Training Log Archive: rcro

Another easy paced jog. Zig-zag down and zig-zag back

https://www.strava.com/activities/622767604/overvi...

What better way to celebrate my one year anniversary of living in Wales than to watch England get knocked out of Euros (and before "us")? :-)

Event: Harvester Relays
 

Usual recovery loop with Gaer Road and Ridgeway (x2) added on to make it a bit longer and hillier.

Light rain throughout - probably the nicest running conditions in a month.

https://www.strava.com/activities/621679873

Leg 1 from Chipping Campden to Stanway. Bit hurried morning

Set alarms for 4:50-5:00 last night, unfortunately it had decided to set these as "No Alert" tone - so woke up by text from Keith at 5:55 telling me he was at Stanway... An "oops" moment.

Apart from a few lorries and tractors, made good progress getting to CC - but wheel started making whining after Bretforton and thought I'd look when I parked. Luckily Hogweed Trotters' off duty fireman were on hand to help - brake calliper jammed pad on.

Arrive at start line at leisurely 6:55 having not eaten, drunk (much), taped ankles - and still with bib to attach etc. so not exactly prepped for running.

Did ok, took my own lines through some bits - for some reason everyone cut onto vehicle track on Royal Mile but I stayed on path - and gained ground. By Broadway Tower I was down into gully rather than rocky path on slope and again gained ground. Down middle of road in Broadway rather than pavement, and gained ground. More people following me each time as they realised I'd recceed.

Running with Dursley guy for last climb, gained on a few others to the drop, but seemed to lose him in Stanton. Overtook 2 or 3 more before finish. Better run than I'd anticipated.

https://www.strava.com/activities/620058529

Back to CC for 9.15, RAC arrived by 9.40 - car currently sat in Evesham waiting to be fixed and have all the other service/MOT work done whilst at it. Might get used to the tiny peugeot by the time I return it next week. At least should still make the Harvester...

Variant 7A (no idea how gaffled it was - but there were 7B and 7Hs).

By some margin, my worst ever Harvester run. Also, possibly not coincidentally, the loneliest leg 1 I've ever done - with no lights in sight ahead of me at all after 7 (although TVOC was a bit behind me for most of the way from there on).

1 - confused by what must have been extra gorse bushes at start so pushed further right early and into rough. 30s?
2 - not really matching map to ground. 60s
3-6 fine, but did have to take one sharp descent very gently due to rabbits sat where feet wanted to go.
7 - again not matching map to groun. 90s.
8 - fine
9 - fine, but maybe should have gone south of gorse patch. Ended up struggling with tussocks a bit on descent.
10 - fine.
11 - looking a bit too early but realised immediately. 30s
12,13 - fine
14 - long leg. Bearing was poor and made worse when I saw big clump of trees ahead. Only one clump of trees on map and should be to right of me - so went left. Realised error when I reached the masts - which were off bottom of map. On return found out that clump of trees were in field adjacent to map. 800m detour - 5 mins lost.
15 - long leg again with little to work off. Found intermediate gorse bush but then veered off wrong way and didn't realise for a while. Overcompensated twice and relocated off "the edge" - 60-90s.
Pretty much fine rest of the way

10 mins of mistakes not good - but navigation seemed very tough in the dark. Legs tired on all the climbs - but understandable after morning.

10th/15 competitive but results showed we'd climbed up to 7th by end of leg 5.

https://www.strava.com/activities/621213243

To work for 7 to start assessing the damage :-(

Never undestimate how stupid the british population is

Lliswerry trail run in Abercarn - didn't really want to go but had to to get number for Saturday.

Not a bad route and leisurely pace, but did start to get a bit frustrated with the long regrouping pauses (often followed by several minutes of chatting rather than going) - so did a fair bit of jogging around to increase distance/climb. Still achieved over 30 mins of stoppage time despite this.

Once we got to road left group and ran back alone as realised how much time had gone and things to do after.

Quite sluggish for early part, but seemed to be going fine on hills later on.

https://www.strava.com/activities/618693587/overvi...

Still not getting much easier - maybe immediately after eating not best time

SWOC Park series from Bute Park.

Not a very imaginative course with lots of long doglegs and repetition, controls some way in the wrong place and often grippled such that it took 10+ seconds to punch each time.

Pleasant enough evening - although sweaty. Didn't go into the river, and seems to have been very successful for juniors and newcomers - so credit to SWOC and Nigel, appreciate that the long course is tagged on to CATI and not the "main event".

https://www.strava.com/activities/617478091

Long wait for food in the pub but worth it. Did mean that we saw the goal before we left.

Appear to have lost my map somewhere between pub and home.

C • Map 1

MDC run around the waterfalls from Pontneddfechan. Nice route and good evening for it.

Running better than I expected given tiredness from Sunday but found rocks hard going towards the end. Ankle survived.

https://www.strava.com/activities/616606295