Training Log Archive: rcro

Long slow run with Ben and Will from Talybont reservoir taking in half of Brecon Beacons route anti-clockwise, cutting across to Torpantau.

Pretty warm but fairly easy pace. All climbs are bastards and definitely good for trainers at the moment. New track from Tuesday goes only half way to the cairn.

Legs and feet really not liking all the sharp stones heading over to Tor y Foel.

Nice to get out and do some distance in mountains again

Event: NGOC League 7
 

Legs been suffering since Thursday night so this an attempt to loosen them. Pacing for 22:30 and did that reasonably well.

Not helped by the 22 and 23 min pacers. 22 min pacer stopped 200 yards from the finish to wait time and guess 23 did similar as was still on my tail with 500m to go. 2nd km pace off as 23 group had overtaken and then slowed down - and blocked path so I couldn't pass for a while.

Still not great after. Will see how tonight goes once at top of the hill.

Second go at this race - and legs probably feeling worse this year. Parkrun helped but still pretty stiff - so went into this not too seriously - and see how I felt at the top before "racing".

Very slow start from everyone - but most were still faster than I was. Settled into a reasonable pace chatting away with Gavin and seemed to get past a few without really noticing. Gavin began to fall away about 1/3 up the road hill so went on alone. Just about kept running but was a struggle.

Reasonably slow on the top as rough for ankle so lost place back to Gavin, and the other guy I overtook, and did another cycle of leapfrogging up and down the next hill. So, by the stream crossing I had the same people in front of me as I had at start of main climb.

Fairly quick through the fields and roads at the end - with a proper sprint at the end to gain 3 places. Nice to get a bit of speed and reasonably comfortable.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1062853966/overv...

Reluctant. But feeling pretty tired so no point breaking myself.

Event: Summer Evening Event 2
 

Event: Evening Urban Event
 

With Clare from Radyr - getting used to being on a bike again and first time dealing with real traffic and gradients. Along Taff Trail to Pontypridd then back via Efail Isaf and Gwaelod

Going better on second half - definitely more controlled and the proportion of the time I changed gear in the right direction increased.

Descent was fairly scary - not sure that was my idea of fun, particularly with the huge potholes, loose grit and wet patches - but survived.

Need to do more and get more confident before I can justify buying an expensive bike. Hands/arms and bum hurt and head feels its had to do too much hard concentrating- suppose it all gets easier in time

Not last on any segment. Ahead of over 1000 on one in Nantgarw...

C • Last would be hard to do. 1

C • You think your arse hurts now 1

Again not in racing mode - weather closing in and mentally tired from morning. Didn't really put much effort into planning - and found legs didn't have much to give in the rough.

Lost time on the cliffs - very little to go with. Then pulled N with everyone else for the control after. Once I started doing my own thing was clear where we were so headed S and found it straight away. Didn't go to Chartists Cave as thought my legs would prefer something shorter and slower - in hindsight should have, and skipped the terrain to the south which was very slow.

One big mistake where reliant on compass. Thought I was following a bearing but ended up well off line - 30 degrees out? - so ended up about 500m from the control and had to abandon. No idea what happened but Andy Stott did the same thing independently and ended up in the same place at the other end. Terrain incredibly slow so distance judgement fell out and struggled to find anything to confirm where I was going. Must have ran right through the "marsh". Would have ran back around the paths but didn't notice it when crossing so assumed it wasn't there.

A few more time losses looking for "yellow" standard controls on "paths" but managed to get back in time.

Very disappointing run. Will need to start doing more training.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1060024877

Event: SBOC Local Event - Summer League 7
 

5km green course at Kenfig.

Not in racing mode early on - even walking for bits early on - and starting looking for 1 too early and lost 90s or so. Things got easier from there and main problems were locating the control in the circle. Bits of time lost on 7 and 8 interpreting the map but otherwise going pretty directly.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1058441947

Strava Flybys is a really good way to see who cheated at took shortcuts on Saturday... (and who got lost)

MDC run from Llanfrynach. Going reverse of Fan y Big route - which is steep down to finish, so prettt hard and slow to go up.

Most behind us stuck to the race route whereas we went up the extra hill - and ended up splitting from there - not a large group going up to the top.

Big new path put in from the corner across the bogs to the beehive/cairn which will make the Beacons race leas fun - but nothing done to make the rocky bit on the edge so that's still rough for me. Those rocks got the knee going and was feeling it for the whole descent- took the really steep very very slow and the rest of descent slow to give it a chance.

Great food from Katy and Steve, and probably the most pudding I've ever had in one go - cheesecakes, carrot cake, fruit...