Training Log Archive: jennycas

This was a bit of an anticlimax - the course made good use of a scrappy/steep area (Racecourse Creek on the outskirts of Beechworth) but it could have been anywhere, really; not nearly as interesting navigationally as yesterday although if I had been able to run at any sort of race pace I'd probably have found it more of a challenge. As it was, Briohny had already gone through me 2 min by #3. Did enjoy the open section but let myself get pushed around by steepness and rockfaces so basically this was a bit of a slog. Certainly I enjoyed Wirra Wirra or last year's AMDC at Crooked Straight much more. Might have to work out what to do about my legs, because they weren't this bad a year ago...

However, despite the amount of time spent out on course/in quarantine (Geoff was very patient, waiting around), this was a great carnival for catching up with friends who I don't see very often.

Course 3 - Splits

Kangaroo Crossing, or How To Get Your Money's Worth...

This turned out to be even tougher than I'd anticipated because Warren had set it for Swedish Long Champs winning times rather than for Oceania Long and even Lizzie didn't crack 90 minutes. Given that I was barely able to even muster a jog on the 2km uphill climb to the start, I was prepared if necessary to pull out at the map change point, but I had done 2 smart things today; taken antiinflammatories and worn my daggy hat (the native pines only stole it from me three times). And basically, I just chugged along, control by control, enjoying the detailed navigation when required and the wider route choices where I could take a track and actually run a bit - but I probably did a lot of unnecessary climb to find the little MTB downhill tracks - and was under no illusions about what I would see when I picked up the second map; an approx 2km leg back to the east which I decided to execute by going back past the start (the slog up the road wasn't any more fun this time around, but at least I wasn't the only person to take this route).

Started to see the girls from the Red Start Group (top-8) coming through me halfway through the second loop so that provided some interest but I just wished I could run properly...at least I wasn't the only one who went up & over the hill to 18, because Krystal did it too. The last little loop was fine until I ended up checking out a couple of other controls too high above the cameras on 21. Surprised, when I finished, to realise that I'd been out for so long - but if I'd done W35/40 I'd have found that pretty tough going also with my current terrain fitness. And at least I wasn't last, or too wrecked to enjoy Woolshed Falls (very popular with the schools' teams' juniors) afterwards. Plus I definitely earned my ice cream!

3 - Splits

Jogged around all 13 controls on the model map, and even at such a slow pace still managed to stuff up the last one - partly because, as someone else said, a boulder the size of a car could be simply not on the map! Leg kept threatening to give way and I kept trying to ignore it, but don't think that's exactly a practical solution for tomorrow...

We breakfasted in Glenbrook (which has a much higher ratio of cafes and homewares stores than it did when I first visited there 18 years ago), visited in-laws @NH, then headed to Canberra, arriving in Narrabundah with enough time for me to go for a run up to Davidson Trig and south along the ridgeline, which was lovely although as always I got a bit confused finding my way back to Alex's. Right leg still not great neurologically although at least the mysterious rash over hip and thigh is starting to abate - wondering if I came into contact with an itchy-caterpillar?

Bridge to bridge river loop in Penrith (first 20 min was good and then my ITB/hip seized entirely and knee kept trying to give way neuropathically on the slightest incline) before a day of taking 3 teenagers go-karting and to all-you-can-eat Pizza Hut in Windsor. In the evening they introduced me & Uncle Geoffrey to Cards Against Humanity...

From our B&B (we're really not great at staying places where you have to interact with other humans, especially making conversation with the owners, but strangely the other guests were also orienteers!) down Braeside Walk following the creek to Govett's Leap falls, then up the steps to the lookout point over the Grose Valley at the end of Govett's Leap Rd, then down the steps - very rough/washed out and I don't know how the Hounslow Ultra trail runners would have found them on the weekend - to Horseshoe falls then back up its creek via Pope's Glen track. Still feeling rather like I was a sneaky AS bandit yesterday by running only 3km course although was happy not to have done 4.9km W21E.

Anyway, got some extra hill practice in before Kangaroo Crossing this weekend by doing the Grand Canyon loop walk with Geoff after breakfast - lots & lots of stairs both down & up, but totally worth it for the section along the creek canyon with hanging gardens of ferns and bridal veil falls and many photo stops. With the sun right overhead the canyon, I kept getting confused about which way was east vs west, as often hapens in the mountains; confusingly at Blackheath the highway runs N-S but I keep thinking that the Grose Valley is to its north, and Katoomba to the east. Knees handled this better than expected but I was exhausted afterwards while G didn't seem to have even exerted himself!

C • walk 2

Bit of a weird one. After some shuffling, ended up in a W21AS team with Kate Marschall and Fern, and we won. Realistically, we could have been a W35 team, but originally this team included Meredith, and I feel bad about the shuffle, because she should have stayed in the team, because her run was 3 min faster than mine because I took a really dumb route choice to the first control by trying to stay in the clear rather than the rocks all the way up the hill, and ended up about 500m west of the control...

Also having to stay for the presentations meant that by the time we got to Blackheath it was really dark, cold and foggy and I didn't enjoy the last hour at all even though G was the one doing the driving. Was interesting to drive through Young though with all its surrounding cherry orchards in bloom - I'm pretty sure I've never taken that route before.