Training Log Archive: slow-twitch

A shortish walk across the road - up Horoeka Track, around to and down Tawhai Track. Probably could've managed a short gentle run instead, but this was more where my head was at today and I think just as useful for all the sore bits from yesterday's efforts. Except the knees - they didn't much like the steeeeeep bit of the Tawhai descent. A useful reminder though of why not to include that track in any off-road runs once I'm regularly back into that kind of thing.

Roads and riverbank, very approximately 16km. At least 15 minutes more than I can probably handle at the moment, but good to know I've got that distance in me even if it is going to turn into a struggle. When I left the house still wasn't sure if I was going out for a short gentle run to recover from last night's madness or something longer, but once I'd warmed up was feeling too good to not carry on. Upriver to Trentham Memorial Park (on the basis that 'it's only just past St Pats Farm' - I'd forgotten the bloody golf course in-between), through the Park, down through Upper Hutt a bit until getting back out on to the riverbank via Heretaunga Park, which was where I discovered the reason the cruise upriver had gone so nicely was because apparently I'd had a nice tailwind all the way - so now a not so nice headwind just as I was starting to struggle anyway.

Definitely an easy day tomorrow - whether short run or longer walk to be decided on the basis of what feels sore when I wake up

Super short sprint at Tawa College. Felt sluggish to start off, but think the legs warmed up into it - at least by the end it felt like hard work because I was pushing the limit, not because I was seriously unfit. Lost 20-30 seconds to #3, went to a nearby control I'd seen on the way to the toilet pre-race, even though it didn't look right on the map. Silly me. Spiked everything else, but no idea if I was taking the best route choices.

Tawa's a bit out of the way to go for 12 minutes of orienteering, so followed up the first run with a blatant burgle of the (barely) short(er) course. Which apart from a couple of straightforward legs was about the same technicality. Again, can't say I nailed every route choice but only feel I lost time on 5-6, a bit of confusion mid leg meant I went a bit wider of the red line than I should have - and on reflection the left hand route might have been a better option anyway. Physically again got up to a pretty good speed once a few legs into the course, but by the end there were some unnecessarily long pauses at controls! (Probably the reason for the one split I got beaten on being one of the shortest legs)

Hangdog. Low expectations are great - turned up expecting a sucky frustrating and totally unsuccessful session (because that's been the general background mode for the last couple of weeks) but actually went pretty well for a first attempt in ages (and 3rd time in the last 6+ months) context. Made one of the easy climbs that I hadn't got anywhere near getting last time, got all but the final reach on another, and had a bit of a play on a couple of 17s neither of which look anywhere near that difficult until you actually start on them. Exhausting - just what I needed though!

Not bad for (yet another) getting-back-into-it effort. Roads and riverbanks from home. Was not exactly finding a warm-up pace on the way out so eventually gave into that to see how far I could get in 25 minutes, which turned out to be just past the far end of the driving range (or the near end of St Pats farm if that sounds more impressive) - approximately 4.5km (can't convince Google's measuring to divert as far off the roads as I do), which probably equates to a similar 5km time if it was all paved. Thought I was returning at a bit more of a sedate pace, but only 2 minutes slower - I guess in theory I would have had as much tailwind on the return as headwind on the way out.

Aiming for something loggable every day for next 3 weeks - even though that might have to include the odd short walk across the road. Body permitting, of course!

Mt McKerrow (Rimutaka FP), up the gradual way, down the sudden way, then after a bit of a mandatory stop-in at the river O, a much easier cruise back to the carpark (easier, but at a faster pace - if we'd taken close to the posted 2 hours for that section, we might have been spending the night behind a locked gate... but my memory that you could knock it out in just over an hour without trying too hard proved accurate!) Out for 8 hours but lots of stoppages and distractions so 5-6 seems a fair reflection. Ankle came through surprisingly well until right near the end when it was suddenly sore enough that down-hill orienteering in a forest with lots of loose rock the next day seemed a bad idea unfortunately.