Training Log Archive: SarahD

Long drive to Oban via Uig.

C • Weird way 2

Kick start to my 2013 challenge. From Dinnet, c/w round Kinord, dragonfly loop, to N of muir, across road and over shoulder towards Cambus, down to Vat B cp and back across Muir. Really shouldn't have taken this long, but wasn't feeling very bright and decided not to worry about pace. Dinnet feel good factor helped as ever, and took some stunning shots across Loch Kinord on the way back.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/32677799@N02/sets/721...

3 x 4 x 1'+1' on the DW hill with J. Went better than expected and much the same distance as usual. Middle set best, 1 and 3 similar.

Long warm-up round the woods and back by DW. Jog back between sets and a short w-d. Feeling pretty rubbish on the w-u, but much more alive on the w-d. Needed this.

Was planning to do some hills, but feeling flat, so just went for a jog round the woods. Hills tomorrow.

Decided to get my intervals out of the way in snow free Aberdeen at lunchtime. Did 5 x 4'+2' round my old route at H'head. Wasn't reaching my old minimum marker points, but I could at least see them. OK session.

To and from intervals

Round H'head. Didn't feel too bad. Wrong shoes though - no need for ice bugs in town.

More running around at after school club than sometimes. Got out along the DW for a wee run too.

Parked at the bottom of the Balfour woods track and headed up towards Carnferg. Good going and nice snow as far as we went to the foot of the open climb, but not enough time to get to the top. Suspect we might have encountered more of yesterday's conditions up there in any case. Lovely gentle ski back down the same way with an extra loop further out the main forest track.

Started to head to the Clash with J but rapidly decided that even if we could get there (unlikely) we probably wouldn't want to be there. So turned round and headed for Glen Tanar instead for what turned out to be something of an epic in itself. From Braeloine, headed out on reverse of Tues long run for 3 km, on tracks which had been driven by an ATV with wheel tracks just a bit too narrow to ski in. Headed left up the hill before the pond, towards Baudy Meg. ATV tracks stopped here as the drifts got deeper. Was quite hard work up the hill here, but nothing to the next section as we turned north up the steep slope, where there were waves of 1m+ drifts across the track every few m, which made for hard work side-stepping up across them. Once we got out of the trees the wind whipped up and blew us up the hill on wind-blown slab - wild but nice skiing at least briefly. Next we found the wind blowing us largely uncontrolled down through more drifts and rough arctic surfaces, with poor visibility. It felt like a wild remote mountain and was good that we know it so well, or it could have been quite worrying. A wierd feeling to be out of your comfort zone in somewhere so familiar. Eventually reached the start of the descent track, but even then we weren't out of trouble as there were more big soft drifts that were difficult to see until too late. Once we got into the trees the descent was actually really enjoyable with deep enough soft snow to mean we weren't going too fast. Back down the bottom it was hard to believe we'd just been through some testing conditions not much further up the hill.

Maybe not Geilo, but a bit of an adventure ;-)

C • Sounds like a bit of an epic. 2

First Fri run with J in a good long time. From Slewdrum cp down to river, little loop then back up the tracks. Got a bit confused by where they go, and ended up scrambling through windblow for 10 minutes to try to get up to the next level. Still feeling tight chested / shallow breathing and legs weren't too great either! Good to get out though - doesn't look like conditions are going to improve over the w/e.

8 x 2' + 1' at Countesswells. Got better as they went on. Legs felt ok but breathing shallow. Barely a covering of snow on the tracks so much better running conditions than at home.

To and from intervals

Running late, snowing and not feeling very bouncy = near refusal. In the end did the same as yesterday, felt a bit brighter but not ready for intervals. Maybe tomorrow.

Decided to run at lunchtime to avoid Deeside snow. Felt really tired still, so ended up as a steady plod round H'head. On a positive note my calf seemed fine running, although it's still tender to the touch.

Trossachs SOL, Sh blue. Not feeling good before the start and never really improved on that. Messed up no 3 badly, going to the knoll below correct one and lots of other time losses in the circle, as well as a couple of dodgy routes. Fell in a bog and L calf cramped up badly - they had been feeling tight before then - and is sore after finish so must have pulled it slightly. O'ing well in places but too much time lost and got well gubbed by JP.

Disappointed with performances this w/e as was really looking forward to it, but I guess I shouldn't be too surprised not to be in top form this w/e.

Trossachs 2 Me 0

C • Trossachs 0 Ewan 1 2

Tullialan middle distance. Ran hard - too hard - rather than orienteering smoothly. Lost 1' at 4 and 30" at 9 and finished a minute down on JP and JR. Not the most inspiring area but planned as well as it could be. Grot day too.

Gentle breath of fresh air round Learney

Walked down to meet E at school. Didn't feel like running so didn't bother.

From Aboyne out the TW to beyond otter bridge and back the same way. Just planning on ticking over and relaxing this week.

Emotionally drained. Went up to DR to try and run some of it off. Did 5 x ~3'+1' at level 4 pace then jogged back the long way round. Enough.

Bad night's sleep trying to digest news from Fridays A90 accident.
Left for Embra at 6:15, and proceeded to take 5 hours from Torphins to Leith to arrive 1 hour after the start of the workshop, with 3 of the 5 speakers in our car ;-(
Need an early night

Hung the last controls for training at Inchmarnoch and picked a few up after. Feeling tired and had too many clothes on to move at any speed.

Control hanging and collecting for TS training at Ballater.
1. Hanging emit for middle distance on Allt Cailleach. Right knee started twingeing badly. Some new thinning near the start but good course and forest still nice.
2. Picked up kites from the bouldery bit on the E side of Glen Muick. Was about 5m from a huge red stag before it moved off. Tricky wee exercise.
3. Hanging loop on Craigendarroch. A bit exciting in places but really nice. Walked pretty much all of this.

Had a good stretch while waiting for everyone at Craigendarroch.

Checking remaining sites at LoB. Put up several hundred geese and a couple of lapwing from the assembly fields. Stayed dry and out of the wind in the forest. Out for ~2h

Same as last Sat - 3 x 5 x 1'+1' on the DW up from the bridge. Was expecting this to be as bad as the last time, but actually felt ok once I got going and distances were back to normal. Felt like a good aerobic effort as was still breathing hard at the end of the recovery. Happy with this.

15' w-u, jog back between sets and 5' w-d.

Very tired this morning. Went for a recovery run in Aboyne along the river then back through Lady Wood. Felt better for it.

Finished off with a few bf laps of the school playing field. Feet have been cramping badly recently and want to see if this will help sort them out again. Cold but nice tingly feet.

With DR on the green. 2 x long (~5'+2') and 4 x short (~2:30' +1'). Still feeling pretty crap so this session was tough, bu managed to work through it. Skipped an extra 2 at the end that everyone else did.

Long route to the green and back. Getting dropped on the w-u - never a good sign.

Feeling rubbish and grumpy, so just went for a wee jog round the woods. Running was still rubbish but in better humour after.

With J and E from Cambus bridge to Ballater on the S side of the river, tea stop, then back by the DW. Detour up to the needle and then an extra loop of Cambus at E's insistence. Nice ride and good pace.

Wasn't feeling much brighter this morning, but determined to do this regardless. 3 x sets of 5 x 1' + 1' up the DW hill from the bridge. Felt awful and distances were poor, but I did it. Tick.

Reasonable w-u, jog back down between sets, and short w-d.

Family ride along DW into Aboyne (usual argument with Mr Bird en route), through Bell Wood and alongside the Tarland B back towards WHW. Stopped at the new tea room for drink and cake (nice but pricey) then home via back road. Complete refusal on the hill - can't get into granny chain ring. My excuse and I'm sticking to it. E managed whole hill with only a 10s breather in the middle - pretty impressive.

Had planned a hill session on the DW, but realised fairly rapidly on my w-u that it wasn't going to happen, so just did a steady cow-shit alley bullevard loop. Hope to do the hills tomorrow.

2 x manure barrows and most of the rest of the day in the garden. Lovely day and really pleasant to be out enjoying it at a relaxed pace.