Training Log Archive: jennycas

So, apparently I ran pretty badly today. Didn't actually think I was doing that poorly out there, apart from painful ankle & hamstring, sheer fatigue from having woken up at what seemed like 4am every day for the last 10 days, and vagueness/dizziness from the anti-inflammatories I had with breakfast. But I did notice that I was stumbling around the rocks while other people were just whizzing past me.

Really had to force myself to concentrate on the map (was already thinking about work on Monday) and even then didn't always recognise the boulder I wanted even when I was standing right next to it. Overran 1 on a downhill leg - looked in the right vicinity but didn't see the control so kept going a bit further till I realised I was at 12 already, ran back up the hill. Maybe a minute here? Kellie (2 min) passed me on the way to 3 and Mace (4 min) on the way to 4, which we were all a bit hesitant going down in to. I finally managed to repass Kellie at 9, then went too high in the little gullies at 11, and what do you know, I was at 12 already! Confirmed this by looking up the hill to see 1 again, then belted down the hill to 11, having by now lost a couple of minutes and complete sight of Kellie (and Rachel had gone through me here too) and back up to 12 for which leg, strangely enough, I had equal fastest split!

Was sitting next to Paul Hoopmann on the plane on the way home, when he commented that over the whole of Easter he'd made less than 4 min of mistakes and yet he had blown more than that on this one race. I agreed that my experience had been similar.

Course 2 - Splits

A fairly average time, yet I worked hard for this, and navigation was pretty clean, only a few seconds on a couple of controls (there wasn't much in the route choice legs). Lost more time than that trying to reattach the SI unit at 10 (111) which was only tied on by a rubber band, so came off in my hand. First saw Bridget (1 min) behind me here but she didn't overtake me until 20, along with Aislin & Kathryn. Almost ran for longer to warm down afterwards than I did on course, but am still really stiff tonight :(

Course 2 - Splits

From Martin's Tank campground near Preston Beach, along the walking trail to the bird hide, from which the view of the salt lake was exactly the same as it was right next to the campsite. Tried to make legs run a bit faster but they were very tight & tired. We initially had the entire campground to ourselves; later Kathryn & Rob turned up in their campervan, having apparently watched the royal wedding in (borrowed) civilisation.

Mt Melville this time, from the YHA in Albany. Not as stiff in knees & ankle as on Wed, though I wore the Inov8s which cause less ankle twinges. I suspected them of being gripless on wet rock, so was very careful on the bare slabs, this being after rain. It wasn't until next morning, exploring Fernhook Falls, that I confirmed my suspicions, going down so suddenly on an innocuous looking rock, that I actually bounced on my arse (which still felt a bit bruised at sprint time Sat).

Short jog with Susanne from the campground at Fernhook Falls (between Walpole & Pemberton). George & I discovered this campground in 2006 and spent half an hour watching bits of foam doing laps of the pool below the falls. Less water this time but still a beautiful spot on the Deep River. We were only slightly surprised to encounter Sus & Lachlan driving in at the same time as us.

Ran up Mt Clarence, which overlooks Albany, from the YHA, up the steep track and down the road. Orienteering encounter of the run was meeting the senior Allisons, at the lookout. On sunset, after an afternoon of viewing wind farms, blowholes and beaches in between rain showers, I took George up the lookout and we bumped into Valerie Barker there. I forgot to mention also, that yesterday when we dropped in at the campground in the Stirlings, a familiar Macpac tent turned out to contain Susanne & Lachlan!

C • Mt Clarence 1

Climbed Mt Toolbrunup in the Stirling Ranges on the way to Albany. Last did this after Easter 1993, which, I was startled to realise, is very nearly half my life ago! Then, it was in the company of Susanne, Ben, Hugh Parker, Sue Millard, Bob/Reuben/Zoe Smith, on the trip where Ben gave me & Sus whooping cough. Today I was on my own, having left George to guard the car, although I came across the Doyles & Katelyn Effeney halfway up (or down, from their perspective). I had remembered the steepness and scree slopes but not the vertigo induced by the descent. 360 degree view from the top was worth it, though.

C • Easter 93 3

First leg was a danger leg into green no-man's land but I pulled it off by going due south from the clearing and looking for rocks on my right. Overshot 2 but relocated off a boulder to the west - good save. Direct through green to 3, the fallen sheoaks were hammering my shins but hamstring which had been bad before starting, was letting me jump logs okay. Took the high route to 4 which was a good choice. Out in the open was a bit scrappy, slightly left on 6 & 7, went around the hill to 9 and nearly vagued out, which was a wakeup call to concentrate more carefully. Had expected Sus & Anna to catch me by now, and I'll admit to looking over my shoulder, then pushing myself a bit harder when I couldn't see them! Luckily the controls along the hillside back towards the finish were no-brainers, though I didn't appreciate having to bash through the green again at the end, maybe lost a minute there.

C2 Day 4 - Splits