Training Log Archive: theway

Red hill Stair reps up to the Tardis with Flan.
After a warm up easy walk to the top and jog down I did 3 reps in 5:12, 5:30 and 5:21 with the sun coming up golden orange over the flank of Red Hill. Cool enough to make hills pleasant and we had the area to ourselves with one balloon hanging in the morning sky nearby. I had to take care with the way I used feet to avoid achilles grumbles - and it worked. Panted like a steam train, got a bit of quad burn, recovered quickly from each one - success! Great to do a bit of harder running - although I only ran the first part, never getting further than the nature sign, then walk. Ran all the downs - felt good.

Back to Flan's for breakfast with cucumber and capsicum from their garden which we had sitting outside - lovely. Played with Erica for a few hours then morning tea at Wilburs with Gramps, Stu n Lou, flan, blackhole, E and me.

The other parts

Moving the compost heap and feeding the lemon tree and watering with can. Good tough work - and heat training ;)

Easy run/walk with Imo on majura with Dusty dog. Enjoyed being on majura for a change and company was good. Feeling a bit fitter now but we ran very slowly, and if I needed to walk I found it easy to keep up with Imo's run.

the walk parts

Tidbinbilla; Snowy Corner from Mountain Creek carpark. Brilliant hike with Lynda next door. Explored the footpad that leaves the lyrebird trail and heads straight up the spur. Have been wanting to do this for years but just needed the right company. The track is pretty steep with no switchbacks, sections of loose scree and scrub gradually swallowing most of it. There were tapes, gaffer tape, cairns and broken twigs so we went off track only a few times and righted ourselves quickly.

Climbed up through damp scrub in the early morning inside a cloud so no view at all. At maybe half way there is a 2 person garden seat, all nice wood, perched on a patch of dirt. Someone has lugged it all the way up here and it does not look like a ranger's work. There is a bottle of linseed oil stashed amongst the rocks and a polishing cloth and small towel that look recently left. A few metres down there is a more basic blue plastic bench. Maybe the bushwalking club is getting soft?!

After passing some rock out crops the track veers to the left so I pulled out the map and compass worried that we'd missed a turn off and were heading towards Mt Domain, but it was ok. The top of ridge line was obvious and well marked with cairns. We were still in the white out so hard to tell where we were. The track turned right (to north) and in 10 mins or so we found Snowy Corner, a little clearing with spectacular views of Tidbinbilla Mtn - which looks great!! But no time today, and there is no footpad to the top I've heard.

Wisps of cloud were floating through the trees into the clearing from the Tidbinbilla side. On the west side the valley was filled with cloud with only the very highest peaks floating above it in the distance (Bimberi Pk I think). Yet we were in sun and stillness, such a pretty spot and moment.

Walk up ainslie to see fireworks with Flan and family, always fun.

Nice long walk on a cool morning. Ran for about 15mins total including down breakfast hill. Route: substation, up concrete, left at circum. up a dirt track then back down to circum, took long way around to breakfast hill with some running, down breakfast, up push bike, took a detour for exploring and finding Jewel Spiders. The south side is so steep and car noise high. Back up to single track to view platform. Achilles started to hurt - oh dear I thought, overdone it. But not too bad now. Passed Stephen H +1 and bit of a trudge home from View platform, and I missed turn off up hill. Bit hungry by the end due to no breakfast altho I had some nuts and dates with me.

achilles felt really good moving around this morning. Feeling positive!

Dropped J off at bus station then drove to black mtn drive turnoff. Walked up new trail to viewing platform. There is some good signage installed now and a gate for access from bot gardens; nice extension of gardens experience. Achilles continues to feel stronger and more useful so after a good warm up I did bits of running, taking care up hills. Was going to do a very short run but was enjoying coolness and bush so continued on to push bike hill, up to carpark, down track to water tanks, over road and down to join the new trail. Did a few extra ints of running up and down this last bit of trail - felt good and strong and fast(ish).

Achilles always just a little bit tender in morning, but only for 10metres. So I think I'm doing ok.