Sunday Oct 7 |
 | Run race ((orienteering)) 49:15 [4]*** 7.8 km (6:19 / km) +280m 5:21 / km | |
| spiked:12/15c |
| Oceania Relays. Ran first leg for a Victorian team with Evan Barr and Chris Naunton. First leg in open gully-spur is not exactly my usual operating environment, but started out reasonably. Drifted a little wide on 3 and was then 50-100 metres behind Andy Hogg (on the same split) for a while - none of the internal problems of yesterday but still lacking zip. Came badly unstuck on the long 8th leg, making a parallel error at the end of the leg, going through one saddle too far north and thus the gully system 300 metres to the north (same mistake as Reuben). I was lucky to get out of it as lightly as I did - the lead pack came across the gully on their way to 9 just as I was starting to try to work out what was going on, alerting me to the fact there was a problem and therefore saving several potential minutes trying to convince myself I was in the right place - but still dropped 2-3 minutes. Faded badly after that but I suspect some of that may have been above the shoulders. Evan and Toph also struggled and we were way off the pace.
In terms of performances relative to what I think I should be capable of, I think this is probably the worst race week I've put together for a long time, well below par physically and significant errors in two of the major races. The Victorian Championships will be a chance for some redemption but this week was definitely an opportunity missed.
Not being first into the forest, I didn't see any wildlife this time, and certainly none of the wild pigs which are not unknown in this part of the world. They are a potential hazard but the people who go to shoot them are probably a bigger hazard. Clueless journalists may be an even bigger hazard; in possibly the biggest national-security beat-up seen in recent years (and the competition is tough), a bush block out this way used by someone of Lebanese origin from Sydney for pig-shooting, in the hands of the Daily Telegraph, became a 'Terrorist Training Camp'.
Queanbeyan's bogan population was very thin on the ground when we stopped there on the way back, probably because they were inside watching Bathurst on TV (or possibly at Bathurst angrily denouncing the new limits on BYO alcohol - one slab per day per person). |
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| C • One slab! 3 |
Saturday Oct 6 |
| Run race ((orienteering)) 1:38:13 [4]*** 12.8 km (7:40 / km) +550m 6:19 / km | |
| spiked:26/31c |
| Oceania Long Champs, 11th. A disappointing race made more disappointing by the fact that a good place was there for the taking with a good run, with several of the big guns having bad days. Felt suspect in the stomach before and during the run, and was weak from first control to last. Not sure if it was something specific I ate last night, general conference overeating syndrome, or something else. Didn't help the cause of reducing Australia's greenhouse gas emissions either. Strangely I felt fine shortly after the finish and still do.
Technically it was a reasonable race, although started to lose it a bit towards the end. Most significant error was at 16 where I took a route choice around a hill, not a good move in itself, and then came in under the control - probably lost 30 seconds on the route choice and another 30 on the error.
Had Andy (who started 2 minutes ahead) in sight at 10 and we were together by 13; he broke away on 16 but we were together again by 23. Rob caught me at 22, sort of - he didn't realise I'd got the control and ran with me for 100 metres out of it, then got me again at 26. Reuben had also caught us by then. The four of us were together briefly but I couldn't hold on to Reuben and Rob and Andy couldn't hold on to me, although he almost got me back after small errors at 29 and 30. Very disappointed to lose 3 minutes to Reuben and Rob in the last 3k - normally that's where I'm gaining ground.
Saw a snake on the way into 17, only the second I've seen in competition in 29 years. |
Friday Oct 5 |
| Run race ((orienteering)) 14:20 [5]**** 2.6 km (5:31 / km) vdot: 32.7 | |
| spiked:29/30c |
| Oceania Sprint Champs at Radford College. A reasonably standard midfield result for me in a sprint race. Intense at times in the middle of the buildings, but didn't really lose any time, just one slightly suspect route choice. Just over 2 minutes down on the lead which is reasonable. Perhaps biggest negative was not being aggressive enough on the (numerous) stairs. Picked up pace a bit towards the end, prompted in part by the prospect of being overtaken by Lizzie Ingham on the spactator leg across the oval.
You know you're on someone else's home ground when there's a picture of them on the wall in the sports centre. I suspect it may not be too many years before I have similar home-ground advantage in an ACT sprint race. It was certainly one of the shorter trips I've had to a World Ranking race, although not as short as Eric's - he works about 1km away and ran the race during his lunch break. |
Thursday Oct 4 |
| Run 50:00 [3] 11 km (4:33 / km) | |
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| The classic Sydney tourist run - down from Hyde Park to the Domain, around the shoreline, past the Opera House and up onto the Harbour Bridge (didn't see anyone from the Chaser). Took a short-cut back through the Botanic Gardens. A scenically interesting run but felt pretty ordinary, particularly up hills - possibly suffering from conference overeating syndrome. |
Wednesday Oct 3 |
| Run 1:13:00 [3] 15 km (4:52 / km) | |
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| Went east from where I'm staying near Hyde Park, with the first half being close to the south side of Sydney Harbour and the second half in the hills to the south. Quite steep in places with several sections of stair running, which made it fairly hard work; also a bit longer than I'd planned on. The forecast is for a hot day but it was still quite cool when I headed out.
Got to see some extravagant real estate, especially at the far end of the run in Point Piper and Bellevue Hill (also passed the Double Bay Public School, which I suspect struggles for customers). Expensive real estate may not make for good swimming conditions but usually makes for nice places to run, and this was probably about as good (and as traffic-free) as it gets in the inner suburbs of Sydney.
So far so good with the conference. It's in a more upmarket conference venue than I'm used to, the Hilton, and we're certainly not goingt to go hungry this week, although there seems to be a shortage of places to put your apple cores and mint wrappers. I know the Sydney Hilton has a somewhat unfortunate history with rubbish bins but that was a long time ago. |
Tuesday Oct 2 |
| Swimming 29:00 [2] 1 km (29:00 / km) | |
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| A slightly oddball session in the hotel pool (I'm in Sydney for a conference until Thursday). Not used to doing laps in a 10-metre pool. Emerged quite dizzy because of all the splashback from the sides of the pool, and a bit cooler than I'm used to (but good views from the rooftop).
Knee still a bit sore under pressure - it's quite heavily bruised from one of Sunday's numerous falls, but doesn't seem to be swollen at all. |
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| C • tumble turns 1 |
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| C • swimming pool 4 |
Monday Oct 1 |
| Run race ((orienteering)) 38:59 [4]**** 4.7 km (8:18 / km) +215m 6:45 / km | |
| spiked:17/22c |
| Not one of my better days. A significant error on 7 - went down the wrong gully, convinced myself that a flat spur was the saddle I was looking for, and dropped 2.5 minutes. A bit scrappy for the rest of it too. Not running particularly strongly in the first half but better in the second half, although Andy caught me at the end. 16th in Oceania Middle Distance, at least 8 places lower than I would have been happy with. |