Training Log Archive: slow-twitch

"Rest day" - though stretches the definition when we spent the afternoon building up the 50 metre grid in the jungliest part of our jungliest block. Plenty of stretching and flexibility training as well as good practice for bastard course setting on bastard maps. Record rate of progress: 5 minutes to cover 10 metres.

Relaxed pace (all I was capable of really) for a few laps of the first cattle free paddock I could find.

Found some odd looking plants while tracking a robin today - can't find them in any of the field guides. When I described them to the flatmate she got all excited and suggested if we come across them again we should collect samples. Never seen her so interested in botany before...

C • Drug Testing 1

Tui Ridge (Vegas). First o for ages. Fun, but lots of it. Most of the course was fairly sprint styles so gave myself a good little talking to before starting that with 7+ km I couldn't afford to go full tit like it was a sprint race. Then went off at full tit like it was a sprint race. Strangely, things started to fall apart a bit in the last third. Was doing good things like planning ahead rather than just navigating the current leg, but on the other hand was being a bit lazy about things like checking the map was oriented. Almost wish that last had got me in to trouble somewhere along the way but hopefully just the fact I noticed will help the old self-discipline. Applying the Jamie Stewart Moment Theory to the biggest time loss incident (#15), misread a long narrow gully as a long narrow ridge as the spot to jump off the road into the forest and when I realised just dived off into the forest rather than stopping and figuring out how to fix the damage. Other than that just a few too many controls where I wasn't really figuring out what was happening inside the circle until I got there or choosing the wrong times to trust the veg mapping. Only 25 mins behind pcbrent so reasonably happy, especially as I reckon I dropped a disproportionate amount of that towards the end. Brent had his gps watch thingy and ran about 9.5 km, I imagine we all did a fairly similar distance.

Mailbox run, aiming for a fairly easy recovery pace (helped by the good workouts the last couple of days), yet strangely doesn't seem to take any longer than the days I really go for it!

Had planned (after an admin visit to TK) to have a cruise on the Mangaokewa walkway just out of town, but in my hurried packing (had had to get to the post shop before closing and thought I was cutting it fine by the time I left home) grabbed everything I needed except any sort of running shoes. Oh well, looks nice, I'll put it on my ever growing to-do list!

Shame I'm not in training for Pamplona. Had discovered a really neat plateau and valley while doing telemetry yesterday, and figured it would be a fun place to try and get in a good hour's work (though wasn't looking forward to what would have been a fairly punishing uphill to get to it). Found bulls had been moved into the one unavoidable paddock to get there. Plan B: no, beasts in here too, Plan C: this paddock looks empty, ...apart from the beasts hiding over the first spur.... etc etc. Somehow all this plan changing and backtracking managed to make up the hour I wanted, though very stop-start. Maybe I'm being a wimp, but being cornered a couple of days ago by some large grumpy looking animals does that to a person.

Need to get a rumour started that the beef market is about to crash, and all the money's going back into sheep.

C • shagger 1

Up to the top of the airstrip (18 minutes - but prob only a bit quicker because I accidentally took a fairly direct route across a paddock I'd normally skirt round) then not much tiki touring back to home. Good enough for a return to action and a nice compromise between not wanting a long jaunt but not enthusiastic about doing just the mailbox run.

If Fly'n ever gets bored of blasting away at bambis and feels like a change, the goats over the fence in Herekawe SR are starting to get a little cheeky

C • kill cute little bambi 4

Crazy crazy exhausting draining weekend, which any semblance of a rough schedule was ripped up and thrown out the window as quickly as it was made. Finally slipped away in the late afternoon for a quick jaunt from Jen's place down the Okere falls walkway & back on the road. Quite short so should have done 2 or more laps but lack of a week's quality sleep attacked me on the road climb out of the track end. Hangover I should have had all day finally caught up with me just after the run.

Was going to shoot over to the Ham OC event on sunday but priorities changed - would have been a bit of a wreck even if I had made it. Must now behave myself until easter!

C • Misbehaving??? 2

Promising to do a longer run relatively comfortably, especially as was feeling a bit hammered from yesterday to start with. Up to airstrip by a moderately circuitous route in 19.5 mins, and no walking on the runway this time, so that's when I started to realise I was actually feeling pretty good. Had a good explore down a new route which made things a bit stop-start, linking up gates etc, and made a couple of side trips to help build up the time. Lots of sharp little (and sometimes not so little) climbs and plenty of contouring too!

Probably has to be a day off tomorrow, but should find somewhere for a nice run round vegas on Sat, then maybe some actual orienteering!

5 mins before and after cutting loose, at a more sensible pace

Trying to get back in the habit. Intended a longer terrain run, but our fairly late finish at work today was made an hour later by being locked in at Te Hape someway from the nearest phone, so running out of time, energy and daylight. So instead went out to check the mail. The legs seemed to want a bit of a speed workout so I let them have it. May regret that tomorrow even after staying off the road as much as possible, but I think I really needed that!

Exhausted! Like coming back from a weekend of racing only with even less sleep. May go for a run later but it's looking like a fool's bet right now.

C • mp3 1

Lost_in_space can back me up on this one! Just had to see Ska Cubano again (especially as wasn't much else on at the same time) on the big bowl stage. Heat of the afternoon so didn't go quite so mad as last night. Declined the duathlon option however.

Outbreaks of energetic dancing occurred during the traditional WOMAD all-star-gala. Though less energetic than a couple of hours previously with a bit of a fade in energy levels happening. A definite peak of 5 however when (you guessed it) Ska Cubano made their appearance.

Only went back to see Speed Caravan to try and get a suitably rock-and-roll photo of the madman with the electric oud. Yes there is such a thing as an electric oud. But once I'd been swallowed up by the.... (what is the Arabic for "mosh-pit"?) seemed rude to not stay for the rest of their set... thankfully second to last set of the festival, and the follow-up, La Cor del Plana, though absolutely amazing, could be easily appreciated while lying on the grass pretending to be dead.

So, now do you understand why I missed Katoa Po?

Good a way as any to explore an unfamiliar town, especially when my New Plymouth street map seemed to suddenly neither be in Si's car or my bag or tent. Pukekura Park, streets across to the edge of the Huatoki reserves, down every second culdesac trying to find a way into the reserves, down the Huatoki walkway (or prob half of it) into the edge of the city centre, back to Pukekura (40ish mins) then lots of zig zagging and up & down in the park to make up the hour. Discovered right at the end that the inner track at the racecourse (campground) was a really nice running surface but would have been too self conscious to just do laps of that. Managed to stick to a sensible hour-run pace so hurt a lot less (not quite none at all) than the Pureora effort a week or so back.

Had best of intentions of repeating the effort sunday morning, but after a full on saturday pm seemed much easier to just shoot breeze with friends from Palmy and new friends from Waiheke until music-time.

Ska Cubano. Cuban rhythmns. Ska tempo. Insane frontman. BIG sound system. Lovely evening, just starting to cool down. How, I ask you, could that combination NOT lead to a high intensity cardio workout?

This might have had something to do with not being up for that second run...

In consultation with lost_in_space we agreed that grooving is a loggable activity if the energy levels get high enough. After a few hours taking in all sorts of beautiful exotic sounds birdman was ready for a spot of tail shaking so went to check out Speed Caravan. When the bass player demonstrated more talent in the opening bar of the first tune than birdman did in his entire very short lived musical career it was obvious this could turn into quite a session.... (it all becomes a bit of a blur after that)

It's more authentic exercise than going to the gym. And louder.

C • Get Well Soon ;-) 4

Up to the airstrip again. Got to the top about a minute faster but that certainly wasn't due to a huge improvement in fitness! Then a bit more fiddling round on the way home to rack up some more time. A bit too much walking happening!

Gentle mostly off road run. Not feeling 100% so happy to stay out for so long. Explored some paddocks that I'd never managed to link together before (every other time I've looked in that area there's been bulls in the way somewhere) so the novelty value kept me going, and ended up at the top of Robin's airstrip (which is surprisingly steep!) Some of the uphills were a bit of a struggle but on the other, happier, hand managed to get the "terrain glide" going at times. Just over 21 mins to the top of the airstrip, though prob not much good noting that as if I ever want to beat it all I have to do is take a more direct route!

Supposed to be an intervals session. Managed 2x5 mins at what I could almost call intensity 4 before figuring the ankle's not ready for HARD terrain running (and don't want to do intervals on the road, because I think its road running that's set my calves off). Think it's time to accept that even though for once I know how to get to where I want to be physically before nationals, it's still not going to happen this year. Ditch "the program" and just get in as much terrain running as I can.

C • know how you feel 1

Not so sure what was so tough about yesterday's effort, but apparently I'm still suffering. Meant to do 2 there and backs of Tutu Road but the lure of the house was too strong when I passed it after the first. Everything in the legs had tightened up going over the hill, so that was a good enough excuse. Did jump off the road to test the ankle out and I think I'm ready to get back into terrain, so one positive!

1st attackpoint birthday! Was going to throw together some stats, but don't have the time right now. Didn't quite make 200 hours of training....

Long road circuit at Pureora. Village campground, Perham Ave, Cabbage Tree Road, Whareama Road, Kotukunui Road then back to the campground. Not the loop I'd intended, but apparently the layout of the forestry roads has changed since my very old topo was printed (1983! probably not surprising then). Which also ruins my intention of having an actual known distance run. This loop was probably shorter and that's probably a good thing given I was starting to hurt by 40 mins.

Was going to follow up with 10+ minutes warming down on the totara track, but after returning to my car, grabbing some water and doing my stretches, discovered I'd become detached from my car keys. Cue 3+ hours grid searching the very small area I'd wandered round since unlocking. I may write to the fusion car alarm people and suggest green, vaguely leaf shaped remotes maybe aren't the best idea.

Oh yeah, ankle fine during (even after one little tweak I should've avoided), a little sore after. Just every other part of my legs causing trouble instead.

C • keys... 2