Training Log Archive: rcro

Event: SWOC Xmas Score
 

Joining up Yate and Chipping Sodbury. Really not much fun at all - ice everywhere so was barely able to even walk at times. The best running was grass - which was mostly 2-4in deep frozen snow so still hard going. If it were all grass would have been fine...

Have run out of things planned for the Christmas break so ended up doing the next nearest join from Usk to Llandegfedd.

Fairly big climb - but going quite gently. Starting to think fitness is coming back again. Only picked up the pace late on to get overall back under 6 min/k.

Plenty of snow on the hills around (but not where I was), and lots of surface water flooding in fields. Evil wind.

Storm kept me awake for most of the night.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1329023204

Closing another gap at Hafodyrynys. Legs felt better than I expected so did more than originally planned. Experimenting with heart rate - targetting 145 (or 140) uphill and 130 down. Watch told me I was more successful than graph implies.

Should have known better than to trust the weather forecast when it said no rain before 6pm...

FoD Parkrun. Legs had little to give today - but wasn't aiming on trying hard beyond getting the legs looser. Biggest drop out rate I've ever seen - lost 3 within 200 yards. Mix of not looking where they were going and not controlling their dogs I think - so a bit hectic early on.

Course at about its slowest at the moment. Don't think I could have knocked off 2 mins - and even matching Newent time would have been difficult.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1326517443

Second run of the day to finally get Ross linked to Newent (was planned for 1st February but car wasn't working then...).

Parked at Pan Tod beacon, across Ruardean then up towards Howle Hill before turning back. The wooded valley was actually quite nice - clearly pheasant breeding going on given numbers of them and buzzards. Paths not always so clear - signs pointing straight (where there was no path, but gates at the other end). Very hesitant coming back into Ruardean as my route would not have been possible if the bracken was still up, and no signs between the bottom and the gate by the church.

At least should have an easy day tomorrow.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1326673225

Stop off on the way back to join up a gap (aim to do the next gap down tomorrow). Feeling like I'm not recovered yet and not great after despite taking it easy.

Big climb up Chase Hill - but even slower down the other side as oak leaves over slippery mud. Very steady back along the road. Some of the woods looking very nice; some not.

Got to drive down the new road in Hereford. Not potholes yet.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1325845267

Up here on way to mum and needed to check on building works for map updates (looks like there have been some! Will need to come back)

Pretty much full set of Newent’s regular and one time orienteers (including ex-UBOC Tim Owen) - and mostly M21s. Will need to work harder on them.

New route is more offroad and harder, but to be honest was expecting conditions to be slower than they were. My main slow point was the new sharp hairpin on the bank near end of each lap.

Unfortunately Henry still tries harder when I’m here so think its 5 in a row to him. To be honest this was the biggest gap at the finish. But pleased that I was fairly close in - not far back on 2nd, when I know I’ve not been well and not as fit as I have been. Always a hard run here.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1324187466

Once new I was doing Newent, was going to double up with a run from Bringsty. Since I lost a segment here yesterday was very clear which bit I was going to try on! I’ve had that KOM since Feb 2012 so at least should put up a bit of a fight for it; this once just happened to be the only one I’d not set a very good time on.

Started heading over to the Hall and to get the join with Whitbourne at the old drive. Didn’t know these fields as were never an obvious route for a 10 year old to take - but all nice for running and landscaped for the hall.

Back up to the garage to get the segment back (after yesterday I was 1s behind, now 8s ahead - but the other guy is good and appears to be close by). Then on up to the top of the Downs and back through Brockhampton to finish.

Nice place to run but a bit hilly after a hard race earlier. Still don’t know what Harlequins were thinking of when they once wanted to put a British Champs here.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1324187822