Training Log Archive: TheInvisibleLog

Feeling reasonably OK after yesterdays rogaine. I think this shows that its the last hour that usually does the damage... all that running to get back before the deadline. There wasn't any of that yesterday.
Been listening to the summiteers this morning on morning AM and on the teeve last night and I feel happy not to have applied. I think performing at Friday evening's concert and doing yesterdays 'race' was probably heaps more fun. I have to sit through countless of those forms of conference during my working week. I had my influence anyway in the information packs, though I suspect most of the attendees won't have read any of that.

(I'll call this rogaine 'real orienteering' as the map was a real orienteering map.)
The second rogaine on the Bendigo Diggings map. I took the opportunity to compete rather than organise. Teamed with Jools as a mixed vets team. The hour splits as follows.
1: 8.0 k Lots of running in the streets of Spring Gully.
2: 5.5 k Partly explained by Jools eating an apple and refusing to run whilst eating. I ran whilst eating mine, and I ate it fast. I think we lost about a kilometre.
3: 7.4 k Back up to reasonable speed in bush terrain.
4: 6.1 k Slowing a little, but still respectable. Signs of trouble when Jools was traversing below and inevitably past the control I was already standing at. A little uncharacteristic grumpiness when I tried to get her attention. I took this as a sign of partner hitting the wall. Started feeding ourselves.
5: 5.2 k Partner hits the wall. Basically down to walking except on the few occasions when I could coax a trot out of Jools. Marriage not worth any more.
6: 3.6 k in 50 minutes. Finished a little early. Given our speed, no additional controls were feasible.
We came second overall, though a long way off first. Given our over 50 status, and the fact that the winning team were also of similar age, it suggests that the sport is not attracting the younger and serious athlete. No massive prizes like the big adventure races, but then, no massive entry fees, far better maps, much more reliable control placements and a much fairer event. Go figure.
Well done Bob.

C • Good effort 2

Did not feel at all like running this morning. I ran to help loosen up my back after spending too long going each way on the Monash Parkway over the past couple of days. Living in Cranny and working in Melbourne would not be my lifestyle choice.

A run around the back streets of Leongatha. Hardly as exotic as a Blair location, but it had its minor interest. Most of the run was on spongy green nature strips. I realised that this was a major difference to Bendigo. In Leongatha you have to mow the lawn. First, the grass actually grows. Second, I think anyone with an unkempt lawn would be thrown out of town. I didn't see one uncut lawn. But I did see three mowers at 7.30 on a Wednesday morning!
As to the run, the good vibes of yesterday were entirely absent. The human body is a strange machine.

One of those elusive mornings when running felt great from the start. So I went a bit harder and it was a good feeling. Knocked 3 and a half minutes off the same run last week, without feeling I was trying. How does one program these days to occur when you want them to? There is no rhyme or reason why it happened today. Hills yesterday. Almost 2 hours running on Sunday. I should be tired according to the theory I have read.

The beginning of a more structured training program. The first dedicated hill session in a long time. The lesson from the Tassie trip was that i am pretty weak in this department at the moment. It wasn't a structured session though. Just up and down and up and down etc. Started on the micro hill near home with fifteen repetitions. It probably means only about 11 minutes of actual climbing. I'll work that up to 15, then graduate to the Borwns Reef Hill, which has about 35 metres climb. When I get to 10 reps of that, I'll have to head to the Crusoe Hill and its 85 metres climb. When I work up to 4 repetitions of that, I'll be satisfied. That should happen about 4 weeks before the Oz Champs if I get the timing right. Not that there are many hills from what I can see of the maps up there.

Lots of music today, and I get to justify a rest because of my long slow run at Deadman's Flat yesterday.