Training Log Archive: jennycas

Fun little map (apart from the broken glass everywhere underfoot) on the river flats between Renmark and Paringa with a network of tracks & billabongs, course set by Lanita. Started out casually then ran a bit harder since legs felt ok, then agonizing pain in the left knee but I tried not to slack off, and mostly I got the route choices right so my time was actually ok. Lots of stretching & massage afterwards; hoping it was just the 3-hour drive that aggravated knee.

Over to Hawthorn Oval, 7x runthroughs on the grass, back again. Shins/knees a bit better than on Wed, when I massaged the carp out of my munted calf/shin (the massage therapist did comment last week that it was getting a bit compartment syndrome-y again) and then yesterday could hardly walk on it because it was so tight & painful, but icing did seem to help.

Work is a black hole that can suck you in and never spit you out again, but I escaped because I had a date with the hairdresser, and was rewarded by hearing how she is (apparently) going to be on My Kitchen Rules - she's done the audition, and states that she intends to win the financial prize. I enquired as to how she comes to be involved with MKR, and she said they asked her - which confirms my theory that each TV station maintains a pool of wannabe reality-TV contestants and slots them in anywhere they might be suitably photogenic/abrasive.

No mention was made of her being a Greek goddess in a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and I didn't like to ask...6 months is probably a long time in showbusiness. Perhaps I should get my hair cut more often?

C • reminder please? 12

Really Rather Rigid Raindrops Run
I managed not to step on any snails, which were out in force on the pavements.

C • S again? 8

Don't like to miss Nth Adl training but would preferably have stayed home from work today because of feeling unwell - except I knew that 2 people in my 'pod' were off sick already...as it was, didn't leave work until nearly 8pm anyway :(

Solitary Sedate Scenic Sunset Snout Singletracks Saunter

C • Snakes? Spiders? 6

Decided, as nationals training, to try my longest course from the event back in April since I obviously didn't get to run any course then. This was a fun exercise, although it's rather disappointing to receive confirmation that all the random flagging tape which I had seen then was indeed marking the routes of potential MTB singletracks, which have now come into existence - some of my favourite obscure control sites north of the railway line are now within 5m of a new trail :(

And it was disconcerting to encounter illegal trailbikers making use of these new MTB tracks - I hid in the bushes a couple of times. The eastern slope south of Maurice Rd was just lovely though, with wattle bushes (Acacia menzelii, which grows only in that region) blooming goldenly and a carpet of Capeweed daisies plus some other yellow tiny star fllower. We definitely should remap this section, maybe even for a major carnival. I enjoyed the native pine section too, although couldn't help but think how much longer a course of similar length will take me on Kangaroo Crossing...as it was, knees were fairly painful by the end.

C • Nar map 8