Training Log Archive: jennycasIn the 31 days ending Jan 31, 2016:
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Sunday Jan 31, 2016 #
Note
Covered the SE section of the map this morning, where there are lots of little lumps and bumps and formline knolls somewhat reminiscent of the subtleties of Gothenburg terrain except that's all soft and green and mossy of course whereas this has virtually no undergrowth to slow people down although you do have to do a bit of ducking and weaving among the younger native pines. Assembly area's a bit of a walk from the carparking (although not further than it was at the Canberra NOLs last May) and will have magnificent views of Wilpena Pound along the way.
Coffee & cake at Maggie's Rendezvous in Orroroo was good (somewhere to stop for people heading up from Adelaide on the Sat am) and I was dropped home about 7pm; thanks to Adrian for all the driving. Had taken me a while, after coming back from Europe, to want to think about any sort of orienteering but now I am starting to get keen on both competing and organising again :)
Coffee & cake at Maggie's Rendezvous in Orroroo was good (somewhere to stop for people heading up from Adelaide on the Sat am) and I was dropped home about 7pm; thanks to Adrian for all the driving. Had taken me a while, after coming back from Europe, to want to think about any sort of orienteering but now I am starting to get keen on both competing and organising again :)
Saturday Jan 30, 2016 #
Note
Was collected by Robin & Adrian at 6:30am and we headed to the Flinders (via Jamestown where for once the bakery was open and adequately-stocked at a time when I was there) to tape control sites for the Ultralong on Anzac weekend. Arrived about midday and my hip was horrible from sitting so long in the car (not so sure about driving to Bendigo next month) but it improved upon walking. We covered about half of Robin's 75 controls on what turned out to be a cool breezy afternoon - unlike when I was last taping sites at Prelinna/Manawarra in 40+ degrees during the March 2008 heatwave - and only once got lost, in a Bermuda triangle area where it didn't help that my compass was being distorted by the magnet on the tube of my water bladder.
We checked in at Rawnsley caravan park (apparently Bridget has already booked the bunkhouse for interstate NOL teams) about 6pm, had a lovely hot shower and afterwards it was still daylight, and I didn't need to wear 5 layers to go to dinner at the ever-more-expensive Woolshed, unlike the frostily cold darkness experienced when camping on the June long weekends.
We checked in at Rawnsley caravan park (apparently Bridget has already booked the bunkhouse for interstate NOL teams) about 6pm, had a lovely hot shower and afterwards it was still daylight, and I didn't need to wear 5 layers to go to dinner at the ever-more-expensive Woolshed, unlike the frostily cold darkness experienced when camping on the June long weekends.
Friday Jan 29, 2016 #
orienteering race (West Lakes SS) 55:35 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
All afternoon it rained as though it were July, but stopped about the time I was leaving work so even though my parents had piked on O I thought I'd better go, having no really good reason for not getting around to running on the past couple of perfectly nice days (although an OA board meeting last night did thwart any wedding-anniversary celebrations). And since it took me 45 min to drive there I figured I'd better run for longer than that so got all 20 controls again. This might make me run harder, but somehow it doesn't seem quite the level of navigational challenge as initially having to decide which 5 to leave out. Only one short sharp shower of sogginess, which was a lot colder than the rain in Darwin.
8 PM
running warm up/down 15:00 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
Felt bad about making everyone wait around until I had finished, so offered to collect half a dozen controls. This good deed was neutralised by the fact that I managed to lose a padlock from one of them, even though I was sure that I'd routinely closed the padlock again each time I'd unlocked it to unwrap the chain from around a pole. Maybe I somehow managed not to close it over either end of the chain before re-locking?
Tuesday Jan 26, 2016 #
9 AM
orienteering (East Point) 46:10 [3] 4.4 km (10:30 / km)
shoes: Asics GT-2000
Australia Day free event, hosted by TEO, advertised in the local paper, and assembling within one of the gun turrets at East Point Reserve. I was impressed by how many complete newcomers turned up; families with young kids and also athletic types who had already completed the 5km fun run at 7am. I explained orienteering to a few of these people (admitting in the process that yes, I myself had actually tried orienteering before) and then trotted around the longest course, making hard work of it not least because of the constant dive-bombing by plovers when in any open areas. I enjoyed the linear clearings in the mangrove section (which could have been problematic at high tide a couple of hours before), although was sort of looking over my shoulder for anything toothy, and slightly relieved to get into the open past Lake Alexander (can't believe they hold the swim leg of triathlons in there) until the plovers swooped again. Final few controls were in the monsoon forest and without a compass I took the process of hunting for a small fenced enclosure in the 'jungle' fairly slow-and-cautious-ly but this didn't stop me from making a substantial parallel error having left a track at the wrong bend - oops.
Good fun course and I've always wanted to run on this map, so my curiosity was satisfied.
Good fun course and I've always wanted to run on this map, so my curiosity was satisfied.
10 AM
running warm up/down 20:00 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
Jogged from East Point back to the hotel in Parap for a quick shower before SLE came by to take us to the airport. Was getting a little headachey by then but Gatorade from the servo in Fannie Bay made a difference.
Monday Jan 25, 2016 #
8 AM
running 34:00 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
Attempted to loosen up by jogging from Quest Parap past Vestey's Lake and the museum then up through the botanic gardens to Armidale St where Susanne & the boys were digging out the foundations for a new path. A trailerload full of sand later we were all incredibly damp and sweaty (as in, my clothes are far drier when they come out of the washing machine after the spin cycle) and even G joined us in the swimming pool, much to my great surprise!
Sunday Jan 24, 2016 #
7 AM
running 1:10:00 [3]
shoes: Asics Kayano 21
A little pre-dawn storm meant that taking Eleanor for a pram run wasn't such a good idea and so Susanne & I set out by ourselves in the rain for a squelchy traverse of Mindil Beach and circuit of Cullen Bay. My back was unconfortably stiff from the bed at the hotel in Parap and after half an hour my torso, groin & hamstrings were becoming progressively more wooden and towards the end Susanne was powering away from me up hills. Nice to run & chat with Sus though; not sure when we last did this?
A little pre-dinner storm while S & I were in the cinema with her friends watching The Belier Family (it's a lovely little French film about a deaf family whose daughter joins the school choir; I recommend it if you don't mind singing, subtitles, sign language and sex) put paid to the plans for Thai takeaway at the lagoon so we went back to the apartment and caught up with Zoe and the very soggy boys who had been about to set up the picnic for us when the rain fell down upon them.
A little pre-dinner storm while S & I were in the cinema with her friends watching The Belier Family (it's a lovely little French film about a deaf family whose daughter joins the school choir; I recommend it if you don't mind singing, subtitles, sign language and sex) put paid to the plans for Thai takeaway at the lagoon so we went back to the apartment and caught up with Zoe and the very soggy boys who had been about to set up the picnic for us when the rain fell down upon them.
Saturday Jan 23, 2016 #
Note
(rest day)
G & I flew to Darwin this morning and were collected by Susanne & Eleanor!
Thought about trying out the apartment-block O towards dinnertime but the stairwells & carpark at the apartment complex were impossibly hot & claustrophobic and the swimming pool among their rooftop garden beckoned. SLE and I left Geoffrey the aquaphobic to be BBQ man and cook our dinner :)
Thought about trying out the apartment-block O towards dinnertime but the stairwells & carpark at the apartment complex were impossibly hot & claustrophobic and the swimming pool among their rooftop garden beckoned. SLE and I left Geoffrey the aquaphobic to be BBQ man and cook our dinner :)
Friday Jan 22, 2016 #
Note
Two sources of amusement today:
1) the large LED sign displayed on Winston Ave warning of roadworks and delays, which says "Thank You For Your Patients";
2) my new wall calendar which identifies public holidays for both Australia and New Zealand, and on the Australia Day public holiday states in very small print "excluding NZ".
1) the large LED sign displayed on Winston Ave warning of roadworks and delays, which says "Thank You For Your Patients";
2) my new wall calendar which identifies public holidays for both Australia and New Zealand, and on the Australia Day public holiday states in very small print "excluding NZ".
7 AM
swimming 36:00 [3] 1.0 km (36:00 / km)
It rained properly in the night! For the first time since about...September. Not sure how much but it was briefly heavy (and the dog kept us awake by barking at the lightning flashes) and this morning there was water flowing in Brownhill Creek through the suburbs - and the pool was definitely fuller than usual.
Thursday Jan 21, 2016 #
7 PM
orienteering race (Oaklands SS) 43:50 [4]
shoes: Asics Kayano 21
Can't say I was looking forward to this after a frenetic day at work, and it was still about 33 when I went out (plus a wee bit humid but presumably nothing like Darwin will be) so I felt particularly horrible for the first 20 min and there wasn't any bonus time window between feeling properly warmed up and feeling completely stuffed. On the flipside, the map area is almost totally flat and the scale 1:7500. So I figured that getting all 20 controls would only take 3/4 as long as it did last week.
Wednesday Jan 20, 2016 #
running (Belair) 1:00:00 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
Redwoods, then up & over the hill and back along Long Gully with Zara/Callum & Meredith. Blackberries are not quite as ripe in Belair as at Morialta.
Tuesday Jan 19, 2016 #
8 AM
running 41:25 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
Even after I'd walked the dog, my brain wanted a run; legs weren't so sure but they did ok going up Hillrise and down via the tunnel x-over singletrack, back through the cemetery - with a deadline of not being late for work. Good thing it stayed cloudy but I was glad of finding a tap at the half-hour mark.
Monday Jan 18, 2016 #
Note
Attack of the Killer Masseuse
Hopefully this'll have loosened up my back & shoulders a bit. Didn't have time for any exercise today because of tidying house for hosting a meeting (secret Ultralong weekend business).
Hopefully this'll have loosened up my back & shoulders a bit. Didn't have time for any exercise today because of tidying house for hosting a meeting (secret Ultralong weekend business).
Sunday Jan 17, 2016 #
7 AM
running 43:27 [3]
shoes: Asics Kayano 21
Figured I'm not going to lose any weight if I keep avoiding longer runs, but it's hard to find the energy to achieve them. So did a loop from Bridgewater while it was still nice & cool and before the others turned up. This was really lovely - up Carey Gully Rd (pushing reasonably hard because I wasn't quite sure how long it might take) to Worden Rd then downhill back past Mt George, under the freeway & train line. Good thing I ate a muesli bar afterwards, because the next part of the run seemed a real effort.
8 AM
running long 1:29:15 [3]
shoes: Asics Kayano 21
Big group again today, even though Juffy and FTP did their own pram-friendly thing. Headed out past the waterhole on Cox Creek with B&S, Zara/Callum, John, Nic, Steve, Liv, Bobby. Down Silver Rd to the Verdun roundabout then down Taminga Grove under the freeway, where John had kindly placed water. This is a hard-packed white gravel road, my least favourite kind, and I really struggled on the steep pinches especially as my arches were trying to chafe. Hat-wetting stop at Cox Creek, long slow slog up the hill, regathering stop and we all decided to go down into Mylor for a drink at the school. I headed off from Mylor precipitately in order to get the long slog up Wilson Rd over with as soon as possible, but unfortunately the others didn't realise I'd left already - oops. Also I feared that if I stopped to wait for anyone else I'd seize up and be unable to get going again...anyway, down the Heysen singletrail and into Bridgewater was ok although I was a bit on autopilot by then and not saying much when Zara & Steve came past me. At least I'd had breakfast, unlike Bobby who apparently bonked a little on the final sector.
Saturday Jan 16, 2016 #
8 PM
running 50:00 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
Lazy grazy afternoon after finishing work (I may have succumbed to some chocolate; at least I went over to the dark side) so this was a cat-feeding jog on sunset. Started out very sluggish but think it could actually have been called a build run - or maybe running just appears to become faster as the daylight fades.
Friday Jan 15, 2016 #
7 AM
swimming 36:00 [3] 1.0 km (36:00 / km)
Got called by security monitoring at 6am (seriously, why are the ward drug fridges set so that anything over 6 degrees triggers an alarm?) so decided to go for a swim after I'd checked on the offending fridge which was sitting smugly at 5.7 degrees. Pretty stiff & sore this morning.
7 PM
orienteering (Beaumont SS) 58:46 [3]
shoes: Asics Kayano 21
Today's strategy included anti-inflammatories for breakfast, and newer orthotics tonight. Could probably have just done 15 controls but started out with the super-steep ones in the east first up (at least it was only one big hill, but I lost about a minute trying to find where the steps went up the quarry face from the oval at the start) and then I would otherwise not have made it as far as Beaumont Common, which is always nice, in the western part. So I got all 20 again. Didn't seem either as far or as tough as last week but I suspect it was at least as long a route given that it still took me nearly as long but I'm sure I was running better. Figured this effort deserved takeaway pizza which I procured on the way home. Surprising how long only 10 days without 'junk' food has seemed!
Thursday Jan 14, 2016 #
7 PM
running (Belair) 1:26:00 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
Nice cool evening for a longer run. We (B&S, Zara/Callum, Meredith and Des) trotted up to the railway line then up the singletrack that doesn't exist any more - Simon's idea - and through the quarry section, along Sheoak Rd and into the Upper Waterfall valley from above. Zara & I then went up tot he top of the park and down the singletrack, through the redwoods, over a bonus hill and back via Long Gully past an Indian wedding at Karka. I survived the hills ok but the last bit on the road was too much for my hamstrings and groin which protested bitterly at the end and so did I while Z listened patiently.
Wednesday Jan 13, 2016 #
7 AM
swimming 36:00 [3] 1.0 km (36:00 / km)
Perfect temperature in and out of the pool. Roadworks are taking place on Winston Ave, making it quite difficult to leave my place to the north/east, because all the side streets are blocked (temporarily, but I don't know that the detour signs actually direct people anywhere sensible, because there are permanent dead-ends and blockages towards Cross Rd) and so when I did take a street through to Winston Ave there were witches' hats across the junction, but I couldn't turn around because of the 3 other cars which had followed me, so had to get out of the car and shift the witches' hats *slightly* to make a car-sized space while the other drivers watched the crazy swimsuit-wearing lady and then followed me through the gap!
Tuesday Jan 12, 2016 #
6 PM
running (Morialta) 30:21 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
World's slowest plod to First Falls and Giant's Cave with John; still about 37 degrees. I'd been wondering all day why my ankle was twinging, but when I tweaked it on the way back, remembered having also done so on Sunday.
Monday Jan 11, 2016 #
Note
Back didn't like me when I woke up, so I made it do some exercises before work. After work it was unpleasantly hot (still sticky from the earlier rain) and then there was Wallaringa meeting which set me up for being a bit zombie-like on Tuesday.
Sunday Jan 10, 2016 #
7 AM
running (Bridgewater) 1:20:30 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
We (John who had ridden there from Surrey Downs!, Simon, Andrew Mogs, Tyson, Zara/Callum, Lauren, Liv, Dante) took the fairly direct way to Mylor for a drink at the school and then set about finding where the Bandicoot trail actually goes, through the reserves of Aldgate Valley. It's a lovely little trail with some tiny footbridges reminiscent of Two Bays although there was no water whatsoever in the creek. Unfortunately my legs wouldn't lift at all from the hips - despite foamrollering my lower back as best I could before leaving home, and I've been noticing lately that all the liftoff I achieve is through my ankles, which are getting quite tired - not sure how to fix this. Long descent into Bridgie down Wembley Ave was a good way to finish off. We were lucky with a cloudy morning too.
Saturday Jan 9, 2016 #
9 AM
Note
Attack of the Killer Masseuse
Not sure whether this made things better or worse - calves and quads were even more hammered afterwards, and she never got as far as the tightness in my back.
Not sure whether this made things better or worse - calves and quads were even more hammered afterwards, and she never got as far as the tightness in my back.
Friday Jan 8, 2016 #
6 PM
orienteering (Athelstone SS) 1:01:36 [3]
shoes: Asics Kayano 21
This was Andrew's fault - he didn't exactly dare me to get all 20 scatter controls, but did suggest it - and since 10 of them were inside the perimeter of the Thorndon Park reservoir reserve (constituting the 2km course around which even a lady with artificial legs managed to walk), 15 seemed as though it would have been a bit short, and I thought about 17, but even that wouldn't have got me down to the River Torrens which is the nicest part, so in the end I did the lot, but couldn't manage a pace much above a crawl. Made it longer than necessary by overshooting a couple among the artificial lakes at the beginning, and did a daft off-the-map (under the control descriptions) route where I expected to find a park leading along the creek to my control but in fact that park didn't come all the way through to Gorge Rd and I got quite confused. Also my feet were overheating in the sun/on the hot pavement over towards Athelstone primary in the west. But I made myself keep running because I wanted to beat my parents who were walking the 3.2km course.
Thursday Jan 7, 2016 #
6 PM
running (Belair) 1:05:00 [3]
shoes: Asics GT-2000
Trainline-steps loop with Simon, Liv, John, Zara/Callum, before Arrows meeting and kitten-dodging (Scout & Gambit stole my pen). Nice evening and leisurely pace with plenty of stretching stops. The big hill is still there, but I think I could get better at it if I could only work out how to make my legs lift properly from the hips.
Wednesday Jan 6, 2016 #
7 AM
running (Belair Triangle) 1:09:57 [3] 11.4 km (6:08 / km) +280m 5:28 / km
shoes: Asics Kayano 19
Gotta get back to the habit of running in the mornings. There was a nice cool breeze on the way up Randells and this would have been perfect if my hamstring didn't tighten up on the Gloucester Ave descent (and I didn't have to go to work afterwards). Also if I were a bit faster - there's a lot of room for improvement. Tried dropping my shoulders to gain a bit more fluency of stride but my hands kept catching on my hips. Might have to institute a personal 'Eat Less Crap' policy and get G to police it, haha.
7 PM
riding 50:00 [2]
I was home and had finished dinner by the time I'm usually leaving work, so decided afterwards to go for a ride around the suburbs in search of some geocaches. Many of them I had to ride on by because there were too many muggles about, and I nearly got busted by the Mormons on their bikes at one point. Interested to discover that the location of my now-archived cache A Bridge to Nowhere has been resurrected as Strange Park!
Tuesday Jan 5, 2016 #
Note
Didn't make it to Morialta and by the time I thought about running from home I was already full of pizza. This seems to happen all too often lately...need to work out what my goals are for this year. World Rogaining Champs, obviously, but also I think I still want to run elites because last year I embraced being 40 a little *too* much! Can't complain though because it meant getting to run in Gothenburg granite at WMOC, which was probably my favourite terrain of the year. Might have to go back there after WMOC 2018 in Copenhagen :)
Monday Jan 4, 2016 #
7 AM
swimming 37:00 [3] 1.0 km (37:00 / km)
Didn't sleep that well 'cos back was rather tight & achy during the night, but it was ok in the water.
Sunday Jan 3, 2016 #
8 AM
running long 1:45:50 [3]
shoes: Asics Kayano 21
A few weeks ago Bridget said she'd like to run to Mt Lofty and we convinced her to wait for a cooler day. This weekend and with Blair in town seemed like the logical occasion to do so - and actually there was a larger turnout than for any other Bridgewater run so far this summer. Started out through Mt George with B&S, Robin, Zara/Callum, John, AK, Bobby the South African nurse, Steve & Ethan, Dante, Liv plus Blair & myself of course. At the bottom of Spring Gully Road John had thoughtfully placed water and it was here that Dante & Ethan peeled off back to Old Mt Barker Rd. Just below the gruelling Mt Lofty ascent Steve & Bobby turned back on Sprigg Rd, but Robin came all the way to the top to be met by Adrian, and at the summit Lauren also appeared out of the mist. The botanic gardens are still closed at 9am so we decided not to make any unauthorised sorties through them (unlike on the post-wedding run in 2012) and went downhill via Crafers & Piccadilly and thence along Old Mt Barker Rd. A bit sorry to be so slow on hills these days, and by the end my groin was uncomfortably tight but that may partly have been due to breaking in new shoes. Anyway, glad we did it as a group and everyone was back in plenty of time for brunch at the Bridgewater Inn.
Saturday Jan 2, 2016 #
9 AM
orienteering 48:46 [3] 6.2 km (7:52 / km)
shoes: Inov8 Oroc spikes
Lucky Hit annual pilgrimage/30th anniversary edition. I seriously think that if the Arrows got organised and put some of our funds towards a remap of this area in time for the club relays in August, that would be money well spent. Problem is, you'd lose some of the earth features because they have pretty much faded into the background by now - but if we could get access to the quarry area we'd definitely have enough control sites still.
Anyway, I unearthed the courses which Susanne & Arrin & I had set in 2004; the longest with 3 distinct loops totalling 8.8km. By the time I'd taped my ankles and squeezed my feet into O shoes which still had mud caked on them from the Ultralong 4 months ago, Blair had already gone around the first loop so in the end I just did the latter two, but at least they were at a pace not vastly slower than 3 summers ago before NZ. I was in a hurry because I needed to spend the afternoon doing housework before friends came for a dinner party, but still found time to demonstrate to my Subarally navigator the truth of the statement that from a certain point "all roads lead to Harrogate, but not all of them actually go there".
Anyway, I unearthed the courses which Susanne & Arrin & I had set in 2004; the longest with 3 distinct loops totalling 8.8km. By the time I'd taped my ankles and squeezed my feet into O shoes which still had mud caked on them from the Ultralong 4 months ago, Blair had already gone around the first loop so in the end I just did the latter two, but at least they were at a pace not vastly slower than 3 summers ago before NZ. I was in a hurry because I needed to spend the afternoon doing housework before friends came for a dinner party, but still found time to demonstrate to my Subarally navigator the truth of the statement that from a certain point "all roads lead to Harrogate, but not all of them actually go there".
Friday Jan 1, 2016 #
9 AM
running 46:20 [3]
shoes: Asics Kayano 21
We had Blair in residence for the weekend; G & I collected him from the airport as soon as I'd escaped from work on Thurs, then picked up my parents, took us all out for dinner at Brighton, and thence to watch the 9:30pm fireworks going off from Glenelg. Home and in bed by 11, but of course the dog went off at midnight :( So although it was lovely and cool when I woke up at 5:45am I subsequently went back to sleep for a couple of hours, therefore it was rather warm already by the time I took B out running. Cheated and drove across to the car park above McElligott's Quarry at Carrick Hill in order to run him up Yurrebilla and down Brown Hill. Worked up quite a sweat going up, which created a cooling mechanism on the way down although I think the back of my neck got burnt anyway. Headed to the beach afterwards and ended up in pretty much the same place as last night, next to possibly the only cafe which was open in Adelaide on New Year's Day so of course we patronised it when eventually a table was available.