Training Log Archive: jennycas

Event: NOL 10 - Sprint Double - Ballarat City / 11- Ultralong - Nerrina, Ballarat
 

It was 5 degrees when we reached Ballarat at 9am and didn't get above 8 all day. But there were plenty of hills, and bushland, on this course, so I warmed up pretty quickly although overshot the first control because my eyes were watering too much from coldness to be able to read the map properly! I'd been too busy during the week to read the event info so hadn't brought long socks for protection against the blackberries, or shoes with much grip. So I was slow & tentative, but remained upright, and returned with minimal amounts of surface blood (when compared to many people). Quite a fun course and made good use of the small area of buildings.

Between the races it was a struggle to keep warm but I remembered and located a cafe I'd liked in March 2012 (it turned out to have a great little shop next door selling handmade baby goods/toys so I was able to find a gift for the friend I intended to visit on Sunday afternoon, who conveniently happens to now live in the same suburb which Blair has moved into) and also had a spare hour after arriving at the grammar school for the afternoon's race so shivered my way to the supermarket and procured dinner ingredients, not realising that the place to be was the heated ladies' changerooms!

Race was fun, and flat, and I did run into a dead end on the way to the first control, plus missed a gap and went too wide (via 11) on the way from 4 to 5, but felt that I was doing a pretty good job of reading ahead and working backwards from the end of the leg. 8-9 (a leg which the men had in reverse; I think it was their 4-5) looked to be a messy route, especially with the narrow gate hiding behind the bins - and I looked for a southern option out along the main road but didn't identify a way back in. The western gate would have been it, in hindsight. Anyway, Bridget started a minute behind me and finally got past when the course opened out towards the end. I was sorry that the technical part finished so soon, because the last 700m on tired legs as Bridget vanished into the distance was rather a struggle.

Hip/groin still unhappy. Mind you, I don't get the impression that anyone else in the W21 field feels as though they are adequately prepared to run an Ultralong on Sunday either. I'm just going to treat it as rogaine training and not panic too much about the fact that the Aust Rogaine Champs are only 6 weeks away...

C • adequately prepared 2

I'd made a date with Fern for a run together but I had to stand her up because I got stuck at work, from which I escaped 10 min before OA Board meeting was due to start.

Had wanted to run into Shepherds Hill but felt horrible - so stiff through midsection, tight ITBs and twinging in groin (especially whenever I stand up from sitting) that I'd never know I'd had a massage. Maybe I get tense even in my sleep?

North Adelaide loop in reverse (when Simon said "clockwise" I took a while to work out what he meant) with a big group tonight. Sort of tempo-ish, not that I could keep up with the boys at all. Legs still a bit lactic from yesterday's pummelling but I was otherwise not too weary at work today despite last night's WA meeting. (Some days I just find myself fantasising about going home to bed, even if it's only 11am.)

Attack of the Killer Masseuse
Not really in the mood for either pain or gossip.

Club relays, Keithcott Farm. Don't think I've run here since the NOL sprint in 2009. Sunny but windy morning and my job was to stop the maps from blowing off the 'clothesline' and make sure people took the right map. I did also get to run around one of John's courses, which was good fun, but I was very stiff from yesterday's gardening (transplanted a box hedge, among other things) and am still having trouble with twinges in my groin - presumably due to tight hip flexors and sitting at work, but it was bothersome on & off during the Europe trip also. Attended rogaine committee meeting after control collecting so was away from home for about 12 hours all up.

Yalanga demonstrated the way to win the club trophy - be a small club fielding teams equivalent to a significant proportion of your membership, and ensuring that those teams don't mispunch!