Training Log Archive: Lizzie

Mid hike hillsprint. Python upload.

Up onto the Red Hills Ridge with mum to have an explore. The end of the ridge is a plateau covered in tarns and bogs, which was an exercise to traverse! Got up to the old hut site for lunch, where I ran up to the next set of cliffs for a view, while mum archeologisized (defintely the term).

Overnight hike with mum up to Red Hill Hut in the Richmond range. The red hills are unique in the area and stick out like a sore thumb on a map, as they are ultramafic, compared to the greywacke that surrounds them. Because of this, the soil is too toxic for much to grow there, and they are barren of vegetation compared to the bush covered ranges around them.

Anyway, we got up to the hut, then went for a wander along toward Porters Creek hut. Easily persuaded mum that we should go up one of the ridges and contour back to the hut, which we timed perfectly to get back 10mins before dark.

KO QF

wooo! A KO sprint to round off 6 days of racing! Fantastic planning haha. Just three races though, which kept it almost manageable. With late covid cases, my QF was down to 3 of us, with 3 qualifying...so no pressure except to not MP. Went at a decent pace still and kept things smooth.

ONZ KO Semifinal warmup. Python upload.

Semi final around the primary school and marlborough girls. Cool course with diamond forking! Really enjoyed it. Eased away for a comfortable victory.

ONZ KO final at Marlborough boys college.
A straight mass start with no splitting, which isn't my forte. The speedy juniors can keep up when they don't have to solo nav... Immy and I were playing cat and mouse for the most part. I had the lead til 4 when I missed a gate and she snuck past. I then tried to throw the race away on 7 when i ballsed my routechoice, giving Immy a 40m or so lead. Heading back into the school at the end we had what looked like a butterfly loop, but was really just a single loop. I was gaining on Immy, and took a different route to her to 16. Realised that she was fluffing it about 2/3rds of the way through and that I had a chance to take back the lead. Stayed smooth through the last few to come home with my first KO victory, after 4 attempts!

ONZ sprint relay. Running last leg for central. Went out about 90s down on Georgia, and with Molly right on my tail for Northern. Funny race as I kept pulling away from Molly, and then she'd reappear at a control in front of me! Like I had soooper long splits, or she was skipping controls!
Got a gap on her after the multistory control though, and was getting glimpses of Georgia ahead. Was reeling in Georgia, but ran out of course in the end, to finish 10-15s behind.

Turns out the two splits were the same length, but mine had all the long choices at the start, while Molly had long ones at the end. Good practice at dealing with splitting mentally though.

Wd. Python upload.

ONZ relay.
Fantastic fun. Ran first leg for our mixed open team, against the ME and M20Es. Great fun toing and froing with the juniors, I was marginally slower on running speed, but much cleaner in the nav. Was pretty funny watching their "tactics" every time there was a split. Came back at the front of the pack after the boys took a inaccurate direction to the last controls.

Then ran last leg for our open short team, due to a covid absence. Just cruised around, but some legs I was just as fast as the previous run!

ONZ long champs. Another fantastic day out on the remapped Canaan downs. Felt strong physically today, which was nice after struggling a bit through the middle and sprint. Made a needless little mistake on the way to #1, getting sucked toward the wrong depression, but settled into proceedings well from there. Got through the tricky #2 and #3 in the beech detail cleanly and ran strong on the routechoice to 4 (which was more micro than macro routechoice). Caught first sight of Immy on the way to #6, but dropped time through being innacurate entering the patch of forest and turning the wrong way. Had her, Briana and Katie in my sights heading out of #7 though, and entered the forest to #8 just behind Immy. Two tricky controls in here, which I was happy with taking slowly and carefully. Was surprised to meet Immy and Katie as I exited #9, as they were climbing back up the hill to it (routechoice rather than mistake it turned out).
Probably guilty of taking the foot off the pedal a bit once I knew I had a decent gap on Immy. A couple of small time losses exiting #12 and entering #15, the latter as I got distracted by aching in the chest. It eased off on the way to #16 though, and was able to run strongly into the finish. Such feelings still freak me out though...

Long WU. Python upload.