Training Log Archive: rcro

Left the warm up quite late as it was still cold outside. Opted to go to start around the road so that I wouldn't have to fight through everyone else walking up the path.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2289083764

Third go at the Kymin Dash. Pretty dry all last week so knew the slow bits would be firmer this year. Only had two target races this year and this wasn't one of them - only went in to treat this as a benchmarking run, and set a new course PB. Achieved that, but was pretty nervous about pacing beforehand.

Did manage to start quite steady, being passed by a *lot* of people in first 100 yards and then being boxed in behind them. Broke through on the corner and then just went for what seemed comfortable - reeled in a *lot*, but also passed by Gavin and Toby from MonRoss. Slotted in behind Emma for a bit before she became too slow and then behind Toby between the two hairpins, when I dropped him too. Got to the top in 11:14, and feeling quite good (about 20th place). Comparison to last year when I tried as hard as I could to the top... 11:12 and 7th place. Standard was quite a bit higher today!

Unlike last year, legs let me keep going after the top. Was slow to accelerate after first get which helped Steve Harris overtake (but his down pace was much quicker than mine anyway). Lost time on second gate as behind Emma, and she did the second field slow enough that I got to the last gate before her.

Going ok down to the road, and down from it - knew it was down though and after the dip would need to transition to ascending again. Seemed ok - I was closing on people in front quite quickly so appears the change in gradient caught them by surprise. Snuck in another overtake at the start of the rollercoaster and two more by the water station (which had a man playing a piano). Descent from here is quite sharp and not really my forte but tried to keep pace up. Had one problem with a maniac cyclist who was riding the race route at high speed but not giving any warning as he approach (given he was doing the route and he'd passed me on the public FOOTPATH from the road earlier - I think he's just a dickhead who was "supporting" the race. Probably Lliswerry...). Two of the people I'd passed on rollercoaster were right behind me by half way down but never overtook.

Had to maintain the effort once at the bottom, and this was quite hard when expecting the two behind to be much faster than me along here. They weren't and must have dropped back. Felt like I was struggling pretty quickly but the watch beeped 3:35/k which was good. And despite continuing to feel it was very hard, and feet burning, kept beeping 3:35/k all the way, and gained yet another place just after the speed limit signs. Final bit was tough - seeing the final corner in the distance for about 400m and a lot of effort to just get there and make sure didn't lose the place.

End result was 12th/305, 3rd FoDAC and won the team prize (4x mugs and a LARGE cake). Strava confirms what I was thinking near the end - that it'd be a 5k PB (18:03), but very surprised that 10k was just two seconds off my race PB (19:01 today). I know there's an element of downhill, but it's never helped me *that* much before, bits were technical, and the 10k still had half the Kymin climb. It puts a bit more pressure on my planned fast Parkrun next Saturday as sub-18 looks clearly *possible*.

By virtue of the last 5k, means I have inadvertently now got a complete set of PBs for 2019, with 8.5 months to go. It's nice to have had four races in a row that I've felt have all gone well - the winter, last autumn and last summer were all very variable, generally more on the bad than the good.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2289086005

On the Hadnock Road 2k segment at the end- 6th fastest of over 1,000. 4th of 266 today - it was quite a strong field towards the front compared to normal.

Wanted an easy run today as racing tomorrow - and also, as it's a weekend, to run somewhere useful to link things up. The original plan was to do Longtown to Ewyas Harold Common and back, but checked the distance and came to 15k with 400m ascent, which is more than I wanted.

Plan B was to return to Skenfrith, and do the next bit up to Garway, since I want to do a race there this summer. Lovely warm morning when out of the wind (which was fierce to start with). Taking it quite easy up the road looking at all the nice cows.

Don't know Garway itself very well, but it's a nice place to come to, and about as typically Herefordshire as anywhere could get. Looped the common and then headed back down a road which I don't think has seen any through traffic for many years (nowhere-nowhere but with a farm and 4 shut gates in the middle - farmer seemed pretty chirpy though).

Did a few bits extra in Skenfrith to get to 11k, noting that watch lost a bit by the river on the way out (under dense trees alongside steep hill - not surprising really).

Had a decent look around the castle after - much easier when not in the middle of a run and feeling ill. Accosted, and then followed, by a black and white cat for some time before it found somebody else to fuss it.

Drove over to Longtown via Cross Ash and the lane to Pandy, which seems to be far better than the B road to Abergavenny. Great views of the mountains from a perspective I've never considered before - Three Castles Walk is getting further up the list now.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2286243318

10k from home. Same route as last Wednesday through Tredegar and Belle Vue Parks, and looping the bowl anti-clockwise (not clockwise!) and detour off Cardiff Road to make up distance lost by going direct.

Pretty lucky with traffic today - just 3 stops, and two were for cyclists taking up the whole pavement. From legs not feeling great to start with, was going pretty well and holding it all the way after the first k (which has lots of corners).

Decent number of top 10 segment placings, 3rd best along Melfort (the two better ones were both Melfort-length intervals), a few seconds off my best (and the KOMs) on the segments either side of Pye Corner. Can't analyse how I ascended through Belle Vue Park as it seems the owner of that segment has deleted it - so I'm creating a new one. Wasn't going anywhere near as hard as I was towards the end of last summer, but not sure it was much slower. Just if I'm trying hard for the 8k going into it, I'm not going to put in a hard effort for the hill!

10k at around 42:10 - which is less than a minute behind my PB at the start of the year - from a significantly flatter and less twisty route. Was going reasonably hard, but definitely not race pace - so pretty happy with that.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2282533300

A lot hotter in Newport than Bristol. Made the right decision to wear vest and shorts rather than anything heavier.

Dropped car in garage for warranty work and jogged home via Somerton. The street lights on George Street bridge have gone from being turned off to gone completely now. Kept moving up Dewsland Park at a steady pace and seems I've ended up with the KOM for the weird segment that starts on the Cardiff road.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2278830376

Back to collect the car. Seems that it needed more work than I expected (new discs and pads on all wheels, plus two new [electric] calipers on the back) - and mostly not covered by the warranty so cost double what I was expecting :-(

https://www.strava.com/activities/2279874909

As I had car back, and it was sunny (but not overly warm when in the wind) - went over to Llandegfedd to join up yesterday's run. Expected quite a lot of climb, and there was. Also expected the car park to be open - but it wasn't. Lots of people driving out there to sit in their cars smoking.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2280291291

MDC run from Llangybi. As with many of these "experimental" runs, Marcus made sure he was out of the country so missed out on the full enjoyment of this.

Passed off the map reading onto others so I bore no responsibility for the route - which went well for the first 5 mins.
Me: "Are you *sure* we're going clockwise?"
Experienced map reader replies: "Yes, we're here"
Me: "But we've just run past a motte and a farm"

Not sure the clockwise path actually existed.

After from all this, the first half of the run was quite nice - went around the castle, trig point and decoy bunker. Uphill all the way, and was feeling a bit of a struggle.

Second half wasn't quite so nice - the green lane to the SW of the trig/decoy bunker wasn't the big wide track we all imagined from the map, but nearly 2k of single track polished wet rock on a sharp camber, at the bottom of an overgrown gully, with brambles cutting into your side and shoulders if you tried to skirt around any *particularly* slippery bits. I recorded a mile in 20:03 and wasn't the slowest. Very frustrating when I come out to run - and it also robbed a lot of the descending.

The far end confirmed it was a "vehicle" right of way - with 30mph speed limit signs either side (with NSL on the back), and a road sign warning of farm animals ahead. I'm not sure any motorised vehicle could get from end to end.

Later part had a lot more running, and due to time running out we all came straight back down the road avoiding the last wooded loop - but not the defining part of the run. At least worked out some frustration.

Pub was good, if a bit expensive - if we want to come back, suggest some tweaks to the route (or possibly do Wentwood instead?)

https://www.strava.com/activities/2277783432

Thanks to Mark for the lift.

C • Clockwise 1

C • Clockwise 2

Planned my summer street-o this evening. More achievable than Pye Corner 2018 but I will still be impressed with anyone who gets them all!

[Five Acres/Berry Hill, 6th June, 6.30-7pm starts, bring a smart phone...]