Training Log Archive: Jon X

Didn't go on the posse morning run as there would be the whole day available to go running......

JK M120+ Relay with Ben and Fraser, 3rd place. Last leg.

Mixed feelings. Pleased to be on the podium but should have finished second.

Ben ran well on first leg to get back in 6th just behind Rich Barrett for BAOC and less than a minute behind Martin W for SYO. Then at the spectator control on leg two I started to get nervous as Fraser had caught Charlie Adams and they were together in second and third! I was pretty confident they would pass the other team and started to think about heading out on the last leg together with Bill Edwards for SYO. Starting thinking about racing rather than navigating. In retrospect not the right thoughts......

Charlie came back in the lead and after a small miss after the spectator, Fraser was back around 1.5 minutes behind in second place, right with Roger for FVO Men Open, so I headed out with Marcus. Which was not necessarily a good thing as on the longish leg to #1, I let seeing Marcus affect my pace and kept losing touch, getting my place again, then losing it again. Fatally not in touch at the end of the leg and lost around 1.5 or 2 mins and got into a nasty rushed feeling instead of calm control, so was scrappy through the next few and shedding small amounts of time all along. Got better but then missed 45secs at the one before the spectator and (although I never saw him) Dave Rollins for BAOC got past on a different gaffle.

Ran okay round the last loop although much of it was quite stressful as I thought John Embrey for HOC was on our course, couldn't think how they could be in touch but had to work very hard to stay in front of him to the finish. In the end relieved to be on the podium and the race wasn't disastrous (2/3 mins behind the times Will, Ross and Ben all ran in the leg one posse) but a bit more clear headed and we could/should have been second.

Getting nervous

JK Individual part 2, Slieve Croob. M40L, 6th today and 7th overall.

Open fell areas not usually my forte and legs heavy and sore after the previous day. Even after the run to the start I was very sluggish early on and had to keep reminding myself to worry about the navigation not the running.

Luckily the navigation was mainly pretty easy and so I didn't really lose much time, and the running improved as the course went on. Never got heart rate nearly as high as the previous day though, even on the big climb near the end.

Pleased with 6th on the day, intimidated but not totally surprised by James Logue's winning time of just under 54mins. Steve Watkins 2nd in 58mins, Bill third in 59mins.

Thought beforehand I would be disappointed not to be in the top 10 and should aim for top 6 overall. Missed that by just over a minute but 6th in the sprint and 7th/6th on the two individual days so probably should be fairly satisfied, I am not usually that consistent!

To the start and a short hobble afterwards to give a chance of being able to run round the relay.

JK individual part 1, Tyrella South

Great area of open dunes, knew it was tricky before I started but still lost time at #1 and hesitant to #2, looks like a bad route to #3 as well and 3 mins down on where I should have been by then. Started to get into it better after that and moved through to 7th by the end, pretty strong through the last section.

Bill Edwards won in 67, Rich Barrett and James Logue were 68. Don't think I could have gone sub 70.

Quite disciplined today. Jogged round the field adjacent to assembly, ran to the start, drills at the start and actually remembered to warm down too.

Event: JK 2011
 

JK Sprint M40L

Nearly. Controlled my race pretty well although with so many controls it was all pretty intense with little chance to look ahead. Not sure I had all the best routes through the (trickier) first section before the spectator but all okay and pushed on a bit through the parkland section thereafter. Then threw away 30/40secs right near the end on what was essentially the last proper control before an extended run-in through the final two. And just a lazy error – ran along the edge of the building looking for control in one of the corners, didn’t read the description and didn’t see from the map that it was a tiny canopy area and so the flag was tucked away out of sight.

Finished 6th but only 5secs from Ben in 4th place (although also with plenty of others close behind me). Couldn’t have got near the first three (Rich B, Bill, Steve Watkins) who all ran 13:39 to 14:00.

Decent start to the weekend position-wise but a little bit frustrated to lose the time and places at the end.

Round the warmup map and some other drills and stuff. Noticing I had just spent two hours commentating whilst forgetting to drink anything....

work - Edinburgh for the evening - Strathaven overnight

Minewoods looked lovely on Tuesday night and the weather was glorious so v tempted by FVO evening event and BBQ.

Feeling not the best however so went home and went for a sleep rather than a run.

Feeling much better on Thurs plus the course at Minewoods wasn't really what I was looking for at all, so good decision!