Training Log Archive: PrueD

Back in the land of the living. I went for a walk around Blackburn this morning, looking at gardens and getting inspiration.

Still sick but feeling a bit better. AP thinks I have done no training at all because it is giving messages about how to start my log. I suppose a rest at some point in the year has to be good.

Forgot to mention last week that a colleague who lives in Blackburn announced at my farewell that he and his wife nearly ran over me last week (and claimed to have screeched to a stop) when I ran across the road in Blackburn in front of their car - not looking and READING A MAP. Horrors - I really didn't think I did this.

C • but on the plus side 2

Defeat has been conceded and most of the weekend has been spent in bed (or on FB or watching TV). I think my body might be telling me that it is time for a break in all aspects of life.

The Victorian state election results are trending towards a hung parliament- but with the people I'm in contact with predicting an ultimate Coalition win. Oddly, the last time I resigned from DSE was shortly after the election that put the Kennet government in power and it does rather look like I don't like being a public servant under coalition governments. Fortunately, such governments support contracting to small business enterprises, so my bid for independence might be timely after all.....

Finished work yesterday - and a little bit sorry that I didn't stay to see the aftermath of the election (regardless of the result - there are likely to be changes afoot).

As is usual on the first day of a holiday, the sore throat that I have felt coming on for the past week today manifest itself as a heavy head cold. The day was wet and humid and bed (on and off) seemed like a good place to be. I didn't go to Suzanne's very special birthday celebration.

Rest days today and yesterday. Despite taking antihistomines, the hot windy weather and prolific swirling clouds of plane leaves in the city have given me hay fever. I didn't even go to street-O tonight (and it was just down the road in South Blackburn). But I'm not too worried as I have been orienteering 6 times in the past 8 days!

Tomorrow is my last day at work and I can't wait - the end of routine and constraint (neither of which I am good at). However I also have to go on Friday for my first contract job. Then.... after that..... who knows....I'm a bit of a believer in seizing opportunities as they come along........so here's hoping there's some adventures in store.......

C • work 2

Because Bruce P was setting tonight's O course, I felt obliged to attend and enjoy the sights of the Ashwood housing commission area. It was a hot night and I decided to walk (briskly, of course). My Garmin read that I had travelled 10.4kms in 2hr 32mins but that was when I read it from the comfort of my chair at Bruce's BBQ much later.

Regarding the Night-O, I forgot to mention that the organisers left nothing to chance when it came to the clue sheet. The clues were printed on the back of the map. Additionally, as it was not an SI event, the clues were also thoughtfully printed on the control card. And if that wasn't enough, there was also a clue sheet available. And in case you were visually impaired, then there was a large print version of this available also. 4 lots of clues in total!

Actually, I don't think anyone looked a the clues at all - because all the controls were clearly visible for miles around due to reflective tape that caught the torch light in the night!

Day-O at Mia Mia. I decided to go for the high pointers out west and enjoyed these, but doubt that I would have been able to find them at night. I felt good jogging all the way around and enjoyed the scenery. I was early back.

Another learning today was not to wave and smile at passing men, however charning they may be. For the second time in as many weeks I have smiled and waved at Bruce P only to immediately twist my ankle (not seriously) while watching him heading off into the distance.

I had a late night last night after attending a colleague's retirement dinner. Fortunately it was held just down the bike track from my house in Blackburn so it was an easy stroll home.

I have been meaning to one day attend one of the regular street-O training runs on Saturday morning. The opportunity presented itself when I looked on the website and found that today's started IN MY STREET and there was clearly no excuse for not attending (although was last to arrive - at 09:59 - and I did have a slightly wonky tummy). Despite this, I had a lovely slow jog around the streets, lanes and parks of Blackburn. I'm off to the Night-O tonight (and Day-O tomorrow) at Maldon, so didn't want to overdo it. Beeeautiful sunny day!

Night-O champs at Mia Mia. After setting up the tent and cooking a BBQ, we headed off at 21:00. I forgot to set my Garmin until about 30 mins in, so distance is an estimate. Now Night-O is an activity where size definitely counts - and therefore found myself teaming up with Ian who claimed to have this attribute (i.e. he had just been shopping for a bigger and better light) - which could have been OK had he had bothered to turn it on (or to get his compass out during the first 30 mins). Anyway, once we got organised, we were fine, but took on too many low pointers and set way too an ambitious course, so had to sprint the last 20 mins home. Of course Ian, gentleman as he is, sprinted past to beat me at the finish.

It was a course that caught out a few people (probably because they didn't have good lights). A specific reminder was given to Bendigo people at the start - "don't be late" - not sure of the reason for this - unless Bendigo people *being from the country* are notoriously always late :) I won womens' vets and got a very large block of chocolate (as yet unopened) for my efforts.

A wonderful session of yoga at lunchtime - really balanced and causing me to stretch in all the places that need it. I am now well-primed for a hectic physical and social weekend. Couldn't help thinking that life is short and you've got to go with your intuition about how yours should be.

Street O at (very hilly) Greensborough. I organised to travel there by train and then be driven home by (Mrs) Prez Now Retired (but not yet retired), However the walk from the station proved as navigationally difficult and as long as the event itself. I did C course (12 controls - 4.7kms) but due to a complex map, few creek crossings and bad route choice, I was left with no option but to run 7 kms. Another 2 kms or so and I could have completed A course - 18 controls. Ah well - all good exercise.

Street-O at Glen Iris. I felt a bit like a lump of lead but continued on regardless. I took a lightly longer route than others - in order to avoid the berations of a householder who was yelling at everyone who cut directly down the side of the bike track through a garden bed - the ideal route. No doubt she was very hoarse by the end of the event.

I avoided cutting directly across the railway line - so as not to be labelled a 'homicidal/suicidal maniac' - the desciption used by this evening's train driver for a woman (with pram) crossing the line at Box Hill. I think the pram may have become stuck, the train stopped and the police called. Everyone was relieved that the 'maniac' was off the train and not a gun-toting male on the train.

C • Hardly! 1

A walk round Blackburn, Nunawading and North Blackburn. Energy levels are still down.

The promised rain fell as one very heavy storm overnight and then the weather returned to being hot and extremely humid. I went to Wang today for some shopping and ran around the bike tracks - however felt hot and weary the whole way.

A swim in the Benalla pool - and not feeling particularly enthusiastic. The girl at the counter apologised for being frazzled - 'we are very busy' - but I'm not sure how this could be, as there were only 3 people (including me) in the pool (although there was a collection of toddlers in the hydro pool). Heavy rains are expected in the NE today - but we are still waiting for them to start. Trivia for the day - apparently Ned Kelly left behind a set of draft plans for a "Republic of the North East " - which sounds a good idea to me!

An hour's yoga at lunchtime. Back to Benalla tonight. The countdown has started.

Street-O at Blind Creek tonight. I walked - for no reason other than that I didn't feel like running.

I went to the dentist this morning. He explained that my chocolate addiction was likely to be cured in the long term by a possible chocolate shortage caused by Africa cutting back on cocoa production. Chocolate would be back on the luxury goods list (where it belongs).

I had a really bad sleep (inexplicable) - not going to sleep until 4.00am - and felt really ordinary all day. Poor sleep means grumpy, more eating and no exercise.

Standing on the morning train I found myself fascinated by a large flying bug which had landed on the head of an immaculately seated woman below and was now running laps. Dlilemma. Knock it off and create a scene for attacking the woman? Say something (thereby creating attention to the situation in the otherwise silent crowded train)? Or ignore it and look the other way? I chose the latter. At Parliament I followed her up the escalator. At this point some others had noticed the still-attached lap-running bug. But still no-one said or did anything.

What goes around comes around. In a odd twist of fate - when I got to Collins St (had an appointment) - *horrors* - I discovered that my fly was undone! Sudden panic - were all the other train travellers sitting around me pondering the same dilemma regarding me ....?

C • karma 8

An hour's yoga after work. I haven't been for over a week and was quite seized up (after 5 runs last week).

I went to a friend's 50th birthday party at Smythesdale (near Ballarat) last night. The house was tucked into an area of extremely fire prone bush - which is rather odd for a fire person - near Watson's Hill. It looked beautiful around there, with all the wildflowers out. I am curious to know whether this area has an O-map (or whether it is about to get an O-map).

I camped the night on the property - and on poking my head out the tent door, had my face promptly washed by two very friendly retrievers, who then also brought me breakfast (bone). Bed, bath and breakfast. What more could you want. With no local events on, I then sped back to Melbourne to attend Bayside's Port Melbourne 2-hour event.

Only I was late (very) so a very kind John Sheehan gave me an extra half hour, but by the time I was ready there was only 1 hour 40 mins left. I haven't ever run in this area before and it was very interesting - old renovated cottages, big landsaped developments, beach frontage etc. Very nice (but also very windy). I plodded around. There were a few too many controls and they were tightly spaced so it was hard to get into a running pattern (sort of a 2-hour sprint event). You also had a multiple-choice clue sheet to complete - so it took a while to get comfortable with the format and papers that had to be carried. Anyway, I got a decent jog in, which was my aim. We then went off to a nearby cafe for lunch.

Succumbed to more chocolate on arriving home :(

A steady jog down the Gardiners Creek bike trail to Box Hill south then wound my way back through Blackburn South to home.

I have recently developed an unfortunate penchant for peppermint-filled dark chocolate after dinner (my desire for which is exceeded only by a desire for mandarin-filled dark chocolate - which is very hard to come by, except as single chocolates in large boxes of other chocolates which must also be consumed). This HAS GOT TO STOP - as my circumference is showing signs of succumbing to this unfortunate habit.

C • Chocolate 3

Didn't quite make the distance running - walked the last bit.

Nothing. Yoga was booked out and I went off to visit a prospective client at lunchtime - who sent me home with a wheelbarrow load of work for December.

Had planned to go to street-O, got changed and headed off. Halfway there I decided I didn't feel like going, did a U-turn, went grocery shopping and returned home to watch TV.

My prospective clients appear to have not read my email very well - "Leaves DSE at the end of November, has a holiday in December and starts business in January". "Come and collect the work", they said, "It's all stacked up in boxes on the desk". At least I know I wont be short of work.

Course C again at street O at Nunawading. This was my third day of running in a row (I usually avoid consecutive days) and I stil feel OK. Although I did start out too hard. Maybe more regular shorter runs is the key.

Another relaxing jog around the lake in glorious sunshine. The lake is full but very brown. I saw a swimmer in a wetsuit out today. Swimming in the lake is one of the things I enjoy about Benalla - but I will wait until the dirt settles out (hopefully) and the water temperature goes up. Most other Benalla people are horrified at the prospect of swimming there - but I've done it for years with no ill-effects.

I went down the street yesterday. It is slightly offputting when people recognise me - especially when 1) I don't recognise them, and 2) if I do, can't remember their names or how I know them.

Woke up feeling better. The sun was out and I went for a relaxed jog around the lake.

...followed by a relaxing swim in the pool. Times all slow today - but better than nothing