Training Log Archive: Billenicus

British Middle Distance Champs - Chinley Churn 5.2Km 190m
A frustrating experience. Area not really good enough for this race. Some interesting bits but far too much that was basically just a fell race.
Unfortunately light drizzle started just before I started, so really struggled with the glasses after the first couple of controls. Forced to run fairly slowly because I couldn't see where I was putting my feet. Gave up on the glasses completely after 12 when navigation was no longer an issue.
One small 5 second at 17 when I stopped too soon. Lost about 15s at 8 (probably on the 8-9 leg time) because the last number of the control code had rubbed off and it looked like 115 instead of 151. Realised after leaving it that it hadn't been what I expected and had to go back.
But the big mistake was on the second last control (80s?). No. 24 was in the wrong place - 25m further along the slope than it should have been (and too high). Left it carefully on a bearing and missed 25 - just wasn't expecting to have to look that much to the left. Ended up further down the slope trying to work out what had happened, and just couldn't understand it - didn't see how I could have missed the control by more than a few metres. Annoying. Went back to it afterwards, which is how I know how far wrong 24 was.

Finding it all a bit of a struggle physically anyway.

C • Chinley 9

British Sprint Champs Qualifier - Loughborough Uni
Generally pretty easy with a couple of trickier bits. Cruised, but didn't go too slowly as there was obviously not going to be too big a range of times.
A coupe of hesitations. Feeling reasonable at that pace. Third in the heat which was pretty ideal.

Final. Much trickier, right from the start (though the last 3-4 minutes was a lot easier). Obviously running a lot harder, but managed to just about stay in control.

A couple of very small hesitations, but otherwise clean. Which turned out to be good enough. Very happy as wasn't really expecting to win given that I definitely wasn't the fastest runner this time.

SI really quite sore afterwards - haven't worked it that hard for a while.

3 separate, but linked sprint courses. First mainly around Weston Park, then one on each side of The Ponderosa. Roughly 7, 13, 9 mins.

Rather rusty technically. Struggling to keep on top of the orienteering towards the end of the second 2 sprints (but they were reasonably hard).

Not good physically. Tired and heavy-legged and felt fairly exhausted jogging back to the office afterwards. Warmer and more humid than for the past few days, which may well have contributed.

Jogging to the start and back and between the sprints.

3 different courses at Burbage Quarries, a normal course on a normal (albeit 1:2500) map, and 2 courses contour only, one of them control picking.

Aiming to get back into map reading a bit before Sunday. Going very smoothly - the only time loss was at a boulder on the no-paths map which was on its own in a flat area and was lower than the surrounding heather!

Physically moderate. Still a little tiredness, and still a little soreness in the thighs, but heading in the right direction.

Warm up / down.

Office - Tom Lane (apart from last bit) - edge of town - Clough - HB

In better shape than expected. Thighs in particular still sore from the descending on Saturday, but not too much of a problem on this loop with (mostly) very gentle descents. Going at a reasonable pace, mostly to keep warm!