Training Log Archive: jennycas

We got to the top campground at Kooyoora last night after the rain showers had passed, and this morning the rock slabs were dry enough for me to run the Long Rock walking track, which circuit I've wanted to try for ages but have always been too busy orienteering. Probably about 7 degrees when I set out but I didn't need the thermal top for long (do I really want to do the Aust Champs Rogaine in ACT in May when it could be -7?) and there were some great, if hazy, views to the east at sunrise. And now I've finally seen the waterhole which is mapped with a blue V on the southern long rock. It even has a tree growing out of it!

I had with me this weekend the original map from 1985 with the WOC courses on it, and was a bit surprised at the discrepancy in distance between men's & women's; 8.4km for the women, won in 54 min (6.43 min/km) and 15.2km for the men, won in 88 min (5.78 min/km). And I compared the km rates to yesterday's race, where Australia's top men ran the 9.9km in 59 min (5.96 min/km) and Australia's top women in 68 min (6.87 min/km).

Anyhow, we had time on the way home to detour via Naracoorte Caves, which Geoff had never seen and to where I haven't been since the June 1987 orienteering events down that way. Pity that the South East Orienteers club (with its running bunyip mascot) has now folded :(

C • Caving 1

C • WOC 1985 2

Western slopes of Mt Tarrengower, at 1:7 500. Probably should have warmed up for this, but was too busy looking for a bush to go behind! Anyway, was off the back of the pack almost from the start and arches took a long time to loosen up - didn't feel as though I had any ability to push off, and really struggled up hills. But some of that could be my general lack of (terrain) fitness. I wasn't great down hills in the rough stuff either, and didn't appreciate the hoarhound sandpapering my legs. But that's ok, I came here to orienteer and mostly did that ok apart from sometimes climbing a bit too high and often seeming to come at the clump of rocks with the control from the direction which required the most scrambling. And probably running off the map on a downhill leg near the northernmost control. Certainly I couldn't make anything fit until I came a bit further south...

Suspect I could have been navigationally 8-10 min cleaner, and would ideally have hoped to run 8-10 min faster, but oh well. Saw Simon partway through the final loop when I hadn't even got to the pivot control for the first time around yet, but at least I wasn't last overall. After coffee (& a shower) at the Radfords' in Castlemaine G & I headed to Echuca to see Paul Kelly perform with his daughters & Charlie Owen (and Charlie's slide guitar) at the Riverboats Festival :)

C • Bonus 2

Event: BendiGo ToDay - Mt Tarrengower
 

So, it would have been nice to come down here and camp last night, but after packing up the sprint @Adelaide Uni (good numbers, but my courses unfortunately fell foul of the 'secret' underpass now having scaffolding across one end of it and my favourite control at the top of double-sided stairs being declared OOB by the security guard guarding a function on the lawn behind the museum - I had thought that was a university building) we wouldn't have arrived before 11pm. Instead, G & I left early and made it to Cantara while the campers were still getting up.

I'd heard that the coastal wattle is pretty thick these days; it turns out that so is all the other vegetation, and the gaps between the thickets have pretty much vanished and although some of the bushes have died off their skeletons still remain, so about 30% of this course was "fight". I tried to run along the more open basins where possible but there was a lot of ducking & weaving going on; would be interesting to know actual distance covered.

Navigationally this was a good fun challenge though. Stuffed up the first control through not being quite sure where I'd started from in the campground, was a bit off-line on the 3rd, then more cautious with the rest. Got a bit anxious when a rain shower came through and I had no map bag, but the 1994 offset-printed map is fairly robust :)

1:4 000 on the flatter SW slopes of Mt Tarrengower; nice little course with lots of changes of direction but not too much up & down. I struggled to simultaneously read the rock, the contours and my bearings - am blaming the sun in my eyes...so ran more than once to a control that wasn't mine (yet). Also arches were very uncomfortable and I was running quite gumbily for the first 15 min. Can tell that I haven't done any hills for the last couple of weeks, too. Still, really 2 min/km behind Bridget on a bush sprint? She's obviously running pretty well!

C • Thanks buts think it's caus... 2

Giving legs a rest because they need to run around (Jim promises not too much up) Mt Tarrengower on the weekend. Looking forward to road trip to Vic with G tomorrow :)

Solitary sortie along Long Gully and some side valleys in successful search of blackberries. Enjoyed myself after an exhaustingly full-on day at work, and even did a small amount of proper(ly uncoordinated) MTBing - before I had any berries to be bounced around.

Pairs relay with 4 legs each, 2 longer and 2 shorter:
A 0.8km, 5:44
C 1.3km, 10:30
B 0.9km, 6.05
D 1.2km, 9:28
I was paired with Joanna (to my shame, I've never taken the trouble to properly work out which is whom, of the twins - but reckon I know it now) and don't think I let her down too badly in terms of pace. Certainly I ran a lot harder than I would be able to do if this was a full-length continuous course! It was good fun not knowing which direction people would be coming from or when, because it depended on the order in which they'd had legs A, B, C, D :)

This was going to be hills, but I had nothing today and it turned into a plod around the foothills of Panorama, stopping to rest/stretch every few min. There's a nice little picnic area at the end of one of the valleys below the train line and I sat there a while enjoying the silence.

C • Enjoying the silence 14