Training Log Archive: Vaala

Easy run from M's grandma's place. Dunedin streets are cool to run round. Well, at least the ones round here are. Legs felt surprisingly fantastic!

With M from Woodhaugh Park up through Ross Creek and the Pineapple to Flagstaff, along Swampy Ridge and down the Leith saddle track to the motorway. All that was lovely and it was deliciously sunny. Then it all started to go bad. From Sullivan's Dam it looked like there was a track up to the top of Mt Cargill and there is...sort of. It starts off okay, just slippery with dodgy looking boardwalk things but once you cross under the powerlines the track deteriorates sharply. So much windfall to climb over or around so you lose the track markers (because the track is pretty vague as it is) and clearly no one goes up this way these days! Anyway, vaguely nearing the top, in the pine forest bit it got ridiculous so we clambered our way out into the forestry area and eventually to the top. Great view...not. Could barely even see the tower thingy from 20 metres away. At least the track back down was nice. Brutal few kms on the road back to the car. Had to walk for a few minutes in the middle there.
Anyway, unless you are Greig, don't go up that track. It sucks. If you are Greig - it is beautiful and such a smooth, easy to run track. You'll love it.

Too busy and stressed last night so since we would be leaving straight after work I got up early. Felt a bit rough! Just up Rapaki, along the road to the top of Huntsbury to discover that every sheep on the Port Hills had decided to sleep on the track so just went back the same way I came. It's been a while since I've ridden in the dark.

On Miss Monaco out to Ferrymead. I even passed someone (up a hill which is probably less surprising). Didn't know she had it in her!

So hard!!! Took forever to work out where the hell #1 was then it was sort of okay for a little while until trying to get to the map change then once I got the new map, oh god help! Got into a bit of a flow after a while but then got all shaky again after the map flip and completely confused myself at #25 (as if I wasn't already completely confused!). But good times.

Home again with a bit of a detour to check out Rob and Jana's possible new house.

Out to the time trial. Hard work. This bike is making awful sounds these days!

Last time trial of the season and boy was it awful. Not only was there horrible horrible wind but we now have slow tyres on (the last puncture on the back wheel was the final straw) and the drum brake is rubbing really bad so actually getting under 26 minutes was not too terrible. M started out in what felt like some epically hard gear and I tried to push through for as long as possible but it all got too much and I had to yell at him to change down. After that we changed between gears at pretty good times but I was so so shattered by the end. Got off the bike and nearly fell over I was so dizzy.

Home again. So tired and hungry! Lucky we had reasonably favourable winds.

Stupid stupid route! Thought I'd do a route with smaller ups and downs rather than a bash up to the top so headed up Farm Track a little way before heading down into the Albert Terrace valley. At this point I should have thought more carefully. The rather loud sound of rushing water that I could hear from Farm Track was probably an indication I should have thought a bit more carefully. Anyway, got into the valley and every stream crossing was more like a river crossing. It was not exactly super but I figured it had to be good for me in some way. But then I got across the last stream crossing and nearly at the edge of the forest to discover a rather large landslip complete with huge fallen pine trees (probably the cause of the slips being so big). Stupidly I thought I could get around them so started climbing only to discover that I was going to get stuck above cliffs trying to get down into the valley again. Had a bit of a freak out then realised it was either bash up through the forest to who knows where (probably someone's private land I suspect since there was a fence) or go back down again. So down I went and consequently got a bit covered in mud getting down the side of the landslide I'd just climbed up then very wet in the streams. Lucky it was a warm night! Eventually made my way back up onto Farm Track then down into the next valley over but was a bit over being wet and muddy by then so just went and ran up the steps on the Murray Ansley and back home via the park.