Training Log Archive: jennycas

Dug out Tyson's sprinterval courses from last summer - but somehow it was midday before I went out and we had to be at McLaren Vale at 3pm for Pete & Rachael's wedding. Very tight down all my right side; first (dry) creek landing my ankle twinged but I think it was coming from my hip. Ran hard, got quite hot & sweaty. Guy on a MTB warned me that he had seen a snake - I said I wasn't surprised, but forgot to thank him.

1.1km uphill 8:38 (got quite confuzzled by the tracks in the creek bottom)
1.2km downhill 7:48
1.4km uphill 10:56 (struggled on this one)
1.0km downhill 7:20

Took a minute or so break to stretch between each.

25 min across to park, 18 home again, via taps each time. Neuroma wasn't good by the return trip; this often happens when my leg is tight.

Got stuck into ITB etc last night and still fairly tender this morning so went for a swim. Noticed how tight my back is, and feet kept sinking.

A couple of laps of Blackwood Forest and a bit more but I didn't have time for a full 3rd one because taping my ankles took too long. Noticing quads on the downhills - it must be more than 6 weeks since I did a protective hard descent.

Actually, my legs are pretty hammered, presumably from yesterday, and hamstrings weren't brilliant either. So I lagged behind the others up past the lake to the train line, then diverted to the flatter stuff across towards Long Gully.

Doesn't seem so easy to get up in the mornings lately (I always complain about that at this time of year) and since I didn't have time for anything longer, decided to do the shortest loop fairly hard. I am out of practice at sustaining intensity...but 44 min is a time I'm quite happy with, and it was almost raining on me. Afterwards it was definitely raining on my washing.

Picked up my map and declared to all & sundry that the start triangle was in the wrong place on the lawns, whereupon it was pointed out to me that my brain was at 90 degrees to reality! Oops - you'd think I'd know which way north is since I went to uni here (in 1993).

Should have been helping on the start but traffic across town in the rain was so horrible that by the time I got there most people had started, so I went for a run. Good course from John with plenty of micro route choice, although the map isn't strictly mapped to sprint specifications when it comes to garden beds and I wasn't sure how literally to take it. Greg caught me at 8, the control which was now in a flowing creek, and I had him in sight until 21 despite a couple of small inefficiencies. Probably lost 20-30 sec all up. Was slack & didn't help pack up after because I was busy talking (listening) to Simon's grandma. Starting to think maybe I should pay to run all the races!

Better than Friday - less exhausted. Nice cool morning and didn't feel the hamstring too much, tried to stretch out the hip.

Before Wallaringa meeting. Very tight in hip & hamstring all day. Had noticed this from jumping ditches yesterday and then sitting in the car for 6 1/2 hours didn't help. Better not do hills tomorrow, I think.

It's always good to try new experiences, right? But I think missing out a control should preferably be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Woke up very dehydrated and with a ham hangover (have got to be more careful about avoiding sulphite preservatives in things) but was more lively by the 8am start. First control was either a short or a long leg; I had the short and took the dam-shore route to it which was sub-optimal, so was already behind the pack before the second control. Okay across the hills although hot and tired - and then came unstuck by 3-4 min on 7 (60) which sounds like it was a nemesis pit for many people.

Part A of the error was to cross the first saddle on the track and start looking above a SW gully instead of crossing the second saddle and looking above a NW gully. Worked that out and went into the right gully but part B was that I passed straight by the control and looked too low, had myself almost convinced that I was in a gully too far north so turned around, headed back up and then people on the other split (who I was probably ahead of at that stage) came across the gully at 90 degrees and thus led me up to the pit.

First loop 3km meant second loop 7km. This time I had the long first leg but wasted time at the end going around the contour channel rather than jumping it a couple of times, because hamstring was losing its jumping ability by then. Wasn't real good up hills either, but down was okay, and I enjoyed the longer legs out to the east even if I did see Kathryn finishing that crossover 2km loop just as I started it.

Disaster struck just as I was happy to be near the end. Punched the 3rd last control on the edge of a clearing, took a bearing telling myself I just needed to go up to the right of the faint watercourse/gully and to the top of the knoll. Got puzzled when I crossed a track and more puzzled when I could see the cars at the finish. Worked out that I was somehow on the bigger knoll, east and uphill of the last control. Headed west and downhill, crossed the flowing channel which puzzled me greatly because I hadn't crossed it going up. Found the correct gully, crossed it, found the correct knoll, punched it, and then couldn't find the finish units because they were where the clear/checks had ben previously. Figured I had lost about 4-5 min somehow, but felt much better after a swim in the dam.

Halfway back to Adelaide I got a text from Jim saying "Did you go to the second-last control? I have you down as a DNF" and the penny dropped! Of course - I was taking the bearing as though at the second-last, but I was actually still at the 3rd-last. No wonder I couldn't make anything fit :(

C • Never mind 2