Training Log Archive: Mounty

Pre-fireworks run around the Bantry Bay loop.

An exciting end to the trail running year, when I jumped over a rock and found my right foot descending right on top of a bloody big snake. Did a big triple-jumper/road-runner air step, while snaky took similar evasive manoevres and just missed each other by centimetres. There must have been a Cockatoo in the tree next to us, as Im sure I head a big girly squeal that couldn't have been me.

C • Nice! 7

Back to back kiddie races. Paddled quite hard today, doing circumnavigations of the course triangle. Would be a few k to get around.

Munchkins finished their weekend strongly. Such a luxury to have someone of Hugh's calibre teaching Tom to sail. I understand now how top level sailing tends to run in families. It is such a complex activity, you'd never be able to get really good at it without a lot of close up coaching.

Quite funny after the first race of the day. Hugh paddled over and said (Im paraphrasing) - "Well done on winning. Now, here's 12 things you did wrong".

Great weekend.

C • With attention to detail an... 1

Stonking southerly came thru' at 4am (40kts) which wreaked some havoc on the campground. Pleased that my Geoquest prize tent was rock solid and quiet.

Headed up to the Illawarra Sky walk in the morning - which is actually pretty cool. Feels very similar to the one in Victoria that we climbed around on in the Keen race a few years ago.

Another afternoon paddle chasing runs and watching the kids. Lake Illawarra is very shallow. When the kids capsize they come up with a muddy sail top - referred to as the Choc Top of shame.

Only one race today for the munchkins as the Nor' Easter came up big time. Good news for me on the ski with some little runs to play on.

Tom & Jamie's effort today was quite the testimonial for Hugh's teaching abilities. In the 2 races yesterday they were 9min and 5 min behind the leader respectively. Today's race they finished first 8min ahead of 2nd (in the junior fleet).

Afternoon run with a defeated attempt to reach the beach on the coast. Defeated by thick coastal scrub with no little trails. Very surprised to find not even one little track to sneak thru'. Fail.

Port Kembla for the MJ Nationals. Tom was steering his little boat with Hugh Stod's Jamie as crew. Tent on the waterfront, big grassy area for kiddie cricket & a stocked esky. Luxury.

Paddled thru' the day's 2 races. The water was full of giant jelly fish which donked on the ski like speed humps.

Tom didn't sail very well, so after the 2nd we followed 'em around for a 20min coaching session. (when I say we, I mean Hugh 'cause he knows what he's talking about).

Sand surfing session #2. This time with dog. Hard work running up the hills. Dog had a ball, and must have done a good 20 reps. He was smashed and pretty much slept for 24 hours after.

The annual sandhill surfing session with the rellies, followed by a run down the coast from Soldiers Beach. Freezing. I ran in a rashie as it was too cold for a t-shirt.

Training day for the MJs pre nationals. For me, this meant paddling with Hugh behind little sailing boats giving tips, with the occassional sneak off to grab some runs. Fun to see the big hobart maxis doing their warmups.

A big nor easter meant that the little boats went quite fast and i had to work hard to keep up. On top of yesterdays run, pretty shagged when i got home. Fell asleep for an hour at 6pm.

Silly run with Andy, Steve and Brooner from Woy Woy to Manly. A hugely entertaining effort, and one that becomes more entertaining as the memories of working hard fade but the icy poles, chicken skewers,coffee, racing for the ferry, angry tip man, burnt out cars, goofing around in the cliffs at burnt out barrenjoey, beer, brooner doing and extra loop to crack the 50 remain.

Took Tom to the Twenty twenty in the evening. Ripper day all round.

I left a meeting early and was late for another, but most pleased to get in a hippie stretching session.

Graduated to the tougher home loop, going around the bottom track at bantry bay and up timbergetters hill. First run in a while that i havent felt competely flat.

Deliberately leaving limited time for the run before driving annika to training was an effective motivator to keep moving.

Annikas training was amusing. She had a catching session with a chick from the aussie squad. To work on not flinching, she made annika put her hands behind her back and threw balls in to her face/helemt grill.

Easy lunch plod thru the Gardens to check on the calf. The muscle is indeed bruised from the dog collision. Ran in to Jeremy and chatted for a bit. He pointed out that by Formula 1 rules if I was hit by the dog's rear 'wheel' coming out of the corner, then I was in the wrong. Doh.

Back to back dogajogs. Had to drop Tom at gym in Cromer at 7am, so I hit Red HIll from the other side with the hound.

More single track, but this time had a dog collision that's left me with a bruised calf. We were racing around some XC track, when the dog went high on a berm as an overtaking manouvre. I accelerated to close the door, and we somehow came together with his rear "knee" smashing in to my calf.

Not winning at the moment. Strained lat, bruised calf and poor energy levels the past week or so. Flat.

Evening dogajog up at Red Hill. Have been getting more adventurous exploring the tracks up there, and hit the jackpot this evening. Stumbled across a big loop, designed for MTB downhillers that was a hoot to run.

Very unexepected call from Steve Craig who has arrived in town for the month. Turns out he was at his Dad's house in Balgowlah and I was at Manly, so we hooked up to run from the skiff club to Tania Park and back for a great big talking sh*t session. Good to catch up.

Strained my lat putting Katrin's ski on the car (she was off to do the 20 beaches).

C • How'd she go? 2

Jog with Jono over to Double Bay. Quick stop at a mate of his' office, then back thru the back streets. A bit weird to be running thru the Cross in the middle of the day.

Urgh. Lunch run around the Wharves that began as a 10k tempo loop, was downgraded to 10k cruise after 10minutes and then 'make it back to the office' after a few k. Just shagged. Noted that I felt just as tired walking to the station afterwards.

Went to Gav the physio for the first time in ages after. Yoga has indeed loosened things up. but as suspected it doesnt hit the quads and superficial hip flexors as hard as other areas. Thomas test on the right was horrendous (+30 degrees), mainly due to tight TFL. 90kg of physio driving thru' their elbow in to it was impressively painful but equally helpful.

Beautiful evening run with the beast thru Red Hill out to my sneaky view spot. Sat for 10mins soaking up the serenity on dusk (and having a sniff) before cruising back on a new (for me) track.

A bit optimistic so late in the day taking an unknown path up there given all the loops, but figured sniffer boy could at least tell me where we'd come from if disoriented.

Fortunately the tracks joined up nicely to finish a nice big loop. Luverly.

Paddles while the kids sailed morning and afternoon on a classic Sydney summer day with a big nor' easter. Downside is that I was shagged from yesterday's run and grinding for the most part.

Good fun off the bombie at Dobroyd in the afternoon, and entertaining to watch the kids on the 11's. Gee the kids at the front can handle a boat. Tom's crewing for an older chick who know's what she's doing this year. They came past on the broad reach out towards the heads with kite up and boat largely out of the water, at a speed that made me feel like I wasn't moving.

Ran from home out to North head and back clockwise in the late afternoon. Thru Manly Dam and out to Freshie, down the beaches and out to North Head then back around Fairlight waterfront and cut back up thru Seaforth.

The objective was to bump up the cruising pace, which went well for the first 2 hours before popping in Seaforth. Had covered 26k when the 2 hours ticked over, and was just starting to get cocky when the climb up from the water at Manly to Seaforth slowed things down, and I never really recovered. Good "Im knackered and want to lie on the couch but am 45min from home" training. Weight was down 2-3kg at the end, suggesting dehydration after a morning outside on top of the run.

These yoga types certainly know how to stretch. Learned a cracker of a glute stretch, that involves going thru about 3 other positions first to get there.

Only downside is not enough focus on hip flexors, at least in the classes I go to. That's the bit that I'd benefit most from.

5 * 1km reps on 5min, the first 4 on the old primary school cross country course (has 2 pinches) and the last on the road home.
3:30, 3:26, 3:23, 3:23, 3:33 (undulating).

Bad ass wind blowing.

10 * Killarney hill reps (the fire traily one) at lunchtime on a surprisingly warm day.

Objective today was to complete the set quickly at the expense of individual splits - ie slightly slower up, but quicker down. Interesting lesson in pacing - last time I was doing high 70's for the hill and popped after 5 trying to keep under 3min for the round trip. This time I backed off just a tad (low 80's) and got thru 10 in 27 min. The last 3 stung though and were in the 85-88 range.

Good time-efficient session.

Banging around on the ski while the kids sailed. They were out on the main harbour, so I got to enjoy paddling along the wall of Middle Head and Grotto.

Tired from yesterday.