Training Log Archive: jennycas

Across to Perry Ave to feed the cats, and back again, before a farewell dinner for a colleague which finished about 2 hours later than I had expected it to.

Geoff dropped me at Perry Ave where we fed the cats and then I ran across to Brownhill Creek and behind Carrick Hill & Waite, ending up back at Avenue Rd. These shoes are not kind to my foot/calf.

C • Coincidence 5

Perfect morning for it, not unlike the day when we all went to the pool in Pecs. Afterwards I spent the day unpacking/cleaning the new house before Arrows' spudnight, at which no less than 3 babies were present.

It's a minor cold but I'm pretty wrecked this week.

I think the dog's settling into the new house better than I am.

Blair stayed with us last night and so I took him on a tour of my new suburbs. Across to Brownhill Creek at Mitcham which takes about 20 min (similarly to running from Perry Ave) and then we followed the creek NW through a string of parks all the way to the Orphanage Park and then crossed Goodwood Rd on the train overpass at Millswood which I have never before had the opportunity to do.

Yeah, so it was a bit breezy this morning, and not-exactly warm. Because I didn't race on Sat, I had one of the earlier W21E starts, 2 min after Lauren, who I started catching glimpses of on the way to the second control (she must have lost time on the first), but she was quicker through the ins and outs of the big erosions than me (very glad I was wearing spikes though) and when I was stopped on the way to 5 by an M14 asking me where he was, I lost sight of her, but then she overshot 5 and I snuck past. I'd hoped not to see her again, but I veered too far right on my bearing on the long leg to 7 (went up the wrong creek branch off the main creek but corrected with some hesitation although not too much damage) and as I punched 9 she came down behind me, much to my surprise, and so I didn't pay quite enough attention to where we crossed the next big creek.

Heading south up the hill I figured we were on one of two creeks, and more likely the western one when really we wanted the eastern one. Once I was certain of this, I veered further east, which meant crossing a couple of otherwise-unnecessary spurs and also I overshot the control slightly at the end, but it could have been a lot worse - I suspect Lauren may have bounced off the start! The rest was pretty straightforward and when Simon went past me at the radio control he conveniently led me to the gap under the fence but there was no way I could even keep him in sight on the spectator leg into the headwind across to the quarry. Finished off ok although feel as though I lost the best part of 4 min due to the bad bearings on the 2 long legs. Am surprised that these don't show up as errors on Winsplits but then not even the 2 short legs where I was 23rd because I struggled in and out of erosion gullies count as errors, apparently.

Warmdown was grabbing a baby and using her as a hot-water-bottle (she went to sleep on my chest, which made me feel rather smug, but I didn't dare put her down in case she squawked) and later on collecting controls with Amy. From my perspective, it was a great carnival and went really well, although when I passed the accident site at the southern end of the Burra bypass I hoped against hope that it hadn't involved orienteers - which unfortunately it had, but sounds as though while fairly nasty, it could potentially have been a lot worse in terms of injury.

Got home and George had done an amazing job of moving nearly everything which still remained at Perry Ave to Avenue Rd, including the dog. So now we live on a tautology :)

C • Winsplits 5

Day 3 Course 2 - Splits

Today I got beaten by the new mum...really enjoyed this course but it's clear that I haven't done any long run training lately. Apart from just feeling a bit empty in legs (and tummy - halfway round, I really wanted to eat a steak) yesterday's sore throat had turned into today's cold sores and I wasn't feeling very bouncy. So I treated it as rogaine training, especially since at 1: 15 000 I often couldn't read what was in the centre of the circle. Was a bit disappointed that water had run out at the start, but given that there were no less than 6 drink controls on course, this wasn't a problem. Still not sure whether I took the best route choice up & over the ridgeline to 6, but going around would have taken a while also, and either way it would have been warm in the sun. And from 10-11 I probably should have come back out to the track rather than going around the bottom of the hill - and from 11 definitely should have stuck to the left side of the creek & gone through the saddle, because when I crossed the creek I veered too far right and that resulted in being about 300m too far downhill from where I wanted to be. I enjoyed the flat stuff before & after the spectator control and was very careful with my bearings although a little too far right upon reaching the big creek.

Hung around with SLE afterwards because I had some time to kill before the OA AGM, and learned to burp a baby. After AGM came the OA dinner and a drive back to Burra with no roo sightings. And with all 4 tyres still intact so far this weekend, I think I'm doing ok.

Day 2 Course 2 - Splits