Training Log Archive: jennycas

Didn't hurry to get up this morning after some lightning-flash-to-thunder (shut up dog!) second-counting in the night. Pond was pleasant and coffee/fruit toast afterwards beneficial.

Morialta And More - a fairly apt name for a map which appeared to be about 2/3 hills, 1/3 suburbs. Zara and I ruled out the drop-and-return from Moores Rd to Montacute Rd fairly early in the planning stages and decided that we'd be better off seeing how much time we had left in the suburbs after going more directly up to Norton Summit. The first hill was a killer, with lots of teams passing me and Z getting a bit anxious, but from there up to Deep View and then the Rocky Ridge track I slowly warmed up and by the time we got to Moores Rd we were passing teams - not that many teams seemed to have gone that way. We kept encountering the McInerneys although they didn't do the extra loop down into the top of 3rd Falls, and then we saw quite a few teams when we got to Colonial Drive/Norton Summit, at which time it started to rain rather heavily (raincoats? what raincoats?).

Headed down Norton Summit Rd and Teringie Drive (rather than the southern rim of the park) and got into the suburbs with about 2 hours to spare, then proceeded to spend the next 20km picking off controls at an average of one every 7 min, which I had worked out that we needed to do if we were to get all but one on the flat and be back in time. Which we were, but it wasn't the easiest map to read in the dark so I was memorizing legs under streetlights and once my map memory nearly got me in trouble although thankfully there was a shortcut through a church carpark :) At the last control we saw the Normans (father and daughter team) and ran in with them; my legs died up the last hill and the finish layout was a bit of a schemozzle so we nearly didn't find the table to hand our control cards in in time, but eventually did so with 10 seconds to spare!

3rd overall and the top 2 teams contained the sort of long-distance trail-running guys who have done Yurrebilla in the past. Even at my fittest I don't think I'd have managed the extra 100 or so points required to get near them.

C • Congrats 4

I was having trouble last night in Belair with my knee being really painful (wrong shoes for terrain and also really tight ITB from a lot of desk-sitting this week) so stretched a lot instead. It seems as though when I try not to put too much weight/pressure on hamstring, knee flares up, and vice versa. In the evening we went to have dinner with my grandfather for his 98th birthday :)

We went up through Echo Tunnel then stopped to explore the rocks between the waterfalls and assess their suitability as control sites for Zara's upcoming event. This took a while and eventually Zara, Simon & I had to hotfoot it down the hill from above the railway line as it was becoming quite dark. Great evening to be out in the bush, though, and the rising moon contrasted well against the pink stripes of cloud and the blue evening sky.

Attack of the Killer Masseuse.
Same as last week, but shorter so proportionately less painful.
Had vague intentions of an evening jog but G & I had a random-parents encounter at the supermarket and then we treated them to supper at the local cafe, by which time it was cold and dark. I let them catch the bus home by themselves though, because they are responsible adults :)

Plodded up the hill, stopping not-infrequently to stretch calves. The bush smelled lovely and damp after rain but it was really humid, so I was super-slow and super-sweaty. Neither of these are desirable super-hero traits :)

Through Shepherds Hill up to Eden Hills and back down through the uni with some detours on the way back because it had stayed cloudy and wasn't too hot yet. Very slow and tired today though. Then I went and hung out at work some more.

Down to Frank Smith Park and back up through the forest and orchard, mainly chatting with Zara (& Callum). Georff had been sent off in search of Fancy Burger which we sat around and ate with F&T and B&S afterwards, thereby making this feel like a proper public holiday.

From near the quarry on Sheoak Rd we trotted up to the top of the park then did the middle-style course from a few years ago, in reverse. The scrub is pretty thick where there's regrowth from a controlled burn and in other places the fallen timber also made it slow going. I was hesitant on 5 (small boulder which is often contentious) but found it okay, then lost time on 9 (small boulder which is often contentious).

From the middle of the old quarry, Simon had set 4 short loops which were not oriented to north. He took our compasses from us and had even turned some of the symbols around the wrong way! This didn't cause me any trouble but the steep scree slopes took a while to traverse and there was some fairly junky stuff underfoot. By the last loop I was so stuffed I was walking - and then I had to go into work for 3 hours.

A great training concept though :)