Training Log Archive: slow-twitch

Redwoods. Picked up a walking track map, decided I was in no shape to do the long "purple" track, headed off on the "yellow" then where they diverged decided to go purple after all. Was very tempted where the "green" track veered off part way up a very mean uphill but decided to push on a bit further. Things got easier after that which is good because I was now kinda comitted to the long route. Still a fair bit of walking uphill though - did run the last horror climb (which may or may not be related to there being a pretty blonde at the top watching me). Then gentle mostly descent for the last 2/3 thankfully. Never exactly a feelgood run, (except for feeling good about taking it on and finishing, & not taking as long as I suspected) but did seem to improve as it went on. Foot OK, didn't even feel it on some "technical" downhills that I really should have walked, just started to ache a bit on the tarseal descent at the end & have felt it a bit on the drive home. Should be ok though.

Lake Okataina (my fave of the Rotorua ngaroto) on the eastern walkway. First 10 mins were a struggle (tired & chest feeling a bit full again), next 10 were good then the rest was painful, walking up hills etc. But better after turning around. ANkle tweaked, will figure out how badly manana morning.

Pretty much done to remember how to put one foot in front of the other, and to have something to log. And to collect our thursday rubber band delivery (comes with a free copy of the Waitomo News thrown in) from the letterbox. Moonlight just bright enough the headlight never came out of the backpack. I've decided not to comment/complain about the air temperatures, after all the ice on the farm track that I was driving down at 3 pm today was only 1 cm thick, so it can't really be at all cold yet.

Probably no run tomorrow, but if the weather behaves itself I'm intending to throw in a couple of easy pace hour+ runs in some scenic spots out Rotorua way over the weekend. So if anyone else is round that way and keen to join, get in touch!

Felt pretty wiped out again by the end of yesterday. Better today. So maybe ready to restart some good habits soon.

Jogging to the start - some of us didn't have the luxury of a taxi ride (you know who you are). No idea how long it took really, but 15 seems a good guess. Should have heeded the warning signs - never felt I had the legs turning over comfortably, and had the thing I get sometimes when the air's really cold, the feeling of not really absorbing anything out of any breath. But despite not feeling right, didn't feel like I was wearing myself out at all so didn't foresee...

C • :P 5

Off to a good start, was leading at the start triangle (although hadn't looked at my map at this point) and not last to the first control & unlike some, had worked out where #2 was at this point. However by halfway to 2 (ie 300 metres into the race) had become apparent there was no life in the legs. Still expecting to complete the course at this point but resigned to a very long day. Lost sight of the pack on my loop but still just in contact with Jager and Peat until finding every deep hole in the two bog crossings to 3. Some of that water had not seen the sun for a very long time so the cold sucked out any energy I had left. Stood at #4 for a while figuring out that if I did the rest of the loops section there were 8 more bog-snorkelling opportunities and the potential to take myself from fairly exhausted to utterly sick. Talked myself out of pulling out there & then, deciding to do the non-loops section of the course. Spiked #16 sweetly then the brain decided to go out in sympathy with the body. Headed up completely the wrong spur to head towards the SE corner of the map rather than #17. Stopped, swore, turned around and proceded to number 20 - which at least I got to even if I did end up attacking it from quite a different angle than intended. Sweetly rode the compass to 21 (so SOMETHING went well), died for about the 5th time going up & over to 22, and got back just in time to "finish" amongst the leaders. Nearly had Jamie thinking I'd pulled out a legend run & just pipped him on the run into the finish....

the lack of any recent training won't have helped, but I think this has more to do with the low-grade colds that I've had recently + 1.5 days spent standing around in cold weather + not much sleep for about half a week. I'd also think warmer weather and gentler terrain would have led to a less ugly (but still not pretty) performance.

C • Great finish 1

A much nicer Aramiro experience (from the "if you have a map in the hand it counts as training" file). Bringing in half a dozen controls requiring no diving into near freezing water, with Vaala. Between us, we spiked them all. Unlike some, we were only enthusiastic enough to go out once to collect controls (again, you know who you are!)

C • more training 1

So, icing on the cake of an all round wonderful day, I get home and flick the page over on my calendar & discover I now have a full month of looking at Jager ahead of me. Great.