Training Log Archive: carolineheloise

Day 2 at Amiens/Cascades.
Starting 4 mins ahead of Winnie, and I just wanted to stay ahead of her for as long as possible. Saw her first just before #4 then she caught me properly at #6. Had some good racing with her until just before #8 where she fell and hurt her knee. Stayed with her for just over 30mins before the stretcher arrived and then I finished the course with considerably less focus and energy than before.
Going to #1 was not ideal because I decided after a little bit to go back around the green then was slightly too far left, costing about 20s. Lost 3mins on #3 from getting pushed around in the green and not being careful enough and then going too far near the circle. Should've been focusing better because I got to the track where I wasn't expecting to and had to go up it where I luckily found a junction and knew I had gone the wrong way. I think a better route would've been to go directly to the track than along the next one, follow the watercourse and go east at the start of the boulders, which would've also meant I came into the circle from the right direction. A stick went though my shoe soon after leaving the control and after the horror stories from last year and also yesterday with sticks in feet I took the time to yank it out. Lost about a minute looking at different rocks for #5. I admit I was a bit frantic at that moment having just seen Winnie, and I wasn't thinking straight. After I stopped and looked properly at the map to interpret the rocks it was better. Just need to chill and think then. Slightly off on bearing to #6 but I was able to get back on track fairly quickly. Not careful again with exit (hmm pattern? ugh) got me confused through the vague stuff before the track to #7 and was lucky to emerge just up from the junction. Split from Winnie there and plan was to go up then through the white and past the heart shaped rock then to the next big one then in. I don't think I went quite far enough through the while though and must've gone through the light green between the 2 lots of dark green and then ended up bailing to the track and going in up across from the junction. Would've been waay quicker to just go along the track the whole time then in from the junction a I did. gunned it to #8. Winnie and I were having some good racing here which was really fun and made me run and think a lot quicker and better which was so beneficial. But I think at the speed we were going in that terrain, something was bound to happen and we were very unlucky that it happened sooner rather than later when we were so far from the finish.
Next part of the course was a lot slower running as my energy levels were pretty used up and I was so distracted worrying about Winnie. Rest was pretty okay, lost a fair bit of time on #13 because I found the map hard to interpret and did a bit of a loop before figuring it out. Coming back in off the track to #15 was better than yesterday because I went in closer and knew exactly where I was entering from.
Overall a fun weekend and definitely learnt a lot from it. Shame it didn't end too well though.

Event: Queensland Championships
 

Day 1 at Cascades.
Decent run, I just wanted to get around cleanly and was not too focused on speed. As a consequence, I was taking some quite safe routes and triple checking my decisions which ended up costing me some time. But I guess I would rather lose small bits of time like this than getting lost.
I tend to start of slowly and get into the map and then speed up as the run progressed. So already on the 1st control, I had lost 30s to Winnie. Around to the right on the way to #2 cost me another minute. And being very slow, cautious and indecisive through the vague stuff to #3 and I was already 4mins behind Win. Going to #4 was fine but I lost time hunting in the circle and did a small extra loop looking in the gully next to it because I came into it too low and missed it. The next 3 were fine and by #7 I was 15s in front, but 3 and a bit minutes lost over the next 2 controls put me behind again. Almost stopped short on the way to #8 as my exit wasn't precise and clean and then I wasn't quite focused enough and almost got caught hunting in a group of rocks before it. Again on #9, my exit wasn't clean, so I was very unsure and slow throughout the leg. Then going into the circle, I entered from the wrong direction in an attempt to avoid the steep rocky stuff and then was slow picking out the right rock. The rest was mostly good, though should've gone to the track sooner and pushed harder there on the way to #12, and also not gone in so soon as I would've had to go through less rocks, but I guess I couldn't just run the wrong way up the finish chute. Was weird having such a major dog leg there, when they could've just spun the finish around like for Sunday, but oh well.
This was heaps of fun though and gave me a lot of stuff to work on.

stretching + roll

Super easy quick leg loosener
Had a really bad stitch at the start, not too sure what from because I hadn't eaten for a few hours beforehand hmm

easyish 35ish

core

2 x 10 min tempo with 1 min rec in between.
Felt alright, still have a fair bit of yucky stuff in my throat which was messing with my breathing. Nice morning out though!

cut super short because I thought I was going to be late for uni

Easy recovery run pre brekky. Already so hot out, but felt a lot better after this.