Training Log Archive: jennycas

Early morning, cold morning. We were the first to arrive at the event (same assembly area as World Cup Jan 2015, and for some reason again I thought west was east and vice versa) and my toes were still numb after the 1.3km climb to the start, so I was very unco down the first hill (Nicola had caught me 3 min just on running speed by the end of a 350m leg) and never really got much better even when I'd warmed up. Could only jog at best, and only when I wasn't bum-sliding over huge logs, skirting rockfaces and trawling through bracken. Which is not to say that I didn't enjoy the course; there were no really long legs but the shorter ones still had route choice, especially up the whacking great hill where Jo passed me going at about 3 times my pace. The control sites did often seem quite simple though but that may have been because I was going so slowly, and couldn't even muster a jog by the end. Did the rogaine really take that much out of me?

Anyway, the worst part of the course was the taped marsh-crossing, where at the main channel point I sank to both knees in the mud so backed up and tried again, this time having put my map/compass/SI stick in pocket and clinging to the ti-tree which promptly took a piece out of my hand and flicked my map into the stream. As I retrieved it I saw my SI stick floating so I picked that up too, felt my pocket for my compass which wasn't there and then hunted in the water - thankfully it wasn't fast-flowing and compasses don't sink!

We made it back to the airport in plenty of time for a 5:20pm flight - thanks to Anna & Blair for the weekend's driving - and I was so tired that I didn't even really mind getting only another 2 x snacks for dinner from Qantas. Did mind hobbling my way through 3 different airports; foot wasn't great :( Still not sure whether my participation in this weekend's races was truly worth it to the Arrows, but from a personal point of view I quite enjoyed them, catching up with some Tas people I don't normally see - and hope the organisers felt that their efforts were worthwhile.

Event: NOL Round 4, Race 11, / 12 (WRE), St Helens, Tasmania
 

Getting to Launceston was a bit of a saga last night with the plane which B&S and I were on leaving Adelaide an hour late which theoretically meant only 10 min in Melbourne (traversing the full distance of both arms of the Qantas terminal) to make the connecting flight but in fact the Launceston flight was also waiting for passengers from Sydney and so even our gear made it. Would have liked to be served more than 2 x snacks for dinner, though.

Carload for the weekend was tri-state; Bridget, Simon & myself, Bruce & Blair from Vic, Anna & Jack from Qld. Later in the weekend we tried to work out State of Origin points...

Agenda was as usual: drive out to St Helens to go orienteering (although there was time for a quick lap of the farmers' markets in search of coffee and to see the monkeys in the park, before leaving Launie) although this time the middle distance was in the tin mining and great fun it was despite, or maybe because of, the 2-3 inches of rain in the week beforehand, making all the white clay and most of the logs fairly slick. I totally ballsed up controls 1 (bounced off the track below it), 5 (was marked on the end of an embankment, with a high point 10m west, but they were actually part of a contiguous earth wall and I looked on what I thought to be the end of it which was of course the high point and funnily enough had no control behind it. So I went away and scratched my head and came back a couple of min later), 11 (bounced off 12, but so did Liggo, of whom I saw a fair bit during the course) and 16 (bounced off the powerline on the way) but it was lots of fun. Whish I'd been able to run a bit faster though - really struggled to lift my legs in the heather & bracken and Bridget had caught me 4 min by control 3. Think my legs were still a bit post-rogaine.

We had thought St Columba Falls could be worth a look afterward but the need for warmth and food drove us back towards St Helens IGA and the cosiness of Queechy Cottages.

C • Cottages 1

Last one until September, as the pool closes this weekend. Knees a bit tight. Tasty Buttercup bakery smells today, and Brownhill Creek is flowing. Could be a good weekend to see waterfalls at Morialta if I didn't have to go to Tas and orienteer in the wilds of St Helens.

It had stopped raining, and I finished work in time to go for a run in the park (with Simon & Angus for the first part) which was pleasant although sore foot took a long time to warm up, and all of me was still very tired. Mind you, that was the case after Capertee also. Think I'd better wait until the Wed after the WRC to start driving towards Ayers Rock with parents.

Troubled by the persistently painful (despite golf-ball-rolling) post-rogaine tight spot under my heel . Also I'm still very tired, and it's turned into winter outside.