Training Log Archive: TheInvisibleLog

Hobbling around on injured ankle packing for early start the next day.

Next in the series. How to jump and register SI in one move as performed by James Robertson.

The jump... note the SI stick aimed at the SI control box whilst well above!

From ASSOC 09

The landing, with the stick already in the box.

From ASSOC 09

The stick stays in despite the residual forward motion as James slips down the slope.

From ASSOC 09

Gave my SI stick to Jools so she could run the spectator race. I planned to do an unofficial run of the Senior Boys relay course. It went well for 10 minute still I twisted my ankle, aggravating the damage done on Sunday in the Grampians. I waited a while in the hope the pain would subside. When that wasn't working I tried to continue running in the hope that would solve the problem. That failed as well.

This was the attempt to run, followed by the painful walk back to the assembly area. I think that is the end of my orienteering for the carnival.

Why orienteering on Brown's Reef is so much fun. From todays ASSOC relays.

From ASSOC Relays 09

Event: Australian Secondary Schools Championships
 

The route choice problem...

From ASSOC 09

The long way round...

From ASSOC 09

The direct route...

From ASSOC 09

C • Nice 2

7.2 straight line
Perhaps my most important race of the year. The venue was the spectator race on Brown's Reef after the ASSOC individual races. We had the Newcastle crew as guests, including Leepback. A loss to him on my home map would have provided an invitation for an eternal AP slagfest. With so much at stake, I went all out, running the terrain as you should... redlining in the course and the heart rate. Spiked all the controls, quite a few of which I had never been to before. Leepback started 4 minutes in front of me and I finished 2 minutes in front of him. Mission accomplished. But was amazed to see I was beaten by John Brock... memo... more training, less lollies.

C • newcastle crew 1

Beehive falls again, then back and out along the Rockwall track. This was a journey of nostalgia, past many climbs that I had shared forst ascents with a number of friends. Most notable are 'Saviours of Somalia' and 'Bicentennial Route'. The former was a grade 20 that we had our eye on but were thwarted by rain on a number of occasions. In desperation one wet weekend I abseiled down and marked the climb with chalk to deceive our competitors that the climb had already been done. The deception worked. Its a quality climb, unlike the other the Bicentennial route. That was our memorial to the hoopla of that year. The sub-tile was 'at least you only do it every 200 years'. Strangely, it looked like no-one much had been climbing either climb.
After all the wet rocky ground of the weekend, I twisted my ankle running back through flat grassy terrain.
And yes, I think I enjoyed the music more than I would have enjoyed the Vic Long Champs.

Event: Victorian Long Champs (SILVA NOL)
 

Folk Music Camps are very quiet in the morning, so I took an 8.00pm 'run'. Run is perhaps the wrong word for the second half of the outward journey. Its steep and very rocky in normal conditions. But this time the route involved climbing up rock slabs running with water hangong over cliffs. I cut the trip short after thinking Irisked doing a Water Minister.

Event: Australian Middle Champs (SILVA NOL)
 

Only one locational blunder, but a mediocre time. My mind was on the Roses Gap Music Camp, and orienteering was something to get over with before driving away. Pity really, as I had chosen to miss much of the first day of the camp to fit in this event. I like the map and I like Warren's course setting. I found the navigation surprisingly easy for my distracted condition. The only minor blunder was assuming a dirt wall would be passable and trying to go straight. I should have been safe and gone round. Maybe thats just bad luck. But I didn;t think about route choice and just went straight. As a consequence I dropped from 6th to 11th over two legs, 6 and 9. Both times I didn;t take the track option. For 6, I just didn''t see it. For 9 I saw it but wrongly assessed it as slower than straight.