Training Log Archive: jennycas

Today I got beaten by the new mum...really enjoyed this course but it's clear that I haven't done any long run training lately. Apart from just feeling a bit empty in legs (and tummy - halfway round, I really wanted to eat a steak) yesterday's sore throat had turned into today's cold sores and I wasn't feeling very bouncy. So I treated it as rogaine training, especially since at 1: 15 000 I often couldn't read what was in the centre of the circle. Was a bit disappointed that water had run out at the start, but given that there were no less than 6 drink controls on course, this wasn't a problem. Still not sure whether I took the best route choice up & over the ridgeline to 6, but going around would have taken a while also, and either way it would have been warm in the sun. And from 10-11 I probably should have come back out to the track rather than going around the bottom of the hill - and from 11 definitely should have stuck to the left side of the creek & gone through the saddle, because when I crossed the creek I veered too far right and that resulted in being about 300m too far downhill from where I wanted to be. I enjoyed the flat stuff before & after the spectator control and was very careful with my bearings although a little too far right upon reaching the big creek.

Hung around with SLE afterwards because I had some time to kill before the OA AGM, and learned to burp a baby. After AGM came the OA dinner and a drive back to Burra with no roo sightings. And with all 4 tyres still intact so far this weekend, I think I'm doing ok.

Day 2 Course 2 - Splits

Long day out where I left Burra at 6:30am and got back after 7pm. Was nice watching the sun rise as I drove over the escarpment towards Mulga Valley, and surprisingly cool at Wonna Creek. Had intended to wake up a few units but got fairly involved in start setup and starting the little kids on their courses and came back to the finish about 1130 by which time there wasn't a lot to do there, and very few mispunches to troubleshoot. Simon's courses (middle distance format) were well received and I'm a little surprised that we had the senior elites a touch too long but maybe that was because the terrain is really shaly and dusty at the minute (and I was surprised by the number of women who took the creek route to the second-last control, climbing at the end). Took a carload of McCombs out with me to collect controls and water, bailed from the event at 3pm to get to technical committee meeting, finally escaped from there about 6pm by which time I was meant to be at dinner in Burra, so when I got to La Pecora Nera at 7pm everyone had only pizza crusts left on their plates so I went home & made pasta. At least I didn't have to reprogram all the SI units for the end of daylight saving, which Robin is probably still doing. This carnival simply would not happen without the Uppills!

C • Congratulations 4

Event: 2015 Australian Three Days
 

Yay, an event I had nothing to do with organising! Was a good course from AK, with basically zero climb and as expected I didn't have the legs for running properly fast but I kept a solid pace and it took Lauren quite a while to finally run me down 2 minutes. Didn't take the railway underpass to 9 because I couldn't work out how I would get out of it and on to the platform of the disused station, so went around the right end of the fence - not sure if that was necessary. And picked the first gap between the silos but then didn't take it, so missed the tank I wanted on the other side. But these were small things. Feel that I read the school pretty well - am doing better running without my glasses these days. Really enjoyed it even if I am in fact no faster than a lady who had a baby 3 months ago :)

Enjoyed seeing the baby Eleanor and her parents too!

Elite Prologue Course 2 - Splits

Around Burra on a slightly cool, definitely breezy morning before Simon & I went & put all the flags & units out at Wonna Creek. Heel was a bit uncertain to start with but warmed up ok. After a morning of putting out controls it was quite unhappy but responded to anti-inflammatories at lunchtime and then doing the controls south of the creek was all right. We could drive to most of the water drops and so we had time to set up the start bunting as well. Still, a long day out, spending about 8 hours on site. The landowner has graded the road in, so it's a wee bit dusty. And instead of slashing the paddock we wanted for the parking, he got the grader guy to do random circle work making a whole lot of new tracks. At least they weren't on an important part of the map, as has apparently happened here in the past (according to Yalangans).

I have been excessively diverted (as Jane Austen's heroines were wont to say) by the recent reporting in the daily tabloid of a local defamation case featuring:

a) Harley Vegan and Freelee the Banana Girl (website: www.30bananasaday.com)
vs
b) the author of The Bikini Body Guide

As it's been reported, protagonists (a) would seem to have posted numerous YouTube videos implying, among other things, that protagonist (b)'s diet recommendations lead to eating disorders. Also there have been some nasty catfights on Instagram over something as apparently innocuous as the uploading of a picture of sushi by protagonist (b)...

The truth is of course somewhere in the middle (as I am wont to say), but anyway, protagonists (a) have been ordered to cease and desist. The headline in today's paper: BANANA SPLIT BUT NOW IT"S SMOOTHIE

C • Tabloid headlines 9

This did not relieve any of my myriad frustrations. And my ankle started to protest towards the end. Current source of twinging seems to be achilles, which is a new one for me.

I'd like to say I enjoyed this but that would be misrepresenting the truth. Was too late for the others at the start, of course, and generally don't mind running by myself but company would have taken my mind off how much my calves and feet hurt, even after repeated stretching stops. Still, I made myself go up a hill, and then the only bits which hurt on the way down were knees and hips.

Three Hills Loop, on sunset. Took a while to get going (am rather sad that tomorrow's physio has been cancelled, because my calves/shins are in desperate need of needles) but plodded up the hills ok although I definitely couldn't have run away from any vampires today.