Training Log Archive: GM

NSW 'Long'? Champs at Garden of Stones NP. In summary: too short, too easy, and I was too slow. Should have just gone straight on 4 to 5, and I stuffed 6 in the circle, but the mapping of the rock was not what I was expecting. To make it worse it was the control where I had twice the chance of finding the flag since there was one in the two adjacent gullies - if only I had turned left instead of right.

NSW Long Champs Hard 6 - Splits

Event: NSW Sprint Championships / NOL Sprint Relay / NSW Long Championships
 

NOL Sprint Relay was fun to watch but could have been better with a better arena layout plus the course splitting was far too obvious. Great results for the Cockies with 1st, 4th and 5th. The ad-hoc Cockies ran well too. Best effort was Tara stepping up from W16 to mix it with the big girls.

NSW Sprint at Lithgow on Zig Zag map. A second potato finish for the week behind Geoff, O-ing, and Rob V.

I felt like it was a bit scrappy in places - trying to decide best route from 3 to 4; misreading 5 as being up top then running the ramp out of 5 instead of the stairs; too slow from 8 to 12; misreading 17 as being level rather than up top; going back past 16 on way to 19 rather than around on top. The rest was good and I pushed as hard as I could. Felt better the longer the race went so hadn't warmed up enough.

Fun event and luckily no problems - I did avoid the unmapped fence on 3 to 4 but nearly did choose that route.

Not long enough to properly warm up

NSW Sprint Champs Hard 4 - Splits

MaryMac dropped me at Katoomba Ovals near Scenic World and I headed off towards Echo Point. Bumped into Scott, Gail, Neil and StK66 enjoying the view. A quick chat then I continued on to the 3 Sisters, followed by a descent of the Giant Staircase, then a faster section along Dardenelles Pass to Leura Forest. A lot of stairs going up to reach Ampitheatre Track, then hugging the cliffs to Leura Falls and another climb up past Leura Cascades. I then followed the cliff top track to Gordon Falls reserve, plus a short out and back to Pool of Siloam at the end.

I didn't want to overdo it with O on the next two days.

Had a lovely picnic lunch with MaryMac at the reserve then a delicious coffee plus a friand at Cassiopeia back in Katoomba.

Spent the entire afternoon doing three caves at Jenolan (Lucas, Nettle, Orient) plus to and from the top car park = lots of stairs. Caves were great plus we saw a platypus swimming around just below us in Blue Lake.

Feeling ok today so planned a longer run. MaryMac dropped me at the Six Foot Track where it crosses Megalong Valley Rd. This is next to the TNF100 checkpoint 3. I just headed back to Katoomba along the 6ft which was lovely running. The first part was mainly fire trails with a couple of styles. Then onto the small path at Nellies Glen which climbs gradually until the stairs. They weren't too bad but my legs were a bit tired from yesterday. At the top of the stairs I turned right and followed the TNF100 course on various paths and roads through to the Acquatic Centre. Then kept on to the ovals near Scenic World to meet MaryMac.

Second breakfast at Cassiopeia Specialty Coffee in Lurline St was great - especially the toasted sourdough with seasonal jams ... yum.

Easter 3 Days - day 3 at Cherry Farm

Great first leg but I stupidly went straight while the quicker route was keeping left and picking up a couple of bits of track and less climb. The last bit into 2 was slow through the rocks and fallen trees and it would have been quicker running around the bottom then up. I ran along the open valley then up beautiful side valley to 3 - this is why I go orienteering as it was just magic running up through the bracken with the rocks on either side. I stuffed around at the end thinking the cliff was my boulder so I was surprised not to find a flag and also not to find a northern side of a boulder. I just kept going to the next feature but lost 20 sec. Ok to 4 then ran to the broken fence, and hit it in the middle. I thought 'fence end' so turned left and went to the wrong end, so checked my description again and went to the other end. I then ran off in slightly the wrong direction and by the time I gathered myself I was past the gully and looking at the spur to the east of the correct one. I then managed a beautiful parallel error 100m to the east of where I should have been. After kissing goodbye to 4 minutes I was back at the control. Quick down to 7 then ran north into the next valley and followed it to the end then angled up onto the spur leading to 8. I intended to go right on 8 to 9 but didn't go far enough when I hit the first track. Instead of going another 200m and 2 contours i started traversing into the gully. Dumb. I ended up adding an extra 30 m of climb by having to drop into the next gully before climbing to the second track. so easily lost a minute. I was disappointed with my thinking today and need to do some more practise if I want to improve - its not like riding a bike.

I ended up 4th overall. Geoff was supreme as always wining every day, and Melvyn had a great run today and it would have been hard to stay ahead of him without a perfect run. Russ showed the benefit of three steady runs for a well deserved 3rd place.

Day 3 10 Hard - Splits

Easter 3 Days - day 2 at Prossers Reef.

A good steady start to 1 but too cautious to 2. My original plan for 2 to 3 was to run along the creek to just south of the control and climb along the line of rock but the creek was SO slow that I bailed at the first junction and climbed diagonally up through the semi open bare rocks then traversed through the two gullies to the east and used the big boulder as my AP. A tiny bit to the right of the straight line to 4 was good and only lost 15 sec at the end fluffing around getting down the rocks to the left of the control - should have gone right. I missed 5 a tiny bit to the left and had to run back to it so lost another 10 sec. Straight on 6, but aimed off a tiny bit to the left on 7. Straight to 8 and 9 and used the gully before 10 as my AP so I curved a little to the left. Then I sort of lost the plot for a leg and thought the control was up the side of the main gully and I needed to be careful etc. when in fact it was in the bottom of the main gully Nd I should have gone straight and hard, which I did on 12 to 14. A better run than yesterday but still making a couple of poor decisions - a lack of O lately probably hasn't helped.

Day 2 Course 10 - Splits