Training Log Archive: Clara

Probably going to be a while before I come 5th in a WRE again. Didn't really have a clean run, not sure how I manage to beat people. Did a Simon Uppill and almost ran off without my map. Overran 1 (which was practically touching the start triangle). Lots of short legs for the whole course. Left the track too late for 7 trying to avoid green, but ended up getting stuck in the green anyway. Too far right on 18 and followed some old men into a different control. Nice long track run in to the finish, pretty buggered but trying to salvage WRE points! Got sung happy birthday by the commentator at the finish.

C • awww 2

C • Happy Birthday 2

Bus back to town broke down. Not quite as exciting as the Irish people's ride. One got back late so they had the last bus to themselves. Clearly the bus driver had somewhere else he had to be, so spent half the trip yelling at taxis trying to negotiate a fare to get rid of his passengers. Finally found a suitable one, who apparently drove just like in a car chase in the movies.

Went and saw Topkapi Palace. Left when it closed, would have fallen asleep anyway otherwise. Bit worried that my start time for tonight is 11.11, when I was in bed by 11 last night... Birthday dinner = Durum kebab roll while speaking German with a Norwegian in Turkey. Quite standard really.

Re. the discussion about event centre atmosphere. Hold the event in Istanbul's Grand Bazaar at night, with disco music pumping, flags everywhere, spectator control and you can be sure of a good mood. Tried to get into the Bazaar by the wrong entrance and got escorted to the right one by 2 little Turkish boys whose English extended to 'I love you, I love you'.

The course itself: lost ridiculous amounts of time on almost all the green controls (green = upstairs). Went up the wrong set of stairs to one and found some man sitting in a little room having a smoke. Then thought the stairs started in a different place for the next green one. Went up a flight of stairs too many for the next one. Got stuck in a courtyard later on because I didn't realise how the levels were mapped. But all the downstairs controls were good.

Amazing event, so many runners out there, tiny passageways that you couldn't pass people on, lots and lots of piles of rubbish packaging in the middle of the passageways to dodge. Very very very high speed orienteering, could have run fast if a) hadn't already run 3 races and b) didn't have to navigate. Didn't stop to buy a carpet. Fantastic event. Looked at my watch a few minutes after I finished and had 11hrs 58mins until the next race.

Day 2. Glad it was shorter, wasn't quite as steep either, same area of forest. First starter, was a bit worried about dogs but they all seem to be friendly here. DIdn't actually see any on the course. Had to wake up the first few controls. Didn't pick the best route to 5 and lost a bit of time, then lost heaps of time on 6. Went waaay too far up the gully. The Finn (?) followed me, and someone else did the same thing too. Lost a little bit of time in the loop at the end.

Did the Aya Sofya in the arvo. Iskender kebab for dinner.

Event: Istanbul 5 Days
 

Looong and hilly. Turkish botany lesson: if it's growing here, chances are it has thorns/prickles/spikes. The worst ones were the prickly vines that don't break. Navigation wasn't too bad at the start, map was basically spur gully, lots of tracks. Probably went the wrong way around a lake to 4, meant I had to concentrate more. Took the 'slide down slope on bum' option, rather than the 'hurty prickly bushes' option. Lost a lot of time on 12 towards the end, wasn't concentrating. Can't remember making too many other mistakes, just must have been slow.

Adopted myself out to Team Ireland + Norway this trip.

Today was Turkey's 85th birthday. Saw the celebrations from Taksim Square at night with a pretty speccy fireworks display. Soooo many Turkish flags on all of the building. Saw heaps of picnic tables in the forest on the way to the event, couldn't understand how they needed so many, but on the way back they were all full of families having public holiday picnics. Shish kebab for dinner.

Made it to Istanbul! Had a stroke of luck with a taxi driver...didn't fear for my life at any stage after hearing stories about Turkish driving. Although indicators and speed limits are clearly not obligatory. He did however have to stop for directions.

I think I came 13th last night. Lucky :)

To and from Gundelfingen. It was probably pretty cold on the way back, but I had on a thermal + down jacket + the ski gloves I found in my room.

C • Jacket 2

HALLOWEEN-OL. Night score event in paddocks/orchardy stuff. Heaps of fun...lights and horns that come on when you punch and halloween pumpkins on the course. My 9,99 Euro head torch held up ok. Finished up with a local beer and Wurstweck. Gooood fun :)

Oh, and the top half of the map was a mirror image.

Absolutely no idea how long I went for, stopped to take lots of pics and join the library. Lots of fun - went to Zaehringer Burgruine, then round and about to the wind towers I can see from my room. Basically all uphill, just plodded away slowly. Went up the top of a tower where some German MTBer tried to tell me there was some freak weather event in Melbourne involving lots of rain and 6 fatalities...think I probably would have read about it on Blair's log by now though if it were true. Then went downhill, scary, wanted to bail a few times.

But, it was a nice day in Freiburg if a little chilly, especially by the end. Happy to see a waffle van in the Muensterplatz on my way home :)

Haha, that was really slow, no idea of the distance, but the pace was pedestrian. Just wanted to put in climb.

Bought a bike helmet yesterday. Now I want to take it home. Definately won't have any room, so may have to wear it on the plane.

C • Any rain in Melbourne would be freakish! 6

8'30 w/u, 8'30 w/d
Felt pretty rooted.

Hence did shortened, shortened Mona fartlek. It was raining.

Man, if all my lectures are like that, H1 here I come :)
Arvo Clare's run of fun around the lake. Time includes going down a slide and climbing up a wall. Just cos they were there. Man, I get a lot of strange looks.

Feeling a bit better today and able to eat :) The run felt a little bit like I hadn't eaten/exercised for 4 days though, so just took it very easy.

Missed the do at the Square but compensated by watching 2 episodes of Summer Heights. Best substitute ever, actually felt just like being at the Square.

Event: Victorian Championships
 

Still not all that better. Went to the European Outdoor Film Festival last night though which was pretty cool despite Bauchschmerzen. Got drugs from the Apotheke, still waiting for them to kick in. Have at least eaten a little bit more today. Tired now after only 8 hrs sleep last night!

Eurgh...still feel like shit. Haven't eaten much for 2 days, but have slept a hell of a lot. Pretty annoyed, was all pumped for some good training leading up to Istanbul but that idea seems to have gone out the window.

C • Istanbul 4

Felt like crap all yesterday, went to bed at 6pm and still not feeling that crash hot today. Hoping it was due to the 'rissoles darl, everybody cooks rissoles' and not the running.

5xloop. Not sure how long it took. Struggled a bit in the dark without a lamp.

Just under 2 mins recovery between intervals

Training with Gundelfingen TS. Good fun, pretty wrecked today though, not sure if I'm getting sick. Nice view. W/u, 5xforest loop (in the dark) w/d as decided by Meike Jaeger (hint, WOC runner name dropping).

Another one of Clare's exciting bicycle adventures. Caught the train to Auggen (ie. the last station I could get to before having to pay) and rode the rest of the way to Basel. Went from Auggen in the direction of the Rhine - via an apple tree to stock up - stolen fruit tastes good. Found the river and almost turned to go to Strasbourg, but then found a sign. Had an obligatory stop in France on the way, a border photo of course. Got a bug in my eye which later came out in the train on the way home. Can't quite see properly at the moment. Beautiful weather - shorts and tshirt in my opinion, but all the Germans/Frenchies/Swiss had jackets and pants. Fun fun fun.

Around the lake again. Will have to find a better place to do intervals, it's a bit flat, even though I went up all the hills that were there. Made it back by 10sec. Adding to the theory that I feel better running on less sleep, also feel better the worse the food I eat beforehand ie. chocolate and grapes. Can tell the Germans from the foreigners around the lake - the Germans are the ones running with the jackets, despite the fact that it's t-shirt weather.

Had a date with Mona.

C • Date 2

Power lap of the lake.

Easy run around the Flueckiger See. There is an aths track on the other side that says it's just for school use, but it's open...may have to see if I get kicked out one day...

Wow...I've never run for so long in my life. Legs hurt like crazy at the start, stopped for a stretch after 15 mins, but didn't notice them after about 50 mins, then I started to feel a bit faster and better. Got a bit stuck in a paddock next to the airport at one stage, and saw the finest of the industrial area after my initial plan to go to the wind turbines I can see from my window got abandoned. Ran through the hospital, then up Schlossberg to a lookout. Went all the way to the top of the lookout for an awesome view of Freiburg. Got a bit dizzy on the way up and down though, just avoided falling over. Went back through town, via the station to buy a newspaper (not much else was open because it's a public holiday) and back along the tram line via an intersection that clearly wasn't meant for runners. Don't know how accurate the distance I measured is, I like to think I would have gone further.
Will definately regret the run tomorrow, but oh well. This was the start of training for Istanbul at the end of the month.
Unfortunately all the nice Black Forest hills are on the other side of town, I am on the side of the reclaimed landfill park.

C • Which side of town for the nice Black Forest Cakes? 2

Moved into my room in Freiburg today. Visitors welcome. Was going to go orienteering on Saturday but judging by the emptiness of my wardrobe the second-hand clothes market might be a higher priority.

Easy run around the lake. Fun fun fun. Found Ikea, an aths track and the StuSieBar. Legs were pretty heavy but weren't sore like they were in Dresden.