Training Log Archive: Dianeuk_2000

Softball

So I was called up to help a friend. They needed an extra girl or they wouldn't be able to play. This is the only way they would have enticed me to play as my memory's from rounders as a child is never hitting the ball only swinging so hard and not locking out my arm so I end up cracking my self on the back of the head. But it's to help a friend and if they can't even play without an extra girl I can't screw up so badly that that would be the preferred option so off I head to regents park reading the dummy's guide on route.

We get there and they realise me & Sarah could probably do with practice.

They give us gloves & get us to try to catching. My catching hasn't improved but that's not made any worse by the glove.

I follow Adams advice & count to 2 before swinging and manage to hit the ball on my first swing with and eeekkkk and a whoop! It doesn't go far but I hit it!!! I keep going and manage a good hit at which point dan try's to catch it but it hits his wrist and breaks his watch :s

Then it's time to start the game, oh god here it goes. They put me far out in the field so at no point in the game does the ball come near me :D

With the batting I hold my own the first 6 innings I hit the ball every time but either get taken out before I get to the first base or I hit it out into a fowl bit. A lot of it was a mental game with the bowler he wasn't very good at hitting the base plate but even when he had 2 bad bowls I would chicken out and swing. But on the last inning I held my nerve and didn't swing 3 bad bowls later I skipped (yep I was that much of a dick) to 1st base. The next person up followed suit & as it was a bloke I got to move 2 bases (I think that is a massively sexist rule) I skipped to that one two! Then I was at 3rd just needed to run my legs off to home. The man hit and I ran as fast as I could! I thought I was like lighting but as Dan pointed out I was going fast "for me".

Overall I hit the ball in several occasions, scored a point & helped framestore to their first win & I call that a successful match :D

Oh a tip for anyone else making eeepp & Eeekkk noises when you hit a ball doesn't give your team confidence in you. Neither did swinging the bar so hard that you end up spinning like a ballerina every time you swing getting you likened to princess peach in super smash brothers but there are worse people to be likened too.

Out at the park race series.

Loverly day, stress to get out of work to make park race but it always is. There's always one more job that need doing before you leave.

So Dans at the start and hands me the long map without even asking. Good job I didn't wimp and pick the short. It took a whole of 1 minuet to realise I was thirsty & start thinking back to the last time I had drank, 3/4 of a cup of tea at 7.30 this morning. That could prove to be problematic, note to self drink during the day!!!

First 5 controls were relatively easy to find I was just going rather slow constantly swallowing to try and get some moisture in my throat. I carry on at my plodding pace to number 6 & this is where I finally realise orienteers are nuts & thats probably why I enjoy it.

Number six is at the top of a mountain of a hill! I see Vince going up a big sort of metal box filled with rocks. Is that seriously the way to get to the bottom of the hill?? Yes, yes it is. I find something like a lamppost and use it to help me climb the thing without resorting to hands and knees. I start to wade through the knee length shrubbery and see Andy coming up looking like it's really easy where I'm stumbling on every step I carry on musing over how after years of orienteering you must get a resistance to wading through crappy terrain. It's about 2 minuets later when I realise that no he's just chosen the better route as there is a band all the way from the bottom that has been cut so people
Can walk up it with ease.

On to number 7 and is half way up another of theses monstrosities. This time I refuse to follow people going up & over I plan to go round then walk up the half a hill to the control. I run round and the whole hill is surrounded by the metal rock boxes. There as high as my hip so without the aid of a lamp post I'm having to hop up and sit on them before getting to my feet. If I was going for speed these things would have stopped that in it's tracks. (I was since told that the reason for this place being mapped was for these)

The rest of the controls weren't too bad however on both 9 & 10 I was too busy wondering if the water in the ponds was drinkable so I ended up over shooting or cutting in too early. (Clearly more focus needed)

Got to number 20 awesome 1 control left! Toddled off to find it & promptly got lost and wondered round in the shrubbery trying to find it until I saw Ed followed the direction he went and came past number 5 ah I had been looking in completely the wrong place. I found where I was on the map then carried on to 21 this can't be the last control the next one must be & I carried on like that to 23 :s (yes I had control descriptions I just hadn't looked at them & folded my map to cover the last lot of controls)

I make my way to number 24 doing a precarious leap over a ditch that almost claims me then off to the finish!

At download I discover I'm not last!!! Whoop I'll take that!

Long - Splits