Training Log Archive: D-MAN

Event: Swiss O week 2014
 

PM Warm up run for the Tomintoul Highland Games Hill Race.

PM 173rd Tomintoul Highland Games-Tom Na Bat Hill Race. Somehow Will and Toni found this hill race so we decided to go. Basically running up a hill with a partially marked route through the heather. All cross country running with some small very indistinct single track paths if you could find them. Will and I found ourselves at the front of the race and did not really know where we were going but thankfully the route was marked better than the organizers suggested. The route was once up a big hill then all the way down and back 3/4 of the way up again on the other side which was slightly steeper most of the way than the first time up and then back down and to the finish. Will led for the most part up the first hill and had a 10-15m gap on me and then I caught him half way down the downhill and past him near the bottom of the downhill. I led the next uphill with him right behind me and then got a bit of a gap by the top and got a bit more of a gap on the downhill and it pretty much stayed the same until the finish. It was a very tough race and only had to speed walk for about 40s up the hill the second time in the steepest part. I ended up winning the race overall and was only 6 seconds from the course record which was 28:14 from 2010. Maybe I could have beat the record if I was wearing a watch but I had no idea what to expect from the race and didn't think I would be even close to the record. I think I could have maybe beaten the course record if I new I was so close as I was just trying to stay ahead of Will at the end and didn't go crazy in the last 200m, he was only 12 seconds behind me at the finish. It is easy to say I could have beaten the record after the fact though. Maybe next year before WOC? It was a really fun and painful race that earned me 25 pounds for winning. It was a nice day around 18C with a bit of light rain. Will's GPS said 5.8km, 346m climb. My foot felt pretty good, just slightly sore afterwords but nothing compared to a week ago.

PM 173 rd Tomintoul Highland Games 800m. Decided to enter the 800m after the hill race (only about an hour rest or less). Three and a bit laps of a grass track with even a little hill on one corner. Started out fine and then my legs were burning like crazy on the last lap on the slight incline. Will took the win and I was third. Managed to win another 16 pounds. Just guessed my time?