Should I Gamble?

And book 13th/14th March for a long Snowdonia weekend? Probably still be bloody raining. Next dates would be 10th/11th April. After that we're into May... Decisions, decisions. I feel the need to get out onto the open road in the van - not to mention climb some real mountains...

Hasn't Been The Greatest Week Of Training So Far

I've managed to get home late every day this week so far, feeling tired. I've managed a couple hours on the bike in the warm and dry - no, I'm not heading out into this current weather system. The cough is easing - I'm not allowed to mention mucus (but that's subsided anyway). I think I should be all sytems go by the weekend for the orienteering training on Saturday and something, as yet undecided, Sunday. Which reminds me, I must look out the details for Saturday, like where it's taking place.

With the dip in training, pound eight is taking its time to leave stage left but it should have vacated by the weekend - provided I don't relapse and eat too many pies before then....

Less Mucus

Never a bad thing. Still coughing, just not as much. Still, congested, but not as badly. I'll be glad when I'm back to normal - I say normal, it's all relative.... Anyway, I was home late, feeling tired, so there wasn't any training going on tonight. It was all I could do to muster to cook pesto pasta with chilli and bacon, topped with tomato and parmesan. Those Italians have really nailed fast food.

The Curious Incident Of Creber's Map With Paths Shown...

In the race organisers notes, the blue course was to use a map with the forest paths removed. Enquiring as to why Andy's map had paths shown drew the response, "You don't want to be orienteering in these woods without using the paths, you'll get cut to ribbons, it's right rough it is."

Anyway, it was good fun but a bit of a struggle and not just down to the roughness of the terrain. I jogged across from home, about six and a half kilometres and it was a struggle. This mucous cough is having a more detrimental effect than I gave it credit for. I was a bit out of breath and I really did only jog. The weather was far less severe than the scaremongers - or MET Office as some know them - were warning of and I think it would have be all right in the mountains. That said I'm glad I didn't go because I think I would really have struggled. 6km was tough 28km might have been the end of me.

No, I definitely made the right call and I don't think it's going to be sensible to go tomorrow either. I think I need to ease off a bit this coming week. Get back to 100% and then crack on again. One week light duties is not going to knockk me back too badly.

As to the orienteering, that was okay. I didn't cover the ground at all quickly and with few solid points of reference - aka, the paths, grrrr Creber - it was difficult navigation. My local knowledge aided me on a few of the controls but mostly it was just steady as she goes to avoid making any really big mistakes. I finished. Job done. Then it was just the jog back home and the warmth of the central heating...

Well, It's Been A Month

And a couple of days since I started the diet. One month on and I'm seven pounds lighter and it's been all too easy. In another month I'll be back down to my racing weight. A weight I've not been since 2008! It seems almost too easy... There has to be a hitch somewhere doesn't there?

I have the focus now. I've been a long time in limbo. 3+ years is a long time to be letting things slip. Somewhere back there I forgot what it's all about. Live to work or work to live? And by live really mean run.

I think I remember what it is to be the Mad Runner. To do the stuff which is pretty darn stupid but you do it anyway. It's time to put MAD back on the menu...

That said, there's MAD and there's MMMAAAADDDD - and I'm not quite at that stage just yet. Tomorrow's forecast has vastly deteriorated. What was windy but mostly dry is now pretty much solid rain and strong winds - and that means sleety snow up in the mountains. Not sure it's sensible to put myself through four to five hours of that. It certainly isn't going to help my mucous cough much. So the Flaxley orienteering might well be back to the menu. Oh the shame...

Not Sure If I'm Ready For This One Yet?

At 28km and 1300m of ascent I'm not sure I'm ready to bite off this much training. Seventeen and a half miles? 4500ft ascent? That's what I'm contemplating for Saturday. There is the local orienteering literally across the road but if I don't run long on Saturday lethargy may strike me down and I won't get out for a long run at all - and I can't let that happen. My route is certainly going to be a challenge at this early stage of the comeback but if I do, by some miracle, make it back alive it'll be a big boost mentally. The certainty is that it'll be a long day out...

28km, 1300m ascent? Not sure about this one.....

Would Have Been Third

To clarify, I was third M40 but if I'd stayed to the prize giving I'd have got a prize - apparently. Not that I'd have stayed even if I'd known that for two reasons. Firstly I wouldn't have got home till half ten and with an early start every day I need my beauty sleep - just think how much worse I'd look without it! And secondly, despite being a good improvement on my last time out, I'd have been embarrassed to take a prize for a time that slow... I bet by the time I'm running more respectable times - yes, that era is dawning - the field will be stronger and I'll be nowhere near third...

Thirty One Seconds...

Better than my last 5k. Not difficult as my run in October was truly awful. It was the Pomphrey Sports 5k tonight and in determined mood, I made the start line - and the finish!

I wasn't aiming to set the world on fire, just run a bit quicker than last time. I set off towards the back of the pack and little by little picked my way through the field. I took the pace quite easy in the first half, letting the loss of three bags of sugar from around my waist, in a month, do its thing.

It did indeed do its thing as I didn't really have to dig in until the last kilometre and even then it was more keeping the focus than anything else. I never pushed myself outside the comfort zone tonight but still came away 31s better - subliminal message, most improved runner...

I know at some point I will have to put in some serious effort but for now I'll just keep easing the time downwards.

Planning

I decided it was time to start planning some time in the mountains - and I don't just mean the Brecons. I've pencilled in five possible long weekends between now and June in which to head to Snowdonia for some real proper mountain running. I've also pencilled in three or four long weekends June to August to visit the Lakes. Can't believe I didn't get to the Lakes even once last year!

All I need to do now is pick some feature races. I quite fancy the Vegan English 3000s in September. A new race from the same crew that put on the Welsh 3k race that I ran last year. Not sure it'll be a classic - there is a lot of competition for that status up there - but at 75km with 4,500m ascent it will definitely be a challenge. Hmmm, thinking cap on....

Oh, yeah, and pound six is history!

I Enjoyed That

Despite the murk and the strong winds. Character building I think they call it. It actually wasn't too bad out there. It's true, the views weren't great - in those few breaks in the murk - but it could have been a whole bunch worse. In fact, pretty much like the driving rain piling down outside right now as I type. I'm bloody glad I got up at six o'clock to get on the road early.

I went with the clockwise loop, as devised last night, and picked up the main jaunt from Blaen y Glyn car park to the Lower Neuadd res and west, up to the ridge. I plodded along, trying to keep a little focus on at least attempting to run powerfully - it didn't work. I ticked off the summits round to Fan-y-Big - snigger - before cutting off the ridge an onto the boggy Beacons Way. At the bend I kept straight to go off piste and round the west side of Craig y Fan Ddu, dropping to a 620m contour - damn, sssh, note to self, don't divulge findings...

Anyway, after reaching the path at the south end of CyFD I turned upwards and ran the ridge back towards Waun Rydd to keep the mileage up. I remember why I limit my running along that ridge. It get's a little muddy towards the end... I eventually made it to the cross-paths at the end and headed homeward.

I found a nice little track just below the Cwar y Gigfran ridge. I was intending to be atop the ridge but I came across the path and, in the tradition of all the great explorers, followed it. As I neared the spur at the end of the ridge (above me) I decided to cut down across the valley before crossing the next feeder stream so I would cross the main river in the valley bottom slightly higher up and with less water flowing. It was a good plan and the crossing safe.

With only a few more minutes running left, I made it back to the van in just under three hours. I was happy with that. My route more or less followed that which I had planned with the exception of the 'lower than the final ridge' ridge path.

I covered just over 14 miles with 3,000ft of ascent. I did start to tire in the last couple of miles but by then the hard work was done and it was just a case of making my way off the mountain. I finished off the day's training with 45 minutes on the static bike to unwind. I feel things are starting to move in the right direction.

It Looks Like Being A Wet One...

Been a hard week at work and I'm feeling tired. Taking a night off from training in order to be rested for tomorrow. Not sure I really want to. I have a feeling the views from the top ain't going to be particularly special but 'want to' and 'need to' are very different task masters. I've decided my route. I'm heading to the central beacons and the tourist paths - with a few deviations of course. I have a feeling I'm going to be seeing very few tourists there tomorrow.

Fingers crossed it doesn't rain the entire time I'm out...

Tomorrow's route:-

Clockwise, starting at Blaen y Glyn upper car park

You Know When...

You make cauliflower cheese - with a few twists of course, but that's not important - and it's cooked, smells lush and you just want to tuck in? You know you should wait for it to cool a little. It's bubbling, that's a clue, but still... yes, I burnt my tongue. It was worth it though! The words, "gert lush", sprang to mind - and also, "damn it, I wish I'd waited a few minutes"...

Still, I kept inside the days calorie target. Pound six won't be more than a few days away. Happy days.

Feeling Better But Not Quite Right

Still coughing but don't feel achy anymore. The ol' immune system has kicked in and is doing its thang. It flippin' well needs to as well. I've 15 miles in the mountains to get run on Saturday - and them miles won't run themselves. Now, if only someone could just invent that....

Still, on other fronts, pound number five has left the building.

The Curse Of The Pit...

Well today if took it's revenge. No, touch wood, it's still all operational - but I'm not feeling on top form. Sore throat, dry cough, headache behind the eyes - if you know that feeling - and slightly aching joints... That can't be good can it? Not feeling major unwell, mind. It's certainly not that most serious of illnesses, man flu, but I'm definitely not firing on all cylinders. It didn't start to present until midmorning and didn't stop me working although my head feels slightly foggy. On arrival home I only managed half an hour on the bike before knocking it on the head. Don't think I'm going to stay awake too long tonight...


The Pit....