Training Log Archive: Jon X

Adam in charge tonight - punished us with a tough longer-than-usual first set!

Then off, via awesome pizza at Corrieri's, to the (bizarrely deserted) cinema to watch Rush - much enjoyed and highly recommended.

C • Deserted 2

C • Rush 3

Event: London City Race
 

Really not too sure that final drink last night was such a great idea after all...

London City Race 2013, Men Vets (40+), 9th place.
Winner Dave Rollins 49:34

Tried hard but not planning ahead well enough, with corresponding missing of best routes and a 35s time loss at unlucky number 13.
#4 - missed the steps to the right and went way round to the left.
#6 - trying to pick route for next leg and ran briefly past crucial turn onto the bridge.
#7 - chose right but seems left was better.
#13 - looking for first right, took the little yellow strip before it, ran right round the enclosure back to originally planned entrance instead of in the other way. V confused!
#15 - didn't see there were steps, ran a right angle instead of diagonally across.
#16 - long dead run, seem to have lost time, maybe because I was peering at map thinking there must be a dead-end or otherwise more to the leg than there seemed?
#19 - didn't have a plan in advance, should have run on tarmac not uneven earth path, dithered on route. Much better to go down and diagonally across the yellow.
#20 - almost ran straighish into the big dead end trap....noticed at last moment but this meant I was committed to the longer and slower left-hand route.

Maybe two mins altogether. Would have been nice to save at least 51secs and so finish ahead of Jase!

5. Mens Veterans (40+) - Splits

Event: LOK Ultrasprint (UKOL16)
 

Up Regent's Canal with rucksack to Victoria Park.

Ultrasprint Prologue Race A
Okay until the maze at the end where I realised at the finish I had run further round than need be by avoiding where overprint lines were across lanes in the maze. If I had used the blown-up version in the map corner the lines were cut!
Finished more than half-way through qualification period and 8th so far on course. Seemed okay with course shared with Men Open and 4 M45+ to qualify for Vets final..

Prologue Race C.
Went fine and in control, all controls correct again.
Splits say 4th so far on this course. Only now do I realise that the position is a Men's Vets position only....

Prologue Race B
Seemed trickier than the others but all okay again. Splits say 3rd place this time.
Relieved that this turned out to be enough to get through as 4th and final qualifier.

Post-qualifiers jog round the lake with most of the Longhurst family.

Ultrasprint Men Vet Final.
Mass start with Quentin, Martin W and Vince R.
Early butterfly kept me/Vince together - both ran the wrong way back out of central control in mid-butterfly - only about 10secs but a crucial error and gap.
Got past Vince at #13 and closed up on Martin/Quentin after second butterfly.
Punched penultimate in the maze right behind Quentin (Martin ahead) but made a mess of the final one and jogged in last 20s down.
However Quentin and Vince both had a wrong control and 30s penalty - so happy recipient of 2nd place :)

Lap of the lake with Vince and Ed Catmur.

FVO soup run from our place, long option with Rosco, Fi, Adam and Will.

Up the hill and along to the quarry, back down and then out round Leckie then Watson House, back along Ladies' Walk.

Just about beat the darkness and earned our soup and cake :)

Out to Watson House drive for 10x90s with 30s recovery. 30s recovery is not long! However short recovery good as hamstring still an issue and stopping me from striding out properly/at full speed.

It is getting a bit dark in the evenings - these were more intervals by moonlight than by sunset!

After late night, getting across to a 9am meeting in Reading was not that appealing. Quite impressed that I managed to crawl out of bed in time for a short Embankment/South Bank loop as well as get to the meeting in time!