Training Log Archive: grilla

Over to 2 Creeks, Little Diggers and home.

Forgot to mention - it was absolutely stunning out today. Clear blue skies, calm water ...

C • we're back! 6

Event: Sydney Series #1 and Junior League #4
 

Advertised course length 7.4km so the distance about sums up my day. I need to learn how to orienteer in flat, vague, marshland. Legs were obviouly extremely tired towards the end of this one.

Eoin's course summary: "I was very accurate and got lucky twice."
Cath's course summary: "I was very inaccurate and got unlucky twice."

Had been hoping to do a nice long run in Blackbutt this morning but legs were very tight and sore from yesterday. Went and bought some new shoes (identical to last pair because they were the only ones in the shop in my size and were on special!).
Went for a trot around Maitland Park while Aoife rode her bike then tagged Eoin for his turn while I supervised play activities. Went OK once I was warmed up but still not great..

Intended to over to Maitland Park for a few laps but Aoife wasn't interested in a playground trip. I went up to Tenambit, around the back of the shops, past the old guide hall, the back way past Kim Wright's old house to the oval. One lap of Dad's BMX bandit track (looking sadly unused these days), one lap of the oval and determined that its a thousand times worse than Lindfield, then up to Edward St and home past the school.

One of the strangest things on the run - I always think that as an adult everything is so much smaller than it seemed as a child. Today I ran past what used to be a simple horse paddock near the school. It has now been subdivided - into about 15 houses including a whole new street!

Event: Winter Solistice Event
 

Night time score event - good fun apart from a few bits of standing still and totally missed one control. New light was great especially after I plugged it in properly and it stopped going out. It rained heavily throughout, there were unexpected puddles everywhere, numerous spontaneous waterfalls and sometimes there was so much water flowing on the road you couldn't see the surface. I decided running footpaths was a safer bet as you could at least see the bumps there.

Feet very sore afterwards, maybe new shoes required? I haven't had these too long and certainly haven't overused them.

C • Kayanos don't have enough cushioning these days :( 5

Cold and spectacular again. Included a run/walk up Mt Painter today.

With Nat, cold enough to wear gloves but a beautiful day!

Just a short run down the hill & back up.

Another disaster! Started well - on edge but just managing to get the controls. A bit cautious to 1, 3 and 4 but not too bad as far as 8. Then I got ahead of myself. I was reading the map 200m ahead of where I was and couldn't quite fit it but kept going. Saved by a fence, but got very befuddled and lost confidence. The only way I found 9 was by following Rachel Effeney to 10 and working my way back from there. Looking at the GPS now, I had identified where I was after the fence, but just didn't climb which is what I needed to do. I lost 8 minutes to Tracy on this leg and 9 to Shannon. I haven't been so lost for a long time. 10, 11 and 12 were all OK then again I got ahead of myself going to 13. I had a check feature just before my attackpoint and got that fine, but somehow thought I was now at my attackpoint and the ground ahead just didn't look like what I was expecting. Stopped and scratched my head for a bit before working out that I was now at my attackpoint looking for my control, moved along and it all made sense again... 14 was fine as was the first part of 15. Got within 50m of the control and then I couldn't match the ground to the map. Almost hit the finish, turned around and saw the control 100m back...

Long Distance at High Plains. Thought I did OK today, but looking at my course now, I lost a lot of time. Started OK after a bit of a kerfuffle having 2 of us on the same course at the same start time. I started in the 1 minute gap behind Mark Freeman. Took the safe (fence) way to 1, 2 and 3 good, was a bit wayward negotiating the yellow going to 4 then very cautious on the approach, cautious again mid way to 5 but that is better than being lost. I was fortunate to see Tracy punch 5 as it was on the wrong boulder but its likely I wouldn't have noticed as it was the one I'd been heading for anyway. Took off out of 5 the wrong direction, woke up and compensated getting an easy way into 6. Was perturbed coming up into it to see Mark up on the knoll scratching his head. Got a bit panicked, but the control was there he just hadn't seen it. I was having parallel error nightmares and with good reason as this was the same hill that got me at Easter 2008. Did 7 well but now Mark, Tracy and I were together. Tracy overtook me down the hill and went a different way to 8. I chose to go with them without consulting the map properly, thinking that being with the others would make me run faster, but in hindsight my original plan was much easier and I might have had more oomph at the end of the course.... Dropped on the way to 9 but caught up by going a different way. Misread the line of rock just before 10 and crossed the ridge my control was on (thinking I was crossing one before). Lost quite a bit of time there. Running out of strength now I went the long way around to 11 just to find some easier running. Got it and the next 2 OK. Misread the map for the last and took off following the creek rather than the bottom of the hill. Lost another 90 seconds here.
Overall 10 minutes behind Shannon, not far behind the others and lots of room for improvement!

Event: QB3
 

NSW Sprint Champs around a school campus. Started well, lost some time going to 3 (there was no way I could get over the crossable fence). Major loss on 6 where I got almost to 7 before realising 6 was way behind me... Mark Freeman caught me at 17 and ran away to 18. I lost time going the wrong side of a building but caught up with good routes to 19 and 20. I was definitely reading ahead and flowing through the controls and buildings better than him, but didn't have enough speed in the open. Lost a bit more on the way to 23 but that seemed to be the theme of the day for everyone.
Very disappointed to be so far behind.

There is definitely an argument for another fence symbol: fences that anyone can cross; fences that supermen can cross; and fences that you are not allowed to cross.

Still tired and ankles very wobbly. Tried the bush tracks today - they're amazingly still very wet. Some fallen trees blocking the tracks and bits of the smaller tracks washed away too.

Pretty sluggish but had to go out to enjoy the sunshine.

C • Sunshine 1

Event: The Great NOSH Footrace - Lindfield to Seaforth
 

Great Nosh Foot Race - really enjoyed this run but was struggling by the time I got to the end. I am very doubtful that I will make 35km for the Mt Wilson run in August, perhaps need to contemplate some training beforehand.

Started a bit fast today, firstly trying to keep my place before the first rough section and I did that OK but still had to walk sooner than I would have liked. Then I was enjoying myself. Then I started realising I was maybe a bit too fast. I slowed up a bit at Roseville Bridge but not too much and a girl went past me. I could see another older lady looming and wondered how long it would be before she came past too. At about 6km I realised that I should have had something to eat before starting or at least brought something with me, too late for that now. The older lady came past at about 7.5km as did a whole range of people, including one more girl. This section was a nice smooth single track and I don't have the stride length to do well on that so everyone who came past just disappeared from sight. Then a bit more rough up stuff so I got a bit back, then a slog up grass where even more people came past (I was walking here). Next was a beautiful twisting path through scrub. I pushed past the rugby player type in front of me here just so that I could see and gapped him immediately. Down some steep slippery sections and I really did well here passing about 5 and leaving them for dead. Got in with two others but then dropped them on the climb back out and almost caught the older lady. Then a flat fire trail (this was around 10km) and again I was found wanting. Felt I was slower here than on the steep single tracks. Slogged to the drinks where 2 more women went past. I kept with them part way up the hill. My hamstrings were cramping and from there all I could do was plod to the finish. Did the last little bit by myself which was great as it was another lovely section of track. Was happy to keep running to the end.

It was super wet, muddy and slippery so I think I made the right shoe choice but a bit more cushioning might have been nice at the end. I think the conditions probably helped me out a bit.

Tracy did 78 to win!

C • Top Effort 14

Out and back along the road at Lane Cove as I was being prissy and didn't want to get my shoes dirty or wet. This was supposed to be an easy jog but doesn't appear so now. Makes up for a lazy last few days.

C • have a good run tomorrow 2

No time for training today - 3 hours of psychopathic testing. Now I most certainly am one.

C • the inner you 4

Long-ish run. I was hoping it would be longer but was glad to get home, running out of energy and really struggling on the hills at the end. Ran over to Lindfield Oval then Two Creeks track (I really like this track) to Roseville Bridge and back home. Coming up Warringah Rd was stupid as there was no path beside 3 lanes of oncoming traffic and I kept having to stop and escape into the bushes to avoid getting knocked over by a bus, truck or Land Rover. One of the nice trucks even beeped his horn at me as a warning! Will need to find a better option for the future.
Sight of the run was a council worker blowing leaves off the path beside the Roseville Bridge - not quite as silly as the time I saw a guy blowing leaves off the path in Kings Park, but close.