Training Log Archive: Jon X

Really needed this session today to loosen off after the weekend. So it was a shame that there was a 20minute tailback on the motorway and I missed most of it :(

Actually feeling not too bad once we got into it.

Same route as last week but on my tod rather than with Rosco and Rog. So today was much more of a proper recovery run and not nearly so much a brisker-and-brisker run!

British Middle Champs, Worthlodge Forest.

Hmm. Felt sluggish on the way to #1. Thought #2 and #3 were easy so tried to force the running to get my legs going. Would have been better checking my compass en route to #2, either leaving #1 or the first time I tried to correct.... Would have been better keeping my wits about me at #3 instead of running straight past correct bush. About 3 mins and the race gone by #3.

Carried on a bit scrappy, with time gone in the circle at #5 and #8 and then messing up route to #10 and bashing through terrain for ages, followed by bemusement at #12 when flag was just off to one side behind a tree. Probably another 90s or so gone through that section.

Running stronger in the second half of the course, managed to pick up the nav eventually to do the last section well and up to 4th by the end. Even stripping out the errors was still not on the pace of Rich Barrett (32mins) or Jase (33mins) though.

Warm up round the field in the new shoes then off to the start. Felt a bit lethargic and not very on the ball. Put it down to the hot weather but in retrospect no coffee all day until then may also have had something to do with it.

Event: British Sprint and Middle Champs
 

British Sprints heat (heat 1c).

Tried to run strong but in control, felt like I started well enough with good map contact but got a little out of control in the middle and lost bits of time in a few places.

A bit more complex/intense than I expected but then 27 controls in 2.5 km is always going to be quite fast and furious!

Qualified no problem in 2nd but nearly 90secs behind Rich Barrett who won my heat and had also lost time out there.

Warmed up pretty well with run to the start plus drills, stretching, etc. Forgot warmdown until I had changed, Rog and I discussed doing a delayed warm down but both settled for a doze in the sun

British Sprint Champs M40 Final.

Pretty up for this and determined to keep better control than in the qualifier. Did so and pushed hard - heart rate hit my usual max of 161 after 10mins and spent all the last 3 mins above that!

One small dip (heart rate graph shows it) when route to #10 crossed a railing at a gap in a hedge, and I panicked that I could be incorrectly at an uncrossable boundary (I wasn't). Lost 10secs or so dithering here before I was certain I was correct.

Scrappy 14-15-16 where at #15 I saw the reflection of the flag in the glass bike shed and thought I was seeing the flag through the glass so ran past control to far side of shed, then went wrong way round building to #16. Still no more than 10secs lost in total on these three.

Had quite a good route on the long leg to #19 but perhaps too fiddly at the end, simpler route may have been better/quicker. Looked at going left to #22 but went right, in retrospect left was quicker (maybe 5 secs better) and also gave better direction flow out of both 21 and 22. 22-23-24-25-F was basically all run-in - it hurt!

Pleased with run and v pleased to hear that I was coming in to take the lead (although it transpired that was as one of Jase's punches hadn't registered or he would have been 20s ahead). Waited to see how the final three starters after me would do (Andy M, Martin W, Rich B) - not really a surprise that Rich was over a minute quicker - couldn't have done that time but chuffed to finish second!

C • Great result 6

Warmup trying to get legs going, not as stiff after qualifier as feared. Couple of laps of warmdown including chat with Rob Campbell - v impressive win on M45 including catching second placed Dave Rollins a minute out on the course!

No time at lunchtime, travel to Gatwick after work.

Keen to do some prep for the weekend and helped out by Abi, Elle and Rosco joining me for some sprintervals at the uni.

Did two of the courses from the Age Class Champs in 2009, as pairs exercise swapping the lead every three controls. Head start each time varied from 30s down to 10s but the leader was never caught......although Ross very nearly caught me a couple of times.....

Good exercise as it woke me up a bit to the differences between a campus sprint and an urban one (which is more what I have done lately). Definitely more in control as the session went on. Apart from crossing uncrossable green twice. Oops.

Round the loch and the pitches for both warm up and warm down. Nice new shoes not gripping too well on the steep bank up from the loch!

Very pleasant jaunt Over The Hill (as I believe it is called) with the Longhurst Ladies.

Then maintained the over the hill theme by heading to BB's 60th birthday meal at the Sheriffmuir. Good birthday effort by BB in ordering a pint as dessert!

C • Elevation?? 2

Ochils session with a big group. Handicap start for long rep up and up the Sheriffmuir Road and then right turn downhill to the gate by the little reservoir/water tanks (8:44)

Then 2 times (3min, 2min, 1 min) with jog back down to next start, each start progressively higher up the hill so finish near road junction each time.

Struggling a bit on the first set but a little stronger on the second set, probably as recoveries quite long by the time the group had re-gathered. Still quite happy to stop without doing a third set though!

Short warmup with Rosco straight to the start point. Longer warm down back past Logie Kirk.