Training Log Archive: Lizzie

got to try out the pilates machine at the physio. didn't break it. so i'll take it as a win :)

Mixed summer soccer.
For my team first up - lost 3-1.
Filled in for friends team. won 9-0.

...considering switching allegiance?!

Summer Series at Campbell Park.

By the time I'd done all my pre race faffing around the start was already being brought in, making for an extra long first control :)

Nice enjoyable course, allowed for good running the entire way and no gut buster hill slogs. Used groups of scouts as attackpoints on some controls, which was useful.
Disappointed that the fake blood, guts and bones hadn't been put out in the area yet for the ADFA zombie run though.

8.30pm match made for one very long day, having got the red eye flight back from wgtn (never again!)

wore my garmin and hr monitor, just to see how hard i'm going during these games. will fully analyse later, but 3.8km in 40mins.

Started with 9 players and no subs. 0-0 at half time. then our last minute fill in left, leaving us 8 vs 9. went 1 up, then 1-1. Then another of our players had to leave to get to basketball, so 7 vs 9.

Apparently that made things easier - or the other team forgot to mark us? Won 2-1, as I finally broke my 11 month goal drought :D

Tricky middle in a slumped area and native scrub. Few too many mistakes, but fewer than the rest of the field luckily.

3 x sprints. First was fine. Lack of any training showed in the next 2.

Got owned by Laura. was going to happen sooner or later!

Can now add my parents to the llist of people who have laughed at my crab walk exercise.

C • Crab walk 1

WOA long champs.

Classic Wairarapa hill fest. And the farmer needs some more cows to keep his grass short!

travel day

Ainslie street-o. Decent route. Painful running.

Went to the beach for the weekend and did no exercise beyond chasing the dogs up and down the beach. And i didnt last long at that!

Right Hammy. Not good.

From uni over and around Blackie and Little Blackie with the Jacqui.

Mixed Summer 9s. Tried to keep up with a very tall fast AFL guy, and got an arm in the nose as a prize. That'll teach me.

Filled in for my friend's team. Probably too much for one day. (definitely)

thought about going for a run. Didn't. True story.

Biked up to the lab for the first time in ages. Feels so good to finally have fixed the bike!

First week of summer soccer. Bring on the pseudo-interval training!

Was the laughing stock of the team for missing two good opportunities tonight. (and not scoring all season). Better break this duck soon or the jokes could become insufferable!

Thought I wouldn't tempt fate and snakes by running today. Besides, glutes need a rest :)

However, my luck with wildlife continues - today I encountered a scorpion at the lab. And a fox decided to casually trot infront of the car. It seemed to be on it's way into CSIRO, perhaps to feed on the half dead rabbits they seem to keep there?

Agreed with Grace that we should go for a slightly shorter, easier, long run, as our knee and glute niggles were acting up...so we went up Mt Tennent with Lachy!

Really enjoyed it though! The single track means you have to concentrate the whole way, which takes the emphasis off the physical pain :) The last km of fire trail at the end of the climb was torture though, far worse than Mamma's mile at the end of the Goat race I reckon!
Nice views from the top though, and great company. Even if they did put me up front as sacrificial lamb to clear away the snakes! (3rd in 3 days, and the closest to being stepped on yet! :/ reconsidering skipping Aus summer and going home to NZ!)

Another first for me, went out to Tidbinbilla for a run. Was going to check out the route of one of Hanny's races, but instead was too tempted by Gibralter Rocks. So headed up there.
It may have taken 2.5 years but I've definitely broken my duck; Had my 2nd snake experience in 2 days as I jogged back down the track to meet Laure. A very large blackish snake did a u-turn to disappear between two rocks it was lazing on. Atleast a metre off the track though, so I felt quite safe.

A really nice run, starting from the visitor centre and making a loop of the run. My hammy/glute was a bit too niggly to enjoy it as much as it deserved though. Will have to go back again some time and do it justice as a full paced run, and explore a bit more of the reserve :)

Also saw my first emu. Boy I'm doing well with the wildlife! Although it wasn't reaaaally wild. So not sure I can count it?

Gave up on any pretense of trying to work and went for a run instead. Just a standard permutation of the bro'connor ridge loop this time. A good 5-10 degrees cooler than yesterday yet what should I happen across, but my first canberran snake while running meeting! A small (I guess, not much experience to go off really.) brown snake just off the track. Needless to say, we departed ways pretty quickly.
Was very aware of sticks for the rest of the run. But no further action.

Got out for a plod on Black Mtn. A permutation of the usual loop from the lab, but skipped out little blackie.
Chose the 30deg day to get back out running. Typical! Checked every stick, but saw no snakes. Avoided being swooped by magpies too, so I'll consider the run a win!
Spotted an Echidna towards the end too :)

C • Why were you looking for sn... 3

considered running. But thought better of it. Slept instead.

Back into this then.

Aus Relay.
Knew it was going to be a good battle between the top three teams, and had that extra motivation to nail it after my performance in the middle. Headed out strongly on the long first leg, going wide as I didn't like the thought of gutsing it up the hill so early on. Stuck with the boys and was the first one in to my split (that I could see). Went straight on #2 as I could identify stepping stones, but the going was slow. Not surprised to spot Grace dropping into #2 then, although she was heading down too early. I spotted the older boys who had taken the low route heading into the control, so got it cleanly. 3,4,5 Ok before turning for the 2nd long leg. Although I lost 20s or so being too high for #3 and having to drop into it over the cliff.
Had the short split on #5, so an extra long leg compared to the other splits :) Put my head down and contoured/dropped height to go around the base of the hill. Had Candy in sight in front of me who was a good pace setter, although i lost him towards the end.
Had a good drink at the spectator, then calmed myself and headed into the technical loop. Very slow on 7, then gutsed the hill...and lost myself in the same bermuda triangle as yesterday! Just can't make that area fit! Found the tape from #3 yday though and used that to guide me into the control haha. Smooth from there on really, and enjoyed stretching the legs over the last few controls.
Brought the cockies in with a 3min lead to Grace and Tassie, 7mins to Jas and Vic. Mace kept us in the hunt despite a great run from Aislinn, and Jo smashed out an impressive last leg to bring us home in front! Awesome finish!

C • Well done 2

RELAY W21E - Splits

Event: Australian Middle Distance/Relay Championships
 

What to say?
I think a long year of orienteering caught up with me today. This was my favourite distance to race, the final individual race of the season, and the Aus champs. Not to mention an awesome area. But I just couldn't get myself amped up or in a competitive mind set for it. I was too relaxed at the start, especially for such technical terrain.
Having said that, I nailed the first control. But I was expecting the control to be 100m further on, and just happened to check a control's code as I passed, double taking when I realised it was mine. That should have sent alarm bells off, but I ignored them, losing direction half way to #2 and losing myself inthe rock detail. I found #2 3mins later after relocating, but then got lost in the bermuda triangle of #3, not relocating well in this instance, to lose another min.
At this point I knew the race was gone, but was also getting angrier with myself and hence more focused! Got sucked low on #4, having to climb back up to the control. another 30s gone, more anger. Then didn't have a solid enough AP for #5. Another 1min, yet more focus gained. I took a bad route on #6, getting sucked low again. Here I was completely caught by Jas, as she punched ahead of me.
And yet from here on I nailed the course. I was so annoyed at myself for the first half of the course, that I finally started planning and executing the course as I should have from the start. Yes I had some small hesitations, but nothing that I'd call a mistake.

So yeah. Happy to be beaten by Jas and Grace. Not sure I could have beaten Grace today anyway. Disappointed that I didn't do the map and course justice. But also not sure I can blame myself, it's been a long year, both work and orienteering wise, and today the motivation just wasn't there enough to put together a complete performance. You can't do it every race!

On the bright side, my leg gave me minimal grief today. It was navigation, not physical fitness that let me down.

Oz Middle Course 2 - Splits

1 person relay after watching/supporting/helping at the schools relay. Once again, leg was achey getting through terrain and my compass bearings were pretty shocking.

Headed out on the senior boys course after standing doing the starts in the biting wind for an hour. Was too cold to bother warming up, and paid the price on the first two controls before my brain clicked in!
Just cruised around enjoying the area. My brain faded a bit on the compass bearings, but all in all was ok. Nowhere near the top schools boys, but didn't really expect to be so all good :)

Wild Deer Hard1-Women - Splits