Training Log Archive: Frostbite

Newborough, Welsh Champs, Blue course.

Felt a bit better today and started off running at a reasonable speed and was pretty sharp for the first 4. #5 was a bit more shaky and I was struggling to fit the map to what I was seeing when the control appeared. I set off from #5 aiming to hit the big track junction because i didn't feel I could keep contact for a long distance through the green and still find #6. My direction wasn't very good so I never hit the track, and ended up coming out of the green with no idea where I was or how far I had gone and struggling to relocate. I think at that point I was already just beyond the control but I kept going and wobbled about a bit until I eventually found myself at a control on a hill. It was only after I left it and headed out to the track that I realised that it was in fact #7 and I had gone a couple of hundred metres too far. Found #6 on the way back without too much trouble. That took the wind out of my sails really, and I suddenly felt very weary. I lost another half minute at #8 just through can't be botheredness, considered retiring then resolved to carry on with reduced speed but much better map contact and not wasting any more time.

10 minutes behind Nick Lightfoot.

Newborough, Welsh Champs weekend.

Feeling very much out of sorts before this and it didn't get any better when I was running. Managed to get by without any mistakes up to #5, although I had to turn back after leaving #3 when I got stuck in some unmapped waist high brambles which must have cost me 30 seconds or so.
I was a bit unsure of myself into #5 and it was followed by a very short leg to #6 so I hadn't really thought about it and just set off in the vague direction without any sort of plan. Within a few metres I was up to my waist in brambles again - mapped ones this time but I hadn't really registered that they were there. I proceeded to wander around in the brambles for a few minutes without any sort of coherent relocation strategy until eventually I climbed a dune well beyond the control, worked things out and came back through some more brambles to the wrong depression, then the right depression. That was about 5 minutes lost and I hadn't been moving very quickly anyway, but I was feeling sorry for myself and slowed down even more. Lost another minute at #10 - I was following a ridge without much idea where I was, left the ridge to find the control without much of an idea what it was going to look like, fortunately hit a path which stopped me from going too far out of my way and looped round in a big circle to eventually find it. After that ok but wobbly and slow.

Shadowing one of the YHJS juniors around a loop looking at contour detail. Went through the area where I made my 5 minute mistake earlier and it all looked very obvious second time around. I was struggling to keep up.

In the sea at Newborough. Not as cold as you might think, quite comfortable for 10 minutes. Lots of waves.

Meanwood and the Hollies.

Went as far as the quarry reasonably quickly but I was huffing and puffing a bit with a bit of a rattly chest. That was about 8 minutes, then I slowed right down and struggled my way back through the Hollies.

Worse today. Off work. Snotty sore sinuses headache but breathing and chest OK.

Now got quite a lot of a cold.