Training Log Archive: jennycas

I figured I only had about 80 minutes in my legs because I haven't run for longer than that in, oh, months - and so my aim was to get as far through the course as possible before I ran out of legs. Hoped that the terrain would be pretty similar to Boboyan where I'd had a reasonably clean run in May, and so it proved to be. The first few controls were a bit too easy, I thought, especially when I could see the flag from 50 m away; but I guess you did have to be on exactly the right bearing in order to achieve this.

Began reeling in girls who had started in front of me (having all the Aust champs races as WREs means limited randomness in the starting order and predisposes to the possibility of trains forming - at least there have been impressively big fields at these races, but in WA next year if the numbers are significantly less I'll be suggesting a random draw even for the WREs) and went through Amy and Sallyanne between 7 & 8, then to my surprise Belinda popped out from behind a rock at 11, and we were around each other for the next few controls. I got ahead but inhaled a wattle blossom and had a coughing fit so she gained again. We went different ways on the longer leg to 15 then converged on it along with Briohny and Katelyn, meaning that a slow train formed on the 2km leg to 16, the very end of which we all stuffed up. I can see now that I came around the hill ever so slightly high, but when I did drop 30m I was still expecting to find the control on a small spur, not the side of a gully as it turned out to be. So that's how I lost time on Bun again; probably only a minute but she & Briohny & Laurina got away.

Hanny came through me & Katelyn as we got to the farmland, which was about the point that I died. Katelyn was powering up the hills but it was as though someone had switched off the power supply to my legs. Even Kathryn coming through wasn't enough for me to be able to make them move! I was otherwise pretty happy with my run; although others complained about the junk on the ground I was just glad that it wasn't as rocky and tussocky underfoot as Badja. So on reflection, this weekend I did better than I'd expected in the long and worse than expected in the sprint, but the net effect was still a sense of satisfaction, maybe because I do like to run on new areas and there are none of these in SA.

Pancakes at Bredbo afterwards, with Geoff of course, reminiscing about how we stopped there after Aust Champs 2001. He had come down from Sydney to catch up with me and spent the weekend ferrying around Susanne, Kate, Zoe, Hania and got a speeding fine on the Monaro Highway for his pains...

C • WRE start draws 1

LONG Course 2 - Splits

Event: Australian Sprint/Long Distance Championships
 

Canberra Grammar - rather cool to have a star shaped map. Also within walking distance of G&A's so when I realised I'd forgotten my control description holder I ran home to get it, as a warmup.

Did a number of dumb things out on course also, running into the wrong courtyard on both 3 and 4, hesitated just before 9 because of a random sign saying "drop maps here", very nearly ran into the spectator control sooner than I should have because of overrunning a side alleyway into the control beforehand, also lost time a couple of controls before the end because of a bin blocking an access route.

So I lost probably a couple of minutes (at least?) but that just shows that it was a good course in a complex area and I wasn't really in race-focus mode, which is my own fault. Would of course have been ideal to be able to run a bit faster but that would have required proper training. I'd have cheerfully accepted getting under 20 min today; as it was 10 junior girls beat me and that's at least 4 too many. Means Liv & Mel scored Arrows points though.

We went and took lots of photos of tulips afterwards, since it's Floriade time.

W21E - Splits

Course 2 - Splits

This one's for Susanne :)
Up to the trig on Red Hill from Geoff & Alex's once we got to Canberra. I admired the 360-degree views and lost count of the kangaroos.

Red Hands Cave - Campfire Creek loop from the gates of the national park at Glenbrook. Oh dear, I have got so slow :( partly because I am so tentative with my knees on both the ups and the downs, but this was even worse than last Christmas (when I was running from a thunderstorm). Highlight was seeing a lyrebird, who stood on the track and sang in front of me, but he didn't spread his tail, presumably because I don't look or sound like a female lyrebird.

We then spent the day, after the obligatory round of parent-visiting, taking Isaac & Amy up to Katoomba to Scenic World (skyway, cable car and semi-vertical railway are about as extreme as I get when it comes to rides) where it was significantly cooler than down in Penrith, but still somewhat windy.

River loop in Penrith, from caravan park in Emu Plains. Actually rather pleasant although I was feeling middle-aged and frumpy. Knees held out until going down some steps at the end. Don't like the intense feeling of vertigo I get going across the Nepean River on the M4 bridge (my mother in law says the Victoria Bridge makes her claustrophobic with its high sides, but I don't find that one so bad).

C • Middle Aged? 1

We were staying near the little blowhole at Kiama so I went for a very slow, stiff plod south from there along the coast track, which mostly follows the clifftops on the grass behind people's houses and drops to a beach every so often. I was reminded of a run I did around Kaikoura after the WRC in Nov 2010, except there weren't snow-capped mountains behind me. Was rewarded at the end by a couple of decent spurts from the little blowhole; the big one had absolutely nothing yesterday because the wind/waves blew the wrong way.

Nice drive up through Berry/Kangaroo Valley/Fitzroy Falls to ultimately get to Penrith.

Headed south along the coast when we flew into Sydney. Pretty stiff & sore today and so a couple of short walks with Geoff including out to the point at Bundeena, were more than enough. Nice views in lots of places.