Training Log Archive: Billenicus

Lady Cannings - Houndkirk Rd - Burbage Valley - Padley Gorge - Surprise View - Higger Tor - top of Burbage Valley - across the moor - through Lady Cannings.

Felt good to be doing a longer run again, and it doesn't get much better than running down Padley Gorge in perfect Spring conditions. Pity about the felling in Burbage Valley though.

Legs a bit tired, but really not too bad considering.

Event: British Middle Championships (UKOL)
 

British Middle Champs M45 - Naphill, Chilterns - 4.93Km 160m

Another fiddly course with lots of controls. Difficult to be smooth as often it was impossible to take direct lines through the terrain. Good area for it, though the mapping didn't seem up to the job - the features were there but often didn't seem to be in quite the right positions (e.g. 3-4 too short, 23-24 too much descent, 26 seemed too low).

Lots of small mistakes :
15s at 14 : looking on earthbank rather than thicket
10s at 18 : not the best route, and uncertain approaching control
10s at 23 : very unsure coming up the hill.
1:15 at 25 : thought I ran along open strip which should have led into it, but if it was the open strip (and there wasn't another obvious candidate), it was too low compared with the control. Then turned the wrong way at the path before relocating and climbing back up the hill.
15s at 26 : Control very low, but had lost concentration after the mistake.

Also minor misses / hesitations at 2, 6, 8, 17, 22, 24.

So, it felt like a poor run, though it was obvious that it was going to be difficult for others to run cleanly. Physically felt like a real struggle. Didn't feel great on the hills at all, and was walking bits towards the end. Felt very slow over the second half of the course. Caught Ifor Powell 3 mins at 14 (and Andy Monro 4 mins at around 24), and just didn't have the energy to try to get away (he got away from me after the mistake towards the end). Also, had thought I'd heard James being announced as I went through 16(?) and thought he'd already beaten me, so gave up a bit just at the end. So, quite a surprise to have won, even if Dave P. really beat me - don't feel too bad about that since I was ahead of him at 24 and the mistake at 25 was mostly the fault of the map.

C • #24 - #25 5

Event: British Sprint Championships (UKOL)
 

British Sprint Champs Qualifier M45 - Aldershot - 3.3Km

Very fiddly race - lots of trying to spot whether there was a way through gaps between buildings and very easy to lose seconds near controls through being marginally wrong. Glad I was wearing new glasses (bought just before the race to replace the ones I broke a couple of weeks ago) even though it made running more awkward, and even with the improved magnification it was still a struggle to read the fine detail at times. Could have done with an enlarged scale map.

Intended to run at a fairly controlled speed, but only succeeded to a moderate extent, partly because I lost 10s on the first control. One bad 25s mistake going into a dead end (6-7) and some poor route choices. Physically not feeling too great, which was a bit worrying given that I was never running flat out.

Final 3.3 Km

A better course through having more 'natural' route choices and less over-fiddly stuff.

Started well but made an awful mistake 7-8 where I had to weave past several people coming the other way and lost concentration on what I was supposed to be doing and forgot to turn right through woodland. Lost about 35 sec and then struggled to get back in control until after 13. Also lost 10 sec at 13 through not knowing the difference between control descriptions for a hedge and a wall and ending up on the wrong side of the wall.

Physically below par again. Was struggling a bit from fairly early and lost the fight a bit after the mistake. Improved towards the end, but the game was over long before then.

Office - HB - near top of clough - David Lane - Tom Lane - Edge Campus.

Fairly wary due to back, particularly downhill, so a slow time for the route. Back was not too bad, though could feel it at times (more on the flat and downhill). But legs generally had various stiffnesses and aches - a legacy of too many races last weekend.

Should be OK to run this weekend, but hope I'm feeling a bit better by Saturday.

Sacroiliac substantially better, but still slightly sore. Not risking any exercise.

Sacroiliac really quite sore. Taking it very easy.