Training Log Archive: jennycas

Even though I'm often a bit unsettled until after I've chaired my technical meeting on the Saturday of Easter, I still don't know how I came to bounce off control 6 on the way to 1. I was so sensible and cautious with my bearing for 2/3 of this long leg, then somehow when passing a rocky knoll rounded it instead and started heading into flat vagueness at 90 degrees to where I should have been going. Or something. Thought I saw the fence in the distance so corrected my bearing to come at the control from (imaginary) S figuring I'd somehow overrun the rocky ridge. Then I saw a control on a solitary boulder. Nearly ignored it but on second thoughts checked the number and it was 6! What the? There's 3-4 min lost right there.

I really struggled to lift my legs over anything in the terrain, not only the logs and rocks hidden in the grass but even the grass itself. Was reminded of Badja where I have a serious lack of momentum (and which terrain suits Bridget equally to today's, methinks). Also my bearings were weird in a few places. Too far R leaving 3 but corrected on way to 4 where I saw Lauren. She was off into middle distance in no time while I plodded along, but she dropped even further low on the bare rock slabs than I did, and continued beyond the point where I realised I needed to climb a bit to 5. Slow through the junk to 6 and 7, picked pace up a bit after crossing the fence to better grazed country, but was absolutely shocked to be 12 min behind Bridget.

Event: 2012 Easter Orienteering Carnival
 

This was a good area and course for a bush sprint. Started off okay but overran 4 to a kiddie control on the fence and Laurina had caught me a minute before 7. I had actually caught Kellie a minute by the spectator control but threw it away by climbing unnecessarily over the rocks and then heading for the wrong fence crossing across the paddock (too busy watching where I put my feet to read the map properly) and ending up quite a way N of control 15. The mistaken fence-crossing eror was a common one and cost people at least a minute but I reckon I was slower on the uptake than some. Also veered a bit on the next control and Bridget caught me 2 min, then Rachel West at the end.

6am flight to Brisbane with mum & George. 6pm arrival at our cottage in Stanthorpe. In between we did a massive grocery shop, picked up Lauren and squeezed her in among the groceries, drove up the mountains and the back roads to Queen Mary falls, encountered Blair there but sadly no bowerbirds this time. The King parrots were as plentiful/colourful as ever.

Pleasant morning for a ride along the valley - although knees a bit tight. Noticed that the teepee in the caravan park now has solar panels. Suburbia seemed full of traffic (and traffic lights).

Terrain laps x 4 of the block of pines (popular place for dogwalking). Tight hips & knees but a subsequent sense of achievement. Happy that I don't live in Coromandel Valley and commute to the city each day!

Slooow (and tired). But not too uncomfortable. Uncoordinated, on the other hand...

Nice parents picked me up from the airport at 8am and we went to Blood & Thunder. Started from Chalks which hasn't been used for a while because of a lot of felling and regrowing in the pine forest. Beats me how running around granite yesterday at 1:5 000 was any sort of practice for looking for subtle gullies in pine forest at 1:10 000, but I did okay. I think because I approached with caution, and aiming off, and slowing right down into the control circle. Got good at estimation of direction while ducking and weaving, because it wasn't always possible to follow down a row, and unpleasantly the young branches at arm height impeded progress. Probably lost a couple min all up on small fritterings within the control circle, and definitely need to give my core muscles (such as they are) a workout or few this week.

Warmdown was control collecting, then we went to the farm via the secret quince tree which was unfortunately fruitless (found another source though). Long day, and full weekend, but can't believe how much I enjoyed all of it.