Training Log Archive: jennycas

For those who don't know the route, this is a trail run with over 900 people crossing the Mornington Peninsula from Dromana to Cape Schanck (there is also a 56km lighthouse to lighthouse version which attracts over 200 intrepid runners): http://www.twobaystrailrun.com/iTheTrail.html

This is actually the 4th time I've run it (2011, 2:38; 2012, 2:40; 2014, 3:00) and while I know that I'm older and slower than ever before, my goal was not to be any more than 1 min/km slower than when I first did the run 6 years ago. Starting out, I knew that I was going to be very slow going up the Arthur's Seat climb, and about a million people went past me (they'd probably been caught in the bottleneck at the start) but it was a bit of a worry to be among people who were walking before we'd even left the bitumen. This guaranteed my being among walkers as soon as we got to the singletrack ascent, but there was nothing I could do about it except join the queue, thinking about all the energy I was saving for later on :) Even when the single trail flattened out around the back of the hill, passing people wasn't that easy, and since I hadn't taped my ankles I was watching my feet pretty carefully.

Finally got some wriggle room on the big downhill to the dam, which we then went left around - I'm not sure why, when the course has always crossed on the dam wall other years, but then that maybe explains why the course has previously been a bit shorter than the advertised 28km. The first hour ticked over already at the 8km mark; I'll need to get a move on! After all, when you get into Greens Bush, it's still not even halfway, and there's a couple of long slow uphills on the road before then...on the second of these, the leading 56km runners absolutely flew past in the opposite direction. The leading guy, who ended up doing 4:09, probably weighed less than me (admittedly not hard).

But once I got into the bush, things flowed really nicely for me. It was a cool cloudy day - I didn't even take a hat - and sure, there are lots of little ups & downs, yet the sneaky uphills following ferny boardwalk creek crossings didn't seem as hard as I'd remembered, and the trail was soft underfoot, even sandy at times. And I started passing people. Some of them passed me back, and later I passed them again, and mostly they stayed passed thereafter!

2 hrs came at just over 17km, and now I couldn't remember quite how far it was to Boneo Rd, but I thought I'd be able to do nearly 10km in the next hour as the course got easier. I could see that some of the people around me were finding it hard work though, and walking quite small inclines. Boneo Rd was at 22km (officially, anyway) and just after that I started to get calf cramps and had the fearful thought that it would be a long way to the finish if I had to walk, but the magnesium tablets kicked in and all was well. I deliberately walked the stairs at 25km though, and heard one woman say to another at the top "we made it up those bastards" (did think at times that it would have been nice to have a girl friend to chat with along the way, as others were doing - Zara, next year?).

Fast feet came up behind me at 27 km and I let her go, not being in this for a chase, but about 400m later I went past the same lady without even trying...definitely this was a race which got better as it went on and although I'd been thinking at the start that if I got a time over 3:10 that would be an indication that I needed to quit these runs, now I'm thinking that since my official time was less than 5 min slower than 2014 (when I got held up in the shoe cleaning queue for 3 min), maybe I just need to do proper hill training and get into a better position going up the road from Dromana, before the single track begins. Then again, I have delirious thoughts about doing the Pichi Richi marathon again one day too...

C • Dam wall 9

Event: Melbourne PAS Surf Coast Series 2 - Point Lonsdale
 

G & I flew into Melbourne early this morning, drove to the You Yangs and walked up Flinders Peak (I got the impression that for the locals it's the equivalent of walking up Mt Lofty) where the views were a bit hazy, then to Geelong in search of lunch (the cafe by the swimming circle is unfortunately in hiatus so we were starving by the time we found somewhere open), met Blair's train, drove to Point Lonsdale for the orienteering, crossed on the ferry Queenscliff to Sorrento and stayed with Blair's relatives at Blairgowrie ahead of Two Bays.

The orienteering itself was a score event, which doesn't usually appeal to me but this was a scenic area with sand dunes and beach (probably wasn't the optimal route choice to run along it) and lighthouse (why was there no control here?). Pity the black & white photocopied map didn't really do justice to the locality. Anyway I took walking trails as much as possible because they'd be softer underfoot, and knew towards the end that I was going to be a little late for 50 min because of this, but there were no controls it was worth leaving out to guarantee being back in time. As it was, I think I should have been penalised 10 points but they seem to have forgotten about this - and anyway it didn't affect the placings.

It was raining on the pool, and at approximately the same temperature as the water therein, so was quite pleasant. Coincidence (I think) that my goggles kept leaking - and so I lost track of laps and did some extra. Brownhill Creek had been dry when I went into the pool but was flowing merrily when I emerged. Just suburban runoff I guess.

A labyrinth of control stands greeted me on Belair oval but I hardened my heart against them and headed for the hills, because I'm a bit concerned about the fact that basically everything I ran for about 2 weeks over New Year was flat, and there will be a BIG HILL first up on Sunday. So I did the lake-trainline-steps loop, and the goal for this was to push harder on any ascents. Which I think I did quite well, but then I had to stop in a melting puddle at the top of each climb to catch my breath. Gradually it got a bit cooler as the sky clouded over but by then I'd kind of run out of oomph. Ended up having to walk down the steps from Long Gully station because they are so derelict and overgrown, with blackberries and fallen branches, so I don't think we can use that route any more. Pity, because it made up one of my favourite loops.

C • working bee 3

Pleasant evening for a ride along the creek with a bit of a headwind AKA gully breeze. Geoff tells me that we will be missing the Elvis Festival in Parkes this weekend - I wouldn't want to be those guys wearing a wig & jumpsuit* when it's 41 degrees!

* I somehow doubt you'll ever catch me wearing a wig & jumpsuit, whatever the weather...

C • Heatwave at the Elvis festival 3

One of those days where, because it wasn't particularly busy at work, I noticed just how tired I was, and couldn't even bring myself to do those little maintenance tasks which normally wait for a quiet moment. So anyway, going for a run after work achieved something, I guess. Up Hillrise, Tunnel X over, secret trainline crossing, cemetery. Calves still a bit tight from the other day - Kayanos were comfortable but only for about the first 90 min.

After AOTKM, jogged along the creek (wish I'd seen it flowing after 60mm of rain a couple of weeks ago) very slowly indeed - but quads felt better at the end than at the beginning.