Training Log Archive: Ollie

Event: Selhurst Park Regional Event
 

To Victoria, then a long train journey, then from Barnham to the event (up all the way, except for a high-speed off-road and very steep descent through the course area at the end.) Then back to Barnham, and then finally, after another long train journey, from Blackfriars to home.

I took as long getting back as going to the event, even though the latter was downhill most of the way, as I was so tired! I wonder how much faster I would have run the orienteering race if I hadn't just climbed 200m on my old, heavy, inefficent bike.

Selhurst Park Regional Event.

I don't think I've ever seen quite so many brambles as were at Selhurst Park. "North-sloping hill" must the planner's code word for brambles. If there weren't brambles, there were fallen branches to trip the unwary. My legs are a complete mess, it looks like I've been running through a field of barbed wire, and it certainly feels that way.

But there were some very pleasant sections too, and despite the area being non-technical (I only made one significant mistake, at 18, due to lack of concentration) picking a good route choice was key for many of the long legs - particularly as going straight was often not the best way, due to the five parallel deep valleys that stretch across the map and indeed define its style. I had some good fast stretches, and only really started to fade near the end, for the last third of the course. Until that point, it was probably my fastest race of the year. As it happens, I finished in under 8 mins/km, which is a personal target for as many races as possible this year, so is quite pleaing.

Frustratingly (and I know I've said this before) I had a good, relatively clean run and yet finished near the bottom of the M21L, results list - and almost everyone had beaten me by less than 10 minutes. If I had run the same pace in M21S, I would have had a top-3 place. Such is life.

The event was rather poorly attended, probably either because of a large number of other fixtures this week, or because the others knew about the brambles... it felt very much like a small district event - not that that detracts at all from the event itself. The event centre was in a sheltered courtyard, out of the biting wind, with tables to change at. Much better than the usual exposed car park.

M21L - Splits

A little fast in the first section, slower third quartile, fast finish. Felt pretty comfortable all the way through, but never really pushed myself for intervals longer than a minute. Crazy sp33d d00d appeared on the bike beside me for the last 2km, I lost my pace and tried to ignore his exertions and slow down. 414 kcal.

I don't know what is going on with my cycle computer at the moment - this was exactly the same route as my trip back yesterday.

Felt dehydrated, so was planning to do 10km, but the machine (a new one I haven't used before) cut out at exactly 25 minutes. Very annoying - I was going for a big finish, aiming to get 10km in 26 minutes, so was hitting over 80rpm for the last km. Maybe it thought I was working too hard - but although I definitely felt out of fitness, this was not one of my harder workouts. 266kcal.

Despite (or perhaps because of) having just done my gym session, I really nailed the second half of the ride home, hoping to do a sub-10 minute time. (I went on a slightly shorter route too.) Didn't even notice it was raining. But it was not to be this time.

Very fast time due to a highly unusual sequence of traffic lights, and a lot of hard stops - not good for the brakes. This time will not be beaten!