Training Log Archive: tinytoes

Today was Leg day. By the end I felt it was Legless day but that would be playing into Pirate Day and we just can't have that.
Glad it was today and not Friday.
Did some more of those kick thingies so it will be interesting if I end up with DOMS again. I'll be watching and waiting.

Gutters and roof, moving all Rego gear (tent, tablesx3, chairsx4 flag) out of car and down to house for storage. I then decided to live very dangerously: I wanted to move the 3 Waratah sandstone piers (ie dense and difficult) from top garden to front garden - all downhill. So I retrieved the wheelbarrow, got 3 planks to form an incline plane and walked the piers out of their current resting place. I say current because for 2 of them that's where they'll stay until I can coerce junior to visit and help me move them. The smallest one I got into the wheelbarrow with little more than a grunt but then got really cold feet about taking the wheelbarrow down the top steps - 11 in all which provides a drop of 2.5m in about 2m - so pretty steep. Not for the faint- hearted - so I turned tail and repositioned it in the top garden until Friday - hopefully.

Event: Hunter Valley Champs - Wallaroo
 

This was not one of my finest - not even close and absolutely no excuses.
Map was newish, being an extension of watery Wallaroo and was for our Hunter Valley Champs where we just once a year act our ages, mostly. My brain entered a different category to my legs today and with that settled I was in for a bad day.
S-1 Compass and basically N - no problems
1-2 was fiendish. A very purposeful route choice and a very long leg, but not much in between for features so essentially a transport leg. 2 tracks to choose from and I chose the more E one. Finally got out to it and then directly N after junction. Along there K8pants passed me and basically we were together before the decision where to leave the track to head for #2. She chose the earlier I chose the later. Got to the tiny divide in track - perfect and straightforward bearing and in I go. Felt i was going a long way and after a while I decided I had, and believed I'd skimmed the top of the w/c so on the retreat I went more to the W hoping to pick up the feature - no luck. Got back to track and decided to go past tiny divide and get to tiny bend and go in again. More luck this time but flag was "behind" feature - unusual for DL..
2-3 Bearing and happy.
3-4 bearing, mostly N checked off w/c1, w/c2 and was expecting w/c3 but just as I passed w/c2 I saw a flag. Oh that'll be a bit close for same feature... I might just check. Lucky as it was mine. I'd slipped by a w/c head...again!
4-5 did well down the spur, looking looking for a tree root mound (tRicky we like these in Newcastle) but got to a line of rocks that I know DL would have mapped so I must have slipped by it. Looking up spur noting relative distances between w/cs I seemed OK. Looking looking and saw a tree root mound but no flag - but yes it was there just obscured by bushes - sneaky and I was starting to get just a little paranoid that I couldn't read where DL was putting the controls relative to the feature. Very odd!
5-6 OK I give up - out to track and meander along checking off vegetation as I go through patches. It is very well mapped and I pick up #6 really well.
6-7 across minor track and on bearing head for w/c head and track down it. I didn't realise there was a fork in the w/c but I did see the leaning tree and felt I was going OK. I visualised what #7 was going to look like and it was perfect! So happy with that.
7-8 However disaster was to appear very soon Bearing to 8, noted leaning tree indicated and saw a shape in a "pack" of reeds - no flag. Kept to the veg boundary and felt I was in right place. Even found the tiny rocky ground and it was right relative to the leaning tree. OK no flag, might check next "clearing" bit - by this stage I'd surrendered and decided to go for #9 and work way back to #8. Found #9 easily so back to #8 which was where I'd started. Perhaps too far from thick green and go closer to the clumpy stuff I'd looked at before and I find a tree root mound and don't see a flag. But it is right in relation to the leaning tree!!! GAH! Then I spot the flag - in a very odd place for DL to put it. Punch and head towards #9.
8-9 retrack - OK
9-10 follow w/c to track and take track as I am sick of that green stuff hiding controls. Go in when veg changes and start watching for flag on other side of w/c as not found easy place to cross yet. Tall reedy stuff, more tall reedy stuff (not hindering my progress, just my vision of the control flag!!!) Hit little track and so go around and back in 50m to get control - in some reedy stuff.
10-11 out to track and not feeling at all confident but happy enough with reading veg I go through various shades of green and pick the white break in the traffic but all is to nought as the flag is quite visible! In and punch
11-F Cross country to F
So lots of time wasted within control circles at 2,5,8,10. Course and area were really interesting but I had real trouble in the circle - low visibility was a big problem today. I, in my defence, feel had I been about 20cm taller many of my mistakes would not have happened. And strangely i felt a lot of the flags were placed for approaches for "the other side".
But despite the slight drizzle it was a lovely day out and I appreciated the course - just saw more of the surrounds than DL would have preferred me to see.
Disappointed that with weather we couldn't have a BBQ, but totally understandable. It feels like the end of the season because of the crowd heading N for Aus champs. BUT we have our One and Only map on 9 October. I fully intend to do at least 2 full courses!!!!

Nice late afternoon stroll getting my feet used to the ground again. School reunion over for another year. Haven't told my feet about needing to wear heels again next week.

C • Pictures? 2

Control placing for Gala Day for Swansea HS Yr9.

Bringing in controls - so much faster when I can just unlock cables and sling over arm. Really really good day - fantastic kids.

Not even close to upping weights - being tested all the time - possibly due to lack of sleep and not eating early enough.

So distracted with preparing for Swansea HS on Friday and School Reunion Saturday I forgot to do something physical. Also slept very badly.