Swallowed up in the mist

ocnoc

Fantastic mountain run today.
I ran a variation of the Dublin Mountain Plod. Felt really sh*t at the start. Debated dropping out before I reached Rockbrook... then just htfu'd and went on. Going up through Masseys, felt terrible. Running along the fire road, I began to feel a bit better. Descending down through Cruagh, my legs were able to open up and I felt good. Bumped into a rake of trials bikers... and Fat N's dad.... who gave me the key to his house to wake him up.

Needless to say, I bounced up Tirbradden, the weather closed in something fearse! Over the top of 3rock and danced down the rocks. It was fantastic. I remembered how to descend at a reasonable pace - which was great and a serious positive of today.

Ran back to Marley some random direction. Really fun and a good stretch of the legs - next time more open mountain

ocnoc

7th May 2012. Irish Orienteering Champs Relays.
222 days and counting.

Detailed visualising of every possible situation I can think of is already happening. The thoughts of kicking off the front of the 3 man pack with just over a kilometer to go, executing each leg at maximum speed, accelerating the entire way home, with no one able to match my pace.

The adrenaline is already pumping through my vains. Its going to be awesome.
Between now and then is going to be pretty horrible.
Mountains, sand dunnes, park land, tartan track.
Sleepless nights, college projects and sore muscles.

The planning is already underway.

It never get easier; you just go faster. - Greg LeMond

The 7th of May 1867 (145 years ago) was also the day that Dynamite was invented.

Coincidence? I think not.

Before all of this comes into play - we have another relay on the calender.
The Munster Relay Championships. Can't wait to go full gas

ocnoc

I have a massive race performance within me coming to the surface.
I have that feeling of a balance - just like before Stone Cross 2 years ago, or Camaderry, Avongbeg and the WW this year.

Its brewing slightly before the surface.

Completely gutted I can't throw on the Donore singlet for this weeks Novice XC

ocnoc

Pretend I posted this Saturday at the end of my training week.

So had good week this week. Sunday was the Dublin Mountain plod, Tues was a seriously quality sesh. It was pretty awesome, the entire group was flying. The weekly run on Howth was done 10mins faster than usual. Sitting on the dart back I developed a bit of a cold (still hasn't left me). For the sesh on Thurs, the legs felt heavy at the start, but got into the swing of things to finish very strongly. Friday was off, and headed Fermanagh direction for the Northern Irish O Champs. Had a poor technical run and wasn't overly fresh so finished 5mins down in 3rd. Another week down.

1 day of no running.
1 light S&C sessions

7:48hrs 92km
2 easy runs
1 tempo
1 hill session
2 Mountain run
1 O Race

Bike 3:01hrs

ocnoc

Start of the week consisted of getting sick. Always a good start. So no long run.
I just kept it careful for the rest off the week. Was all set to head mountains direction but I got lashed upon and didnt want to get sick again so I turned the bike around and went home, changed kit and went out to the park.
One or two savage sessions, but over all a poor week. 1 night of 3hrs sleep and 1 night of 13hrs sleep on the kitchen floor after falling asleep while doing my stretches. Commitment or what!

1 day of no running.
0 light S&C sessions

5:52hrs 76km
4 easy runs
1 tempo
1 hill session
0 Mountain run

Bike 2:18hrs

ocnoc

Every now and then, you find someone a little bit crazy

Unidentified Mountain Runner wrote:

I have just entered the covert cell of the Irish mountain running scene. I have turned up to an event with the tough guys of mountain running. These are the mountain goats that have been to every nook and cranny of the hills and know them all like the back of their wind-weathered hands. They are the accomplished navigators and orienteers of this sport, guys who can read maps and follow compasses whilst running uphill and across bog at high speed. These are the guys who avoid the Wednesday mountain races like the plague because they find them not long enough, not steep enough, and not rough enough. These are IMRA’s hardcore.

ocnoc

Week Ending

Oct 15th - 88.7km
Oct 22nd - 68.5km (SHI, Wales ran SHIT!)
Oct 29th - 72.1km
Nov 5th - 43.1km
Nov 12th - 78km (Dublin Seniors XC + Colleges Relays)
Nov 19th - 70.0km
Nov 25th - 69.3km
Dec 3rd - 78.2km (Nat Inter Counties Sligo)
Dec 10th - 104km
Dec 17th - 107km

Missing the mountains
The numbers speak for themselves. Hard to hide from data

ocnoc

Easy run in the park. Ran around Munich. Just as it felt like the start of a climb, it ended

ocnoc

Goal Mile

00:10:10.0

Result :cool:

ocnoc

Day 2 of 7.
Feels like 2 months have passed.
Sleep comes difficult.

The last time I have taken an entire week off training was early Oct 2009.
I was sick and I wanted to race but the team manager sent me home.

I suppose it takes confidence to have the mental strength to take an entire week off to make sure the body is right when the sh*t hits the fan

ocnoc

Races 2011

No. of Races| Type | Most Fun/Painful/Enjoyable
18 |Irish O Races | Shamrock O Ringen, West Cork - because its West Cork!
15 |International O Races | Jukola, Finland - because Jukola is special
7 |XC races | Inter Counties, Sligo - because it hurt
4 |Mountain races | Camaderry, Wicklow - because I wanted it


Many highs, many lows.
Roll on another 365 days of hurt

Slogger Jogger

So leg 5 of the wwr was easy and unforgetable

ocnoc

Leg 5 was sprung upon me.
I didn't really have time to dwell on it.
I didn't have countless runs becoming obsessed about the pain that I would inflict on my body.
My mind wasn't a movie of the course - it wasn't burnt into my brain.

To have something permanently scared into ones mind and to obsess about it to the point of madness is a special race.
Jukola is one of those special races. Stone Cross is one of those special races.

Its not the result that matters (well, it does) but the amount of pain and perfect suffering to put in a perfect race.

Shamrock was perfect given the last day was a chasing start and the way the race played out. Going from last of the CNOC guys to first is a beautiful feeling - and to completely dominate the last 2km, even though I was the weaker runner gave confidence going into the summer season...

Jukola is Jukola. The perfect race. Orienteering relay in awesome terrain

Inter Counties - Muddy and I enjoyed it.

Camaderry - Runnable for the runners, technical enough at the top to give an advantage to the brave to make up seconds. When its head to head racing where everyone is around the same standard. It makes an awesome race!


WWR doesn't compete against those 4. It is a trail based relay, follow the pretty yellow men. Good fun, yes. It gets the juices flowing because its a race where 6 other guys are depending on you so your going to bury yourself - but when its ranked against the other races, it doesn't really feature.

Saying that, if I'm needed - I'm sure I'll get stuck in again next year. It is a race after all

ocnoc

Is Boards entering a Wicklow Lakes Team??

donothoponpop

ocnoc wrote: »

Is Boards entering a Wicklow Lakes Team??

I'm flying back from the States the day before, so wouldn't really be available to organise any team, if someone else fancied wearing the captains armband...

ocnoc

donothoponpop wrote: »

if someone else fancied wearing the captains armband...

Don't get me wrong... I would love to run on a Boards team, however, I have more pressing matters at hand.

CNOC gona dominate :cool:

donothoponpop

ocnoc wrote: »

Don't get me wrong... I would love to run on a Boards team, however, I have more pressing matters at hand.

CNOC gona dominate :cool:

Tentative discussions tonight to form a Boards team...

This sort of relay is a good move for IMRA, let's try and get as many teams out there as possible. Can CNOC all swim?

ocnoc

donothoponpop wrote: »

Can CNOC all swim?

Swim?

This team walks on water :cool:

ocnoc

The big question is how the hell do we select our team??
and who runs what leg???

Mr Angry, Mr Cocky, Mr Small, Mr Roar, Mr Lanky, Mr Tri

I'm liking the handicapped format. It gives teams something to hunt.

ocnoc

Biked to Taylors in the rain. When I arrived I resembled a drowned rat.

Ran up to Fairy Castle, but only got as far as the upper carpark. At which point I was blown off my feet. This shook me and I decided been up here probably wasn't the best idea. So I ran back down the mountain back to Taylors.

As I arrived at Taylors, I looked at the watch, the thought process was "jeez, just 25mins. This is crap. What a short run. I'm such a wimp". At which point, I decided that the weather couldn't be that bad on top so I ran back up... When I arrived in the upper car park, it turns out the weather had gotten worse and I was correct with my first assumption.

So I headed for home. Mountain run 1 completed. Not as far as I intended and zero terrain. Disappointed yet pretty physic'd now that I am showered. Big mental points scoring given the dodge weather and horrible soul crushing cycle in the rain there and back.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/138953620

donothoponpop

:D

That's the funniest Garmin connect I ever saw. I put it on player, and I swear I can almost hear your thoughts as you turn back for round two!

ocnoc

To the park for tonights session...

Wait, whats this video that has shown up on my feedburner...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ec3CxvC_EF8

. . . . .

To Wicklow!!

ocnoc

Fairy castle take 2.
Got a lift up, did an old loop that we used to run when I was a wee lad with only a halogen light! I feel old.

Weather was fine. Wind was a blowing lightly on the summit, but talk of training and how to set up an elite training center in ireland made the time travel quickly.
Cruised the route. At the beginning I was horrifyingly poor technically, but as the kilometers clocked up, so did my technique.
Ankle slightly swollen. F it, it'll be grand.
Onwards and upwards, and down again faster.

2 down, many to go.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/139178130

ocnoc

Rolled out of the laba at 0830... out of the house by 9. Win.

Brockagh and Glendasan O sesh/ terrain run with the gang.
Brockagh the going was good, Glendasan was not so good going. Fairly ****ty in places where a forced walk/climb was on the cards.

12km in 2hours. Nuff said.

Onwards and upwards.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/139941500

Map to the maddness

ocnoc

Exams over.

Age: 23
Mental age: 12
Physical Age (according to physio): +60

Niggles/injures under wraps. +1hrs of S&C a day fun

Back in the game :cool:

ocnoc

Cruised around Howth

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/148278597


Rough weekender lined up
Should be tired by Monday

Saturday
AM Sessioning
PM O'ing (probably easy)
PM Night O (most likely not easy)

Sunday
AM O'ing
PM 120mins (minus Oing time)

ocnoc

What a sex on legs weekender.
Sprintervals in UCD was fun - but I don't feel as if I got the same workout as if I did a pure running session in the park. Something to keep my mind on in future. I wore racers and so was sliding on the grass. This meant that I had to take route choices that stuck to hard surfaces. Solid sesh to start the weekender.
Maps part 1 and part 2.

Home, food, shower, off to the Curragh. Landed early but later than we planned so we chilled out and waited for night to fall....
As the darkness enveloped us, the kit was changed and lights fired up. With the light beams cutting through the dark feburary night we raced agressively across the Curragh plains. It was a case of the good and the bad. I was crusing agressively... Finished 1min down on the boss - he did plan and put out the controls but it was a bit of a kick in the nads. I don't like to lose. On the plus side, the boss had to push himself to his limit - watch watching as he beasted it around the last loop. CNOC 1,2,3. Map.

Sunday dawned early. Off following the compass north to just outside Monaghan town. Rossmore Forest park was battle ground one of the Leinster League Series. I had an ok race. Kept it controlled and nailed the nav. I am happy with all my route choices. Had a few small slips, 30sec on control 5 and 30sec on control 7. Had the pleasure of tailing up and coming Junior Star Millar Light for a few controls before experience and just being better conditioned sorted the men from the boys... for the time being!
I made a hash of my compass baring going into control 19 in the low lying trees. I think I got pushed by the line of trees. I relocated relatively quickly - but the damage was done. 2mins handed away. Came away with the win. Three races, three wins. Map for LL1

Wednesday leads to my weekly trek to something with a bit of up!
Hit the trails on Howth and was bouncing around. Felt fantastic!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/149806377

Past 7 days. 70miles, 2500 climb - get in.

ocnoc

Mountain running at night in the mist is fun. Scary, but fun.

Myself and the boss left town as the sun began to set. Armed with 2 charged head torches and coffee. As we neared Wicklow, the mountains seemed to be getting darker, steeper and more enclosed in a thick mist.
As we neared our kick of location, we struggled to see the edge of the road. This was going to get interesting.

Things got even better as we landed and turned on our torches to discover that one of our main torches was dead. So we were already using one of the back ups.

Off we set, across the road, down the earth bank... bam. Wet socks.
Climbing climbing climbing... into the mist. Unable to make out anything a head, just the next 5m of hazy trail. 17mins later we had reached Seechon, and we could see nothing. And I mean nothing. Our torches just lite up the whitness all around us as the wind whipped across the summit.

Out came the map and compass (pretty dam glad I have a set of kit that i pack regardless of the conditions) and off we went into the emptiness. The plan was altered to stick to some form of solid track and just stretch the legs in the forest. First we had to find said track. Attached image shall give you an idea of how bad things were. Two relatively accomplished orienteering/ mountain runnings pricking about, missing big obvious things, like summits (:D:rolleyes:)... Good adrenline rush!

The rest of the run was a breeze down hill. Bursting out of the mist and seeing the lights of Dublin light up the night sky - the Friday Night pub crawl and friday night in the hills. I know which one I prefer

Quality sesh - the Kilbride loop shall have to wait for another night, when we are actually prepared with working head torches... and waterproof socks... and not have a 5x1mile waiting for me in the morning... and letting people know where we actually are...

http://connect.garmin.com/player/150276854

ocnoc

I had a really long detailed description of how I navigated today, thought it might have being of interest to some IMRA heads.... and I accidently closed the browser. Dang... (I wanted to use more vulgar language)

To summirase.
Missed national XC, have being sick.
Had an ok race. Kept good direction for all controls excpet Control 4. Lost time on 10 and 11 for being a wimp and not just plowing through the gorse. The map shows dark green so I expected the worst. In the end it wasn't all that bad.
Stopped short on 18 as my mind was fired. Good to learn for future reference.
Physically, I could turn the legs on the descents, and was strong on the climbs considering I have being out for 10 days. I found the turn hard, shopping the descent and climbing straight again. Must work on this for Le Swiss in July.

Map: Brockagh
Planner: Izzy
Controller: Gav
Map: http://cnocmaps.totalh.com/show_map.php?user=c.hill&map=195

Overall. Happy.

ocnoc

This idea is so simple it is sickening.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZb3k_x067w