Training Log Archive: TheInvisibleLog

Checking out Jool's novice and moderate courses on Mt Alexander North. This is truly a bugger of place to set these courses, with heaps of map changes and some dangerous areas not marked as such on the map. I realised I will be redrawing this part of the map more than likely. Lovely views though. And that is right.. my HR did get up over 160 on a novice course. The contours had a fair bit to do with it. Scenic orienteering often means high HR readings.

From Kooyoora control sites

From Kooyoora control sites

Putting out controls for the Mount Kooyoora event. The Bermuda Triangle! I wouldn't normally put out stands for a local event a week before hand, but this is no ordinary local event. The navigation is pretty intense. I had some trouble with a site I had visited twice before. Lack of concentration. I am very confident everything is in the right place. But I wouldn't like putting out the 33 controls on a Saturday morning. Rushing the job would lead to errors. An added incentive was the Melbourne forecast for rain next Saturday. A week out leaves a lot of room for revision, and rain in melbourne doesn't mean rain at Kooyoora. But I would rather not have to put out controls in the wet.
I am a bit worried that there will be a fair attrition rate from the A and B courses. Quite a few locals are spur-gully sugar babies. I expect many will find the temptation of quitting after the first loop irresistible. But if you manage the two loops without any problems, then navigation at Warby will hold no fear.
Big Ev wasn't to happy with his SL course today. I feel quite satisfied with my decision to wander round Alexander and Kooyoora instead.

From Kooyoora control sites

From Kooyoora control sites

From Kooyoora control sites

This last one will instigate more than one dnf I suspect.

Last week is over. Only made two errors today, and it was the same error twice... ie forgetting to climb through a fence rather than run through it. The first time I lay on the ground for a while, then rose and tried to continue with a throbbing hand. It was hard to think about navigation so I naturally blew 40 seconds on the next control. The second fence crash I just lay there until my right testicle stopped throbbing before continuing. No navigation mistakes resulted this time. Despite this, I managed a reasonably fast run, somewhere around 6.30 per k using straight line. Interestingly, my mistake matched Evan's and we recorded exactly the same distance on the Garmins... 7.83. Of course, there all similarity ended. He managed under 5 min a k. He passed me mid way through the course and I tried to hang on for a while. Failed miserably. But before failure was absolute I pushed the HR monitor into strange territory. It jumped suddenly from 155 to 220. Evan saw the trace after we both downloaded and gave me a lecture about taking it a bit easier and running my age.
It was very gratifying to see Big Ev put the courses up on RouteGadget and then upload his gpx file. I gave some basic tuition, whilst flitting into teh other room to answer Jool's queries about some more arcane aspects of Condes. She is busy sorting out the Mt Alexander course in 2 weeks time. Its a challenging place to set courses. Bloody steep, and many map changes.Hard to get sensible easy and mod courses. At one stage I left them to it and went on a drive to purchase a Saturday Age. They told me it wasn't possible. I claimed that the one places there would be copies remaining would be Eaglehawk IGA. Its a small newspaper community. They didn't let me down. I did have to go elsewhere though to get the AFR. Not a usual purchase, but I wanted to see if an article got in and check how theyhad quoted me. Looks like it will be next week instead.

For amusement, watch the RouteGadget animation and watch my dot stop still near two fences.If you are the more empathetic type, imagine pain at the same time.

Gadget:
http://www.bendigo-orienteers.com.au/gadget/cgi-bi...

C • Fences 1

Picking up controls. I'm setting the event at Kooyoora next week. I think I'll put the majority out tomorrow. I doubt many people will be wandering through those locations over the next week. Even if they are, they would be lucky to find many anyway. I suspect I'll have trouble finding some tags tomorrow.

Very windy out there. Whirakee coming on. I'd guess late next week for the peak.

C • whirakee 4

Have to face a day of loading software into a new machine.

C • Relays 4

Another lovely day for a lunch time run. I feel lucky to have all this bush to choose from at lunchtime. Today I ran away from the Whirakee so I can get a pleasant surprise next time I venture into wattle territory.

Replacement computer arrives at work today. There goes quite a few days in getting from the standard corporate image shape into a machine that is actually useful.

A gentle run on a lovely day through the Adelaide Hill terrain. I had hoped the Whirakee would be out but it seems to be slower than in the Welsford. Some of the thicker stands are showing the impact of the long run of dry years.

Management group teleconference today. My most disliked work hour of the week.

The Whirakkee have come up quite well since yesterday. By the end of the week the Welsford bush will be magnificent.

A run through the Whirakee. Not much more blosson since Friday. Whirakee seems to take its time in getting to full bloom. But that means it stays around longer.
The shower was cold, so I skipped it.