Training Log Archive: tinytoes

Back and forward - carpark, Assembly, Start - #1 on Very Easy, Assembly, carpark, Assembly, Start, assembly, carpark, Assembly, start.
Did the welcome and intro with new family of 2 little boys and mum and then group of guides + parents + group of Venturers, then my turn.

Really good course set by Lyndy. Much of the forest had been burnt so some good running possibly and fast times expected (from others).
S-1 took safe option but found marsh easily.
1-2 first of the long legs. Did it on bearing counting off track, fence, track and watercourse. Anticipated I'd drifted to the North so when the w/c turned up I went S - and so it was. Getting much better at picking which way to go on a "50-50".
2-3 followed w/c, though some of the heavy green was unwelcome. Picked up minor track to cross w/c and in to control.
3-4 heavy green so chose minor track option
4-5 - bearing and noted dry ditch
5-6-- bearing
6-7 - bearing and beside w/c
7-8 - thought this might be a danger control in vague area but good visibility courtesy of burnt area helped.
8-9 - second of the long legs - was saying a couple of words under my breath but calmed down and broke it up. Must have been Karma as I stuffed this one up badly. Took bearing and ploughed through the green then picked up minor track leading to major track, leading off to minor track towards the OOB area. Always tend to think sinister thoughts of this place - too many tv shows of radioactive plants, high fences etc. Kept to track but decided when I could see the PLANT I'd go parallel to fence and pick up the w/c system I needed. But I took off too high and found a w/c (tick) and so the next will be the one I want. But having been too high i'd got an additional w/c and so started upstream and found a minor w/c (tick) some small minor w/c leading into the w/c and NO control. Thought I shouldn't need to go further but did then decided enough! so backtracked. Picked up major creek again, and found myself repeating my path just a little high - perhaps??? no. Again turned North and upstream but not there (still!!). OK back to high fence and try again, surely I haven't gone along the wrong tributary....Perhaps this is the attackpoint w/c and mine is the next. URGH Go further, find a w/c, and out there loud and proud that control in the SE minor w/c. 25 mins lost!!!!
9-10 a bit dispirited now and cranky with myself so took to tracks and it seemed for ages to get to 10, but no real problems
10-11 - bearing, but need to be careful after track to pick up termite mound 0.7m tall. Helped by burn off again. Thought as I was pretty close to F that that would be IT. But no - it still goes on.
11 - 12 bearing to w/c and was proudest of all controls today with this one. While it was clearly on other side of w/c picking exactly where I was took some thought. Noted the elongated cutout, small branch w/c, major w/c then branch. All spot on!
12-13 Follow along w/c - not much happening here.
13-14 - head for home. Decided to take minor track after bearing.
14-F map away and bolt in a sort of fashion but about 50m from F banner I tripped over the invisible tree root on the dirt track. I don't often fall but this was a doosey: tripped on right foot, landed on left knee and right cheek, jaw, right hand, right shoulder as I did a rollover. Mouthful of dirt and scraped palm and gritty feeling in my mouth sharp edge to tooth, ho hum.
Made it to finish a bit the worse for wear. Back has been tight for the whole time - this did not help.

6pm health check : One large egg on L knee, tooth starting to be less sharp (because I keep rubbing it), back very very sore, R hand bruised, R shoulder sore due to judder impact. Face seems OK but maybe black eye later - certainly one cheek is larger than the other. Nothing major so I shall whinge no more.
OK - so really enjoyed the course - good setting and great area.

C • Sounds nasty 10

Course Hard Medium - Splits

So so cold today though fortunately it wasn't very windy nor wet. Arrived at Newy in good time but still couldn't drag myself out of the car to warm up properly. I finally did and tried to time it back to the pack just on start time - not going to waste warm up or get cold. Back still a bit stiff but no sign of the overnight sleep-disruptive hip, hamstring and calf cramps and lactic resulting from yesterday's lunges on steps.
Oh yes the warm up - not the whinging. Pretty much the usual but really noticed the icy blast in the lungs and so not really warmed up

So hands and feet didn't make an appearance until the final 1km. Lungs a bit unhappy due to the cold air. Not very consistent in running either but still out there and given the stop-start nature of past 6 week I'm not stressing too much.

Eliz - 7:29 this was at the slow end of the spectrum so I wasn't very happy about that - but I certainly wasn't going to overcook with that pace.
Cone - 17:32 (10 :03) Wow - still hanging in there. About 30 seconds behind what is baseline.
Eliz -27:35 (10:02) Seeming to be pulling it back, but quite a few little stops..
Finish -35:08 (7:32) Knew from someone ahead that I was well off the pace today - now she has 1 over me. But all in all pretty happy with that. something to work on and not as dispiriting as past couple of weeks.

Back is feeling very tight after 3 days of standing/teaching and that slight lean forward to demonstrate something on a map in the middle of the table. So the warm up was a bit awkward and I was very slow and uncharacteristically unco.
Got better as the class progress through strength sections. Fortunately Johnny did the running for the class today - that was good as I wasn't really fit for a run at the beginning.
Worked hard but know I am showing signs of intermittent attendance over the past month due to all sorts of distractions - mostly good. Normal transmission will return after next week.

Control placement - brisk in between controls but downtime using tethers. Faster today because of elephant tracks so I didn't have to decide on control tree sites. Lovely morning - windy throughout day - 145 kids.

Not quite as brisk, getting cooler, worked smarter! 144 happy kids farewelled (1 stayed to help waiting for parent). Not as tired as yesterday and still satisfied with organisation.

Returned home from Blue Gum Hills to find rockman impersonating a lumberjack preparing for next few days of cold weather by gathering and cutting up firewood. So I joined in trying to minimise his lugging of timber. Brought 2 very large branches up to sawing area - learning had rockman known the size they could have stayed out the front.... urgh!!!! Nevertheless they were attacked and sawn into appropriate sized pieces for drying off. A couple of very heavy lifting sections, dragging was cheery in a very confined space, but who'll be laughing over the weekend... I ask you?

Control placement - brisk in between controls but downtime using tethers. Lovely morning - windy throughout day - 145 kids.

Not quite as brisk, still windy, 145 happy kids farewelled. Pooped but satisfied with organisation.

Control placement for Staff Dev Scatter Course on Blue Wren Creek map. So windy! fortunately i didn't have to bring the controls in - I got to do the wrap up session.

Control site checking for tomorrow's Score Course at Blue Gum Hills RP. Lots of shredded trees, just 1 branch down but otherwise OK. Checked burnt out area for fallen trees - all seems OK.

Such a lot done,so much that brain hurts as much as body will tomorrow. Good good class - no more now for 2 weeks - :-(( work and schools.