Training Archive: AlibongoIn the 30 days ending 2008-06-30:
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| S | M | T | W | H | F | S | S | M | T | W | H | F | S | S | M | T | W | H | F | S | S | M | T | W | H | F | S | S | M | ||||||||||||||||
Sunday Jun 29 | ||
| Mountain Bike Orienteering race 1:52:00 [3] ** 15.4 km (7:16 / km) | |
| spiked:14/14c shoes: Specialized Bike Shoes | ||
| British MTBO Championships. Middle distance race. Mabie Forest - I know it so well but did it do me any good? No! It's very hard to read a map doing 40kph down a track or bumping up and down the bike routes with a wing and a prayer hoping to stay upright. Although I did feel a bit more confident on the rough bits after yesterday's practice, was far too tired going up the hills and there were many hills. I was lucky to make it back with only a few scrapes and no punctures, a few unfortunates came back with streaks of blood down their legs and others had multiple punctures, one guy had to wait to find someone with a pump!
Not sure if I'll be making this an annual event but it was worth having a go, I think I'll be sticking with foot O and mountain biking as a leisure pursuit for the time being. | ||
| C • Result 1 | ||
Saturday Jun 28 | ||
| Event: MTB-O Championships | ||
| Mountain Bike Orienteering race 2:34:00 [3] ** 22.6 km (6:49 / km) | |
| spiked:18/18c shoes: Specialized Bike Shoes | ||
| British MTBO Championships. A tough challenge for me considering I hadn't been on my mountain bike for the best part of a year! Should have done some practicing on some rough terrain as I got a bit scared on some of the off-track sections - in fact I was a big girlie woose... I lost lots of time getting on and off my bike when really I would have been quicker walking, oops! Anyway, got round in one piece and enjoyed it.
Dalbeattie was a fabulous place to ride in, some of the rock formations were amazing and will definitely be going back there to try out the 7 Stanes routes at a more leisurely pace next time. Janine excelled herself in doing the mapping (with Jason), planning, controlling and organising. Absoulutely fantastic, well done Janine! | ||
Thursday Jun 26 | ||
| Note | |
| When I bend my knees there my leg kind of pops twice on the bit between my calf muscle and my achillies - why is this? It doesn't hurt but is a rather weird sensation. | ||
Wednesday Jun 25 | ||
| Pilates 1:00:00 [1] | |
| Worked hard. | ||
| Run race (Fell Race) 1:10:23 [3] 10 km (7:02 / km) +460m 5:43 / km | |
| Disasterous Bog and Burn at the Red Moss Revolution. If ever there was a day to stay at home, today was the day... I had been feeling very tired all week, I guess I am still recovering from the LAMM but was determined to go out into the hills to get some fresh air.
I started off quickly but was passed by everyone by the top of the first hill as hunger got the better of me (despite having a huge load of nuts and raisins at 3.30pm). Just felt more and more sluggish but settled into a slow running pace and had a wee chat with the 'Sweeper' as we ran to the top of the hill to meet the marshall at the top. I ran on down the steep hill and slipped and fell badly on my leg, which hurt but no damage... I picked myself up and trudged through the bog at the bottom before stomping up the next hill and feeling decidedly faint! The path levelled off and at this point I was thinking why on earth was I punishing myself in a race when all I had to race was my shadow. Oh well, just another training run on my own... it's tough at the back. I turned into the wind and full sun along the reservoir and then came a decision point - which way? No markers! I wish I had studied the map properly - argh! I plumped for the right turn and the further I went the more I thought this isn't right, I turned around and saw the 'Sweeper' away in the distance going the way I should have. Oh dear (or words to that effect)! Back along the path and through a bit of wood onto the race route. I arrived back safely to a warm welcome from the time keepers and Kyle, Ros and an EU pal who were waiting to get a lift with me. Poor souls had waited for ages! How kind of the organiser to give me a prize - a rucksack, perhaps he thought I might need it next time - if there is a next time... Good soup and a lovely half in the pub after. | ||
| C • Well done 4 | ||
Sunday Jun 22 | ||
| Run 1:06:49 [3] | |
| shoes: Inov8 Mudclaw | ||
| Sunday morning tootle up Dumyat from the far side of the reservoir in the pouring rain with Gary, Elle and Abii. It was minging weather but it didn't really matter too much once we'd all warmed up. Not many other eejits had ventured out and those that had stared at us in disbelief from under their full waterproof gear. Retreated indoors to a lovely roaring fire and lunch. | ||
| C • Fire & lunch? 2 | ||
Saturday Jun 21 | ||
| Run 33:53 [4] 6.5 km (5:13 / km) | |
| shoes: Brooks GTS | ||
| Was hoping to go to Beecraigs but remembered I would be stuck in a jam with the gala day so decided to run from home. Up past the sports centre, along the canal and down the river. Passed a bloke and left him well behind, but to be fair he was old and wearing tacksuit trousers. Did my usual trip and skid along the ground routine - only minor grazes this time. | ||
| C • Bloke 2 | ||
Friday Jun 20 | ||
| Note | |
| It seems I'm allergic to lanolin and 2-Bromo-2-nitropropane-1,3-diol. Lanolin is from sheeps wool, so no more jaggedy arse wool for me, also found in E45, Sudocrem and lots of other potions and lotions. The other thingamabob is in shampoo besides other stuff.
Thank goodness I'm not allergic to lycra... I can start running again tomorrow. | ||
Wednesday Jun 18 | ||
| Note | |
| (rest day) | ||
| Samples off and another 40 applied to my right arm! Smells odd - could be tree moss. Still no running, how frustrating is that? | ||
Tuesday Jun 17 | ||
| Note | |
| (rest day) | ||
| Earache subsided - hurrah!
Soup run from my house, sooo jealous that I couldn't go with them. Was good having folks round and good chat. | ||
Monday Jun 16 | ||
| Note | |
| (sick) (rest day) | ||
| Earache.
Also fitted with 120 samples of stuff for allergy testing on my back and arm. Unable to run in case I sweat! What an excuse. | ||
| C • Earache 2 | ||
Sunday Jun 15 | ||
| Event: SOL 3 | ||
| Orienteering race 1:02:00 [3] *** 5.5 km (11:16 / km) +140m 10:00 / km | |
| spiked:16/16c (sick) shoes: Inov8 Mudclaw | ||
| Devilla - Felt unsure about going out at all as I was still feeling tired after last weekend so decided to take it easy. Had a late start and fortunately there were plenty of elephant tracks through the rough stuff. Took the easiest routes round to the controls to avoid running through the worst of the rough stuff and green bits. Cathy caught me at #9 and pulled away but I caught her as she fumbled at #12! Turned out to be a lovely day - made up for the grot and long distances to the start and from the finish. | ||
| Run warm up/down 15:00 [2] 1.5 km (10:00 / km) | |
| Walk warm up/down 50:00 [1] 3.4 km (14:42 / km) | |
| shoes: Inov8 Mudclaw | ||
Saturday Jun 14 | ||
| Note | |
| (sick) | ||
| Earache! | ||
Wednesday Jun 11 | ||
| Pilates 1:00:00 [1] | |
| Thought that this might help stretch out some sore muscles and it did. Was a bit of a wimp and took it easy. | ||
Tuesday Jun 10 | ||
| Note | |
| (rest day) | ||
| Ankles and feet have swollen up like balloons and my toes are still really sore. Walking more normally today. | ||
Monday Jun 9 | ||
| Note | |
| (rest day) | ||
| Resting at home today. My legs are agony, I can hardly walk, two of my toes are badly bruised and the nails may do something like dropping off and I have two blisters. Not too bad really considering...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/alibongophoto/sets/72... | ||
| C • Photos 4 | ||
Sunday Jun 8 | ||
| Orienteering race (Mountain Marathon) 8:18:30 [3] *** 18.3 km (27:14 / km) +1200m 20:31 / km | |
| shoes: Walsh | ||
| LAMM Day 2 - Glen Dessary to Glenfinnan via Sgurr nan Coireachan
More bagpipes! A rude awakening at 5.20am. My legs were sore but my feet were intact, we taped our feet up, had breakfast, put waterproofs and soggy shoes on, packed up quickly and we were off at 6.40, no time to think about it... Running as far away from the midges as soon as possible was a good plan. The route to #1 was along a flat track to a bridge - how kind of the planner to think of an easy one and lull us into a false sense of security... before having to hoof it up 400m down to 250m and then up to the top of a Munro! The feeling at the top was great but going down to the next control was horrendous for me and with the slope going down to the right, my shoe kept cutting into my left foot just on my ankle bone - it felt like a hammer hitting it with every footstep. I pleaded with Claire for us to go up to the ridge but she wasn't for budging. I just had to to grin and bear it for 2km but at least the clouds had lifted and the sun had come out! We slid down the next descent on our bottoms as it was easier than walking, passed a few people here much to their surprise! We weren't too chuffed with having to go up another 150m in a short distance to the next control but the views down Glen Finnan and beyond were absolutely worth it. It was pretty hot down the last steep killer descent to the road and with only 3.5km to go we managed to run/jog/walk along before actually running into the finish. It was a great feeling to finish and still be walking - just! It was a fabulous event and I might have whinged a bit at Claire but she was a great partner to have and I'm glad that I did my first LAMM with her - thank you Claire, you kept me sane. And yes, she did stop talking...! | ||
| C • A proper adventure 5 | ||
Saturday Jun 7 | ||
| Event: Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon | ||
| Orienteering race (Mountain Marathon) 8:58:17 [3] *** 20 km (26:55 / km) +1310m 20:16 / km | |
| shoes: Walsh | ||
| LAMM Day 1 - Fassfern to Glen Dessary
On Thursday lunch time I saw that the LAMM was going to be at Glenfinnan, having only ever climbed to the top of three Munros unaided this was a scary prospect indeed! That evening, I got my purse out of my handbag to get some emergency money and as if by magic out came a Bank of Scotland £10 note with the Glenfinnan Viaduct and Monument on the back, a good omen I thought as I stuffed it in my rucksack. Friday morning came, Claire arrived and we spent all morning packing and sorting all the kit and food, weighing this and that, discarding non-essentials and testing out JonX's tent in the garden to make sure we could fit in - we did with a squash and a squeeze and so it was packed too. Once we had set off I felt more relaxed, if we'd forgotten something now it was just too bad! We arrived at the campsite in good time to pitch the tent, wolf down a Wilfs and have a chat with other people as they arrived. Slipped into something more comfortable - a midge net and oh how we laughed at people trying to pitch a tent covered in the wee blighters! I didn't have a great night's sleep and our alarm clock was a piper, I do like the sound of bagpipes but NOT really at 6am... Anyway, there was a race to get on with so up and off we went in the bus to the start, choking on neat midge spray and smelly helly whiffs as we wound our way along the road to Fassfern. Sadly the midges followed us to the start but the sun burnt through the morning mist to reveal a glorious day. The first control was at 590m and 3km and took us 1:36.08 - it was going to be a long day I thought... the terrain was not too bad underfoot but too steep to run on and none of the teams who passed us were running either, just walking faster. The route to #2 involved a steep descent followed by a long contouring stretch on a rough stony hillside and again nobody appeared to be running - it was too hard going for that. The next leg was 2.5km and 300m straight up a fairly bland hillside at the hottest time of the day (fortunately we found some water to drink on the way to re-hydrate) but we were rewarded at the top with a fantastic view across the glen and just had to cross a steep rocky valley to get to the control. My favourite part of the route was #3 to #4; although Claire might say otherwise as she disappeared into a bog up to her thighs and I had to haul her out! You could see exactly where the control was from #3 and we just went for it, helped by the fact that it wasn't too steep and down hill! On the way to #5 we had to climb over a deer fence, "better find a sturdy post, just in case" said Claire. I collected a few bruises here. After that, Claire started running and I was very impressed, so I trotted along behind until we got to a beautiful river crossing. We were very tempted to cool off in the rock pool but we kept going, it was a race after all, straight up 200m climb and 500m to the next control. Control #6 was a short leg across some amazing rock slabs and it was at this point I began to feel tired and my feet were sore. Claire chose the next route to #7 straight down to and along Loch Arkaig and I wished she hadn't! I cursed her all the way down that 45 degree slope through forest fight complete with rocks and crags and nasty bits to catch your feet in and she started cursing herself along a further kilometre of it, we decided that we would have been quicker swimming along in the loch. In fact, the further we went along the more I wanted to lie down and let the ground absorb me and it was here that I had visions of dead bodies lined up with sheets over them at the finish! This was the low point. We were a lot happier when we saw some other people and found a wee elephant track for the rest of the way to the last control. The finish was in sight but first there was a horrendous bog to cross and it was hard to find the strength to jump over the deep bits in order not to be sucked up and drown in it! Finally, all that remained was to wade across the river and dib at the finish! I took a few paces and lay down in the middle of the finish area using my pack as a pillow, it felt heavenly just to shut my eyes in the hope that I would fall asleep, Kirsty B-J took my water bottle away to fill up with water and off I went into la la land... Claire came back from the toilets and said, "Get up, get the tent up, we need food NOW! Come on GET UP!" She meant it! I knew she was right, so I did! The campsite was in a fantastic location with stunning views and there was a breeze - just enough to keep most of the midges at bay. I put the tent up but my legs were so sore that I had to do it crawling around on my hands and knees. Claire made dinner whilst lying down as a wind break. She set the grass on fire but the miniscule stove produced some lovely nosh, our next door neighbours polished off the extra portions when we were having our yummy hot chocolate custard drink concoction. As soon as the midges became unbearable everyone went to bed and then the snoring started and I woke up boiling - unbelievable! | ||
Thursday Jun 5 | ||
| Note | |
| The LAMM is at Glenfinnan! Is this scary? | ||
| C • Hogwarts Express 4 | ||
| C • Fantastic 7 | ||
Wednesday Jun 4 | ||
| Pilates 1:00:00 [1] | |
| Orienteering race 51:14 [3] **** | |
| shoes: Inov8 Mudclaw | ||
| WEE at Barr Wood. As usual I had another WEE blunder through the woods. This wasn't helped by my 'attempted' faint in the filing room this afternoon at work, I obviously didn't have enough oxygen in my brain to get me any further than over-shooting #8! Oh dear, better have a good rest and make sure I eat loads more before the weekend. | ||
Tuesday Jun 3 | ||
| Run (Terrain) 1:13:00 [4] | |
| shoes: Brooks GTS | ||
| Run with FVO folks from the Goddard's lovely cottage in Braco, it was a varied terrain run along paths, tracks, through woods and fields - the best bit was through a fabulous stretch of Scots pine trees. The route crossed some wee ravines and nasty barbed wire fences, which called for some nifty techniques and some sneaky through the wire tricks! It was indeed a lovely evening, some of us were lucky enough to see osprey... We were then followed by some curious cows followed by hefty bull and the last time I looked it was picking up some speed (serves me right for wearing a dark pink top) so we all legged it! It's amazing how fast you can run when the adrenaline kicks in... | ||
Sunday Jun 1 | ||
| Orienteering 19:00 [2] ** 1.5 km (12:40 / km) | |
| shoes: Brooks GTS | ||
| CATI event at Kinneil Woods. Set off on the short course with Andrew, two minutes behind Erica for her debut course on her own. We caught her up just as she was about to go off in the wrong direction - it was a tricky one as the control was placed on the 'wrong' side of a 5 point crossroads so it wasn't obvious which path to go on next! | ||
| Orienteering 52:00 [2] ** 2.5 km (20:48 / km) | |
| shoes: Brooks GTS | ||
| Medium course with Erica. Much harder this time for her, she chose some cross country routes following line features and this meant she got distracted by all things nature... her shoe had to come off for a toe scratch and she pretty much lost interst three quarters of the way round - not sure she's really into the O scene thing but we'll see. I now understand how my dad felt when he was teaching me to drive... | ||
| Note | |
| Sleeping bag dilemma: I have just weighed my sleeping bag and it's 2kg, Claire's is 1.4kg :( Is there anyone with a warm sleeping bag weighing less than 1kg who is willing to lend me theirs for the LAMM? If not, can anyone recommend one that is small, light and preferably cheap? Less than a week to go and I am beginning to panic... | ||
| C • 2kg?! 16 | ||