Training Log Archive: jennycas

Started out well but got hungry about halfway through and then my mind wandered to sprint series and orienteering matters.

I didn't leave work until after 6 so was scratching to make it before last start at 7. Seemed easiest to leave out the 5 northernmost controls in the housing trust area, so I did, in favour of Delfin Island (better scenery). It was a completely flat map but I couldn't muster up any speed. Noticed that I am not lifting my knees at all and instead kicking my feet backwards - that can't be efficient. Think it's due to my hamstring feeling very restricted lately. Had hoped to get in under 40 min but it took a surprisingly long time to punch each plate control at ground level while juggling control card, map and work phone.

Short (which is not the same as speedy) and sweaty trot in Belair. Made it home with 2 minutes to spare before online OA board meeting. No one heard me eating my dinner, did they?

C • Mute button is good :-) 3

Much cooler this morning so I went for a longer run (Shepherds Hill, Eden Hills, Bellevue Heights, Flinders Uni) and while I took a while to get going, especially up hills, I finished off okay and just snuck in under 80.

Ran around my long course for Snap Sprint Series next Friday week. This was a bit stop-start because of checking control sites to see where a control could be locked or cable-tied to; a lot of control descriptions will be: bottom of stairs (which have railings). Unfortunately, the most intricate potential control sites are also the least well-mapped areas because the mapper couldn't draw that level of detail - so I can't use all my favourite sites.

Then I ran around the shorter course because I thought that it may be a bit long. And I believe it is indeed so, because of how far you have to deviate from straight line to go around buildings. The question is: how much effort should I put into my courses vs how probable is it that Fri 7th will be so hot that the event is cancelled?

Turned out that Morialta was closed because of the weather, as were all other Adelaide Hills National Parks. Sort of intended to run later when it came in breezy but by then I was deeply preoccupied with setting my sprint courses for Adelaide Uni.

From sister-in-law's at Jamisontown to mother-in-law's at Emu Plains. Sun was already warm but it was pleasant along the river, although I was completely stuffed.

C • Nothing Semi-abandoned? 4

Event: Sprint Series #4 - Gladesvile
 

It's an old hospital, semi-abandoned but not really derelict, with great harbour views. Interesting venue for a sprint, with lots of old stone walls and a few courtyards. Good fun, but I really struggled to maintain pace and was rather out of breath. Pretty sure I would previously have been able to do about 20 for this. We then went to Tracy's for dinner :)

C • Semi-abandoned 1

After we flew into Sydney I got Geoff to drop me at Coogee beach and meet me at Bondi beach. He did manage to drive there faster than I could run the clifftop path, which was very popular with other humans and their dogs. Also a great way to see the coastal scenery of headlands and beaches (and a semi-abandoned cemetery) but I was pretty hot & sweaty by the end, and ready for what turned out to be a substantial brunch at AquaBar before driving out to Penrith.

Nice evening for a run around Christies Creek and O' Sullivans Beach, skirting the sewage works. My scatter choice was fairly woeful; I certainly wasn't crossing the creek anywhere except an actual bridge, but I think I did some doglegs that weren't the optimal route. Either way I wanted to get to the northern controls on the waterfront boulderscape (AKA beach), and that was worth it for the view. Suspect I need to do some proper training, though, as I was powerless up hills. Picnicked afterwards with parents and Radfords, did some bonus baby-holding. Not quite sure when I'll see Kate again as she & Stuart & the boys are moving to Emerald.

Plodded to Long Gully/up the steps with F&T, B&S, then I went across to Lower Waterfall and back through Echo Tunnel. Knees tight and legs generally achy. I haven't felt particularly sprightly on a run for about a month.

Either the pool's less viscous this week or I was in lots of people's slipstreams today.

With Bridget, Simon & Liv into First Falls where we watched blue wrens flitting around and I sampled the first of the season's blackberries (going to be a good crop this year). Then up past the Giant's Cave to Pretty Corner and down the park rim singletrack. Knee wasn't too sure about the descent. Then to Radfords' to be fed dinner in return for holding a baby :)

Attack of the Killer Physio

This wasn't too bad but afterwards I felt so wrung out that even a second coffee didn't increase my energy levels enough to go for a run before Easter 2015 meeting.

Woke up feeling like I had a hangover. Which is completely unfair after only one glass of wine last night. Maybe it was the soy sauce in dinner? Also my knees were tight from sitting for so long (and from running in heels because we were nearly late for South Pacific because I parked in the wrong underground car park). So, even though I had suggested a nice long run to the others, I piked when we got across to Verdun via Ambulance Rd, and came back up Hahndorf Hill then down into the waterhole and back along the creek with Robin & Fern.

Not much more lively today. We did go to see South Pacific with Julie and followed it up with dinner at Red Ochre on the Torrens weir (while we're all dressed up, we may as well dine somewhere fancy) which was all good fun. Methinks I don't laugh often enough.

Pretty wrecked at the end of a disappointing week. Mind you, the dismal Two Bays result and the fact that I now won't be able to go to Beechworth NOL races because of work, pale into insignificance beside the incineration of Wirrabara Forest inclusive of the area intended for 2 days of Easter 2015. At least it hadn't been mapped yet.

Pleasant redwoods return run with Bridget & Simon, Zara/Callum, followed by a dip in Z's pool. Tired legs but it seemed quite a bit cooler in the hills than on the plains.

Funny how quickly it's possible to reset one's benchmarks - by this week's standard, it was a cool cloudy morning. And it was nice going into Shepherds Hill reserve, especially along the creek bottom, although I was really slow this morning and still a little tender. ITBs tight through hip flexors and quads but actual knees seem ok.

The sky was really black in the NE when I was driving across to Morialta and as we started there was a modicum of lightning and thunder - as Zoe said, perfect Darwin weather. I guess she must have brought the rain - it was actually quite steady (if brief) as Simon & Zoe & I trotted in leisurely fashion up to Deep View then into 3rd falls, although had ceased by the time we came back down again. We were met at the bottom by a Swiss milkmaid bearing lemonade and ice cubes :)

I dare say I could have run if chased by a bear, but I wasn't so I didn't. Particularly painful right hip upon which I landed when I fell :(

Not sure what to say about this one...
*proceeds to write essay anyway*

Okay, so I'm much less fit than I was a couple of years ago. But it's not as though I've been doing no training, so I really hadn't expected to end up 20 minutes slower than in 2012 (on official time, but personally I'm choosing not to count approx 3 min spent in a standstill queue at the Phytophthora shoe-cleaning station about 11km in).

It's not as though I've done no hills either, but I just couldn't make my legs lift from the very beginning (feeling rather washed out from yesterday's cramps) and so lots and lots of people were passing me going up the road, all of whom then proceeded to walk the stairs up to Arthur's Seat, which was very frustrating. I mean, the 3rd km took 10 minutes! Foolishly, I attempted to pull out and overtake (dunno why I bothered when there were 100 other people walking in front) and promptly tripped myself up and bit the dust! They do say pride goes before a fall.

Picked myself up, muttered to myself about how this run is getting way too crowded, and resigned myself to watching the footfalls of those about 2 feet in front of me on the lovely contouring singletrack which I couldn't stride out on. Throughout the race I was around people who would slow down for no obvious reason and I'd pass them, but then at some point later they'd come through me, or who were walking faster than I could stagger up hills (I don't know what was wrong with me on even slight inclines) but then I'd catch up to a whole bunch who were tentative on the singletrack. Even though I had already decided to just treat this as a long run it was kind of spoiled for me because there were about 800 more people than I'd have liked, yet I was envious of the people who had friends to chat with while running. It would have been lovely to have Zara alongside (or better still, Callum towing me).

Anyway, I did my best to admire the bushland scenery and was very glad that the sun never came out. Also, since I never could run fast enough to hammer myself, and the ground was fairly soft (also rather dusty, as though a herd of buffaloes had run through) my knees held up okay although when I fell earlier I'd landed on my bad knee and so was a bit anxious about it). In the last 5km after Boneo Rd I was getting passed by women I'd overtaken earlier but also I was passing some guys who were struggling. I ended up halfway through the field which is sort of humiliating; difficult to know how much of this was due to getting caught in bottlenecks vs how much was due to my being awfully slow these days. I'd have been happy with 2:45 and not terribly dissatisfied with 2:50 given how flat I was feeling on the day.

'Twas a nice weekend all up, although we could have done without our flight back being delayed and arriving home 10pm.

C • Well done anyway, good effort 3

George & I flew into Melbourne Fri night and got down to our Mornington Peninsula accommodation about 10pm, so slept in, found average markets but good coffee and brunch, then visited a goat cheesery, cherry/berry farms, bakeries, procuring the ingredients to make semi-gourmet dinner for Bruce & Blair.

Ada Ryan Gardens, Hummock Hill, Flinders & Freycinet monument, back to the foreshore caravan park. Much less water lying around than in June!

Took Oxford Tce up behind the church and hospital, all the way across to Pioneer Park. There seemed to be lots of ups & downs along the way. Found the bushland over towards Happy Valley, and Puckridge Park, then came back along the foreshore. This morning there was no cloud at all but I was still sweating heaps. I guess it's humid by the ocean.

Meandered to Whyalla in the afternoon, via Coffin Bay, Tod Reservoir (in the 1920s water was gravity-fed, after being pumped up to the hills behind here, by pipeline all the way to Ceduna) and lots of back roads :)

Woke up (actually, I woke up every time another member of the household went past the sleepout to the toilet in the night), groaned stiffly, thought about running, stretched, thought about running, had breakfast, dragged myself out the door for a lap of Kirton Point with minimal hills. Peak pace was 5:15/km - oh dear. Tell me again why I'm going to Melbourne this weekend?

Despite listening to dad and my aunts & uncles discussing how Port Lincoln has changed in the 75 years since they first came here, to me it doesn't seem to have changed much since my teenage years. I agree with the locals' sentiments about the brand new Bunnings just being greedy and muscling in on the Mitre 10, which has been there forever, by setting up just across the road. And is there any other town where the nursing home is officially called the (Eyre Peninsula) Old Folks' Home?

I made it up Winters Hill (7km out of town, approx. 210m climb?) but this was an effort; new shoes didn't help much and may not have been good for my knees coming down. Also the bunk bed hurts my back and the grandfather clock striking every half hour really isn't conducive to a good night's sleep! The 360-degree view from the top, out to Boston Island, Sleaford Mere and the wind farm was worth it although I couldn't stay long because it was blowing a gale.

Cool cloudy morning and I'd had a long run in mind but legs just didn't have it in them. All of me pretty tired & achy and I even left it until after breakfast in the hope of having more energy, but Parnkalla trail past the wharf, along the foreshore (if they have a statue of Makybe Diva shouldn't they have one of Dean Lukin also?) to the old mill and pioneer park then back again was more than enough for me. I really don't know whose bright idea it was to enter a 28km run for this Sunday!

C • Sunday 1

Out past the marina to Billy Lights Point. George & dad picked me up and we spent the day in the national park. Track to Memory Cove is a wee bit rough for the Impreza with low clearance but once we'd used up our spare tyre George drove about as carefully as I would have done, so that was nice. It's a beautiful little secluded cove, like a smaller version of Wineglass Bay, and the history of how Flinders lost 8 men there is rather interesting. We had time to tour the rest of the national park, including climbing Stamford Hill from which there are impressive 360 degree views of the harbour and Boston Island (also there are good views of the island from my aunt's front porch) and a convenient walking track to the top, which didn't exist when Flinders climbed it looking for sources of water.

From my aunt's in Kirton Point: Parnkalla trail around past the caravan park to the marina & back. Legs very tired and ploddy and knees tight. Didn't even spend all day driving; we caught a 9am ferry from Wallaroo. Not sure what I thought of that...I usually like ferries but this one's kind of the Hyundai Excel of car ferries. Also it was just choppy enough for half the people on the boat to be clutching sick bags, so a 2 1/2 hour trip seemed to drag on a bit. But it's lovely to be in Lincoln again.

Nice evening for a ride up the valley; I was reminded by the golden hills of being in NZ this time last Jan. Knees a bit unhappy but hamstring okay. Almost tempted to take bike with me to Port Lincoln tomorrow!

Cutting it a wee bit fine for work. Hamstring ok in the water but I could feel it afterwards, calf the other way round. Raining on the nearly-unoccupied pool :)

I talked Zara, Andrew, John & Simon into a Morialta long run hoping none of us would have had too late a night, but in the end I was the one who was completely stuffed and unable to make my legs go up hills - they were pretty hammered from physio yesterday and I actually had to stop (not walk, stop completely) going up to Deep View, until I could get my breath back. It was about 30 degrees and I was reeeallly thirsty but the others stopped to wait for me often and I was feeling a bit more lively by the time we got to Moores Rd and then when we came down Colonial Drive that was okay.

Saw an echidna, yellow-tailed black cockatoos and kept trying not to step on all the bearded dragons which scuttled off the path at my approach. Also there was a koala firmly bum-planted in the middle of the path at the bottom, but he moved when we came along.