Training Log Archive: Alibongo

Claire and I entered the LAMM today. Am I insane?

C • nope 2

JK Relay Leg 3. Women's short. Oh dear, what a mess! Team was 9th. Dropped three places, dreadful!

JK Day 2 Ashdown Forest. No problems finding the controls but I just wasn't quick enough! Disappointed that I didn't get a better place than 12th (both days and overall), but now I see why - I blew it on my route to #9 because I missed an easy track/path run right to the control. Instead I got stuck in the mud on the edge of the uncrossable marsh in the valley and dropped several places in the process - very bad route choice. You live and learn.

I hope the owner of the Tag Heur watch was delighted to be reunited with it. I found it in a marsh between #10 and #11, it was really heavy in my pocket... but perhaps not as irritating as my gloves - they made a bid for freedom from my underwear and ended up round my knees, thank goodness for the elastic on Silva O trousers!

JK Day 1 Leith Hill. Dumped my clothes with the sun shining and started in hailstones, it was a fffreezing and horrible start to the race. I went slowly and cautiously for the first three controls but probably a bit slow and dithery in retrospect. Once I was in full flow I gained speed and the rest of the controls I hit spot on having decided to take some safe routes. I met the hailstones head on in an open area towards the end, which was painful on my face but dug in and even had a bit left for the run in. Not sure I can forgive those responsible for taking the tent down by the time I got there... but thanks to SYO for letting me use their badly damaged tent to shelter and change in before having to salvage various parts for putting away before it took off in the wind!

Event: JK 2008
 

JK Start/stop/start sprint race in the grounds of The University of Surrey with a 1:3,000 scale map. Hardly picked up much speed between the controls as it was so tricky to navigate between the buildings and under passes! The first two were hard to get into but once I'd got the hang of the scale it was fine, did a few reverses having gone the wrong way but it all added to the fun.

Discovered that my hamstrings were mega tight today whilst doing a particular exercise, so bad in fact that the instructor decided to help stretch them out!

Dusk and dark run around Sauchie crags. Set off at a lovely pace with Janine and the guys until they stepped up a gear and I was trailing at the rear. Headlights were on after five minutes. The paths weren't too bad at all after a full dry day for a while. The path along the top of the crags was ace - lots of up and down roller coaster bits with wee tricky downhill sections, which I was definitely mincing on (didn't want to injure any more bits before the weekend). Janine was probably well fed up of looping back to get me although she never complained once! The guys caught up on the last 100m, having done an extra bit along the crags, and we finished together in time for dinner.