Training Log Archive: bl

Quite the walk to the start - 1k rolling, then up, up to lovely vantage & start area.

QR a bit dark but it's dark outside.

Day 6, mostly open moorland. Dry, bits of sun. 1k walk on rolling pasture then 190m climb in next km to start. Nice view on high of lochs and mountains, possibly the point of the course planner’s choice. About a B run. Right after starting, the “girdle/truss” I’ve been using just fine for the past 10 starts, let go its velcro/utility for moderate distraction. Fiddled for 30” but did not fix so that served as cont’d background distraction. Missed #4 for unknown reason; was not alert re steep cliffs in narrow reentrants w/ streams on 2 occasions, spending extra time getting to a possible crossing point. Missed go control by 30” following those ahead.... Was not aggressive, mostly due to first issue but 2 small but additive compass issues were also slightly distracting. At my start -4, meet person called Barbara Bryant. Hmm, I know one Barb Bryant. She showed me: “W45L, NEOC”, so that had to be her. She must have missed the plane.

Brief visit with Dave Coustick of FVO who had 2 fine runs days 5/6 in H65 then off to pickup Beth at the Kerrera ferry dock & head to Glasgow. Ended up 14 for day, 16th for 6-days. I guess that’s ok considering approach I came here with. 11 days of running in a 14 day span. Right hamstring unchanged - not better or worse so that’s very interesting. Hernia...well, that will be dealt with soon. Had to sit down at the airport on the long walk to the gate to address it.

Day 6, the end in sight


Toward main car park

Blither

Scottish/UK driving is (likely to be) stressful with narrow roads and bridges (one car at a time) occasionally around a curve, several inch shoulder drop-offs, signs: “oncoming vehicles in middle of road”, bicyclists, walkers and work vehicles sharing 50mph+ roads from time to time, passing so very close to cars (partic. passenger door mirrors in towns). Even the A90 motorway where speed is in excess of 70mph has low speed exits and half cross oncoming traffic....

178 lbs for a new front left tire! (don’t want to do the math...) More courteous/cooperative than US drivers. Driving seems more of a pragmatic/user beware activity than a pleasurable one - price of fuel might add to that approach as well.

Arrived at GLA from Greennock Hotel Tontine (drippy gray). Beth was the one who was in need of plans for the next 2 days in Glasgow area. But she escaped 2 days early and will be in Manchester at 7:40pm tonight! What an escape artist! Back to Stockholm for me as it was in the beginning. Maybe I’ll escape into sunlight. Sitting at LHR 3pm, gray all around.

In need of sunlight

Beth picked this little critter up from the middle of the road as we were getting out of the car. Reptiles and Scotland seems an oxymoron.

H65L - Splits

Day 5, dry! Splotches of blue - no vision struggles. Good run, 5.2k, 20c - #12 & 16 w/ some uncertainty but generally good inside circle. 3 to 4 was on the shoreline, tide out. Meet notes mentioned high tide time. Was quite distracting to be running on the beach, not looking toward water & mts. view which was gorgeous. Shore was green, detailed & losing contact was expensive. More mud/muck than I think I've experienced - fell leaving 3, completely mud-covered map & compass. Was able to rinse off in salt water before proceeding 100m - some licking clean as well... Waterproof maps just the right thing. Fell two other times, always soft, always wet. Was 8th when I left but another 25% to start.

Today's map


On the way to assembly


Grey and green, Dunstaffnage Castle

C • Overall 5

Walk-jog to start.

Day 4, arrived tired, ready for a nap! after 4 hour drive from Aberdeen. Gradually worked out the kinks & focussed best I could. Had a late start/punch start which meant I could start whenever I pleased - so I had to get myself going vs. a specific time from on high. Stepped up to the plate - noted 5.7k and 17c, a complete surprise and made me even more tired! First 2 cp's were pretty much up & up. 4th involved a contour quite a ways to R of straight. 9th I missed because glasses were wet/foggy. It was a somewhat rainy day, humid. 13 I thought was at a gate crossing, followed 2 other people who stopped at a small knoll - then not sure where I was, not pleased for not keeping contact! Noted it was a bldr on other side of stream and was lucky to cross & see it. Very tiring, demanding course. Fell a few times, vision issues, was not able to be aggressive - just worked toward a clean run & missed only one. Spent some 90" playing with croakie and trying to improve vision. Came in with a 75' which was 9th when I left but another hour's worth of starters, perhaps. There was a 63' leading. Ended up 15th.

QR

H65L - Splits

Rest Day

Not that it was that. Drove 5 hours (180mi) to Portlethen, about 10mi S of Aberdeen to visit E and A. Had a lovely but short visit, drank too much wine (& E provided some single malt Oban scotch). Mhairie gave us all (Dave & Mo fm NZ days there, too) a short violin concert. A&E looking good, tho A has MS taking a slow toll. Met these 2 on the Milford track in NZ in '88. Visited them in Glasgow in '91, Portlethen in '99 & '05, Edinburgh in '09. E works as a GP in a medical center across a field from Mill of Findon. A works for U of Aberdeen in neuroradiology.

Stopped at Stonehaven first for a short visit...rather severe, drab stone facades, gulls crying & wheeling, kids swimming at the harbor beach. The haar hid the North Sea. Got up at 0615 tired. Left at 0715 & made it back to Oban ("sea to shining sea"...) in 4 hours but performance was not exactly what I had in mind - crawling under a rock would have been more suitable.
Rolled into event parking with a flat tire from having slid off the tiny road in the last 0.4mi.

Stonehaven harbor


Mill of Findon


Mill stream


Moods of Loch Feochan

C • Rest Day?!!! 2

H65L - Splits

Day 3, Creag Mhic Chailein (to be sure it has an unintelligible name). Gray day, no rain til later, after probably everyone finished. Best run so far, started halfway down the list, was second when I left. Went to everyone once inside the circle. Some wandering along on 1 & 7 but relocated before it got expensive. Fiddled with QR, lost patience in matching route to map - not so easy! Ended up 11th/98, Wayne Aspin (NZ from '88 visit) was 52:33.

73rd Kjell Stenstadvold Tyrving NOR M65 81:34
yesterday's discussant, conparison of splits/in top 10 - humility always right around the corner for most everyone at these events

QR - done as an after dinner puzzle; right angles easy but attenuating sl curved traces isn't easy (yet?). Forgetting blk boundary doesn't help....

Today's map


Day 3 finish area

C • strange looking map 3

Hike up to Eagle's Eyrie with Beth after the race

Forest path

From Eagle's Eryie


View from B&B, Lagganbuie, looking out on Loch Feochan

H65L - Splits

Day 2, map of the name Ardnaskie. Gray, sl drizzle but didn't affect. Would have been a A - except for a C control, lost about 5:30 on 6. Difficult footing in many places. I was a late starter which helped alot with bracken trails. A lot of legs appeared easy enough but then one thing or another was left out of the equation. I think a fair # had difficulties. Was 17/maybe 100. Sat next to a Norwegian who turned out to be a M65 - he was 57:09 yesterday, I was 59:07. Came back & compared today's. I had a few more over him then he did me but he was 5'+ faster on #6. Walked a way with Andy Hall, visited with George & Betsy Hawes as well as Jim Eagleton & a BAOC friend of his.


QR easier today. Mistakes at 4, granddaddy at 6 (relocated on cp #112, a boulder on an open N-facing slope - then went to RF to NE first. Went to wrong green patch at 13.

The castle & the vine grew old together


Today's parking


A portion of the assembly area

Sweden is about forgotten*. Almost as soon as I left for whatever reason...personal, growing older, moving on...not sure. Have a car here which changes the perspective/routine. Came to Scotland with some sun but it went into hiding. Gray forms in cloud/mist are perhaps not so welcome but not unwelcome, either...mysterious & lovely. *Until I return to fly RT from Stockholm. Trying to change but AmEx is out to lunch, the mailbox stuffed according to the message.

Met Dave Coustick, day 1 course setter & friend of Ewan Clark's as well as fellow M65. Dave had about 50 courses, 143 controls on yesterday's map. He was able to get my day 4 start time changed w/o a 10 quid charge (as pointed out). Met Doug Henderson staying here at the B&B. He had met Charlie DeWeese in Austria earlier in July in the same fashion, ie, shared lodging. Stayed up talking a bit later than I cared for - but staying up late is too easy to do with all the daylight.

Have been irritable with the ACD (my term & in humor). Seems nearly every time I think I've figured something out, I haven't! Double upside down #'s on start bib was one yesterday. Earlier this eve, looked at bib to ascertain tomorrow's ST: noted 10:21 but it really was 12:01. So is accidentally brushing the finger pad on the computer...watching the screen change w/o necessarily knowing the why's.

C • Mists rolling in 4

H65L - Splits

Event: Scottish 6 Days Oban 2011
 

Day 1, 6 days: Dunollie & Dunstaffnage - maps w/ names again
Cool, breezy, gray, few sprinkles. 4.4k 230m climb made it physical/hard.
B+ deteriorated to C+ final, 10c, missed #8 for maybe 6' - ouch. Fell 3 times if not 4 due to difficult footing. Could have been better at reading open, bracken, gorse. Start was on a beach, 40m from wavelets! Actually stunning views of Mull, later lost in mist. Map just N of Oban on shore. More ACD (acute confusional disorder) at start - not like I thought it was going to be. Tired, irritable with footing. 17/70 last look, more finishers due. Waterproof map w/o case which is a good way to go, avoiding countless map cases. No water at start or finish. In spite of how cool it was, had a serious thirst. Plan ahead....

QR hasn't been very quick - hard to get it to match, in part due to dark bkgnd...? Spent too much time fiddling. Quite the crinkly surface.

Map

1. dumb in that went round marsh to L vs better right.
2. E thru saddle, bit along road, across march, by spur, down, RF not so impressive after Sweden but st to cp
3. mucked around, very slow, got under phone line which was fine, crossed small fence in wrong place...no advantage there, ACD. Read way into gorse patches ok
4. could see lg hill w/ bldg, then near crossing, then to second, up steep slope NE of cp & into reent
5. should have gone L of line - went up, saw clean enuf way down to path, field - after fld, went up much too abruptly - slow, slow - should have gone up hill at easier slant
6. thru saddle, runner just ahead, got there first
7. two of us more of less together, st
8. tad E of N to crossing, to fld, left NE corner, climbed, left dotted path at lower marsh!!! set compass as if I were at upper & proceeded on that wrong assumption, ran out of distance, saw a knoll...around to gorse. No! When I realized where I was...5 lines to climb thru bracken. BAD. 5-6' error
9. pretty much st, found the little path & round on it. Could see cp fm below
10. N to fence

On the walk to the start - looking toward Mull


Suggesting a knee-deep start...


First beach start I've seen


Off to the races


A CP at the boulder and RC in front of the cliff

C • Thanks for the write ups and photos 2

H65L - Splits