Training Log Archive: Dooby

Decided to play it safe and take a 2nd day off, just wary in case any sedative is still in the system.

Weather is for blustery showers tomorrow but will definitely be on one orienteering map or another. Would like to check that fence in Crohane, and if I don't make it there then i've a few areas in Muckross to investigate.

C • take it down 2

In the Bonnes this morning for a bit of fun, getting a pipe put down my throat to have a look inside my stomach. Thought sedative was the way to go but then I read the info and that requires an injection into a vein in the arm, but I suppose it's the lesser of two evils.

No idea what sort of shape i'll be in afterwards but definitely won't be training today.

What a disaster of a morning. The endoscopy was the only thing that went fine. Blood sugar problems so was put on a drip to help that. Then stood up to walk to the test room but fainted. My memory isn't great but think I had a good few nurses around me. Also no memory of the endoscopy, sedative took care of that. I have no recollection of consultant talking to me afterwards but one of the nurses said it looked ok but must wait for biopsy results. So good result at the end of the day.

Avg Cadence = 89rpm

Legs felt ok on the bike but calf was a small bit tight today. Happy with this session, got the 1st 30 done easy enough and then pushed on to get to the end of the film, knew i'd end up at the 50 mark on the bike. Finished Transformers 2 so will start on the 3rd one next week.

Castleisland

Went to the track for intervals but no one turned up!!! So with a few cms of snow on the track running there wasn't an option, and I wasn't going to do intervals on my own anyway. Just ran around the outside, some snow/ice at the start so had to be careful there. A few other iffy spots but generally ok to run.

Took splits each lap, just to see how many I ran, 11. That's not counting the 1st and last laps, warm-up and warm-down so 13 in total.

3.49
3.42
3.36
3.36
3.38
3.31
3.36
3.31
3.32
3.30
3.28

So laps aren't that inconsistent, but wasn't running them to a set pace. Could feel the HR increasing as the run went on. Legs got a bit tired and started to feel left quad. Ankle survived ok, was very sore last night.

Muckross - Friday Loop

Got going early so didn't need the head torch for a good bit of the run, lucky as the battery ran low so had to use back-up to get me home. That also caused problems as I went over on my ankle, again!!! Sore, sore, sore. But should be ok tomorrow. So not having light near the end didn't help with a weak ankle. Stopped to put snow into my sock to freeze it, needed.

But despite the ankle issue, the start of the run was very nice, cold, but still snow on the ground. There was a small bit of ice in places but didn't cause trouble. Was enjoying myself until the ankle problem, with legs feeling ok.

Got extra sleep this morning as the alarm failed to work properly! Worked out for the best though as the extra time probably gave the roads a chance to improve. It was a white morning in Killarney and in Kerry in general, a few cms of snow on the ground. So took over an hour to get to work! Roads were definitely not that bad though, just the drivers, but better to be safe than sorry.

Monday - Turbo Trainer (would be nice to run in the snow but legs are tired)
Tuesday - Running
Wednesday - Running (intervals)
Thursday - Turbo Trainer
Friday - Hospital so it's a rest day! Think it'll only be half a day but can't imagine being in the form to train afterwards, especially if I get a sedative.
Saturday - ? Depends how I feel, maybe check sites in Muckross
Sunday - Crohane

Avg Cadence = 89rpm

Watched a bit more of Transformers 2. Spun the legs for a bit of recovery. Would have liked to have been out running in whatever was leftover of the snow but legs needed an easy day. If there is more snow tonight then there should still be snow there tomorrow, hope it doesn't get icy though.

Short warm up along the road and back to the car. BITTER day.

Watergrasshill

Cold day so wore gloves, and definitely didn't regret it, got the layers right as I didn't get too cold or overheat. 1st control was grand, and then fought through some green to get towards 2. Went around the light green going to 3, ran up to it but didn't like the look of it so took the ride out. Nice attackpoint when I found a control on the road going to 3. Then into the forest going to 4 it was very dark and thick, bit greener than the map said, but I reckon I did start in the dark green when I left the track.

Direction leaving 4 was slightly off but corrected it ok. Met Liam O'Brien looking for 5, he was wondering if the control wasn't there but I told him it was on further, I was proved correct. Went through the open to get to 6, start of it was rough, but then better running after that. Forest after leaving the track was also a bit thick. The control for 6 was interesting, black x on the map, found out it was a tractor tyre standing up in the forest. Ger found it discarded nearby so made it into a control site.

7 and 8 were ok. I decided to come back out to the road for 9, met my dad randomly in the middle of the light green. Again used the road to get to 10 rather than look for the small path through the dark green. First part of the leg to 11 was ok, then the trees thickened, lowering visibility and questioned my location. Think a safer route to the road would have been faster but only saw it later. 12 was the long leg, just track running. Some snow along the track! 13 was in the quarry so I took a safe route to that, small bit of hesitation towards the end but got it ok.

Took the right route to 14, small track running rather than back the muddy track I came in. I was happy with my AP into 15, used the end of a clearing before leaving the road. Ended up too rar north of 15 but not much time lost. Long run-in, 640m according to the descriptions in a straight line. Went via the lovely bit of open forest, starting off using the same route I took to 11 but in the opposite direction.

Results
Splitsbrowser
Small margin of victory! Happy to have a straight line on Splitsbrowser but I definitely didn't have the cleanest of races, just cleaner than everyone else. Time loss was due to slow running rather than mistakes.

Straight line route was 7.5km so I ran a good deal more than that, there were no legs where you could have run straight if you wanted to come home in one piece.

Slow run in the track a bit from the finish and back out. Legs feeling tired. Left calf a small bit tight but generally feeling ok.

Didn't think I'd be collecting controls but glad to help out. Putting back on my wet socks and shoes did hurt. Had a bit of running to do to get to the controls. Also had an extra control to start out with that wasn't on the blue course, near control 6, so bonus orienteering.

Legs were tired but didn't complain too much. Worked on the basis of it was 3 * 3, as the controls were clustered. Dropped controls between 4 and 8 to collect 8, didn't fancy running through the forest carrying controls and 4 had to be got too.

4 from the other side was also tough going, think the forest is tougher than the light green would suggest. Did a triangle for the last couple of controls using the control on the track as a base. As I was taking the kites off to make the stakes easier to carry John Chandler arrived to help so that made the run back with the controls easier.

I knew I was out for 30mins+ collecting but was surprised to see it was 5k that i'd ran!

Knockaculleta

Planned a training session on the 3rd closest map to Whitechurch. Was joined by Brian Corbett and Robrunner. Started with Rob for the first few controls. The 3rd control was a bit iffy, depression, think I found it but the wall nearby really was indistinct. Rob lost some time at 6 so I kept on going.

Near 18 on my way to 9 I had an incident with barbed wire, ran into a strand of it with my chest. No idea why the wire was in the middle of the forest. My jacket didn't thank me for it, have some new airholes to cool me down!

The forest around 10 is tough going. Followed what I thought was the ride that was heading towards 13, but it wasn't it, hit the track not exactly where i'd planned to. Then went straight to 14 where I ran into some trouble, was close to where I wanted to be but didn't see an escape, back tracked for a bit, then tried again. Finally found a way out.

The area around 19 and 20 really is a mystery, was happy with how I got into the area but had the same issue getting out that I had in the event back in November. Not sure if I found the control site for 20 but I don't trust the streams in there.

Didn't push too hard today and it's an area that you kinda need to attack. Felt ok running and afterwards which was the main thing. Nice day for a run, small bit chilly but otherwise nice to run. Decided against gloves in the end and it was the right choice.

CorkO dinner tonight so an excuse to take a day off. Reckon I need one anyways as I went from not exercising to doing something 8 days in a row, not the most sensible of training returns but still feeling ok.

Got a nice session planned in Knockaculleta tomorrow morning, about 8k in a straight line, and then orienteering in Watergrasshill on Sunday so that'll be a similar sort of distance but probably not as much straight line running.

Avg Cadence = 90rpm

I've uploaded the route for my warm down last night, interesting shape.

Legs were a bit sore today but not too bad, right knee could be felt at times when I was on the bike, but not at other times. Just taking each week as it comes, thought i'd organise physio for next week but never got around to it, enough to worry about next week.

Started watching Transformers 2, been meaning to watch the 3rd one so i'll refresh with the 2nd film first.

Shorter warm-up than usual outside and then did a lap or so of the track before getting straight into the session.

5 * 800m

Had thought about doing longer intervals but the lads were doing 800s and I wasn't too bothered to try and do something on my own, legs tired.

Started off chasing and spent the entire night doing likewise, although ran with George after the 1st one, but he pulled away on the last lap each time. Body felt better running wise the more I did, was hesitant in the first couple as I wasn't sure about how the legs would react.

2.41
2.48
2.42
2.42
2.44
Recovery varied from 1.51 to 2.12 but generally around the 2.

The times were consistend tnough apart from the 2nd one, and on the last one I tried to give what I had left but the chest really suffered on the 2nd 400 so looks like the body still isn't 100%.

Nice evening for running and will go again next week.

Thankfully the pace wasn't too fast. Body suffering but from tiredness rather than a particular issue so pleased with that. Also happy i'm not running again until Saturday, give the legs a break.

Arthur got a shock reading the Kerryman today, a fella he was at a GAA coaching conference last Saturday with was arrested for a few burglaries, they got the plane down from Dublin, Arthur noticed a few plain clothes lads waiting outside, he didn't realise they were there to arrest the lad who came off the plane after him!!!

Muckross

Bit of a headtorch malfunction before I got going, I broke something so have a bit of glueing to do to fix it. So rooted out an old headtorch along with my small led and that got me through. Think there is a small bit more brightness in the evenings, it's nearly a month since the shortest day of the year. Decided to not run my usual route but try and run more roads. Started off ok (damp afternoon) with not too much rain but after a while it got much heavier which didn't help with the small torch. Plenty of water on the roads.

Longer the run went on the worse my legs started to feel, mainly as the latter part of the run was on road. Not too bad afterwards so was temporary soreness. Right knee not too bad and calves ok, not very happy with my legs. Think i'll get that physio session next week.

C • evening light 3