Training Log Archive: theway

So since none of saturday's outings made a Koziosco summit we had to get up early, Again! This time before 4am because no chair lift. Didn't sleep too well because I was woken up at midnight by the loud crackling of the cashews packet because bhole got hungry in the middle of the night and had to rummage loudly for food. AGAIN! I can't believe he didn't take the packet into their room for the night. Same as last night it was hard to get back to sleep after such a confusing wakening.

Merrits track was beautiful again in spite of being so well populated with scorpions. You could find one small brown scorpion every metre or 2 without fail. Extraordinary. We also happened upon a cicada just out of it's exoskeleton. The empty skeleton and new winged insect were right next to each other on a twig next to the path. Amazing! You see special things if you get up almost before you went to bed.

At about half way we went out onto the Crackenback race route so that we could smash our calves. Ow. Got to top, turned head torches off and enjoyed a long beautiful blue-grey pre-dawn across the alpine meadows. It was stunning. Flan went ahead as I wasn't quite going to make the top for sunrise moment. Loved having that last sweep to myself and the patch in the east got redder and brighter; the sunburst moment was the best I've seen. And since the summit was crowded with "tourists" from charlottes pass (I later found out) it was nicer on the flank of Kosi.

I passed flan near the top and she warned about all the people and said that's why she didn't want to stay up there. View from top was great and it was not cold at all. Added long sleeves and a head scarf only. Met up with Flan and we mostly walked back down. So stuffed. That was a really big run for me because of the hike up out of the valley.

We had the alpine country to ourselves

the walk down, then up to top of village oh my those last flights of stairs killed me. Breakfast was meditative, slow and very welcome. Oh and that cup of tea!

We all went to bobsled where M and E had a few rides and Flan and I retreated to the narrow band of shade against the building. Very hot already. Then we went for icecreams (for M and E), they didn't look very enticing so I gave it a miss. Icecream needs to be special. Then back down to the river where we did a Fair Skinned Fartlek downstream to a lake/dam, running all the sun with "wings" outstretched yelling "Quick quick to the next patch of shade, Oh no, it's not big enough, or deep enough, quick onto the next one" .... more games to tire me out but MissE loved this one. She was Sun Woman, I was Shade Woman and Flan became Mountain Woman. Bhole had gone back to get car.

It was quite a happy and hot time interspersed with feelings of grumpiness because of the heat although I now realise that we forgot to have lunch that day. Then disaster struck in the form of an emergency bush poo for the 4 year old. I was of the opinion to just get it over with and that running for and hunting for public toilets may well turn out much worse. Hedging our bets Flan waited until the track ran right next to the main road and was in view of lake carpark when suddenly it was "Now!" from MissE. Then a ranger suddenly pulls up next to us. What?? Can we be arrested for this? But he emptied some water onto a tree and drove off.

Thredbo to top of Crackenback for the dawn, with Flan. Ran the non-steep and downhill parts which didn't amount to much. It's about 600m climb over 2k, plus probably 40m climb to get from river back to our accommodation on the return. So much hills! Beautiful still clear night with a pleasant coolness to the air. We watched the twinkling lights of thredbo gradually get further away as we climbed. Then the sky got bigger and a bright yellow orange ray of sunrise broke over us.

This was just a little warm up for Flan who would race the Crackenback challenge later in the day. For me it was a great workout for the legs - all those deep stairs. I felt pretty good for the rest of the day in spite of being woken at midnight by someone creeping into the main room (I didn't have a bedroom) and loudly crackling the cashews bag for a snack. It was bhole. I thought only kids ate in the middle of the night and then only when planned for exciting feasting.

The walk down then up to accommodation for brekkie; ours was at the very top of the village, up so so many stairs.

Walk with flan bhole and MissE. Caught chairlift then walked towards Kosi, had lunch among some rocks and came back. Again I was required to perform physical theatre "Do something funny!" almost the whole way there and back for MissE. I am running out of tricks and games - she is insatiable! I got caught out by a group who were just behind us but I guess because I was being crazy H I didn't see them. They passed us with the most enormous smiles saying "Keep going, don't mind us!". I would have visibly blushed if I wasn't so well painted with spf 50+. I think I was beating myself up with my own hat at the time and looking very put out; Bad hat!

We caught the chairlift back. Later MissE and I watched the Crackenback race from the flat - absolutely perfect view of most of the course. Well it would be with binoculars. We could see all the tiny coloured ants climb the hill but no chance of recognising anyone.

In Thredbo for a few days with flan, blackhole and 4 year old MissE. We all went for a walk up Merrits before dinner and I must say MissE is a very good walker managing a good way before needing carry. I tired myself out with endless comical theatric of running into shrubs and beating myself up with my own hat. Also a comeback of the banana legs run style. I've set myself up for an exhausting weekend as her appetite for this sort of silliness is insatiable. I'll have to think of some fun word or voice games. So this rates as exercise, and the hill is steep although we got only part way up.

Black mtn. Cycled and parked under a tree leaving my water. Up bitumen path (walking), R at circum, down breakfast hill, up pushbike hill (walk!) then along the rough lakeview track where I was able to run ok between fallen trees. Past the viewing platform then took the turn off up to water tanks and behind bot gardens, running legs had enough by this point. Probably about half walk half run over all which is ok. Running felt easy once I warmed up. Smashed sunnies, not by falling over, they sort of collapsed in my hand. The glare without them was pretty unpleasant - I really rely on my sunnies! Ready for a nap now

C • hard core 1

the walk parts

post dawn lake BG paddle with Ric, so beautiful. The water was mirror flat at first and we spent some time stalking the air gulping carp, so fun to startle them hehe. Three balloons were over the lake with the yellow Questacon one the closest. It gradually dropped towards the water and I was saying look at all the tiny people in the basket hanging in the sky; what a sight! As they descended further I realised they were thinking the same about us and swooped the lake to watch the funny tiny paddling people. It was a bit like watching fish in an aquarium and realise they think you are interesting and strange too. The balloon dropped down towards weston park so we paddled fast to watch them land on the sand of the swimming beach only 10 metres away. It's quite a business parking a balloon, instructing your human ballast to stay put or climb out to push the balloon along the sand to a better spot.

Paddled back via overhanging blackberries on black mtn peninsula of which one was ripe. And delicious. Will have to remember to come back with a bucket in a few weeks. The long paddle back was slightly uphill. That's what it felt like anyway. Loaded the boats and Ric drove off to work. All done by 7.30am

Evening walk. Had stiffened up since morning paddle due to too much sitting around so couldn't run. Picked up a purple kneeling mat from a Buy Nothing fairy, grabbed a few books from the oconnor tiny library, the mills and boon looks like a great work of literature - perhaps I can read it aloud to Flan and bhole this weekend. And got some milk. Felt better by end and running should be on again tomorrow.

Walk with margie on mt A. So lovely in the early morning light and coolness. Pace was a wee bit slow so I repeatedly tried to get margie to walk in front of me but she kept refusing, eventually forced to admit to flatulence. After that I was happy to lead. On the final descent I detected a surge in (walking) pace and a certain focus and correctly guessed the cause. There was no stopping for birds or insects anymore and back at the house M marched straight in and was gone for some time.

2 laps of Circum 17 with drills, stretches and walking to pass people, 14 mins running in other direction. Drove to the luxury summer start of the shoulder carpark to avoid overheating. Exchanged some happy new years, got a grumpy look from (probably) 2 lycra clad new years resolution exercisers and stopped and chatted to a bushwalker who recommended sock protectors. We both pondered the mystery of where the water comes from for the stream under the bridge... one day I'll go upstream and solve the mystery.

It would be good to make some sort of running frequency resolution for the year... but I'd probably fail hmmm

walk and stretch