Training Log Archive: Leon

Horsforth - Abbey Inn - Bramley

Bramley parkrun - 2nd, 17.40

Thoroughly uninspiring course, though wasn't expecting much.
4 laps up the path to the rugby pitch, round that and back down.
Let them all go up first climb, was 2nd by end of first lap but never got any closer to the leader, who beat me at Podium last Sat too.
More of a tempo effort in reality but happy enough with that.
Results say 17.20 for some reason.

Down to Kirkstall and round the abbey

Matt wanted someone to look after his bike whilst he ran Eldwick Gala fell race, and it was a lovely afternoon, so it was time to hop on board my unused steed for the first time this year.
Went straight up Derry Hill which was an interesting start, but didn't really enjoy ploughing over to Dick Hudsons into a headwind, though I was finding my legs didn't feel as bad cycling as I thought they would.
Matt had managed to put his bike in the Bingley tent, so headed back to Baildon Moor to watch the race itself. Looked quite runnable for a fell race. Tried to dispel thoughts of doing this or similar ones.
Great vantage point for the Spitfire fly past.
Matt won easily, would like to think I would have given him a run for his money.
Then did a lap and a half of the moor anti-clockwise putting a bit, but not a full, effort, in. Felt OK really, though struggled up to Hawksworth and cruised home.

C • More fell races good, less ... 4

Was going to cycle but the weather and general tiredness put me off

Sale Sizzer - 22nd, 16.23

Felt like a much better run that Saturday, but only 4s quicker.
Tried to reign myself in first mile but that was still the quickest
5.14, 5.18, 5.21
Really hurting last k so didn't leave thinking I could have gone quicker unlike Saturday.
Was thinking it was humid but to be honest not sure as it hasn't been yet this summer
Very popular race
Will do at least one more of the remaining three

New Pudsey to Peel Park. Lap of the park as blindly went to where events usually are, and it was naturally on the opposite side.

Peel Park O

Didn't want to run too fast, but it was hard not to as all quite straighforward and straight lines possible in most cases.
Wavered to #6 through thick grass so took to path and almost overshot.
Then into #16 in rough woods...very rough woods, high nettles everywhere. No trod yet, should have come out the way I came but ploughed through, horrible stuff, thought if I managed to reach fence to west there would be a gap to exit south, which there was but then had to fight up steep bank covered in soft compost or taller than me flappy plant weed things, plus nettles. Urgh. Never got going again after that. Oh well. Nice new map of the park presumably for 2017 sprint, though I am not convinced about the mapping of every bench/goalpost...

Long warm up, pacing Charlotte to 10 x 1 min off 2 mins where I ran round as she ran back.
Then I thought I was down for 10 min on/off but checked and it was 10 x 200m off 100m which I was thinking was easier but it most certainly was not. Very tough. Maybe as without a defined line to finish on I was still running half the recovery but seemed very short, had to have 200m after 5 efforts as wasn't going to get it done otherwise. Nice evening for it.

Water Haigh with Simon and Susan. One of those runs where the sweet spot was somewhere between slow and steady, was glad the others were in a similar boat.

Event: Penrith Urban - Galloppen
 

Penrith Urban (brown) - 1st, 41.30

Was strange, though in a nice way, to turn up to an urban that was colour-coded and people didn't feel pressured to do the 'right' course, as it wasn't in a league. But by the same token, a shame only 9 did brown.
Decent course, kept me thinking all the way round.
However I had 3 or 4 bits of standing still, and wasn't quite on top of planning ahead.
My legs also felt jaded, for obvious reasons, and both physically and mentally, this was probably an 85-90% effort, but far preferable and enjoyable than just going out for a run.

Sadly, the courses were marred by the map, which was a bit odd.
I would think walls are either
a) crossable, and grey - see http://www.bl.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/index.php and the the W of #27
or
b) uncrossable - see to the NW of the start.
However, their mapping elsewhere was a bit of a lottery, namely:
#6 - #7 - decided the direct route out of the park to E and onto road curving SE was blocked at the join between park and road, as there is no gap. Looking at splits though, everyone else went through, and Charlotte tells me it was a clear continuation of the path. So lost around 1 min.
#15 - #16 Disregardind dodgy route choice to come in and out of #16 from south, running NW, expected to see grassy area and to turn up path to #16. However first grassy area I came across was the linear strip parallel to road. Was very confused for 15-20s, until I looked back and clocked the grass area was bounded by a high wall with a gap where the path is shown.

Next there was #1- #2 where I planned to leave to the south over what looks to be a crossable fence (despite circle coverage) and then through school direct to two. However between the control and the clearly uncrossable 8 foot wooden fence was a 8 foot thick hedge/shrub, so swift reassessment to go around the road.

And finally the overly liberal use of purple hatching, which really should have been mentioned in the final details, as seemed mainly to cover busy bits of road (strange assessment as I felt dodgier bits elsewhere). Map looked horrible really.
Control #9 on blue (which has appears on RG on brown!!??) appears to be in the OOB. Confused Charlotte immensely. I assume it isn't meant to cover the pavement, as I assumed for the narrow bit to the NE of there.

Don't like to moan, but had this been a UK league or lots of runners, would have been a bit more important, these things.

Now for self moans -
Overshot gap to #8, should have continued round but turned round
Didn't read contours well around #14 - think west #13-#14 and N #14-15 AND S #15-#16 were all the wrong choice!
Slow around #18 as control masked by car.
#24 came sooner than expected.
Slow to #28, had no idea what I was looking for on the ground!
Interesting route choice to finish, I liked it. Only spotted gap in wall to school when saw others taking it.

C • Walls.... 4