Training Log Archive: ba-ba

40% FC.
easy week in run up to Coledale, then it's eye of the tiger time.

Course 1-8. Ran the entire course on my own. Had a bit of a wait but was feeling quite limber after yesterday's exertions. This lasted up until the false-summit of the first climb, and I really struggled through the heather to 2, going off-line and losing 90secs. Not too bad after that, although obviously lacking something. Very hesitant towards the end of the long leg and a bit off-line on the downhill-bearing to 12. Again dropped too low on a spur-contour to 17. Quite pleased with my run and on a par with the last leg of the 120 team, but expect more from myself in a head-to-head situation. Maybe at the British?

once back

A Man's time for a Man's course - non of this sissy-boy sub-95 crap.
After yesterday I just wanted no big mistakes. I knew I'd get tried and I'd struggle with any really technical nav and heavy terrain later on in the course.
Dropped too low on #2 (a common problem when contouring near crags - not that contouring was anywhere near the right option). Very steady on 4 and 7 in the vague LG as I didn't want to get lost - bit off on 4 and very very slow and hesitant to 7 but fell right into it thankfully.

Took the 'maverick' pathed right RC to 9 as I wanted a bit of running, didn't want to get lost in the contours west of the control (no problem looking at them now) and somehow never saw the option through #5. Still managed to stuff up my aproach making a parallel error on re-entrants.
Nailed 10, 11 and 12, off on 13 but popped out in an easily-relocatable location. Wrong crag on 14, slow to 15 at which point I had a Lillomarka guy to help me through the tricky slope section - he led into #18 (high) then I led into #19 (low) - a good job he was about as I can easily imagine me doing what Tim did on #18, only more so.

I then took the heavy option to 20 and it killed me - I didn't really know my name getting towards the circle, let alone what I was doing, and it was a slog from then on. Uber-cautious on the downhill legs to 25 and 26 as there was no way I was clambering back up to a control. Once I'd escaped from the close-green hashing SE of 26 I got a second wind and flew the last couple of (easy running, downhill) controls - good job, as I snuck in at the front of a 4-man group separated by 9 seconds!

still got Colliered for the first time since, well, yesterday. All down to my lack of thought process from 19 onwards (water would have been nice).

My last 2 meaty classics (Holme Fell and Creag Mhic) were both north of 150mins, so nice to get way under that. The only way is up!

C • Agmened 2

1 - Splits

Forgot there'd be a warm-up map and didn't leave myself enough time to play on it.

14.5mins to #1. Game over.
Without a GPS trace I can't tell you what I did. All I can do is guess that I was a bit too high going through the vague green (maybe if I'd looked right at some point I'd have seen the control?) and found every other control (except those on our course) in the area north and east of mine - I think I was just east of 3 at one point but couldn't relocate. I then dropped low and tried to relocate off the patch of open south of the control but that came to naught. I eventually stumbled into #2 as JT (my 8-min man?) went through it and got to number 1 (still not cleanly) from there. I know bearings are my weakest suit, but this was very similar to the leg I re-ran and still mucked up in Silton last weekend. I was just too excited at the start and had no plan, then too proud to return to the start kite sooner.
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Needless to say I wasn't really in the mood for the rest of the course - further intensified by the ghost veg boundary on the ground at #4, so I overshot that by about 1min. Took the pussy path route round the hill to 8 as well. Too left on 13 (1min), right on 16, way right on 17 (2mins and 2nd slowest split). However I managed to get the fastest run-in split (quite how with my slow SI and when Jack left the last control after me and reached the finish before I don't know) which Poo Boy was impressed with.

The most irksome thing is that, even in my trashed mental state after #1, I was setting a fair amount of split times good enough for a 50ish finish when I didn't really give a damn. I'd have settled for this as my only decent middle race (out of a grand total of 4) was at Beeley Wood in Jan 2010 (other ones: Haverthwaite - gave up; Strensal - ghosted well for the first 2 then went walkies on a - you guessed it - bearing leg; this epic fuck-up)

I know others have said the map was wooley around #1, and it was a bit bingo, but this accounts for losses of up to maybe 3 mins. Not 12+. I can at least take solace in that some poor bugger took 17mins on #1

1 - Splits

Event: JK 2012
 

This made up somewhat for the York debacles. A few slight wobbles (5, 12, 21, 24) and duff RCs (went north to 2; obligatory at #5; right to 13; went high in to 14(?!) ). Slowed right down in the contours at the end to minimise mistakes. However I never felt rushed or confused at any point and took a few scalps. Would like to have been lower in the 17s though - could have pushed harder.

Men's and Ladies' courses planned so I pretty much had a head-to-head with Mairead throughout.

1 - Splits

Lethargic and flat, river then suburbia, as well as a check out of the wood near 'awesome area 1' and a bit of a look at 'potential awesome area 2'.

bring it on Keith!

Late in work (due to E.coli growing better than expected which is a novelty), had a little time to get out before grub so went to check out a place I've been casing from the car as a potential sprint area. It didn't disappoint and it looks cracking, albeit a little small, although there is a small wood behind it which may be of use to extend it.

I then headed back via Thornaby centre. En route I went through another highly promising looking estate which is bigger, will go have a better look another time. I'll have to get my hand on some mapping software and have a go at putting it on paper!

7km cruised in 28:47 then easy back. Cold nearly gone, knee no issue. Really looking forward to the weekend.

C • Intrigued 2