Training Log Archive: rcro

The now traditional New Year's Eve long run - but this time a bit shorter and flatter than previously.

Simple footpath run from Gloucester cathedral to Newent school taking in Hartpury college on the way. Bits of rain, bits of flooding, huge amounts of mud. Lots of "temporary" footpath diversions, and lack of footpath signage - but I think this is the first run we've done where we've managed to stay on the path the whole time.

Nice easy pace, and legs feeling good for first 18k or so but started tiring after. Would say it's something to do with that extra 14k I did yesterday afternoon...

Was a very productive day as finished off with some exploring the new housing estate that's being built - so that I could do updates to OpenStreetMap and also sort out the proper map since it's quite a key field that's gone missing (both now done - just need mastermap to be updated again before I can do more).

Other key thing of note is this was the third most "useful" join to date (and biggest since April). With the other runs from this week means Stinchcombe is joined to Old Sodbury - so I can now leave Leg 7 of Cotswold Way right until the end! I hope Ifor is suitably impressed ;-)

https://www.strava.com/activities/1334743662

https://citystrides.com/users/2892/map#51.92539804...

Warm up sawmills loop to show Ben the route and check conditions

Very wet - but actually quite firm under the top layer. Completely boxed in on first straight and for half of the twisty bit - main problem was a man with a dog. cost 20+s. Otherwise moving reasonably well on the bits where I didn’t have to worry about ankle, and gained a placed on last straight.

Warm down jog over to edge of Sallowvallets with a couple of mins stopped talking to Ben Robbins at the road.

Run from Paul's with the Bristol Tuesday group. From Dursley around Stinchcombe golf course then down to Breakheart Quarry.

Feeling pretty slow after 8k in the morning, and really starting to tire for the last few k. But at least satisfying the Jim was slow too. Quite muddy.

https://www.strava.com/activities/1333203434

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