Training Log Archive: SarahD

SHI relays. Really enjoyed this. First time I've felt so hyped up for an O race in a long time and was really happy with how most of it went. Pretty much clean through to the spectator control, then a stupid error after (!). After that struggling to hold things together, and slowed quite a lot, but didn't miss anything major. Saw Welsh leg 3 at the 2nd last control and although I was pretty sure RL was ahead I had to try and out-sprint her as it could have counted otherwise. I failed but it didn't matter... great team performance to do enough today to take the overall win :-))

SHIs at Newborough forest. Made a lot of mistakes early on (similar story for many) while trying to figure out the map / terrain / what to use etc. Caught Irish lass at no 1 and saw too much of her before being caught 3' by BH at no 7. On my own after that but managed to get my act together and didn't make too many more mistakes. Turned out that confident compass was as successful a technique as anything. Got pretty tired by the long leg to 19, but dug in and kept fighting... Pleased with how I handled that. Ended up 4th Scot not far behind FG and KS but we were well gubbed (as expected) by the English. Good performances in the rest of the team, so all to fight for tomorrow.
Left foot sore again, but in a different spot. Should be fine to run through any pain tomorrow.

Planned to go for a jog but didn't feel like it in the end.

Brighter day today so headed up round a loop of some of the Carneddau tops - Pen yr Ole Wen, Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewelyn and Pen yr Helgi Du. Out for 4:20

Rain stopped play with Plan A, but maybe no bad thing as I could do with getting some recovery ahead of the w/e. Plan B involved a potter round a bird reserve, and then an easy spin round the lake at Llanberis. Only problem was it's not really designed for biking all the way round. All good on the first half, then up a steep road before dropping on a track to find the next bit was 1km or more of bike packing up a steep wet slated path through the woods. Almost worth it for the next stretch through some gorgeous oak wood and then a nice bit of parkland on the edge of the slate mines. Enough for today.

Plan was to have a crack at the Snowdon horseshoe. Weather not looking too bad, but cloud down on the ridge, some blustery wind and the rock all very wet. Got to a tricky step on the main face and had some difficulty route finding. J decided to head back but E and I found a line and carried on. Wasn't anything majorly tricky, but had to be really careful on the wet rock. Made slow progress but must have been close to the summit of Crib Goch before we decided to turn round as it was going to take a long time and I knew there was trickier stuff to come. Returned to the Pyg track to climb to the summit looking out for J but managed to miss him. Bought a sandwich in the summit cafe ( J had mine :-() before going back the same way. Met a couple of others we had seen earlier who had also bailed on the ridge - the right decision for the day. Don't remember it being so full on 25 years ago, but I reckon if the rock had been dry it wouldn't have been anything like as intimidating. Something to come back for another day. Out for 4.5h total.

7stanes at Mabie. Started on a section of the red as blue didn't look too exciting. Mostly ok, but off the bike on a couple of scary sections and a few rocky bits of climb. Then continued round the blue loop which was mostly a slog on forest roads. Felt I worked a bit harder today.