Training Log Archive: fletch

Event: Killamunda Challenge
 

Much more Advetre Racey than last year. Really good fun. Started off in the edge of John Forrest with a short nav exercise. Had to collect 200 points, with point values per control of between 20 and 50, with the 50 pointers being the semi-finalists from the last soccer World Cup. I had a qick look and decided to head left, picking up Kenya and something else insignificant first for a total of 50, followed by Germany, Brazil and Italy. Ended up running straight back thru the bush from pretty mch the furthest point on the map and was surprised when I had a clear lead and was out of transition before anyone else appeared. This was explained later when it turned out that I cannot read, and read the 20 points for Brazil as a 50, leaving me 30 points short and handing me a 15 minute penalty. Annoying as I had pretty much run straight past Portugal on the way in (50 pts). Would have cost me a minute or so to actually stop and get it...
the errors continued as I headed out on the first MTB leg along Falls Rd and the n the Railway Heritage trail. Didn't see the first control and stopped just ast it to check things ot, as I had by then realised that I had left my punch card buried in my running waist belt at the bottom of my pack. Got out my instructions and tourist map, as I thought these might help, shoved everything back in the pack, put it back on... and realised I never got te punch card. Repeat the process and just as I was getting moving again, MTBJen, Wally and Wil appeared, punched the control back where I suspected it may have been. I was pretty annoyed with myself, but probably not as much as Wally when I pointed out that he wasn't wearing his bike helmet. After leading the train a bit on the way to the next control, I went straight past it again and had to ride hard to rejoin Wil and Jen. Wally made a move and was off the front. On the way to the 3rd control Wil and I missed a turn when we were dstracted by a fallen tree across the trail (just after the turn we were meant to take). MTBJen got a couple of hundred metres and got significnatly more, when Wally, Wil and I all misread the location of the third control and had to double back around the pipeline. Met Tricky here too, bt he took off back the way he had come from and didn;t see him again for ages. Didn't think we could get to transition thr the edge of the conservation area, so back on the other side of the pipeline and along we powered, only to see the transition and realise that we needed to throw or bikes over the pipleine back to the side we were on at the third control. So many little errors.
The second nav exercise required s to collect the 5 checkpoints with codes corresponding to number plates from towns south of Perth. Headed out thru Plantaganet, WA (can't remember what it stands for, but knew it was south) and Boyup Brook. From there I had no idea what SB was, thought MI was Mingenew, knew Carnarvon and Geraldton and didn't know the last 2, but suspected that PH was port Hedland and that I would need to get MY. Made a (nother) stupid error going to double check MI first and then SB (Shark Bay), meaning I then had t double back past Mingenew again to get out to AW.
OUt of transition, and missed the turn on the map that got us back out to the railway trail, so bush bashed it. Rode too much of the way to Chidlow on the rubbish trail next to the pipeline istead of the nice heritage trail and jst as I was going to suggest to Wil switching paths, I stuck my front wheel in a rut and went flying. Lots of scrapes on my forearm and shoulder and knocked the stuffing out of me, but quickly figured out I wasn't spouting blood, could breathe relatively pain free and could grip the handlebars, so off again.
The third Nav challenge, just thru Chidlow was on a 1:100 aerial photo, with each of the 10 very closely spaced controls non-compulsory but worth a 3 minute time penalty. Went pretty much straight into number 1, but didn't see it, so back out on the road and rode a few hundred metres further before I saw the scale on the map and quickly returned to where we had come from. Got through the rest of them fairly quickly and eficiently and headed south towards the complsory 11th control for the leg. Started along Gorrie Rd, but I had totally lost where I was on the map and Wil got away from me a bit. Took a calculated gamble trusting Wil when he took an unmapped track that he asumed would end up on the powerline trail. He was right, but it looked a bit dodgy when we had to cross thru a quarry part way along. Onto the powerline trail and Wil was struggling on the uphills, but riding me down on the downs. Knew that MTBJen and Wally couldn't be too far ahead - could see their wheel tracks but hadn't seen either of them for ages.
Straight past the AR balloons for the final transition area on Flynn Rd, but some nice orienteering types pointed us towards the right place. Wil and I headed out together, jst as tRicky rolled into transition. Knew I could outrun Wil and make gains on Jen and Wally, but wasn't keen on a footrace with tRicky, so eased thru the first 4 close controls making sure not to waste any significant time. Along under all the under growth then stright up the hill thru the clearing to the first one, clearing to the second, was a little low on the third and the rocks going to 4 made me wish I was wearing spikes. Then it was time to open up and see what the legs had and I pushed pretty hard thru the rest of the 6.2km course. Contoured the first half of 4-5, hit the track, then aied up at the knoll, 5-6 swung around the end of the ridge a little lower than intended, aimed right to 7, powerline trail to 8 thru the dozens of 4WDers who were going significantly slower than me. Thru the saddle 11-12 at which point I impaled my shin on a stick. That one's gonna hurt for a while. Ran the track a bit towards 13 bfeore angling down the slope and it was pretty straight forward from there, Last couple were pretty straight forward and I was happy to learn I had passed both MTBJen and Wally out there without seeing either of them. Jen came in 10 minutes later, which with my 15 minute penalty and the 6 minutes she picked up for missing two of the aerial photo controls left me clear by about a minute. tRicky was next in, followed by Wil and Wally.
Team Padlly Pallin Shotz 1-2-3 (with the 4th being the organiser - he didn't tell us anything, honest).
Good solid hitout. Cold obviously didn't affect me. A bit weak on the bike and very weak on the bike nav, but happy with the running. Need to check the set-up of both my bikes to get them right (and then the same as each other) as my back got a little sore near the end of the ride.

Awesome day. Lots of thinking, with the different challenges, constant changes of scale and detail levels of the maps. Happy that the rain had done its dash before we began. The bush was wet, but it was lovely conditions to race.

Thanks Tooms. Now do I have to organise the next one???

No word from the bike shop. Had to be home earlyish, so no training. Knee is feeling totally stuffed anyway. Worst it has been for ages. Walked my way around a netball court this arvo for 20 minutes and got some strange shooting pains across my patella. Pain has moved from just being on the lateral side of the tendon to a much broader area across the lower border of the patella. Eccentrics here we come (and maybe another trip to the doc).

Also have to remember to book in for a medical before they take away my bus licence. Gee, I wonder if I'll pass that one...

Bit of a cold. Still wanted to ride in, but forgot to pick up back wheel last night, making things rather difficult in that regard. Settled on a windtrainer after work, but after dropping in to the bike shop at lunchtime, found out that wheel John gave me is not compatible with an 8 speed cluster. And they don't have any others in stock, so still no bike ride. Went past Scarborough BEach cycles on the way home and they reckon they might be able to get me a new wheel on warranty (only about 15 months old). In any case, they have wheels actually int their store ready, so will have one soon.

Something to aim for (May 2008 times) for Reabold West
1:46, 1:44, 1:44, 1:42, 1:44
1:28, 1:32, 1:32, 1:30, 1:28

Well - how did the times compare??
1:40 1:41 1:41 1:42 1:42
1:28 1:30 1:29 1:26 1:26

Looks like a little improvement from last year :)

Recoveries between 2:05 and 2:20. 2 minutes extra between sets.

C • Nice! 2

Warm up/down for reabold reps

Start of Easy week

Bugger. Really didn't want another rest day, but the only thing I could fit in was a commute, and my bike doesn't have a back wheel. It's in the shop now. Thanks for the replacement rim Tooms.