Training Log Archive: Bruce

Vic State Series #4
Kooyoora
Long Distance
3rd place on Course 1
Leon 1:48
Brodie 1:52
Bruce 2:01
Patrick 2:02



I really enjoyed the first 80 minutes of the course, but the last third felt more like a rogaine, with big hills, controls on mountain sides and mostly medium green forest. It was more walking than running, and when I had the opportunity to run on bare rock slopes, I was in self preservation mode to make sure that I didn't slip down the wet rock. This was a course where metal spikes would have been the best footwear.

In the beginning I navigated cleanly, but was a little slow through the forest at times. I got into a good rhythm with the technical legs 4, 5 and 6, but no sooner had we entered the Bermuda Triangle area, we were already climbing back up the mountain and heading back to Crystal Mine. This was a little disappointing, as we then spent most of the rest of the course in the thicker areas.
On the climb to 7 Leon caught me, but I was able to keep with him for the next 45 minutes. He got away at Crystal Mine, but some good routes and cleaner navigation got me back ahead of him a couple of times at 10, 11, 12 and 13.

After 80 minutes I was only 6 mins down on Leon and 2 down on Brodie.

I took a conservative route to 14, as I didn't want to have to climb 5 contours through green at the end of the leg. I had a nice approach down the bare rock, but it was too slippery, and I had to scramble down a steep rocky slope and jump down a few cliffs.

My legs started to feel my physical limit with lots more bush bashing and climbing from 14 to 18. I lost another 6 minutes to the leaders in this section and was 12 mins down on Leon and 8 down on Brodie by the end.

However I was proud of my navigation and got through the very technical course with no red squares in WinSplits. Over the 2 races, I only had a couple of 30 second mistakes.

C • Looks epic 5

Vic State Series #3
Melville Caves



3rd in M21 behind Patrick and Leon.

I started well, but got stuck in some thick vegetation at 3. I was moving well and navigating cleanly all the way to 20. I then tried to use the Melville Caves track, but didn't read the map closely enough and lost 30 seconds on each of 21, 22 and 23. I recovered well and won 3 of the last 4 splits in the big rocks at the top of the mountain towards the finish.

This was a very enjoyable course in magnificent terrain.

I then spent some time with the kids in Melville Caves now that they are big enough to explore and climb big rocks.