Training Log Archive: Anvil

ThorCore

The spirit was willing, but the flesh is made out of Weak Aussie.
I had nothing today. Kind of have that low energy feeling like I may be getting sick... again.

If there are any potential smters out there, if I still feel like this tomorrow I won't be joining you - there's no point. The Hottage will still be open, welcoming and providing post run replenishment.

Kinda TNT, but not really. Few hills here and there when I could squeeze them in.
Awesome weather, I remember what sunlight feels like now!

Pre-ARK trail cruise, also putting out some flags.
Almost entered the zone of being a strugglefest, but was somehow able to keep my head above water till the end. Very nice evening for it.
Whilst I love the MT!101s, they're already falling apart after 300ks. I guess these more minimal shoes aren't going to have the same lifespan of a heavier shoe. Basic physics really.

C • mt 101 6

Was notified by Coach Sudden today that I had been promoted to Coach status. With great power comes great responsibility, so I trawled through my archives to pick a good session.
Decided for the sake of consistency, the first TNT session I lead should be the same as my maiden TNT session from way back at the end of last August - a small twisty traily loop with a section above the highway on the escarpment. We'll call it the Cliffs of Insanity loop.
The original session was 1,2,3,2,1, with a recovery whilst your partner finished/started their last/first loop. It turned out that would be no where near enough to qualify for a TNT session, so I turned it into an Australian Pyramid and added another 2,3,2,1 at the end of it.
The loops were too twisty and to get right up into zone 5, so at Travs suggestion we did a protracted tempoterval back down the Bruce, then finished off with a sluggish set of Bannistairs (4:11).
Glad Trav and Trix showed up, before they appeared I was having a lot of trouble motivating myself to get out of the car.

Recovery run / Raid the Hammer training.
Slowly giving my team members a piecemeal education of the DV trails. We will be unstoppable come race day.
Sherman Falls to Heritage Falls and back. K2 ascent on the way out.
Legs heavy to begin with, but got better as the run went on.

C • RTH 6

West Point Long.
Weird race. Right off the bat felt exhausted and tired - moving through the terrain like a sloth, tripping and stumbling over everything. Suddenly after 45 minutes, everything clicks and I feel awesome and ramp it up for the rest of the race.
Was a good long course with a nice variety of legs and some very fun bits of terrain.

1-2: Drop down, loose contact and climb back up to early. Starting to feel the pinch already and Ross came through me here. There was no way I was going to be able to stick with him.
3-8: Exhausted. Walking the hills and getting pissy with the vegetation. Considering DNFing. Had a gel and a lot of water at 6.
8-11: Downhill legs - feeling a little better. Spend a lot of time at #11 searching for the correct fallen tree.
12: Spend a long time picking a route. Decide to go left and take the trail as much as possible.
Without warning, I feel great. I'm running uphill, my HR drops and I speed up! Awesome! Decide the race is too far gone for a good result, so just enjoy it. I fold the map, put the head down and drop the clutch.
As I near the circle, I start planning the next leg. Hmmm, that's weird, why is the number of my next control lower than the one I'm going to now.
Oh, no. In my heady joy of being able to run again, I've navigated to #14!.
Damn. Luckily, #12 isn't that far away - but it's still about another 7 minutes wasted...
12-18: A few small mistakes. But who cares, the forest was so awesome in this section. Still feeling strong.
19-F: Pretty straightforward. I should not be feeling this good this late in a long - though apart from #20, my splits still aren't awesome.

Long Blue - Splits