Training Log Archive: Vaala

We started off towards the Kowhai Saddle but thankfully Michael talked sense into me and we left Tim and Stephanie to tackle that and instead went and climbed a nice big hill (Spaniard Spur) to Mt Fyffe Hut and then down the gravel road to the car. It was cool (although sometimes it paid not to look down) So I suck at rivers but I am damn good at climbing hills. We got up the 800 or so metres of climb in awesome time :)

Event: South Island Champs- POSTPONED!
 

With Michael, Stephanie and Tim, we started pretty late at the Mt Fyffe carpark and walked up the river to Kowhai Hut. Needed the headlamps for the last hour or so. The river was freezing and just all round sucked especially once I got cold. But the nice little track through the bush near the end was cool. Hut was packed so we all slept on the floor.

To and from the gym. It was drizzling on the way there so I was quite wet (although not where I covered by my awesome jacket) but that was okay. Then I thought I'd race home afterwards so that was quite fun. Since I don't time these rides I have no idea how much quicker than normal it was but it felt fast!

C • flash raincoat 2

Sitting next to Rob again so was going hard out for pretty much the whole class and felt like I was going to keel over at one point. Good fun...if you call listening to super loud dance music and having someone yell at you at 6 in the morning good fun :P

Down through Pt Chev and round some random streets then cut through to the zoo. Round the lake in the dark which was a little creepy since there are no lights...to the lower Arch Hill track which was also super dark (wish it had been light enough to run the higher track 'cause that one is my favourite). Up and over through Grey Lynn Park to Coxs Bay then up and home via the top link tracks in Jaggers Bush. Had to run round the block and then a little up the street to make it to 15km (because 14.6 wasn't quite as cool a number!). Feeling okay...definitely felt better in the second half than the first but the second half was steeper so I guess that was good I felt better!

C • Hmmm... 13

SO tired. Some idiot texted me at 4am (my phone is my alarm clock hence why it was still on) and it woke me up and upset me and then I couldn't get back to sleep properly and my car was doing weird things so I was stressed. Sigh. But I did have to do lots of walking around doing errands for work and picking up my car.

C • Airplane mode? 6

To and from the gym. Need to start wearing gloves again.

Jog to the fields in the Domain (10:33) and then a slightly longer warmdown afterwards back to the gym via the lower road (13:56). Feeling pretty good really. I like mornings.

Trying something different...did the Moneghetti intervals and tried to do most of them up and over the hill in the middle of the fields. It was super dark though so I sucked when it came to running downhill because I felt like I was falling over. But it was quite cool and because they were short I wasn't so afraid of pushing hard.

At Extreme Edge with Chris. We did a few top rope climbs to start and one to finish off (and I could hardly make my fingers work by then) but the rest was lead climbing which was so awesome. After a couple of climbs Craig encouraged us to try out a climb on one of the crazy lead walls I had only dreamed of ever climbing. It was pretty scary because you have to climb up quite far and start out over a very steep overhang before you even get to the first quick draw. But I made it all the way to the top (okay, I had to have a couple of breaks which was scary in itself)!!! Got to remember to breathe and relax though because Craig had to keep yelling up to remind me and I got my foot twisted on my rope at one point. Clipping in got pretty hard as I went up though because my fingers stopped functioning properly. It does make the other wall which is basically horizontal and uber ridiculous seem actually achievable.