Training Log Archive: rcro

Road from home. Expected to be slow and tired but was moving. Though became hard work against the wind and gradient.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8625821936

Last night o of season at Symonds Yat. Not really my terrain usually so expected to just potter around and lower my handicap but realised it was easily clearable so tried to clear it easily.

S-74-62-63-65-92-90-84-75-91-83-71-70-82-72-200-93-76-79-69-78-81-77-68-80-67-66-64-73-F. 600 points plus 17 bonus.

One of the first starters and in the train with Dan and Rhys until it disintegrated at 163. Glad to get 165 then pull upwards as then in a good group with Alice and Jackie to get the next few - the only times I had much help to find the controls (though did seem to help many others!)

Slow up the hill so glad I’d got most climb out of the way early on. First big time loss at 182 as took a risk and went in with no plan and missed it. Got a bit lucky second time and led the pack I’d dropped earlier into it.

Into 200 was greener than expected but good line, and again further down and helped some more people. Also pleased with my line across to 176 - not quick but fun and hit it perfectly.

Another biggish loss on 178 - was a late decision to do in this order and must have carried on along path further than I had thought so went in wrong direction along veg boundary, possibly to end of green. Found it eventually well hidden and led people coming the other way in.

Last few controls all clean, good lines, and moving quickly. Terrain wasn’t harsh here and lots of other people for company (though never finding the control before me!). Had lost time so pushing quite hard on the tracks so pleased to be 2 mins early, but maybe should have been 4 or 5. Surprised to be 2nd - only 3 got all the controls.

Decent performance in the handicap league despite the obvious physical handicap - maybe 3rd overall. Had the missing score from Soudley Ponds gone in would have had an extra 60 points so right on Vanessa’s tail. She’s had a good season too so really pleased to see her win it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8621721535

I am still not well, jumping from one respiratory tract infection to another (4 this year?), clear fatigue in day(s) after running, hand keeps coming out in lumps for every virus or if it’s too cold - which isn’t normal for most people…
Last 2 weeks results:
Radyr MapRun 2nd
Malvern MapRun 2nd
Hartlebury Common 1st
Bishop’s Cleeve MapRun 1st
Habberley Night 3rd
Symonds Yat Night 2nd
Watch fitness level now “66” - equal where it peaked in December before I got bad virus.
Strava fitness level now “54” - highest since 14th February last year (before I became appreciably unwell)
Generally good signs to suggest I may not be seriously ill right now - as surely I couldn’t perform at this level otherwise. Though it must be noted results through the autumn and winter have been flattered by lots of other people having bad runs! Hopefully many more good results to come, and I’ll be soon able to run faster for longer, and more often like I used to.

Kempsey common as a relatively flat place I’ve never been to. Nice, could do night o there, but feeling tired, coughing up and struggling with the wind.

And for being less than 5 miles from mum’s house, in theory easy to get to. But because it’s Worcester all the roads either closed completely or half dug up. Round trip in the car took 1:23… did find the grit and determination bins on one of the diversions.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8614083251

Habberley Valley

The traditional Harlequins style of map everything at least one undergrowth screen faster than reality, map lots of other things slightly wrong, or not at all, and put all the controls in the most inaccessible sites possible (and maybe not always inside the circle?). Not totally miserable - good to explore and to practice in terrain I don’t like for training once in a while.

4.2km linear score. I managed 80% in the hour and health/fitness wasn’t the problem.

1. Quickly realised the map made no sense at all. Not so quick to find control - expected it to be more accessible from above.
7. On edge of circle and relocated ok. Overshot completely as was looking for a feature but the form line hill was pretty flat and not visible below undergrowth.
9. 3 mins spent here looking for one of 4 bushes in runnable open. Only the runnable open was covered in brambles and dead bracken or something, and the bushes just seemed to be less penetranble bracken/bramble combination. Gave up and moved on as 100% sure I was in the right place (and still so having looked at GPS). Looking at other strava plots appears it was over a circle diameter outside the circle to the south.
10 - got this fine but on the approach met somebody coming down having given up looking. I carried on anyway and found it, and called the guy back.
12 - dangerous planning. Map was hopeless and encouraged a route that involved 30m scramble up steep loose bank covered in bramble, to get to a 10m high cliff, and attempting to go along base would have been near shear contouring through shoulder deep dense bramble. Had to abandon and go right around the bottom. Pleased to descend so easily and safely - soil was behaving like sand.
Tried for 14/15 but followed the paths as mapped and that took me into the big out of bounds area instead. Found somebody else in there sounding unhappy too. Worked out where I was by logic that contours couldn’t be anywhere actually on the map.
17 - overshot slightly as paths didn’t match quite as I had expected. Knew where I was but involved crawling through holly bushes to get out.
19 - skipped 18 as was up a steep bank in dark green. This was literally just off the path but to make it harder was at the top of a 4ft high unstable wall and surrounded on other 3 sides by dense bramble.
All set to call it a day there (I’d officially given up to just run instead the first time on the way to 12) but the bottom loop actually looked to be more hospitable so went with it and accept any penalty for being late. All ok apart from now waking all the controls up. Just 26 was a bit awkward being top of 10m high brambly bank.

Not dreadful, but I won’t be rushing back here. Makes you appreciate just how much better mapping and planning has got if an informal event stands out for being of the same quality as was still normal for local events most of the time 10 years ago.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8610916560

Year 2.

Bishop’s Cleeve MapRun. Not been feeling too well well last few days with another virus but stuck with it - pace was generally steady as not wanting to overdo it, but fast towards the end to stay in time.

S-26-15-21-25-4-23-2-20-19-10-29-13-14-12-11-7-5-3-22-1-16-8-18-30-9-27-24-F. 540 points.

There were lots of ways of stringing the checkpoints together and think I did it pretty well - starting with 26 seemed a little odd but then allowed for a way to clear the map without duplication, if I had time, but was behind time early on so planned to get everything the easternmost 5 and be finished a bit early.

Didn’t really have to think again about checkpoint order until going in for 10 - opted to slot 7 in later which meant I then did 5-3-22-1 in a different order to everyone else, and I suspect more efficently.

Next decision point at 8 when early enough to extend so dropped 17 to cross the railway. Bit of a risk to take and then had trouble getting the beep at 9 meant a hard run back from level crossing to make it worth it. Happy how it went, and happy to skip the 3 I did as would have added a lot more distance without adding much interest.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8605758573

https://results.maprun.net/#/event_results?eventNa...

Impressive sky with moon, Jupiter and Venus all together (and no cloud = hence cold, before the rains came when back in the car)