Training Log Archive: slow-twitch

As in the last 2 weeks, but with 6 reps on the hill - wow, huge step up. That crafty little headwind over the crest of the hill was back again, but not so strong this time. Maybe could've done a few more if I hadn't found myself going a good clip on the out to highway and back part of the run, but was enjoying it too much to control it.

Contemplating a sneak up to AK for the OY on sunday, be nice to reaquiant myself with sand dunes before Labour weekend. But worth 4 hours drive each way?

First actual full day off at new home and a ripper of a day too. More exploring, once warmed up - up to the top paddocks. I think I have found my new goal - to make the 150 m climb up to there without any walkitis, which will be easier once there's no newborn lambs in the way but I can't blame it all on them. It's definitely worth the grunt though - a square k or 2 of gently rolling plateau to play on and great views. Views of the volcanoes (both our local 2 and the big snowy ones) probably not much more exciting than what we see of them driving round the site, but what I really liked was getting down to the southern boundary where if you found the right spot and bobbed your head the right way, it looked like native forest all the way to the horizon.

Tweaked my ankle a bit on the way back down, felt a bit soft immediately after the run but seems ok now.

Walking to and from "Dennis", because (A) I'm by myself today, (B) if I'd driven there it would have been the cruisiest day ever and (C) in theory was going to pop out "just behind the house" when I'd finished. 25 minutes there, 45 coming back as I found a number of ways to make the more direct trip less so. Could also log some jungle combat training after RW-MB dragged me through 150 m of thick supplejack to show me where his mate was hanging out (but no nest yet???) but didn't time that so nobody gets to know how shockingly long it took. In the birds' defense, to get from where I first saw him to where I first saw her, I don't think there would actually be a non supplejack-grovel route.

The pressure is off for Labour weekend - have finally seen an announcement of classes for the ANZ challenge. No M35 so I'm not "on trial", ...and looking for a new goal.

Walking home from Little Tutu after finally being organised enough to find the one robin nest in there. Almost made a start on the fence-jumping practice that I referred to a few days back, as the most direct route back, as well as passing through some tasty terrain, just happened to pass through a paddock of bulls at that crucial age where they're starting to work out they're a lot bigger than people, but not yet old enough that those who can follow that thought to it's logical conclusion have been "weeded out". I don't own a heart rate monitor and would not have been wearing it, but I'm sure the readout of that walk would look interesting.

Never really got into this one physically - ah well, was supposed to be a fairly gentle one. Definitely a rest day tomorrow running wise, and with a bit of luck the weather will give me a full rest day.... Had a little explore past the quarry down to what I guess is the SW boundary of the farm, looking over what I guess is the old Benneydale coal mine. Found some more tasty - well actually frkn weird - terrain which I suspect has more to do with social geography than natural geography. A few lambs starting to appear but apparently Robin thinks I'm sensible enough he doesn't mind me running around in the same paddocks.

Repeat of last week's session. Would like to have done more than 5 reps of the hill "sprint" this time but had the added resistence of a head wind this time which somehow managed to be strongest right on the steepest section of the track. Also only feeling at about 93%.

I appear to have run out of wry comments on rural life for the moment.

One of those nice ones where you only go out because you feel you ought to, and then start having fun once you've got started. And seems to have chased away a bit of a bad vibe I'd got into during the afternoon, as I'd hoped. Kind of a recovery run down to the highway and back, but off the road here and there.

Occurred to me while passing through some of the smaller paddocks close to home that maybe one thing I could do while living here is to learn to leap over fences like an elite. As Robin has a love-affair with electric fencing, there would be a strong incentive to get it right, but I'm afraid it's an even stronger incentive to not even try.

Wairakei arboretum.

Ironically didn't remember to note the time I did for the memory course, but was either something around 20 or something around 30 minutes. If Taupo OC is efficient about posting results, then I might be able to put in the correct time soon. Navigation fairly yellow but had to remember 2-3 legs at a time. Have to admit finding the 2nd or 3rd controls in each set was sometimes using control descriptions more than map memory (ie the control's in this block, ok it's a re-entrant so I need to go down/it's a hilltop, I need to go up etc)

Went round one of the non-memory yellow courses to add to the punishment. After a bit too long break from the first run legs were feeling mighty sluggish at first but by the 2nd control I'd noticed the course was on the way to being a pretty good sprint course so decided to go for it and practice the good high speed o-habits. Spike rate was helped by quite a few controls and a couple of legs in common with the first run, and it was slightly annoying the only mistake (I think a result of not orienting the map properly) came as I was overtaking the flatmate who then bet me to the control!

A run that almost didn't happen (like the planned easy run after the last hard workout didn't happen) but flatmate started rubbing it in that she'd gone out for a walk after a fairly easy day work-wise and I was just sitting around home. So motivated into a bit of a loosener in the beautiful sunset light before going oienteering tomorrow (yay!). Decided the sheep were distributed lightly enough that I could run round the hills without chasing them (much, there were a few hiding behind spurs and the like which were hard to avoid). Felt good!

Made our first appearance at the Benneydale pub last night. Don't think we'll become regulars but should be good for a laugh from time to time. Bit of a trip back in time as for special events (like the Warriors game last night) smoke-free rules get flouted. Forgotten the "joys" of a smoke filled pub, something I don't miss at all. Feeling pretty shabby most of today (hence fairly easy work day) - do heavy smokers go through life feeling sick like that, and if so how the hell do they function???

Entering dangerous territory: inventing new workouts with no expert input... Usual run out to the highway, then on the way back ran 5 reps from the woolshed to the tutu road crest - just a small rise really, each rep was taking about 1:15, but at as high intensity as possible, and cruising downhill offroad between reps. No idea if that's a useful thing to do, but it added a spot of variety.

Almost caught a turkey on the way out, but it used that moment where I started wondering what the hell I was going to do with it to get out of arm's reach. Might have made the run a bit harder carrying it round with me.

My nice new terrain loop is already inhabited by ewes, so although they look to still have a bit of time before they start squirting lambs out, figure best not risk pissing the landlord off and putting the whole project at risk by running round amongst them. Means I'm limited to the roads really so did the length of Tutu road then a little way up the highway - mainly to see if it feels safe for running - to a crest beside the Mangaruhe block, then back again. Highway has a bit more verge than it appeared to have at driving speed, but I don't think I'll be using it every evening.

Starting to "feel like a runner" again - albeit a slow, tired one.

Up the road to the woolshed to warmup, then back past the house and christened a bit of a (20ish minute)terrain loop that could be added to further quite easily. Then learnt that I've got about a week to take advantage of it before Robin lets his about-to-lamb ewes out to have free reign around the paddocks. Legs a bit tired and heavy (not surprising after spending the day trying to find the thickest supplejack patch on the steepest face in the dreaded "Dennis" block) but at least it felt like they were trying to run at a distance pace rather than get a 100m sprint started.

Today Rhonda responded to my going for a run by drinking beer. Not sure if that still counts as being a good influence.

After a fairly easy but not entirely successful day of bird chasing, almost had the energy to get out and do something, and was short of other weak excuses too. So basically just a pretty short jaunt up Tutu Road to the highway and back, jumping off the road for a spot of terrain play where the fences get far enough apart for it. Legs stretching out a little bit better than a coupla days ago but still working way too hard for the speed I was going. I suppose 500 m isn't high enough to play the "effect of altitude" card?...? No? Guess I need to keep plugging away then. Hopefully next time will stay out a bit longer.

Run had one positive spin off - shocked the flatmate into doing her first yoga session since coming to NZ. And apparently we have a "pet" cat, unless anyone can think of something else black, white and fast moving that can knock over a bunny...

Back at the whare whanau (or whare matua is possibly more accurate?) for a couple of days to pick up a few more life essentials (stereo - check!, CDs - check!, map archive - check!... now how much space does that leave in the car for clothes etc...), and went out for a jaunt up to the Silverstream bridges and back just to see if I can still run. Barely, apparently. Getting stuck in that short inefficient stride that I think I've mentioned before, and only going downhill the legs seemed to remember how much nicer it is to stretch out. Ah well, only cure for that is more running. Or to stop caring, which would be a bad thing.

Just a note to let my 3 fans know I haven't been slacking these last two weeks. After 14 consecutive days of fieldwork the rat knockdown phase of the project is over! Although it's been pretty damn physical it's too hard to try to quantify and log as training when it feels like you spend all day on your feet but a fair bit of the day is driving from site to site, and the walking involves stopping every 50 metres to service a trap or whatever. Could count it all as technical training - when you're in dense young tree ferns and the "map" you've been given tells you little more than the orientation of the grid you're working on, you learn to ride that little red needle closely. Next time I'm looking for a 2 metre hill in a low vis block of Woodhill there might be just a touch more discipline in my compass work.

Had enough energy to think about running in the first week, but always too much to do once we came home at the "end" of the day - rats to measure, tracking tunnel papers to prepare etc; and in week 2 when the number of dead rats to process each day was rapidly dropping, the energy was gone! Will hopefully get back into some good habits this week, but feeling a bit broken right now...