Training Log Archive: jennycas

So, 7.2km wasn't really far enough for a classic length race even if it was on Mt Alexander. (And I suspect the advertised 350m climb was a typo as other similar courses had more like 250m?) But it was a course that made good use of the available area, even if the phi loops possibly contributed to, rather than prevented, bunching...anyway, really nice morning, course and terrain - a lot like Mt Beckworth but not as hot as a month ago!

I was probably foolish to take the high route and drop (what seemed like quite a way) into the first couple of controls, and Al Jones had caught me 2 min at number 2 already. Natasha came through me (4 min) at 3, where I was looking on a rockface too low (which I now can't see on the map unless it's rocky ground) and they were both a fair way ahead of me going up the hill to 5 which was the first of our common controls for the loops, but then they were both punching it as I came in, so must have fluffed it a bit. Natasha and I both had the downhill side of the loop first and both lost time going into the next control, but when we got to the common control at the bottom of the loop there was Al coming in from doing the straight line down the middle of the loop, so she must have lost time too. They were ahead of me on the uphill side of the loop and I blew the control at the end of it by being on some patchy open just lower than the clearing I wanted, and looking for a boulder on the edge of it. Then I saw Al and Tash coming down from above and realised I was too low, so went up to the proper clearing and they went back up too - I thought they'd already found the control but they hadn't.

I got the common control ahead of them and then took the straight line south, seeing Susanne hooning through the forest parallel to me. Actually it wasn't straight south; we both climbed a bit, passing control 9 we'd been to already, and then dropped in to it. She was out of sight fairly quickly after that. The longer legs across the hillside were clean for me although fairly slow, and it took until the end of the long leg for Natasha to catch up to me again. She was over the hill pretty fast though. I guess I need to do rather more hill-and-terrain work. But that's okay; I am still at the point of being happy that I can run fairly pain-free :) And I could have cut out about 5 min of mistakes; think my goal ought to be being able to get back to about 20 min behind the winner, as I was in Hanny's glory days, rather than 30 min as I currently am behind Lizzie.

C • Probably not a typo 3

C • Classic length race 5

Day 2 W21E - Splits

Nice day for a run in the forest. At the beginning it seemed almost too simple, as things were popping up exactly where I expected them to and my knees felt good running - also felt as though with a bit more training I'd be able to run faster still. Saw Clare leaving 5 in the green as I approached it, then hesitated a little and Mace was coming in as I was leaving. Didn't get a clear line through the junk on the next couple of legs but found the controls okay, also came across Claire Butler, and then the 4 of us were around each other for the next few controls but 11 was at the top of an embankment and I was too wide/hesitant coming down off it so lost sight of Mace & Clare. Only real error was probably not even a minute on 18 where I hit the fingers of erosion gullies pretty much right but saw a bunch of older men coming from the SW so checked the minor creek in the direction where they had come from (I do know better than to chase old men, really!).

I used to think that being within 10 min of the winner on a middle distance was fairly good by my standards, and I'm reasonably happy with my run, but there's such a big women's field that it means I'm 18th (which would be 20th if Vanessa & Rachel were here).

Day 1 Course 2 - Splits

Event: Easter 2013
 

Sprint around Latrobe uni campus, nicely set by Toph. The mistakes I made were in the bush - overrunning the first control by 50m and ending up at the second (I suspect I wasn't alone, but I had the second-fastest split belting back to 2!) and then on the northerly bush leg 5-6 I aimed right on purpose, but when I came near the road and saw the houses I thought I had to go further right because they should be to the left, but I was actually looking at other houses further right, which were folded under on my map. Figured it out pretty soon but probably lost about a minute, and 4 places (or 7 if you include the junior girls), between those 2 errors. But I'm sure that those other people made mistakes too, and could say the same. Not sure about my route on the leg after the spectator control; that got a bit messy at the end. But mostly I felt that I was making decisions well, and also running quite well for me, certainly faster than I was thinking!

Prologue Course 2 - Splits

Knees were a bit hammered from terrain (3 days in a row at Easter could be problematic in that regard) so I swam. Smells emanating from the bakery were very fruity - I guess they're making hot cross buns!

Terrain loops of Blackwood forest, jumping as many logs as possible. Not super fast because the needles were slippery especially when playing pine tree slalom. But felt fairly good, certainly stronger than I have for a while. (Really meant to start doing this a few weeks ago!) Was still warm out but I think I finally acclimatised to 30+ earlier this month. Also it was good to concentrate on something other than this afternoon's somewhat disquieting meeting (neither first nor last in the drip-feed, death by a thousand paper cuts, sequence of Things That Are Happening To Repat For The Good Of The SALHN).

A bit stiff from gardening but felt like I got through the longer bits quite well, only I couldn't turn my legs over any faster when it came to the shorter ones.

Warmup 8 min, warmdown 15. Surprisingly humid.

Pretty wrecked today so didn't go to Lady Alice (it's only Para Wirra in disguise anyway). Instead took dog to beach with George, pulled lots of weeds in the garden (but only about 10% of those available to me) and in the evening went for a ride. This made me feel better, but still fairly exhausted.

C • Me too 4

A day in God's Country, with Steve & Zara. That's what Andy Thomas, the landowner of Twigham and Merridee, calls it out that way. We were pretty late at his place last night looking at maps and getting contact details of other landowners, so didn't leave Burra in a hurry this morning. Visited a couple of other landowners, a couple of potential hash house sites and then spent time at Bri Glen Springs where Steve checked out the May badge event's assembly area and Zara & I jogged up Wonna Creek (would be impressive to see it in flood) to Merridee ruins so I could show her the detailed stonework on the old chimney. Nice that our spring 12 hour rogaine is coming together already :)

Started out unsure if I had the energy for even one hill (back & hamstrings rather tight) but ended up doing 5:
3:18
3:11
3:08
3:10
3:18
That's my Mt Alexander training done...

Actually managed a bit faster than usual on the way back from the park. Maybe I still had some endorphins? Also I got rained upon!

In a hurry before staff meeting. (It was still pretty dark and they didn't turn the pool lights off until 8am.) Chlorine makes me sneeze all morning afterwards :(

Short loop with Fern & Bridget & Greg, I pushed a bit harder. Then up the steps and down QJD with Zara (& Callum). Was quite dark by the time I ran back across the golf course. We'll need torches in 2 weeks' time.

Meant to swim but figured I'd better go in to work early to tackle the 15 new patients (all FMC transfers)...and then had a dinner date with parents in the evening which was surprising due to a) dinner's edibility and b) the fact that George accompanied me.

Oh dear, hills were a problem this morning. Dragged my sorry ass up to Belair in a time slower than any I've done for about 3 years. The donkey didn't like coming down off the mountain either. But it was a glorious morning and the views were magnificent.

Could hardly get out of bed this morning, my glutes were so sore. A bit better by evening but still painful on downhills; no real problem with uphills. I can only think that it's because I was bracing with my butt muscles, in order to save my knees, on all the steep descents at the rogaine. My quads appear to be fine!

Can't remember when I last paid to run a course in Shepherds Hill! Anyway, I trotted around before the OSA AGM. Pretty slow and stiff, and added 2-3 min extra by overshooting a control on a thicket (didn't see the track junction before it) and also took a suboptimal downhill route which ended up being straight through a patch of spiky olive. A reasonable approximation of fun, all the same.

Was going to run over to the park but piked and rode instead. This was enough. I guess we did cover the best part of 20km yesterday.

Sides of Mortlock Park: 200ish, 400, 600, 400, 200, 200. Approx 200m (one side) recovery in between. Didn't have the energy for any more.

4 hr twilight rogaine at Black Hill. I walked around with Amy Ide. It was a pretty fast walk though! We went up Black Hill first for the views (most of the controls were on or near tracks), and were back in the suburbs along the river before it got dark. Only real mistake was not following the ridgeline to 91 - because we thought it would be bush bashing - instead dropping to the track and then climbing something like 40m in 100 at the end of the leg. Robin & Evelyn nearly caught us here because they walk so fast; they ended up 50 points behind us and we were 3rd women (on 1260), which was a nice surprise :)

Not bad for a non-running team, although there was a small amount of jogging back from Thorndon Park to make it in time at the end (and we had to ignore 43 which was only 300m out of our way, and which we'd have been able to get if it wasn't for 91 earlier on), which we did with 4 min to spare, although there was such a bottleneck at the finish that by the time they processed us it was into the next minute.

C • Bush - bashing 2

Perfect autumn morning. May actually need to think about wearing a 2nd layer soon. (And pumping up my tyres.)

Very tired, and full of dinner, but it was too nice an evening not to run. Anyway, I'll need to get used to running in the dark in a couple of weeks' time...

With Zara/Callum, Bridget, F&T up past the lower waterfall and down through the tunnel but we didn't find Simon's lanterns which had been forgotten about on Sunday. Never thought I'd say it but I'm a bit sick of Belair, having run there 3 times this week. Very dry there ATM. Also, my hip hurt, on top of general tiredness.

Had cooled down overnight and a run would have been nice but legs were rather physio-fied so I swam instead but the pool seemed rather treacle-fied.

Took Blair into Shepherds Hill and showed him most of my favourite singletracks; although obviously not as scenic as it is in winter with the creeks flowing, it was at least cooler in the valley than in 30-degree suburbia.

C • I hope you didn't move any ... 7

Attack of the Killer Physio
Kath kindly avoided my sunburnt neck and stuck needles into the back of my head instead, Frankenstein-style. Also, hopefully her work on my hip will have got rid of sciatica and the weird neuropathic burning sensation down the front of my thigh.

Proud of myself for being up in time to go the beach before it got too hot (funny moment was when, as I waded into the water, I heard someone swimming very enthusiastically behind me, and I thought it was a bit rude that they were splashing me, and then I thought it sounded a lot like dog-paddling, so looked around to see a golden retriever who had obviously decided I was his new owner!), but then undid the good work by foolishly getting sunburnt in the middle of the day watching the snorkellers (looking for leafy sea-dragons) from Rapid Bay Jetty. George & I took Blair for a drive down south which involved eating, mostly: Yankalilla bakery for lunch, iceblocks at Cape Jervis, and Italian in Victor Harbor for dinner - although walking a lap of Granite Island via the causeway could have counted as exercise, I guess, because it was so hot & sweaty.

Mass start loop race, Simon-style. And he did a very good job of being kind to the women. The men may beg to differ...

Hadn't warmed up at all unless you count swinging a hammer to put stakes in, setting up the event from 7am. Really felt it through the first short loop (woke up very stiff from yesterday's lugging of the controls we had planted in flowerpots) and was glad of my thoughtfully-placed water at the map change, which I chose to wear rather than drink. About 2 controls into the next loop, came across Bun sitting in the gutter nursing a busted elbow with Katelyn hovering anxiously nearby. After a couple of minutes, I walked Bun to the next control and she swore she was okay so I went on, having lost sight of Lauren & Jacqui and figuring I wouldn't see anyone else for a while but might be able to reel in some junior girls towards the end.

As it was, when after the hard slog above Echo Tunnel I got to the rocks between the waterfalls, at the top of the course, I suddenly encountered everyone having a "hunt the control" party. Of course, some of these were people who were on their second loop around the rocks while I was still on my first, but I got through the rocks pretty cleanly, and from there it was all downhill. Seriously. Reeled in Heather & Clare on my way down which was a nice bonus, went above the trainline tunnel on the next long leg, kept seeing a Nugget in the distance which turned out to be Lanita. Never saw Bridget but she must have been just in front of me.

A fairly good run by my standards; lost a couple min at most in small errors, and a couple more when I stopped for Bun, but the most I would have gained if I hadn't done that was a couple of places, and it was good for me to catch my breath :)

Very long hot day out for some of the juniors but they get full points for perserverance, especially Will walking the remainder of the course from Long Gully in his socks because of blisters!

C • Thank you!! 4

Course 2 BAB - Splits

Event: Adelaide NOL
 

Put out all the SI units, starting before 7am after what seemed like a very short night (with lots of orienteering nightmares, thankfully none of which came to pass - although unfortunately Adrian wasn't so lucky with his event). I had to hurry to keep ahead of Robin who was checking them! Best bit was crossing the gorge footbridge right on dawn with the pink sky in the east and views of the ocean in the west.

If I do say so myself, this event went really well. It was worth waiting so long to hold a NOL race on Flinders Uni. And Susanne won her qualifying heat :)

C • Thanks for the great event 3

Quick-and-interesting trot around Waite with some good route choices, fairly clean run although I overshot a couple of controls (it's been a while since I was able to run faster than I'm navigating). Had lent my compass to Emily S right before the start and think I actually thumbed the map more closely without it. Felt like I was planning ahead more than I normally do. Was satisfied to break 20 min although would like to be able to be closer in time to the M45 Steve triad.

Course 2 - Splits

A swim, after which I didn't go to work, but spent the day on going with Susanne & parents to see grandfather for his birthday lunch, and then spent 3 hours in the evening putting controls out at Flinders Uni, by which time it was quite dark and I was still hot, as was the evening.

Long Gully to the far end, abandoning Tyson & Bridget at Karka, then up & over the hill, leaving Fern & Blair to run back from the redwoods while Zara/Callum & I went up the singletrack & down Saddle Hill. Felt okay on hills but knee didn't like coming down off the end of Saddle spur. After collecting controls/units etc from the Uppills', got home starving at 10pm.

3:09 (this was a surprise because it didn't feel like too much effort)
3:19 (same amount of effort but 10 sec slower)
3:10 (this was lots more effort and at the top I had to sit down untill my heart rate normalised)

I was a bit stuffed because it took me until midnight to get all the maps and control descriptions sorted (by start time in blocks of 3), but the creek valley was nice & cool.

10 x 225s, rough grass at Mortlock Park. I used to disapprove of anything over 50 sec and now these are taking 53-55, which is 10% slower. But whatever. The point is that I did them at full effort.

A sweaty bit warm out already.

Knee better than yesterday. It's going to be a busy week, methinks.

Down to Frank Smith Park and back up through the pine forest with Fern, Tyson, Troy. Felt all right, actually, and even got through 3+ hours at the Uppills' doing start draw/info/map stuff okay afterwards, although I did have to nip out in pursuit of Fancy Burger :)

Hmm...somewhat better than yesterday (possibly because when George & I rejected the one pub in Clunes as being rather *too* rural, we went into Ballarat and found both Blair and a good Italian place - so I ate lots of pasta) but still very slow going. I mean: I can't run up hills, down hills, or along the side of hills, at least not in O shoes because they are too unstable. I just have no terrain legs, which makes a mockery of any pretensions I may have to being able to run elites. Actually starting to wonder whether I can manage 4 days in a row at Easter. The irony is that I have actually been doing a reasonable amount of something which passes for training, and yet the boys were going past me like I was standing still and they weren't even noticing all the junk on the ground. As far as I recall, I navigated pretty cleanly though. And the views were great.

Knee was very stiff after the short flight home (possibly because I hopped straight in the car after finishing in order to get to our friends' for lunch back in Melbourne) and so I thought a ride might loosen it. It did, but even riding was very slow.

Oh dear - one I possibly shouldn't have got out of bed for, at least not to catch a 6am flight, because that always wrecks me. And it seems I was already wrecked from a wee bit of a cold, plus shortly after starting I realised it was rather a long time since breakfast. So my legs were completely empty, and unfortunately so was my brain. I didn't manage the 1:5000 map very well at all, mainly because at that scale I expected things to be mapped which hadn't been at 1:10 000 which was then enlarged, and also I often couldn't identify the difference between knolls with embankments and those without. And I couldn't run over mullock heaps with dodgy knees. So it was very slow going, far worse than when I came training here in December, and that was pretty slow then. Also, it was scary the few times I got not so much lost as completely disoriented. It was as though I lost both my sense of direction and balance.

By the end I was completely walking 'cos I didn't even have the energy to lift my legs over stuff. But I still decided I deserved ice cream when George & I got to Clunes.

A flat sprint, fairly straightforward although with potential for parallel building errors. Which doesn't explain my around-the-wrong-side-of-the-building-to-the-last-control error, in full view of everyone at the finish which I then had to run straight past. Maybe it was karma for my sneaky "I can kneel from the top of this wall, across the garden bed, and punch this control because the map doesn't say I mayn't"? Something always confuses me about that courtyard, though - I ran the wrong way out of the start last year!

So I lost about half a minute on that control but the rest was pretty smooth. Embarrassed to get thoroughly done by Dante Afnan who's only 11, but then he beat all the girls.

Control collecting. And I went to get the Runners On Road sign but someone had parked with their wheel on it! After we all got takeaway and ate it by the lake (one of the Mawson Lakes?) celebrating Bridget's successful sprint series, I then tried to find the through road to Salisbury Highway and got completely and utterly lost, driving laps of the Mawson Lakes housing development in the dark. In the end I had to ring George as my 2004 street directory wasn't much help in finding the way out. No wonder he hates delivering to that suburb so much!