Training Log Archive: PrueD

Day 2 - Frazzled Again. After a long rocky downhill walk to the very social start (Hawke08 and Zootrio had the same start time as me) I set off with (horrors) the same problem as yesterday – where the hell was no 1? So a bit of floundering around (not as bad as yesterday) and then all was OK. This was much more open country compared with yesterday and the yellows were very yellow – flat, smooth and open – making for fast running. Again the greens were very green. I was feeling fairly pleased with myself spiking everything from 2-10 (though they seemed much easier than Day1), then we went further into the bush. After a long bush leg, I became slightly disoriented at the fenceline (which was ridiculous as we had passed this on the way to the start). Uncle Jim came by and kindly told me that I was by the fence and this should help. Of course it did and I took a bearing back to my control. I think I was going well until then but then due to brain fade lost it on the last 3 controls – then taking a long route that went through dark green (which meant impenetrable bush where I had to climb up a tree to get up a cliff) – all taking too much time – then home. A slight improvement on yesterday's placing (thank goodness). By now I was getting used to the WA bush – learning to avoid any green like the plague and even avoid any white as that should also have been green. I went up a few places but think that the first control and the last very bad route choices were my downfall.

I wore runners and Bruce's thick socks today – and feet were good. I felt almost human at the end . Afterwards I met some WA AP bloggers including the very cute Tooms Two.

C • Uncle JiM 2

C • Tooms Two... 3

Day 1 - Frazzle Begins. I started fairly late and wore my new shoes again. I was lost instantly on controls 1, 2 and 3. I just couldn't get it together. OWWWW. It was hot, feet were sore and I made long route choices (as you can see from my distance). The day was soooo hot and I felt as though I was on a frying pan when climbing up the bare rock faces that were the optimal route for several legs. Hot hot hot - and my brain had faded! I nearly gave up half way - but limped on rogaine style. Not my best ever event. I drank 4 litres on my return and was well down the results list.

Forgot to say that the course setter was former Bendigo orienteer Noel Shockneck (apologies for spelling). He seened to have learnt his course setting in the same school as Invisible - i.e. hide it behind or inside the biggest pile of fallen timber you can find (and there was a huge amount of this - making some places virtually impassible). I asked Noel about this and he confessed to a certain similarlity to the other course setter!

C • N**L 1

Pre-Frazzled event (Prologue). It was terribly hot and the event started in a hot dusty paddock. The terrain was a granite hillside with cleared patches. It took me a while to get going - which became the norm for the whole event - but once I had found the first control I was OK and enjoyed the run - going from rock clump to rock clump. However I have new shoes and this was their maiden voyage. My feet were killing me by the end and I couldn't have run a step further. I was quite please with where I came.

The highlight of the event was catching up with my former canoeing buddy Karen Lane from LOST who I haven't seen since uni days. We paddled down the Franklin River together in the very early days of the Save the Franklin campaign - thinking we sould never have the chance again.

We went to Kings Park and walked around looking at all the gorgeous WA plants before driving over to York where the orienteering is. The country is terribly dry and the weather awfully hot. I had to pack several weeks ago in Benalla and don't have enough summer clothes.

After a busy day at work I flew with Bruce over to WA for the Easter 3-days. The plane was supposed to leave at 8.20pm but, due to bad weather didn't leave until 9.30pm. I got to bed at 3.00am Melbourne time and didn't sleep well.