Training Log Archive: jennycas

Event: 2013 Oceania Carnival & WC Races
 

First day of Oceania, sand dunes in pine forest. Long low ridges often with not much detail between them. Also not much climb, but very soft underfoot (somehow I was reminded of Europe, but with a southern hemisphere compass). Quite a few World Cup people running today.

Mostly happy with my navigating but it tended to go awry when I crossed tracks or saw other people and my big error involved:
a) going around a hill and coming out NW of the crossroads, not NE as I had thought, and then running further away from the crossroads wondering why I couldn't see the water (which, sadly, is not at controls in NZ). Resolved that by heading SW but then having crossed the correct track, I
b) had no proper attack point when leaving a bland basin and going into low-vis detailed stuff and consequently I did laps of it, possibly even coming as close as 10m to my control, and eventually relocating off some high points to the east, having one more abortive attempt in which I found the tape for that control's alternate site, and then finally finding the real thing.

15 min for a leg which should have taken about 6? The rest was pretty much okay, once in the wrong little gully, very hungry towards the end (it was lunchtime) and struggling to concentrate. A very similar time to Bridget/Lauren but I am left wondering how the Russian girl did 48 min!

Event 1 C 2 - Splits

We overnighted at Waitomo so we could go to the glowworm caves first thing - enchanting rather than spectacular, and not as extensive a ride on the underground river as at Te Anau, but dry caves which were reminiscent of Smaug's lair made up for this. Passed through the National Park region and admired snow on Ruapehu, fog on Ngaurahoe, then a long winding descent to Wanganui (I drive because I am not a good passenger) and eventually to our beach house at Waitarere, where we will be until Monday morning. Fern & Tyson were already there and had negotiated with some UK orienteers to give us their map after they had finished training with it in the pine forest which was literally next door, so I went for a run on a sprint course from earlier this year. It's magical forest, straight out of Lord Of The Rings.

We were all wide awake at 6am which is just ridiculous, as that's 3.30 Adelaide time. Anyway, started out across to the Domain with John & Andrew, then I left them to their own devices and I went up Mt Eden, which I had seen from the air when flying in. Did a lap of the perfectly (inverted) conical crater, admired the view to all the other craters across Auckland, and headed back down which my knees didn't like much. Now that I have seen the Tui birds squabbling in the pohutukawa trees, I know that I am in NZ.

Filled in the morning very nicely by catching a ferry from downtown across to Devonport, which huundreds of other people were doing on this public holiday (Day After New Year - seriously?) and consuming the best seafood chowder I have ever come across, before going to the airport to pick up the rest of the Arrows, and heading south.

Apparently the fact that it was still 22 in Auckland once I got out of the airport at nearly 6pm meant that it was quite a warm day. Lovely weather, just like springtime in Sydney...I guess it's a similar latitude?

C • More like Melbourne 1

When in Auckland...of course I went for a run around the Domain - from our backpackers' in Parnell, while waiting for John N & Andrew M to arrive. It's a spectacular city, with random volcanoes everywhere. Afterwards we had massive quantities of really good Indian to celebrate Andrew's birthday :) Now I feel like I am on holiday but trying to finish everything at work yesterday wasn't so much fun.

Last swim of the year. Rather grumpy and not only because there were numerous unappealing middle aged men in 'my' lane. Also I didn't sleep well because of thinking about packing for NZ. Don't really feel like I have earned this holiday, both in terms of fitness and time at work since my last trips.

I talked Zara & Andrew K into coming to the SARRC trail run which started 7am at Scott Creek CP. Pretty much followed the outer rim of the park for a 12km loop then there was the option of an extra 4.5km up hill to the west. AK left us in his dust up the first big hill but Zara stuck to me at chatting pace and it was quite pleasant, being a cool morning and my legs not too fatigued. Ankle tape caused a few blisters and by 12 km back at the cars I thought about stopping but after a drink we went up the hill and then anticlockwise around that loop until we met the frontrunners, then headed back.

Had lovely breakfast afterwards swapping Christmas holiday stories with Zara and John but I am completely stuffed now because when George got home at 3am (he left Sydney yesterday morning) he went straight to sleep, but I didn't!

Yeah, finally did some proper O training. Of course, I know the course from 2004 like the back of my hand, this now being at least the 5th time I've been to some of the control sites, but this is one of my favourite forests and I'm still surprised at how we managed to get 3 distinct loops out of 1 sq km of pine trees. Had anti-inflammatories for dinner last night so knee was pretty good this morning, and the invisible cows had grazed anything which might entangle my feet, so it was a fairly smooth run. Loops: 21, 23, 25, but I think they got longer rather than me getting slower, although unco-ness did increase towards the end.

Followed by 8 hours of cleaning my grandfather's house with my parents, to get it ready for sale.