Training Log Archive: fletch

Event: WA Middle Distance Championships - Jumbuck Hill
 

Well - no hamstring tear meant I just had to come down and have a crack at the weekend. A 4hr drive to get to the MDC probably wasn't ideal.
Didn't bother warming up after the long, uphill walk to the start. Was hoping that this would force me to ease into things and figure out how to read a map.

Alas, rookie error number 1 at the first control - take a loooooong look at the map, decide to run a ridiculously long way to the first control by staying on the track almost the whole way, to allow myself to test out my leg and get my eye in, then change my mind when I see how open a little bit of the bush looks. Of course, I failed to climb enough heading into the control, misread a bunch of stuff that I was trying to make fit where I wanted to be (a theme for the day), wandered around vaguely for quite a while rather than just bailing straight for the catching feature, before finally heading to the road to reolcate and walking back into the control. Significant time loss, probably longer than the splits suggest, coz I don't think anyone did the leg well.

Extrememly careful through 2 and 3 (and very slow) before leaving 3 with my map upside down and running / walking a significant distance in the wrong direction before realising. Not careful enough on the way back in the right direction, so had to bounce off the track again to get 4.

Slow and steady on 5, took the 'safe' route on 6, but didn't run far enough up the hill on the track, mis-identified some rock detail and bashed into the bush in the wrong spot, punched a wrong control, realised, wandered even further from the right spot, relocating on a knoll a significant distance from where I wanted to be.

Also did 7 quite badly, and was slow to 8, despite getting it more or less right. 9 and 10 were OK, but my leg was getting progressively worse and lifting my foot over deadfall was getting harder. 11 was only about 150m, but I still managed to stuff it up. Pretty sure I went to the right group of rocks first (will need to check on GPS) but not to the correct side of the correct rock, before wandering off in frustration, only to return a few minutes later.

Essentially clean through the last 4, with no more rock detail to worry about, but leg was so sore that it was only a slow jog in any case.

Grave fears for Sunday's run at this point.

This was a really tough area to come to with no nav or terrain running practice. Visibility was often limited, there was rock and deadfall all over the ground, so I wa stumbling everywhere and looking at the ground too much and not my surroundings, but my head was never really in the right space either.

Great to see Rhys back, and also good to see Sten stay clean enough to get the win. HR data says I wasn't working that hard, but I was well and truly cooked before my leg gave up.

1 - Splits

Had a hard time not swearing in class today. Heading for the try line in a game of touch rugby and pretty sure I've destroyed my hamstring. Poo.

State Champs looking exceedingly unlikely.

Might be about time to begin my taper for the State Champs :)