Training Log Archive: jennycas

Guess what I did! I found the (50m outdoor) pool in Penrith. It closed at 5pm and I didn't get there till 4.15 because the most exciting thing my parents-in-law have done for quite a while is to be taken to Bunnings by me & George, so it took a while to extract them from there (and we fitted 4 people plus a 6-foot long sheet of corrugated plastic in our little hire car). Anyway, the guy on the gate wouldn't take my money because he said it was nearly closing time, and he helpfully informed me that they usually start putting the pool covers on from lane 8, so I swam in lane 2 (with hurried enthusiasm rather than any sort of style). When I finished my last lap I became aware that the pool cover had been stalking me down the pool because they had started putting the covers on from that side...

Actual reason for going to Sydney was a 30th for one of George's mates. It took place on a farm at Mulgoa, which is seriously MFN (middle of **** nowhere) and where it doesn't matter if you have a ginormous bonfire or illegally let off a whole bag of fireworks. There had been a lot of rain out that way this week so everything was soggy and the fire wouldn't light at first. The solution was:
Step 1: pour petrol on bonfire heap
Step 2: pour a line of petrol on the grass leading towards the heap
Step 3: throw a few matches on the grass to try to figure out where the line started.
Step 4: give up and throw a match into the heap
Step 5: reverse away hastily as line of grass, where everyone is now standing, back-lights up with a whoomp!

And then there were the fireworks...a couple fizzed, but most went up like they were supposed to and they were quite spectacular. Only one lot fell over upon lighting and so too, pretty quickly, into the mud, did the people who had just had a green rocket whizz past their ear(s). In the midst of all this stood the hostess saying "this is how we managed to start a fire in the paddock last summer!"

C • Anyone there Swiss? 6

This seemed hard - but then I think running would have also been an effort. At least it wasn't cold, because it had just rained. And at least I didn't get rained on, but I think my raincoat caused extra wind resistance.

Short Colonel Light Gardens jog. Started out a bit stiff but ended up ok, which was the purpose of the run. I heard a mopoke owl (in the suburbs!) and lots of frogs (presumably there's a pond in someone's garden).

This was followed by an Aust Champs mini-meeting (mini refers to attendance, not duration). Basically, Peter/Peter and I were working out which people/things each of us still needs to chase up independently of the main carnival committee. I had asked to receive each event team's contribution to the start book by the end of July; number of contributions received thus far = 0. But I'm sure they are all 90% completed...

With Zara up past the lake and Lower Waterfall to the fire tower then down Ballast Pit track and Long Gully. Followed by discussion of the proposed long runs scheduled between now and November.

(I seem to have a problem - the words "Cradle Mountain Run" have popped into my head and they're not going away. I suspect it's just because I can't run the Yurrebilla Trail Ultra as it's on Aust Champs weekend, and the March NOL races clash with Six Foot Track....but Cradle would be only 2 weeks after the Aust Champs rogaine, also in Tas. You see my dilemma?)

To/from Mortlock Park via Fern's - which about tripled the usual distance. Inside knee twinges after running in these shoes, not for the first time, undoing all the physio's good work :(

On the rough grass verge at Mortlock Oval, about 225m, into a distinct headwind.
51, 49, 54(had to sidestep a dog), 52, 52, 50, 52, 51, 49, 51

Recoveries between intervals. I think I am recovering better, which possibly means it's time to work harder.

Attack of the Killer Physio

Having at least 50% of one's body slathered in Deep Heat or whatever equivalent Kath uses for massage is surely a way to get rebound hypothermia! I just couldn't get warm afterwards...

With Bridget and Fern from the car park in Shepherds Hill up through to Eden Hills, Bellevue Heights, and down through Flinders Uni. I kind of missed the views I get in daylight, but it was pretty speccy to see the rising full moon with jet trails all around it. (There were long-lasting jet trails overlaying each other across the sky all day today.)

Afterwards George & I let Bridget "I'm really hungry so I think I'll just go home instead of eating all your pizza" make and eat her own pizza, all by herself (who could resist those big eyes?) while we impressed upon her the fluke value of him actually having been home for dinner, both times that she's come to our house.

Event: Southern Arrows Roulette - SA Relay Championships
 

Relays are over -yay! And as far as I can tell they went okay...but it was a bit disconcerting waiting until 8.55am for the ranger to open the park gates which oficially opened at 8.30. Because the Arrows are super-efficient, and all know their roles pretty well, everything was ready for a 10.30 mass start, and because the competitors are used to the way relays run by now, they all behaved as expected. It was nice to have volunteers to help collect controls - I can't answer for anyone else, but while this was technically a long weekend for me, it was more like spending 3 full days on my second (unpaid) job...