Training Log Archive: Yak

After helping organise cyclocrosse event in North Adelaide I decided it was too nice a day not to ride.
Took pinky out along the Torrens to SASI and return. Did a few single tracks on western side of town, as they have heaps there, until pain in my shoulder reminded me to return to the bitumen. Had to dodge crows fans leaving the AFL game early.

Feel much happier after exercise ..... not looking forward to long rehab ahead. Needing to prepare messy house for visitors and then injured bod.
TV is now defunct too.

Decided to do a careful ride, so went to Vic Park.
Figured that I had ridden since the gate accident, so long as I don't crash and do further damage, should be ok, but no big hills where I have to pull up. Doc had said to not carry anything more than a coffee cup or scratch my nose!

Joined in with other cyclists, pembroke et other school pedal priz cars and then sailboard yachts on the crit track.
Add in random joggers, walkers, pram pushers and dogs ....mmmh

Quite windy but I did a heap of laps and some with a reasonable degree of effort. Shoulder was fine on bike.
Just getting bike in and out of car, changing gears driving there and putting shoes on a problem.
Putting bra on is a daily pain, as is trying to hang up washing single handedly.

just a easy walk along Torrens to test out my knee.
Up river to 2nd bridge and then back to LNE rd and return.
Knee twinged a bit but was ok - shoulder hurt - need put it in a sling for walks!

My L shoulder injury (long story but got hit by a gate) is severely damaged and literally the tendons are hanging by a thread. Will require 3 weeks in hospital and months off bike. Just when I got super fit too!

Radiographer was surprised that my R knee had no medial or AC ligaments (not news to me) and there are bits and pieces floating around.

Dad died today - not unexpected but sooner than everyone thought but what he wanted.
He was just a week short of his 91st b'day.

Out with Bal group again. Time a guess.
took short route out and longer route back, as shoulder pretty sore.
Bike path to Mt Torrens, back roads to Birdwood - Gumeracha - Lobethal - Charlston - Bal
Did a few efforts up the minor hills on way out chasing and beating a tandem each time. Rode hard with a gp to Gumeracha and then gave Phil D a start and chased him all the way, catching at Charlston.
Much better speed wise than if I had got isolated on the long ride on way out.
MRI screens of L shoulder & R knee - radiographer wondered what i had been doing

Stayed at Kate Logan's million dollar+ home at Middleton last night.
Went for a roadie ride with Kate - along bikepath to Victor, out 20km or so on Inman Valley Rd, R onto BaldHills rd - James - Strangeways - Greenhill - Ring Rd - waterport - Middleton. Lots of quiet roads but Ring rd, with no shoulder, was downright scary.
I started well but died a little towards the end.

Back to see Dad again - not good.
5pm doc appoint re knee and shoulder in Adelaide - MRI scans coming up.

Sort of bushwacked the first loop of a BikeSA challenge.
Rode with Stu from Aldgate, after doing a few hill climbs waiting for him.
Bridgewater - Forest Range - Lenswood - Woodside - Nairne - Mt Barker - Flaxley - Echunga - Mylor - Aldgate.
Stu was running late so we started almost at the tail end, so no riding in a peleton, but at least a lot of people to catch and pass. I felt great, riding hills really well, especially as there hadn't been many big ones up north.

R knee still unstable - took me 5 mins to hobble across the road to toilet at one stage. Not hurting as I ride, as I don't straighten the leg.

Can't believe how busy the roads are here, after being in the outback for so long. Not fun.

Off to Goolwa to see Dad afterwards - he has deteriorated heaps.
Stayed for tea - my first (and hopefully last) meal at an old folks home, though I was impressed with the all fresh ingredients.

C • Old folks' home catering 1

Got up from breakfast seat and my R knee completely buckled under me with much pain. Can stand on it as long as it is slightly bent - once I attempt to straighten it the knee gives way.
So no exercise today. Fell down several times when I forgot about it.

Perhaps Ive been sitting down too much, driving and computer work, over the last few weeks... the use it or lose it theory!

hopefully last slack day exercise wise for awhile.
- Haircut, blood test, doc, physio,
- flat wheel to car mechanic, bike to bike mechanic;
- follow up Optus and get compensation for them giving my ph no to all; - -- ring I/net company to restart home connection, go thru 3 months of mail

Now TV doesn't work.

Shoulder has been incredibly painful today
- physio and doc both reckon its bad ... more xrays and scans next week

Ride in Pt Augusta mostly on dirt tracks - coastal one out to arid garden and minor tracks above the mangroves.
Along waterside on bike path.
Found out later they have 3 bike routes.
By water tower found an inscription on rock of the Rotatarian 4 way test - first writen in 1932 and still relevant today.

- Is it the truth?
- Is it fair to all concerned?
- Will it build goodwill and better friendship?
- Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Got swooped by maggie.
Had meant to ride in Melrose but spent too much time in arid garden to deviate there.
Straight home via highway.
Then found i had a flat tyre on yellow car on arrival home - had to get RAA to change it because of very sore shoulder
Drove to supermarket and found that manual gears and sore L shoulder in not a match made in heaven.

Various walks in Pt Augusta arid botantic garden.
Very impressive.

Stayed last night north of Coober Pedy in bush. Read a book.
Diverted into 'the Breakaways' which were sensational colourful rocks and hills - spent a long time there walking and taking photographs.
Sign said "stay on the marked tracks'" except there were no marked trails.
Decided to be adventurous and do a long dirt road loop to coober pedy. Very remote and no other car sighted.
Went alongside the dog fence and emerged onto Oonadatta track 15km from CP.
This had destroyed my plan for the day, so no ride.
Camped 50km out of Port Augusta

Travelled from Alice to near Coober pedy after a late start sorting 5 lots of O controls, and delivering 2 sets to various locations.
Car also packed with other people,s gear - a printer, 3 backpacks, 2 sleeping bags, a tent and about 60 O controls.
My gear included 2 bikes and bob trailer.

Quickish morning ride to Telegraph station and out east and back around Sadadeen.

Just after the morning's ride Rodney (50 yr old mtber) rang me to say he had borrowed a bike (after his wheel died yesterday) and could show me the route out along the famous Finke motorbike course.
As he is training for the Simpson Desert race why was I nor surprised when it was largely sand, as we trotted alongside the Old Ghan railway line. We went out over a red sandhill with good views and finished at some famous rock carving site, all of which is a sacred site. Saw camels.
Av 17kph on way out.

Returned via the old Ghan /South rd, which was moderately sandy in places. Faster, and this showed up my lack of speed training over last 3 months.

With MC out to Wallaby Gap ( just off Simpsons Gap cycleway)
Only a couple of kms in.
Checked out area for possible O map, as St P has camps there.
Ran into Jane Gordon & Adam Connor (Sarah Campbell's husband) who were on the last 10kms of the 260km Larapinta track.
They then did the AS marathon the next day!!

Walk up a narrow "razorback" ridge (Echo point) leaving bikes at Wallaby Point. 30 mins both ways.

St Philips winter sports day and I had 36 kids for O all day.
Picked up 3 hardest controls, teachers got other 23 controls, and enjoyed it.

20 mins of this was riding around the foot o courses and helping kids where needed.
rest was picking up mtbo controls and riding quickly as I knew where I was going.
MTBO went amazingly well - 36 kids, varied type bikes, only 1 puncture, most finished in last 10 mins of 2 hour time slot, only 1 team slightly overtime.
I'm off to Henley on Todd regatta tomorrow.

Putting out controls for schools mtbo tomorrow. Got a control on a dunny on "shitter" track! Think I may have made it too hard, but its a score event.

Putting out controls on Telegraph station for St Philips College tomorrow.
Short 3 person relay of 1km legs and then normal individual courses.
I have an extension with 3 hard legs for those who finish too quickly!! Followed by mtbo in afternoon.

Printed maps in morning, then meeting with OLSH teacher (and xc organiser) Penny Reid at a coffee shop - very civilized.
Had tea with Jane Hutchinson at Epilogue - trendy and nice.

Rode out towards airport and Pine gap to try to meet MC who was riding home from work. Missed her, when I was offroad on dirt. Visited National Transport Museum and Solar display place.

Had another great day teaching O in Alice.
Had 2 schools going at same time - Acacia Hill special school and Sadadeen PS - which is adjacent. Most kids at Acacia were pretty disabled but they liked the punching, whilst the teachers liked the exercise and the fact the kids were occupied.

Sadadeen PS - I had been trying to get into for a long time. I fronted the Principal last week and they have a new PE person, so all was good.
The school backs onto the CDU + OLSH bush area, so heaps of scope.
First lesson was delayed by a lock-down, as one girl had gone violent and was hurting other kids and then climbed onto the roof. Gave me time for a longer briefing anyway and the other class who had been closseted with us was allowed to do O too.

These were 95% aboriginal kids and they ran for each session the whole time, even doing courses a 2nd time. One girl even pointed out a mapping mistake to me! The teachers had never seen them so focused and the Principal sought me out whilst I was collecting controls to thank me and ask how they could do it again! (They can with controls left in Alice and digital copies of maps left with teachers.0

Additionally Josh Mapstone (from Blue Earth Foundation) joined in 1 lesson and loved it to. Blue Earth had expressed a desire to teach O in schools last year, so now he reconfirmed this, and I did a bit of inservice with him after school and will send him all the maps!! YES!

Ride in late afternoon with Cec from Eastside. Out to Emily Gap via an eastside track which had little climb and then back into the setting sun on a very rocky and climby trail back to golf course area. Then over the pipeline hill back to Eastside.
Ride took longer than indicated as I had to stop often for Cec, who is much slower.
Shoulder now 50% useable generally but any big drops really hurts it.

Day spent planning the St Philips winter sport O event/s.
Relay & individual event in morning and mtbo score event in afternoon!
At least I have 8 teachers to assist on the day.

Will burn the midnight oil planning 2 schools I am doing tomorrow - adjacent to each other, and drawing up some of St P courses.

Slow saunter with Michelle Soar around golf course and botanic park etc to show her the sites.

Everything took longer than planned today - printing maps, seeing ranger, course setting in 2 schools, meeting a Principal, going to post office. Then Jane H couldn't do planned ride because of work and I got home tired, so just did a sunset walk around golf course.

Ride back to Alice from near Standley Chasm turn-off - all bitumen.
Michele C drove my van back.
Funniest thing - I had changed in front of the camper and put my shorts, knickers, stocketes and socks on the bumper bar while I put on my shoes. Just after starting I ride past something blue on the roadside ...they looked just like my blue shorts ....they are my blue shorts! Trigged what had happened and ride 1 km back to look for other items .. found 1 sock, 1 stockete and knickers. Put in my jersey pockets. Later on MC said she had found 1 sock and 1 sockete on front of bumper bar at finish - 40kms later.

Rode back to Simpson Gap T/o and took Honeyman Gap rd, which I hadn't ridden before. This took me more south for awhile and I came out about 4 km the other side of Heavitree gap. Interesting. Had to throw rocks at 1 dog which attacked.

Walk from Ormiston Gorge camp to the lookout and the smaller circuit.
Also went thru the deep water again to have another look at the high cliffs in the Gorge.

Walk from Sonder lookout along the Finke River, which had lots of deep water to a China Wall type rock outcrop that had holes in it, one of which you could walk through. Went a bit further then returned. Great views.
Had a 2nd short walk on way back to Alice to the Ochre Pits - impressive colours.

Drove out to Glen Helen Resort - 130 kms out from Alice.
With Michelle C, Michelle Soar, and David Couche.
Short walk to Glen Helen Gorge - 1km.
Then parked at Ormiston Gorge and had lunch and decided to do the 8km Ormiston Pound that afternoon. Started at 2 and finished at 5, incl a 20 minute detour to a fantastic lookout after the first saddle.
Had a dinner booking at Glen Helen at 6pm, so was a little rushed.

A really top notch walk.
We were a little slow, as MS had a recently sprained ankle and I had a shitty L shoulder and my usual very sore L knee. Probably the last 2 km or so had lots of big boulders to pick our way thru. Also had 3 very cold water crossings, the first of which was up to my armpits! I was the shortest!
The warnings said that we would need to swim but we had checked with the kiosk guy who reckoned it was only a wade.

Saw 2 dingos on road and they walked quite happily around the car while I took photos. Then at night had many howling dingos around the camp. Been told not to leave anything outside tents / cars.

Inaugural schools O champs in Alice Springs. We combined with the xc event, which was held first. Over 100 kids who all had a ball - I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Had an aboriginal school who initially only came for the xc ... heard the other kids talking about the O and their teacher asked whether there was a chance of them learning how to do and then competing. Gave them a 5 min lesson and then 2 pairs actually got places. No controls moved, no control cards lost ... NT kids really are a "can do" mob.

Had 4 courses - 3 were spot on distance and difficulty wise. Hardest course wasn't long or hard enough for very experienced St Philips boys but fine for the rest. Just had solo classes and pairs - no B courses here.
Even the easiest course had several controls just off tracks.

Was a relief that I got 3 great helpers - local Cecily Sutton thru her doing mtbo champs recently; ex student Jane Hutchinson who wasn't working and rogaining friend Michelle Couche who timed her car trip thru Alice to assist. Have realised that while I can do all the actually O "in the field" stuff that I need help to pull off something this big.

Went for a celebratory ride afterwards on the local trails on my 29er.

C • awesome 5

Control putting out at Telegraph Station - 18 out of 30 now out.
Courses got okayed by Parks & Wildlife & Aboriginal sacred sites person at 1pm. Maps got to the printers at 2pm!
At 2.30pm St Philips said that they would now have 10 students wagging school photos to do the O..
Fingers crossed..

Ride with Michelle C & Cecily Sutton. I rode to start near the Chifley and we did the newer trails towards Wrigley waterhole to the north but turned before getting there as darkness beckoned. Shoulder not too bad during ride but was sore afterwards. Couldn't pull up at all.

Control placement checking for Alice schools champs on Friday. I was out there longer but quite a lot of standing and scratching head over map.
Lots to be done in next 36 hours - courses finalised, start times, equipment organised, maps printed, controls put out ....yikes

Many friendly kangaroos standing on top of rocks saying .."you're not going to put a control there are you?"

Could be the scariest pre-race briefing ever - have to warn of a pack of dingoes that have been menacing walkers! Strategy is not to run but to growl and yell (according to ranger) and throw rocks (according to me).

Bit annoyed that I got caught up on the computer all day and then in a long Coles queue at 5.30pm.
Finally got to go for a golf course walk at 6.15pm, so mostly in the dark but felt better for it.
2 new O babies arrived this week - Florence to Grace & Matt Crane and Mattais to Kathryn & Rob Preston.

Walk to lookout and waterhole at Banka Banka station -really nice loop walk. Drove onto Alice Springs. 600kms+

Another fluff up on my part.
Aimed to park car and walk in a short way to photograph Challenge riders crossing the river. Parked way too early and had to walk about 4 kms each way .. in my shoes without socks (blisters came) and no water..
Got some gd photos but not of Zoe or jane Hutchinson who came thru after I left. Zoe had to run about 12kms in bike shoes after 2 flats - not nice.
met up with Susanne afterwards.
Left Ktown later than intended (2pm) and drove 500+ kms to banka banka station, 80 kms before Ternnant Creek.

Fluff up no 1 in Katherine!
Decided to ride part of the Ultra Challenge Adventure race mtb 25km course. They do 100km - 3 km swim, trail run, mtb, kayak, road run, road ride. Most in teams.

Shouder still quite sore but bearable and half useable.
Of course I was only going to do 7kms or so to the water crossing over the weir and then return. But I got sucked in and decided to do the whole lot.
Of course much of it was just some tapes hung out and you had to mow down the grass inbetween. Got excited when it emerged onto a nice track and sped up .....why no pink tapes ...did they mention something about going along a fence in the notes? I hadn't studied the last half of the course properly as I wasn't going that far....
Then my back wheel decided not to rotate, due to big bulge in tyre. No cut in tyre!! Let it down but too far, so it was barely ridable. Not carrying pump or spare tube as couldn't change it with 1 hand... and I wasn't going far was I!

Went onward on nice track for awhile but then common sense prevailed and I backtracked 2+kms to find pink tape heading almost 180 degrees the other way! Still had about 6 kms to go by my rough calculations - should just make it by nightfall.... Oh yes I had started in the afternoon heat with 1 water bottle.

Had another brainwave and to my amazement my dumb Optus ph (that didn't work anywhere in WA) actually worked and I got thru to Lachlan Hallett who was in Katherine with Zoe. Then I got to the next river crossing and just about drunk it dry.. Lachlan came in Zoe's car to the end and rode and met me about 2 kms from the road. 25kms back in car from out Katherine Gorge way.

Ride to Timber Creek school (4km each way) and then out to Policeman's Point for a looksee.
Ran inservice for 35 teachers from local community schools on O - went fantastically. Re fieldworked 2 maps.

Drove 300kms from Timber Ck to Katherine in afternoon.
Went for short ride in fading light in local bush near old airport - shoulder very sore.
Zoe's diagnosis was that it was likely "stuffed" - see outcome in about 6 weeks time.