Junior training started on the weekend 13/14 Feb 16 with an Irish Squad training weekend. Rachel, Sophie and Andrew from LVO participated, with Steph, Alan and Alison providing coaching and feeding support (well mainly Steph and Alison for the food). The weekend started with a time trial run at Phoenix Park on Saturday morning. This is a difficult 1.4km loop taking in tricky contouring, short steep climbs and river crossings and all with fallen trees to negotiate and very thick mud making every climb difficult. C0ngrats to all who completed their runs in difficult conditions and very well done to Andrew and Rachel who won their age class.
That afternoon we all moved to UCD for a challenging 5 km ‘sprint’ round the university grounds before heading into the Wicklows to find our accomodtation. After a superb meal cooked by our very own Alison, the team studied their maps before heading off to bed. The next day we awoke to a bright morning that turned wintery with the onset of a snow storm. We headed off to Oakwood arriving in the midst of a blizzard, making us wonder if we’d get out again. The juniors then undertook different options. Rachel and Sophie headed out to undertake a Light Green Course as a training exercise to practice relocation. Andrew opted to take on the ‘long legs’ course, roughly Blue equivalent, that required a visit to the mountain summit in some very challenging conditions.
