Training Log Archive: T - runner

Johnson's Hill loop.

In Ellerslie in Auckland after our meeting. With Helen so a bit of a chat the whole way. For some reason my watch has a map of my usual loop in Karori for this day so I'm not quite sure whats going on there. I was definitely in Auckland!

Orienteering training out at Bearing head - three different exercises. Control picking on the flat, then on a rocky hillside, then a contouring exercise. Didn't find the last control as the rocks it was on were much high up the hill than mapped - could tell I was in the right place by all the other features and didn't have time to search around as we had a deadline to leave by. Good to get out and actually do some training, but felt really slow. Maybe that was just all the kids running around...

With Lisa, at Makara - did the longer loop up Missing Link without the bridge, raining a little bit but Lisa had escaped the kids for a few hours so we had to make the most of it! Really nice ride.

From Magnus and Lisa's in the dark.

I think this was at home - need to update more regularly...

From the Bengtsson's with Magnus, reverse of the horse paddock/Otari bush loop.Pretty cold out there today.

Loop with Magnus from their place.

Yoga and glute + VMO strengthening exercises

From home, up Burrows, down Deliverance, up Salvation, back down Burrows by the alt route. Not ideal shoes as I melted my trail running shoes in from of the fire the other day... Great track though.

C • melted shoes. 3

From home, up Johnson's Hill and down past the tank.

Mt Kaukau - same route, in the light this time, and added a bit at the end to make it over 45mins.

Surf at Lyall Bay with Joe. Utterly freezing, couldn't move my hands when I got out. Nice waves though.

With Magnus in the dark - from their place over to the horse paddock, then up and into the Otari loop. First proper night run this year.

On nights Friday-Tuesday so hard to fit runs in between work, sleep, and the darkness.

From home across and up Burrows and Salvation, then down Wright Hill Rd to the bank (had to sort out some money after the ATM swallowed my card) and then home. Raining.

Johnson's hill loop in the rain.

Indoor football - abysmal loss, but at least we looked cool in our new shirts.

O-gang run from the Bengtsson's up to the top, then along and into Otari from the back of Johnson's hill. Had that moment 45 mins in when I realised we were still heading away from home. Great entertainment from Casper along the way.

After work, from the Khandallah Pool straight up the right hand track to the top of Mt Kaukau, then down the most direct way. Probably would have rivalled Sarah's downhill Strava segment if I hadn't a) not taken my watch and b) bailed to the shorter track in an effort to try and get out before it was completely pitch black. I learnt several things: 5pm is too late to start this run without a head torch; my memory is not as good as I thought (hadn't done this run in about 6 years, and my mind had blanked out the four wheel drive track on the way up, hence why I had so much trouble explaining this route to Sarah the other day); running in the dark with no light is good for proprioception but not good for the people you come across who were also caught out by the darkness (mother and daughter huddling together trying to make it out using a small cellphone light)!

C • sarah's record 2

Short yoga session.

Orienteering at Queen Elizabeth Park. Not particularly navigationally challenging, with lots of the controls visible from several hundred metres away. On the way back to the finish had a few track vs beach route choices, but that was about it. Nice to run there again though - I think its the first time I'd been there when it wasn't either too hot and everything was prickly, or freezing cold and windy.

Long run with Sarah and Magnus - started from Magnus and Lisa's, up past the pylon, down to the horse paddock, up to the tops and over Kilmister tops to Johnson's Hill, where we met a very friendly dog, then down into Karori Cemetery, across Ian Galloway Park and up Tinakori Hill, then down into Trelissick Park and back up to Crofton Downs and the Silversky track back to Magnus and Lisa's. Tinakori was the bonus hill - wasn't expecting that when we started but the others had it all planned! Good to get out for a properly long run, although probably not so good for orienteering tomorrow! Bit tight around my knees towards the end but otherwise good.

Makara/Ohariu Valley/Johnsonville loop in the crisp late afternoon air. So nice to get out and "recover" from nights.