on and we couldn't allow that to happen!

Mountain bike with Janine, Jase, Doug and Ross. Showed my usual lack of prowess on any technical bits but kept up okay. Got a big rest when Doug's pedal broke but he took the chance to use his Spanish and talked the nearest farmer into coming in from the 'fields' to find somne tools and help fix it. Some good 'wide load' chat from Doug in Janine's direction.....

Body toning class. This was v hard work - and the instructor had a belly herself so maybe it is not even worth it.....