Training Log Archive: Brooner

Event: Sprint Canberra
 

Warm up/down around the afternoon training.

Maze orienteering intervals, 3 x ~400m or so each (straight line), each taking around 2:40 or so.

First ok, last two terrible, losing contact and not reading ahead.

Head to head race round a ~800m course of five controls, about 9 of us racing. I started last and stayed there, not aided by a control not working which took a few of us out the race. Good speed check tho.

Long warm up, drills and stretching. Hot.

Sprint Canberra race 1: AIS

Some good, some bad. Struggled to get going, physically and mentally, rushing the first two controls but then things picking up for the long leg which I got nicely, though should have spent longer planning for rest of the course.

Slight hesitation to 6 when I couldn't see gap in fence, and I banana'd big time to 8 heading across the open with poor direction. With a few people though the short sharp section to 14 which generally kept me right but could have been sharper on direction, lost concentration on way to 19 leaving 18 in south rather than west. Fine from there to finish.


Map & Route

Collecting controls and jogging

Elite - Splits

Jogging down to Gas works road, then some stretching, legs pretty tired.

6 hill reps, starting from the roundabout and alternating gas works road & Walumetta Drive, both around 360m & 20m climb (omap suggest double, felt like more!) but latter seemed steeper. Consistent times, 1:35 / 1:43, pace around 4:35.

Late to get back to work so minimal warm down, proper hot again after this morning's cycle to work in the drizzle.

Event: Sprint Series #3 - Carss Park
 

Sticky run to work, legs tired.

To St Leonards, then to the event from Alawah, brief amount of time for some drills.

Good course which made the best of the area, routechoice not particularly prevalent but a good test of map reading at speed (which I mainly failed at) and good direction in the open. Shame it was drizzly as it meant pushing on the bush trails along the slope at the end a bit sketchy - glad I took the bet on the weather and brought shoes with a bit of grip 'just in case'.

Slightly dodgy start to #1, running down steps and trying to read map not a great combo so a little slow, #2 fine then struggled to pick out the details & descriptions for for #3 & #4, probably dropped 5s on each.

Fine through the easy park section to #16 (should have planned ahead during easy runs to #12 & #14) but it all went amiss from #18 onwards.

Stupidly saw someone coming back out towards #17 from #18 and didn't look properly for the track to #19 on the map so did similar and then had a big climb through crap undergrowth onto the path and into the control, dropping a minute in the process. Kinda expected this to be an up vs round route choice leg, but it really wasn't!

Was hesitant to #20 but ok, then hesitant again before running past the end of the crags and having to drop back down into #21 (25s). For #21 I knew I had to go back out towards #20 then up steps but went too far and missed the steps entirely, then a bit hesitant in the circle (20s). Fine for the last control, but not pushing down the steps.

Map & Route


Frustrating, was actually ok running this week but mind wasn't quite up there when it was tricky - wasn't interpreting the descriptions well or reading the detail around the circle, and #19 was pure stupidity.

Looking forward to really focussing on better sprint techniques over the weekend and hopefully starting to put them into place under pressure with a race each day.

Jogged out then re-ran 18-Finish:

#19: 62 (-63s)
#20: 33
#21: 29 (almost missed steps, but -30s)
#22: 27 (-30s)
#23: 33
#24: 10

There's the big time loss, even being conservative of knowing where controls were I should have been 100s quicker.

Event > Hurstville, Redfern > Home.

Cycle out through Marrickville to cooks river then past the airport to mascot, tried for a Hong ha banh mi stop but queues were huge (I've only ever been first thing before when there was no queue). Down to port botany and la perouse (where I saw a snake show) then over to maroubra for a swim before heading home.

Having spent yesterday fixing up the bike with new chain, cassette and seat it is riding far better now although I have still to master derailleur tweaking.

Good run this week, Chatswood loop with Andy, Steve & a returning Ondrej. Pretty hot out from the start, ramping up by the end - glad of the plentiful bubblers.

From Chatswood easy drop down into blue gum (with a bit of a bush bash for good measure) then onto Fairylands where we picked the pace up, and over into some uncharted territory for me. Down on the west side of lane cove river down towards Hunters hill through Magdala & Boronia Park, more really nice trails and some boardwalk through the marshes, then crossed bridge and headed north into Blackman Park heading back through towards Chatswood and up the hill past the golf course.