Training Log Archive: inuksukIn the 31 days ending May 31, 2012:
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| Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | Fr | Sa | Su | Mo | Tu | We | Th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thursday May 31, 2012 #
7 AM
running terrain 1:29:00 [3] 10.5 km (8:29 / km) +595m 6:36 / km
Easy morning run with La up the northern spur. Fog and light rain on the mountain today -- a pleasant change.
strength & conditioning 10:00 [1]
Wednesday May 30, 2012 #
6 PM
running warm up/down 8:00 [3] 1.0 km (8:00 / km) +40m 6:40 / km
running tempo 12:02 [4] 3.2 km (3:46 / km)
Needed to stretch out after eight jarring sometimes terrifying hours on the road. Didn't really intend on doing a tempo for the first half...felt pretty smooth and easy going.
running 7:00 [3] 0.9 km (7:47 / km) +20m 7:00 / km
Tuesday May 29, 2012 #
7 AM
Note
Up the Yangzi chasing dwarf blue sheep...incredible. Such tough little guys -- it must have been more than 40C on the rock in the sun. I'm now able to see the habitat is somewhat problematic for doing vege. surveys. Drought is hitting the dry valleys hard -- even the cacti are dieing. Oh, the irony in pumping this water 500km under/across the Tibetan plateau to the Huanghe to save that river -- what nifty things some hydro engineers can think up...
Monday May 28, 2012 #
8 AM
running terrain 2:00:00 [3] 9.8 km (12:15 / km) +1100m 7:51 / km
Baimaxueshan. A really nice loop up the mountain behind the research station. Climbed up the main valley through lovely birch-oak glades, birch-maple-fir-hemlock forest and a series of cattle tracks to the high grazingland. Topped out just shy of 4000m. Followed the main ridge back to where the old tea-horse track crosses the ridge and dropped back down to the station for yak butter tea and a Lisu morning fry-up.
Saturday May 26, 2012 #
10 AM
tramping 2:30:00 [1] 8.7 mi (17:15 / mi) +940m 12:55 / mi
Baimaxushan. After watching the resident (semi-wild) Rhinopithecus bieti population for a while we headed up the old tea horse route to the pass -- tall stands of hemlock, larch, spruce, fir, and oak over a dense understory of bamboo. Such a nice place.
Friday May 25, 2012 #
8 AM
running terrain 51:00 [3] 7.9 km (6:27 / km) +400m 5:09 / km
Forest loop with La
Wednesday May 23, 2012 #
6 PM
running terrain 1:34:00 [3] 13.9 km (6:46 / km) +610m 5:33 / km
Zhonghe si.
Tuesday May 22, 2012 #
6 PM
running terrain 44:00 [2] 4.7 km (9:22 / km) +286m 7:11 / km
A slow jog around uni forest with La.
Monday May 21, 2012 #
6 PM
running terrain 1:13:00 [3] 10.0 km (7:18 / km) +600m 5:37 / km
Northern spur and down uni spur. A nice night -- the weather has finally started to break. Temps are down to a reasonable 23C, gusty, variable winds and light showers -- a welcome relief. Legs good, L knee niggle. argh.
Saturday May 19, 2012 #
7 AM
Note
Leg is swollen, cut a bit gammy, walking is painful.... no running today.
10 AM
mountain biking (road) 1:12:00 [3] 22.0 km (3:16 / km) +45m 3:14 / km
To Xiaguan. Feels like a nor-west föhn wind today. I can feel it in my head too -- either the brew wasn't strong enough this morning or I'm just a little edgy (I told a motorcyclist that was driving the wrong way down the highway and emphatically beeping at me to move out of his way and into traffic to "piss off"). Stopped in to see the tarpaulin people again -- funny.
swimming 21:28 [3] 1.0 km (21:28 / km)
aaaaahh.
pool running 13:00 [3]
and target practice for seven overweight, hyper-excitable teens. Good times.
mountain biking (road) 52:00 [3] 13.7 km (3:48 / km) +260m 3:28 / km
Xiaguan to Dali. Was only on my bike for 5 minutes before I felt cooked...ugh. Sloow.
Friday May 18, 2012 #
5 PM
running terrain 2:01:00 [3] 15.4 km (7:51 / km) +780m 6:16 / km
South a ways. Crossed over the weir, and across the southern spur. Mucked about in the overgrown mess in the next valley before getting onto a decent track which I followed south to a monestary -- I'm pretty sure I saw something about "dragon woman" over one of the temples, so I didn't stick around to find out what exactly that meant. Came back along through the mixed tea gardens and pine scrub. Some really nice rolly sections through here -- passing little mudbrick farm houses and tea pickers. I managed to smack my shin into one of the pokey tea bushes, which hurt something fierce and made a bit of a mess. Hobbled back feeling a bit sorry for myself, so I stopped to get an iced coffee.
A bit of a wind and the willows theme going on tonight -- mole, toad, rat, rabbit... also saw a pair of rusty-capped fulvettas doing the broken wing act for a treeshrew. They were pretty intense actors, to the extent of falling out of branches and hitting the ground face-first, and quivering while hanging upside down. pfft. Talking Heads groupies.
A bit of a wind and the willows theme going on tonight -- mole, toad, rat, rabbit... also saw a pair of rusty-capped fulvettas doing the broken wing act for a treeshrew. They were pretty intense actors, to the extent of falling out of branches and hitting the ground face-first, and quivering while hanging upside down. pfft. Talking Heads groupies.
Thursday May 17, 2012 #
7 PM
mountain biking 1:23:00 [3] 13.1 km (6:20 / km) +435m 5:26 / km
Tracks around movie town. Left it a bit late, so Its was a bit of an abridged version. Stopped in at Dali Bike for some oil. Balmy.
Wednesday May 16, 2012 #
6 PM
running terrain 1:39:00 [3] 15.0 km (6:36 / km) +645m 5:26 / km
Yudai lu. Down through the villages to the old market area. Followed a series of tracks through the terraces and forest to the Zhonghe temple on Yudai lu. Back along the track to the university spur.
Tuesday May 15, 2012 #
5 PM
running terrain 49:00 [3] 6.4 km (7:39 / km) +365m 5:57 / km
Forest loop with La.
Monday May 14, 2012 #
6 PM
running terrain 51:00 [3] 5.6 km (9:06 / km) +485m 6:21 / km
Forest behind uni. Bashed up the southern edge of hte spur to yudai lu. Pleasant climb in places, though ridiculously steep, and had to walk much of it. Slid back down the same way. Pang in the left knee on the climb.
Sunday May 13, 2012 #
9 AM
running 27:00 [3] 4.3 km (6:17 / km) +50m 5:56 / km
Shuanglang with La. Run around the little alleys of Shuanglang. Nice morning.
Saturday May 12, 2012 #
7 AM
running terrain 1:25:00 [3] 9.5 km (8:57 / km) +475m 7:09 / km
weight:68kg
Shuanlang with La. Around the first hill above town. A nice loop through the karst outcrops, grassy fields, pear trees and pines. Got out early enough to beat the heat. Stopped in a pharmacy in the village, where I weighed in while la was looking for antibiotics...surprisingly there's been no change since I was in hospital in October.
9 PM
Note
Lara just noted my height and weight matches Nick Willis' exactly; and so asks the question why I couldn't run a 5k 90s faster?
Thursday May 10, 2012 #
5 PM
mountain biking 1:22:00 [3] 13.4 km (6:07 / km) +590m 5:01 / km
South spur. Up the tuōlājī track through the tea garden, pine forest to the ugly gully. Clipped a pedal in a section of track thats really incised, and vaulted into a heap of head-high Polygonum. Sidled along the lovely rolling forest track and down the bashy track, across and back to the wardens. Back up the tuōlājī track to the top of the pipe track; down the pipe track.
I spotted another snare today, this time delivering it to the wardens. The conversation went vagely like this:
Me: I saw this just over there. it kills pheasants.
Warden 1: correct.
Warden 2: (something like) oh yeah, it works like this (gesturing with his hands), and they are good to eat.
awkward silence....
Me: its not good. That area is Cangshan nature reserve.
Warden1: ???? (probably saying something about how this is not their problem)
One thing I think I will never again take for granted is being able to construct an ever-so-slightly sophisticated arguement in English. I can't be too upset -- I like these guys (especially Warden 2, who is Rosco Coltrane reincarnate) and anyway it really isn't their problem. I'm quite certain that if they did have a contract (which they most definitely do not) it would read something like "1. sit at -insert location of hut- stopping each passerby and interogate them about whether or not they have a lighter; 2. cut a few bushes when you are bored to tears; 3. in case of forest fire, you may be required to pass a dinky red bucket. dinky red bucket provided. Note: smoking on the job is permitted, but we do not provide lighters or tobacco."
I spotted another snare today, this time delivering it to the wardens. The conversation went vagely like this:
Me: I saw this just over there. it kills pheasants.
Warden 1: correct.
Warden 2: (something like) oh yeah, it works like this (gesturing with his hands), and they are good to eat.
awkward silence....
Me: its not good. That area is Cangshan nature reserve.
Warden1: ???? (probably saying something about how this is not their problem)
One thing I think I will never again take for granted is being able to construct an ever-so-slightly sophisticated arguement in English. I can't be too upset -- I like these guys (especially Warden 2, who is Rosco Coltrane reincarnate) and anyway it really isn't their problem. I'm quite certain that if they did have a contract (which they most definitely do not) it would read something like "1. sit at -insert location of hut- stopping each passerby and interogate them about whether or not they have a lighter; 2. cut a few bushes when you are bored to tears; 3. in case of forest fire, you may be required to pass a dinky red bucket. dinky red bucket provided. Note: smoking on the job is permitted, but we do not provide lighters or tobacco."
Wednesday May 9, 2012 #
5 PM
Note
Our kitchen reached a sweltering 27C today, more than twice the mean annual Dunedin student flat bedroom temperature, and less than twice the WHO recommended minimum temperature for a living space.
6 PM
running 13:00 [3] 1.7 km (7:39 / km) +90m 6:03 / km
running terrain 16:06 [5] 2.5 km (6:26 / km) +150m 4:57 / km
Nursey terrain loop with 90s jogging rest.
2:02, 2:02, 2:01, 2:02, 1:59
A mean interval rate of 4:02/km (3:06/km with climb)
2:02, 2:02, 2:01, 2:02, 1:59
A mean interval rate of 4:02/km (3:06/km with climb)
running terrain 48:00 [3] 5.5 km (8:44 / km) +410m 6:21 / km
Bashed around the forest behind uni. Really slow going through the green bits. Summer is fast approaching and the forest is in places beginning to show the signs.
Tuesday May 8, 2012 #
7 PM
running terrain 1:59:00 [3] 18.9 km (6:18 / km) +680m 5:20 / km
Yùdài lù. Snaked up the north spur through the lovely pine forest to the track, south along Yùdài lù to the gondola terminus. Dropped down the valley to the tea gardens. Crichy, a bit of Wild China going on tonight in the forest -- one of the bonuses of getting out the door so late, I guess. Felt super light on the climbs (though maybe not 'Tane light'). A little tired and hungry near the end...
Sunday May 6, 2012 #
9 AM
running terrain 44:00 [2] 5.2 km (8:28 / km) +50m 8:04 / km
Slow jog home. Found another linking track just off campus -- don't know how we missed that.
Saturday May 5, 2012 #
9 AM
tramping 1:10:00 [1] 5.1 km (13:44 / km) +600m 8:39 / km
To Higherland Inn
12 PM
running terrain 3:15:00 [3] 14.6 km (13:21 / km) +1450m 8:55 / km
Cangshan loop with La. A bit of looping back to get La, but mostly a slow steady climb to about 3900m. Was a bit hot in the sunny bamboo sections, but otherwise feeling good. Really enjoyed the rolly sections just under the ridge through the fir-rhododendron forest -- started to get a little sloppy with the feet here on some of the sharp ups. Down through the bamboo thickets back to Yùdài lù and cruised around to the Higherland. Paused a bit to see a pair of peregrines that are nesting in the first gorge. I marvel at these birds -- 800g of feather and raw nerve. I was hoping to spot the nest, but their repeated attacks worked well to keep us focused on not falling off the cliff. I did take a moment to climb out onto an exposed rock that hangs out over the gorge like a pulpit with one of those views that kind of makes you go, "oh wow, it'd really suck to fall now." Anyway, I thought it might be interesting get into an open position that would really allow them to have a go to see if peregrines work together as I've seen NZ falcon do. What happens is that one of the birds (in this case, the male) does a wide sweep constantly 'kekking', which has the effect of drawing the attention of the 'predator' (here me, the gumby on the rock), before lining up and coming pretty well straight at you, still kekking. When he's some distance off (50m or so in this case), the other bird blindsides you at some astronomical speed. Since I've now had this happen a few times I was at least ready to offer my hand instead of my scalp, but wow, what impressive teamwork, speed and timing. And I got to keep my hand.
Kind of also makes you think, "gosh, glad I'm not a shrew."
Kind of also makes you think, "gosh, glad I'm not a shrew."
Thursday May 3, 2012 #
6 PM
running terrain 1:16:00 [3] 8.7 km (8:44 / km) +625m 6:26 / km
Creek bash. Climbed up through the forest to the gondola cut. Followed the first small track heading towards the gorge I came to which dumped me into a steep nasty little side gully full of nettles. Bashed, more slid down and eventually hit the stream, just above the waterfall I visited last week from below, which at first seemed to be a success, but after a few minutes in the creek I realised I was now below another 6m waterfall. Hmm. I'm not convinced it can't be done, but there was no indication anyone does, so I scratched around for a better route, but came up with nothing obvious. Backtracked back up through the nettles to the gondola cut, and up and into the next wee track -- this one climbed up to the bottom of a mossy cliff where locals apparantly gather rhododendrons on the shallow bedrock to sell in the local market. The vestige of a track ended in a pile of rhododendron roots at the foot of the cliff. I reckoned I was now only 50-100m below the Yùdài lù, so I decided to abandon the creek for tonight and just bash up. Perhaps there was a better idea. It was actually really difficult to move at all, but once I got my feet up into the lower canopy I could monkey-climb or crawl up through the near-horizontal pines. At least the view was good. Eventually, crawled out onto the path. Looped around and down the north spur and home because I felt like I still hadn't been for a run.
8 PM
Note
So tonight I was asked to attend a performace & awards ceremony at the university. These things vary wildly in entertainment value, but not always in ways intended. Tonight's value came from the chosen song for the awards presentation being the closing song to Blazing Saddles...I just kept imagining the university Dean saying,"it is my privilege to extend to you a laurel…and a hardy handshake..."
Wednesday May 2, 2012 #
6 PM
running terrain 27:00 [3] 4.6 km (5:52 / km) +225m 4:43 / km
Uni forest loop.
Tuesday May 1, 2012 #
8 AM
running 1:25:00 [3] 10.2 km (8:20 / km) +610m 6:25 / km
Elephant Hill, Lijiang with La. A fun little run up the hill behind Lijiang. A little slow to start. The tracks are all benched pavers and stairs -- ideal for Lara's Great Wall mission. Got us wondering how to tackle going down stairs. I think I tend to by default aim for the middle to avoid going over, but it seems to me that over-shooting slightly and rolling over might be better, though more risky. May depend on the steepness or material of the stairs? Fantastic views of Jade Dragon -- pow, what a mountain! A great lenticular hung over it today -- a bit silly for not bringing the camera. Warm and windy.
4 PM
mountain biking (road) 30:00 [3] +150m
Home from the bus. Hot.