Training Log Archive: PrueD

I had a late night last night. Some friends were going to see Blondie and the Pretenders at Rochford Winery (concert in the vinyard) and invited me. I am claustrophobic and don't like mass events held inside - but a vineyard concert seemed like a safe option. So along with 7,000 others, I watched the now 65 year-old Blondie prancing about on stage and crowds of over 50s pretending that they were teenagers again.

Drove back to Benalla this afternoon and walked around the lake (very full) and environs. I haven't been home for ages and there's lots of work to be done.

Anther street-O Saturday morning training run- this time at Yarran Derran/Mullum Mullum. The temperature was high 20s, the humidity high and the sun was out. Although the turnout at these runs is low, I am starting to really enjoy them as they are held in interesting places and I usually feel fairly fresh on a Saturday morning. Today's went through beautiful areas of bushland, along small walking tracks and through some really attractive housing areas. Because the runs are non-competitive and you don't punch controls, you can vary your route to visit places of interest. I felt good this morning and jogged almost all of it (save a few of the steeper hills). (My Garmin battery went flat as I arrived so the distance is a guess).

Horrible humid day. My mosquito bites drove me crazy all day. Highlight of the day was cooking little spinach and fetta (with lemon and mint) pies - which I dutifully took around to Mum's place. Mum rated them 60% and so a fair proportion of them were carted back to my flat. I then gave one to the man upstairs (as a bit of variety to the Subway roll he was about to eat). He looked agahst (spinach!! that's a vegetable!! green!! dangerous!!) . But after a look that could kill, the little pie was duly eaten and declared not only edible but nice.

C • Good deeds. 2

I attended Street-O tonight at Ruffey Park in very (post rain) wet conditions under a backdrop of approaching thunder. Russell Bulman did not disappoint with his well-set course, which was more like a bush-O than a street-O - favouring those who could read detail. The whole park was sodden from the extremely heavy rain that fell during the day and approaching orienteers could be easily detected by the squelch of their shoes (all 3 pairs of my runners at Blackburn are now soggy). I just walked, as my sore throat/cold appears to have come back and I am very itchy due to approximately 20 giant mosquito bites acquired at last night's post O BBQ - I will remember the aeroguard next time.

I spent about half of Tuesday and a good half of today doing mega-gardening in the back yard of my flat (you live in flats to avoid gardening, don't you) - but ours is quite large. I dug out the clothes-line (with big concrete blocks attached) and repositioned it. I pruned (result - a huge pile of creepers) and dug and landscaped. However, midway through yesterday I realised that, similarly to other exercise, you shouldn't really go from doing nothing to doing 5 hours worth (2 days in a row) all at once - and pulled something in my shoulder (trying to lever out a big clump of giant agapanthus). I spent the rest of the day massaging it (it will be OK). The garden bed is almost ready for mulching and planting and I have a plan for a winding brick pathway. I find it odd that none of the other owners, a number of whom don't work, have never bothered to do anything in the garden - whilst I, unemployed for only 3 days, have managed to do more in that time than they have in years.

In the evening I went to street-O at Bellbird Dell. It was very, very wet and all the bush tracks quite perilous. The creek was also flowing strongly. I felt quite tired (from gardening) and heavy (and not recovered from my recent ailment) and walked up the hills. It was a score event (I didn't realise this until the start) and C course only got 45 mins worth. I also forgot to turn on my Garmin and wont event guess the distance (which wasn't far). Odd sight for the evening was Phil Torode doing a Zola Budd (and discovering that bare feet dont have much grip on slippery concrete).

C • Mega Gardening 4

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