Training Log Archive: bl

From Moore's Harbor to 'town' & back - root-laced path to single vehicle track to hardtop. Sluggish post 8 hrs in arriving. Warm too.

SPS ramble with Diane, 84F but most of distance in shade, 10 deg cooler there. Nice summer outing.

Back to SPS for work-hardening, temp 86F, intention was one but had to stop as it was too hot for comfort - should have dipped in stream but it was too far fm car.

To Tower Hill WT, to top of WInant & back to NHH, slow but a return to post-Scotland life.

SPS XC after work - was going to do 2 but could see that i was not up to it - 18 hrs around airports yesterday, relative heat - stopped twice, once to remove T shirt, then DFs moved in & away I went.

Long day home - Glasgow, Phily, DC then finally MCH at 1045 pm. Have plenty of time to run here in Phily but somehow it doesn't pan out - will have to deal w/ airport boredom in other ways.

6 day summary:

only one truly rainy day
decent mixture of forest, open moorland/woods, park trails (day 2), sand dunes

19/151 (counted 4days of 6, thought it would be 5 of 6)

Day 1, Dalrulzion: 16th, good run except for 2 lapses, one a trivial leg due to 'following', ie, functioning on faith that the one being followed knew where he was going which will get one nowhere fast...150m simple leg but turned the mind off, lost maybe 5 places)

Day 2, Kinnoull: city park type O, lots of trails - just plain did not see the first control, stepped in a bracken-covered hole on way to #8, spent next few moments wondering if the wk was over, overran the leg, finally relocated - returned to first aid tent, finally looked at map (had not downloaded) &, voila!, a control not seen - so doubly pissed...mp/oversight & injury.

Went to Tentsmir after, could barely walk on the trails & dunes - left upper calf stiffness/dysfunctionality.

Day 3, Tullochroisk: first 6 controls in wet, dark woods, basically spiked them - then open, windy, wet moorland which was fun but blew 2 - the first a concentration lapse, the second (not reading marsh correctly) was only 50 fm road & cost some 2'! 26th should have been around 10th.
Next day was a rest day & Beth & I went to a place called Rannoch Sta, driving right thru the map & w/in 50m of the second control which I spent some time reviewing.

Day 4, Tentsmuir: dunes by North Sea, here back in 1979.13th - can't find map at moment but good run - some green areas that demanded careful compass bearing in close pines - could see only 15 or so m - 100 plus m leg to a knoll w/o any easy relocation. Should have been around 10th - one concentration lapse on a relatively easy control.

Day 5, Barry Buddon, second dunes venue, dunes 20m high - first 6 controls were in perfectly flat forest with numerous knolls, small open areas & green thickets - lost some 90" on first control, rest were about spot-on EXCEPT when I downloaded the pretty young lady said "hmm, you mp'd" - imagine what I thought but did not say - right, ran to #12, #13 was in direct line to 14, some 100m away, never saw. 22 controls, one mp, somewhere around 10-12 became an ignominious bottom of the barrel.

Day 6, Loch Ordie, all open moorland. Good run, constant map contact, fun but knee high heather & bracken at end. Finished 11th, best placing - was running around 7th til last sig orienteering control - fell, broke my new (third hour of use) $100 compass literally in half - was too pissed to see straight for some 15", lost maybe 90" on the small boulder in a spur in bracken - then entered open area for last 2 which did not require compass.

Definitely a knack to O in Scotland or, for that matter, in one's backyard. Dealing with bracken, loads of runners' trails (eg, Oringen) & heather-covered moorland take a bit of adjusting. There were 2 runners who were way out in front - would have liked to talk with them but it can be hard to pinpoint competitors at such large meets. My potential realized might have been 10th, was a competitive group. Greatest surprise/revelation was being able to run
again right after second day - MSK issues are so often hard to predict.

John Campbell did really well in M50S - think he was second. We trade the lead with each other at home meets. John filled me in -- had a Forth Valley O shirt long, long ago, trained on Craig o' Barns as far back as '69 & knew the way to go in Scottish terrain as it were:-).

Beth & I both love the land & the people are soo friendly/helpful. Last night, I could not get on the internet in the restaurant we were in - had a signal & seemed like it should have been. Our waitress brought out her laptop (demonstrating it was not the restaurant problem) & loaned it to me. When it was time to pay for the meal, there was no place for a tip...never saw that before...she said "we don't believe in asking for tips"! She got 5lb for the 23lb meal:).

C • So it seems to me you did r... 3

NR - planned to run at end of day - ended up at GLA airport, not in room until 2115, too tired. Did have a walk in Loch Ard forest w/ Beth. Visit in Stirling w/ Pat Blashill, Stirling Surveys, photogrammetrist for many maps incl Nottingcook, BB & numerous 6 day maps.

Stop by Helensburgh to gaze upon Loch Gairlochy, Silvers Marine across the way, 10 yrs flew by.

2mi in Edinburgh dealing with car pkng - expected a second run but too tired w/ travel.

Morning run from flat in Edinburgh - not sure where but ended up climbing Anthony's seat for good views of city/water.
Edinburgh