Training Log Archive: GM

Event: Australian Middle Distance/Relay Championships
 

Australian Middle distance at 'The Gib'. This was definitely a PW as I can't think of a race in the last 30 years where I was as bad over a number of controls as I was today. I picked up the map, had a glance at 1, thought it's just up to the clearing and over the spur then past some big rocks and there it will be. That was about the last sensible bit of planning I did for the whole race. The rest was just a vague wander over a great course on a great area. I mucked up 1 but did relocate ok, but then just ran over to 2 expecting that it would magically appear. Lost about 7 minutes here going down and up then down and up then down and up, but never up enough to be where the control was. Overshot 3 by 20m but did stop and come back. Poor direction out of 4 meant I went too far left on 5 and did another series of up and down the slope trying to make things fit before I traversed back across to the right boulder. The next few legs were easy and I didn't have any problems, but then came the leg to 12 and I just ran into this vague area with lots of boulders and rocks and no idea where I was. I was going to try and read the map but didn't so did another wander around. In the end I found my first control and then used it to find 2, but still wobbled doing that. Then it was just down the hill which I managed without any problems. At least I was less than twice Geoff's time. I just felt mentally drained the whole way. Oh well, at least it was some exercise.

C • As I said 1

Oz Middle Course 5 - Splits

Nuggets run from the Trewin's with Blair and Bruce after the ASC FTEM health check at the AIS. Around the bottom of Aranda Hill, then a loop through Black Mt and back over Aranda Hill. A bit of NOL chat and some about the political boundaries of inner Melbourne. Felt good running and not having courses and controls and all the miriad of event organization running through my head. Perfect weather too.

Run around Spence before it was dark. Felt surprisingly good and pushed along at a nice tempo.

Putting out the last couple of controls for the Schools Relays then a loop through the southern and eastern controls to wake them up while Phoebe did the Northern ones. Perfect timing meant that I met her at the spectator controls just as her SI stick was full and the units stopped waking up. I could do the last couple.

Then off to put out the water at the drinks controls.

Picking up the last of the controls and taped routes from the ASOC individual

Picking up controls and drinks containers. Time includes going back out to get 125 which was 'missed' by Allan Seargent who had come to help collect. I was a bit surprised to run to the termite mound to find an absence of control! I then ran through 10 other control sites nearby in case he had left it behind but no luck. Back at the arena I found that they actually had the number and presumably flag and stand but no SI unit. Allan thinks it may have 'slipped out' of the belt. This is why I use those green shopping bags to carry the units, numbers, flags.

I think he was planning a return the next day to search for the lost SI unit.

C • Great .... 2

Helped set up the start then off to wake up all the controls in the second half of the course, while Phoebe was doing a sweep through all the early controls to wake them.

The wind was strong and would only get stronger during the day - pity, but nothing we can do about it.

One of the NZ girls cam back to the finish to say there was a fire out on the course. Phoebe and I went out there with 10 litres of water and a shovel. There was a bit of smoke from the burn off area but one patch immediately adjacent to the control had some nice little flames, so we doused them with the water and then shovelled dirt over all the smouldering remains.

Pulling in the water controls so Maurice could refill them tomorrow.

Putting out the Relay controls in the area that overlapped the individual, plus out through the paddock close to the arena. Heather came along and we kept going until it was nearly dark. Still had 3 left to do but they can wait for the morning.

Putting out the remaining controls for the Schools Individual and Wild Deer Chase with Heather for company and help in carrying the stands.

Funniest sight was when we arrived with the trailer attached about 50 cows and calves followed us to the arena mooing there heads off. Then about another 50 came the other way until we were surrounded in a sea of cows.

When Maurice turned up with the truck around 9am he brought 6 hay bales so I could build a fence crossing - that peaked there interest and we kept shooing them away. We put the bales in the trailer but a couple of them sneaked around the back and were having a good old munch on the corner of one bale, but luckily it wasn't enough to make the bale unusable.

Setting up the arena took about 4 hours with help from Heather, Sue and Maurice. Toph was off doing range finding for O-Lynx but in the end he reckoned that the control at the fence crossing was 20m too far to pick up a signal so we changed the plan to set up a pre-warning control. Phoebe was out checking controls.

I managed to drive through the farmland and forest to within 100m of the fence crossing site but had to lug the hay bales this last bit. Then put out 170 litres of water with some help from Heather.

We came across the farmer Ennio doing a controlled burn off. The only problem was that it was on the direct line between a couple of controls on the Junior Boys course. Ennio said it would be out that day as he only had until midnight to burn off without a permit.

On our way out we intersected the Mulloon Rural Fire Brigade truck with lights flashing. They were trying to find the source of the smoke so we were able to direct them through the right gate.

Putting out controls for Schools Relays and Macca's Maze. The wind was picking up and it's not looking promising for Tuesday. The smoke seemed to have cleared which was a plus.

Made it back on time for start draw at Carotel.

Putting out controls at Wild Deer Sands. I was able to place all the controls from 101 to 145 plus about 15 other stands but will have to wait until tonight to pick up the higher numbers from Maurice when he gets back from Slap Up with the equipment truck.