Training Log Archive: Anvil

Massive Race #1 of the day. Massive loop on the mountain.
Was meant to do this easy due to the 2nd run planned later today. I've decided it's impossible to take a race easy, as soon as people start passing me who I know shouldn't be, there's nothing I can do to stop ego taking over.
Loop was Fern Tree to Springs via Silver Falls -> Organ Pipes Track to Chalet -> Hunters Track to Junction Cabin -> Lenah Valley Track to Springs -> Fern Glade track to Fern Tree.
Killer, apart from a short stretch out of Junction Cabin, all the climb is in the first 5ks. Towards the junction to Organ Pipes track I resorted to the 20 paces run/10 paces walk method. Kind of frustrating, I was about the same speed as the leading woman in the first section, but we had complete opposite strengths so kept passing each other.
Hunters Track was a massive respite, it's too steep and technical to go flat out so kind of a forced recovery - though climbing out from Junction Cabin sucked. Have never run down Fern Glade track at the end, was excellent fun - super technical with lots of twists and turns, bridges, duckboards and stone steps downhill amongst the massive ferns.
Not sure where I finished, in the 10th-15th range I imagine.
Highlight of the race was running past the remains of one of the mountain dance parties they have up there every now and then - a wasteland of stoned hippies!

3 Hour Rogaine on Mt Nelson.
Was very happy that the forecast thunderstorm started up half an hour before the race started. The heavy rain had stopped, but there was a fairly constant intensity for the first hour.
After we decided on the basic route, I let Louis work out the detail as I usually end up picking crap routes.
Basic route was up to the Signal Station, down into the Upper Sandy Bay roads, down Lambert Rivulet, through the Uni, up Lynton Avenue, into the Waterworks and through Ridgeway, onto Mt Nelson through the bush below Hobart College and back to the tavern.
We decided this way so we were at roughly the same level as the hash house in the last hour, so if we had to rush to get back in time there weren't any evil hills.
Went pretty solidly, felt like we were too slow at the beginning - a lot of the tracks coming down Mt Nelson were terrible slippery after the rain (I ended up sliding on my arse down one of them and was covered in mud for the rest of the race), but we were a lot faster through Sandy Bay and RIdgeway than expected.
Hit the wall a little with half an hour to go. We decided to opt out of a very close (<5 mins away) 30 pointer with 15 mins to go - we could have made it but it would have involved pretty steady running to finish.
Of course when we found out we'd missed out on winning by ten points, I think we both decided the pain would have been worth it.
A worthy htfu lesson, but still a fun race all the same.

C • route 1

C • Sunday 2

Entered Midnattsolgaloppen, OO cup and Swiss O Week. Guess I better book a plane ticket now!
I forgot how productive a Friday lunch 'hour' can be when you're working.

Another case of Tourettes with a very small crew, just Lou Dog^3 and 6m. No matter, it was a recycled loop as it was, albiet an amazing recycled loop.
Felt fairly sluggish at the beginning but got into it after a fairly long sprint to finish the third leg. Last section was quite hilly, but got into a section of the map we never go into so was nice to have a bit of a stickybeak round there.
Shame most piked, nice spot and not long till daylight savings goes away. Though Winter Tour is fun in its own way as well.

Easy run along Bellerive and Howrah Beach to test out how I'm coping after the weekend. Went all the way across the rocks to the end of Howrah Beach for the first time - I don't know why but usually turn around just before the rocks. Pushed it a little on the way back along Bellerive Beach, felt quite good.
Verdict:
Knee OK during the run but a little sore now
Cuts on feet hurt to begin with but went away after 25mins
For some reason the most painful thing is my left bicep which is really sore. Rope swing/raft paddling injury?

Day 3 again on Littlechild Ck.
Defo my weakest run of the weekend. Was in the toughest part of the map, a lot of logging and the light green has extended in places making the map out of date in places (the area around 16 was particularly confusing)
Was going OK early but never felt strong or smooth. On the way to 6 I started to lose interest in the race and then twisted my ankle then tripped and landed with my full weight on my knee on a rock - I considered pulling out cause it was pretty painful but I would lose my leverage of constantly paying out Ryan for being a pansy so kept going though never felt great.
Forced myself to get my head back in the game for the next string of controls and flowed quite well, unfortunately I thought I was at 12 when I was at 11 and spent a minute being confused so I wasn't surprised when Ryan turned up. We did the next few together until I made a parallel error at 14 and lost him. Sped up trying to catch back up and made a few little errors (as you do when you run too fast) on 15 and 16 but finished strongly after that.
Again not that tired at the end, knee was bloody sore though.

C • map 3

Good weekend. I'm pretty happy with my technique now, was doing all the right things with attack points, entry and exit directions, looking ahead etc. Especially happy with reading the complex detail in the circle.
Problems were being too hesitant for no good reason and getting distracted running with others - especially when leading.

C • injury 2

Day 2 at Littlechild Creek. Enjoyed a lot - had the last start so was all by my lonesome for the whole course. Ran through Lee at the spectator control, Disco Stu on the way to 8 (props to running course 1 Stu) and James Sheldon on the way to 11.
Only time loss on note was on the long leg to 8, had to choose between a route with 2 then blue marsh crossings and 2 dark green creek crossings vs crossing 300m of yellow marsh. I banked on the yellow marsh being the nice fast dry grassy marsh, but it turned out to be the chest high tufty wet marsh. Ryan went the better way and made 3 mins on myself and Louis - annoying, but not much you can do about it on this map.
Only a couple of 30 sec mistakes; minor parallel error to 5 (which I recognised but still ended up falling for), not spotting the rock once in the circle at 15 and just having no idea of the logged area on the way to 16.
Biggest problem was just not running fast enough, I could have happily kept going at the finish - I guess I'm still learning how to pace 60+ minute courses.
Although finished a little further than I'd like behind Nicko and Ryan (3.5 and 5.5 mins), they had the 2 person mistake reduction factor which helped.... moreso in Nicko case than Ryans ;)

C • map 1