Attackpoint - performance and training tools for orienteering athletes

Training Log Archive: TheInvisibleLog

In the 31 days ending Jan 31, 2007:

	activity	#	time	miles		km		+m
	Running	23	19:30:08	122.71	(9:32)	197.48	(5:56)	2490
	MTB (Not O)	11	9:10:51	87.13		140.23		345
	Real Orienteering	5	4:26:14	17.21	(15:28)	27.69	(9:37)	967	65 /	76c	85%
	Back, core and achilles	14	2:23:00
	Total	28	35:30:13	227.05		365.39		3802	65 /	76c	85%
	[1-5]	27	33:40:13
averages - sleep:6 rhr:45 weight:78.9kg

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Wednesday Jan 31, 2007 #

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [0]
rhr:45 slept:6.0 weight:78.6kg

Running 58:56 [3] 10.6 km (5:34 / km) +85m 5:21 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Easy run. Must be the start of school new year resolutions. Met 6 people out in the forest today.

MTB (Not O) 45:00 [1] 11.0 km (4:05 / km) +50m 4:00 / km

I sometimes see the word 'cruisy' used to describe a ride. I suspect this is meant to mean 'easy' or 'gentle'. Not sure. If it does have this meaning, I could have described this ride as very that way. Logging more tracks in the Whipstick, with Julie tagging along. But I can't bring myself to use that word. I'm sorry, but it conjours images of the Castro district in San Framcisco in the 80s, or worse still, the village people. Another word appropriated by a sub-culture and forever destroyed for my generation.

Tuesday Jan 30, 2007 #

Running warm up/down 24:16 [2] 4.0 km (6:04 / km) +45m 5:45 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Running hills 20:51 [4] 2.76 km (7:33 / km) +270m 5:04 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

First rays of the sun touching the tops of the trees when I was half way up the first hill ascent. Its the time of morning that can inspire one.. but not today. The three repeats of the hill truly felt like hard work. No running reverie like last week.

Running 16:27 [2] 2.76 km (5:58 / km)
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Running back down the hill, taking care not to stumble and wreck my ankle again. Rough country.

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [0]
weight:78kg

Monday Jan 29, 2007 #

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [0]
weight:77.4kg

MTB (Not O) 50:45 [2] ** 13.13 km (3:52 / km) +70m 3:46 / km

Went for a ride after work to spin the legs while resting the right foot. Took the bike on the car out to the area north of Fiddlers Green, and did some GPS logging of tracks. I might come out here to run. besides being really peaceful, quite a few of the tracks are sandy rather than the usual combination of Bendigo clay-concrete and rock.
Knocked off about 10 k of tracks... a small step towards the long term aim of a rogaining map for the Whipstick. And yes, it would be a suitable extension to the existing (and apparently much loved and hated) MTBO Whipstick map. But don't get too excited. North of the existing map the land status changes to National park. Given the banning of MTBO from One Tree Hill and Mandurang, I wouldn't even bother seekinga permit. Sad irony is that I can ride around on the tracks as a provate individual and there is no signage to indicate I shouldn't. Only the organised get controlled!

C • The organised get controlled 2

Sunday Jan 28, 2007 #

Running long 2:24:21 [2] 24.25 km (5:57 / km) +265m 5:39 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Struggled today. Went out with Julie on her current marathon program long run circuit. First half hour was hard as I warmed up. Next hour was very social. Discussed the family issues that needed discussion. The last hour was a real struggle, with Julie visible in the distance ahead.

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [0]
weight:78kg

Saturday Jan 27, 2007 #

Event: World Booze-O Championships

Back, core and achilles warm up/down 10:00 [0]
weight:77.6kg

Running warm up/down 35:51 [2] 6.51 km (5:30 / km) +85m 5:10 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Running tempo 20:19 [5] 4.6 km (4:25 / km) +55m 4:10 / km

Tried at full effort. 25 seconds behind the last time on this circuit. That was just b4 the 5 days. Wind the main reason, with possibly a good three weeks of heavy training (for me) as well.

Running warm up/down 13:00 [1] 2.1 km (6:11 / km)

Friday Jan 26, 2007 #

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [0]
weight:77.6kg

Running warm up/down 33:00 [2] 5.9 km (5:36 / km) +55m 5:21 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Much changes in a day. Felt really tired, slow etc. Couldn't have run hard if I had wanted to.

Thursday Jan 25, 2007 #

Running warm up/down 10:21 [2] 1.9 km (5:27 / km) +30m 5:03 / km
weight:78kg shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Running tempo 46:19 [4] 9.58 km (4:50 / km) +120m 4:33 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Funny thing. It started as an easy run after a hard hill session yesterday. I felt good in the warm up which is very unusual. So in response I just kept increasing the pace. After 8k I was down to 4.20 (up a hill). So I kept it up and the last k was 3.45. Seductive things these GPS watches. I think this is my fastest time ever for this circuit, which is a bit of a shock. Must make tomorrow easy.
First cobweb for the season. Sure response to a summer rain event. Maybe this year's Fowl and Fizz will turn into a web breaker. Its years since we had one where the forest was a mass of Golden Orb webs. Not for the faint-hearted arachnaphobe.

Running warm up/down 13:00 [1] 2.0 km (6:30 / km)
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [0]

MTB (Not O) warm up/down 30:40 [2] 8.6 km (3:34 / km) +55m 3:27 / km
weight:78kg

Spinning the legs to recover from this morning.

Wednesday Jan 24, 2007 #

Running warm up/down 23:00 [2] 4.0 km (5:45 / km) +45m 5:27 / km
weight:78.6kg shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Running hills 20:20 [4] 2.76 km (7:22 / km) +270m 4:57 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Back onto the hill, and bumped it up to three repetitions.
3 * 920m + 90m
Pretty solid workout. Surprisingly, on the third repetition I got into that zone where you suddenly realise some minutes have passed and you can't recall the running in that time. Its steeper towards the top of the hill and thats when I snapped out of it.

Running 16:50 [2] 2.76 km (6:06 / km)
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Back down each hill. Not too fast as its very rocky. Can't afford to get into that zone of dreaming here.

MTB (Not O) 34:00 [2] 11.0 km (3:05 / km) +100m 2:57 / km

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [1]
weight:78.6kg

Tuesday Jan 23, 2007 #

Running warm up/down 10:03 [2] 1.65 km (6:05 / km) +25m 5:40 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Running felt hard today.

Running 31:26 [3] 6.17 km (5:06 / km) +35m 4:57 / km
weight:79.2kg shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [0]
weight:79.2kg

Monday Jan 22, 2007 #

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [0]

Note
weight:78.6kg (rest day)

Sunday Jan 21, 2007 #

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [0]
weight:80kg

MTB (Not O) warm up/down 10:00 [2] 3.5 km (2:51 / km)

Running long 1:26:35 [4] 16.9 km (5:07 / km) +160m 4:54 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

This used to be my standard long run. Originally it used to take about 100 minutes. Eventually it became a test run. Thought I'd use it today to ease the foot back into long runs. Went hard and was pretty happy with the time. The last time I was this fast was in 2003. But that year I was a lot faster..... 79 minutes. I don't think I'll ever see those times again.

Saturday Jan 20, 2007 #

Running 1:02:30 [3] 11.3 km (5:32 / km) +85m 5:20 / km
weight:80kg shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Rain brings out the wildlife

A gentle run in the rain. First run at 4 in the afternoon for a few months. Body is obviously more used to 6 am. Met two of the species Jogger Irregularis. Never seen either of them out on my 11k trail before. In fact, never seen anyone out there other than Julie. Had a chat to one. Said his last run was in November and it had been too hot since then. I told him he needed a spouse who woke for pre 6am runs. He didn't like that. It was pleasant to see good evidence that running more than once between November and late January helps with speed. I thought I was running slowly, but he receded quickly.

The other species encountered was a feral pest. Biker destructivus maximus. Rain brings out the bikers who want mud. Over the past 5 years they must have been as frustrated as white water kayakers round here. There is a grade 4 rapid on the Loddon River near Bridgewater, and a grade 3 I think near English Bridge on the Campaspe. Never seen either of these rapids in spete, just beleiving the local paddlers.

Had my own experience with mud, and it reminded me why the farmers who once worked this area referred to it as Sunday soil country. Too wet to work Saturday, Too dry Monday. You only get Sunday. The rain is very gentle. Only 8 mm over 6 hours. But it is enough to have the runnels down the tracks running well. The soil has been dry for so long it is hydrophobic. The ground is generally very hard still. The only place where the track has softened for running are occasional stretches of what passes for sand here, or an uphill section of very red sodic soil. Probably subsoil. It transforms quickly from concrete to sticky red glue. It happened this afternoon. The runners need a clean.

Friday Jan 19, 2007 #

Running 55:30 [3] 10.4 km (5:20 / km) +100m 5:06 / km
weight:78.6kg shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Humid. Hot. Horrible. Massive rainstorm last night. At least 3 mm.

MTB (Not O) warm up/down 12 [2] 4.0 km (3 / km) +30m 3 / km

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [1]

Note

One of the tasks for the weekend is to write a summary of my experiences with GPS as a mapping tool. Sort of useful will be my conclusion. But I'm far more interested in LIDAR and digital mapping. Here is one way of mapping the Hattah area. You could consider this as a map based on 20 cm contour intervals. The colour gradient doesn't really show it. Someone sent this map to Obewan who passed it on to me.

Is the area good for orienteering. Well, parts might be. There isn't much runnable sand dune country in Victoria. This is runnable. But its a long way from Melbourne. Obewan and I are more interested in organising a rogaine here. We had a great time at the Wilderness navigation challenge using a map with aerial vegetation detail and 10 metre contours. the contours were dodgy. The vegetation image was very useful in part of the map. This is what the red gum country looks like.

If we could get access to the LIDAR data and recent aerial digital photography, a very good rogaining map would be possible, with little time in the field. BTW, thats a 1km grid as far as I can work out.
More images at the photobucket site.
http://s132.photobucket.com/albums/q4/neil_barr/Ha...

Thursday Jan 18, 2007 #

MTB (Not O) 30:14 [2] 9.5 km (3:11 / km)
weight:79.2kg

Wednesday Jan 17, 2007 #

Back, core and achilles 10:00 [0]
weight:79.8kg (injured)

MTB (Not O) warm up/down 15:00 [1] 4.4 km (3:25 / km) +40m 3:16 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Running 45:00 [2] 7.7 km (5:51 / km) +40m 5:42 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Intended to ride, but after a week with over 5 hours of riding, my back was back to its behaviour of a decade ago. I heeded the warning signs and went for a prophylactic run. It mightn't have been the best for my ankle, but I know from experience I can be in a lot of trouble if I don't get the back moving at this stage.
After the easy run, I was 1.5 kilos lighter. I think it must be humid. And 24 degrees at 7am.

Tuesday Jan 16, 2007 #

Running 33:00 [3] 6.1 km (5:25 / km) +55m 5:11 / km
(injured) shoes: New Balance Road shoes

After three days the bike is in for a retune. Must have given it a pounding. Gentle run to test out the ankle. Survived, but will be taking it easy on it this week still.

Monday Jan 15, 2007 #

MTB (Not O) 50:00 [3]
weight:78.6kg (injured)

Note

Another day. Amother area of unmapped sluice mining detail. Despite the quality of terrain, there isn't enough of it for a major event. Pity. Maybe another ironman location.

More tomorrow.

Sunday Jan 14, 2007 #

MTB (Not O) 2:35:00 [3] 34.7 km (4:28 / km)
weight:78.6kg (injured)

Another bike day to protect the ankle. Mostly spent on single tracks in a small unmapped area about 4 kilometres from home, maybe four kilometres from Bendigo central (sorry). Its big enough for a local event. Some gullying and an area of reef mining. Lots of tracks. I travelled them all and logged about 25 k of them. Some are pretty rough. I backed off when faced with a narrow track on the edge of a 3-4 metre drop into a gully.

Some observations for the day:

Water theft. Sounds funny, until you are on level four restrictions. I can just guess what will happen in Melbourne if they end up on this level. Saw a 4 wheel drive coming out of the bush with a 6*4 trailer and a 1 metre water cube. A water cube is a plastic sack enclosed by a wire mesh casing. Thats the backyard way of carting water, and there are lots of cubes about. This cube must have been holding water that came from a bush dam. Most of these bush dams are there to hold water for neighbouring properties. I suppose bush water theft is inevitable given tanks at sports grounds and community facilities have been raided in the wee small hours. Some people put a high personal value on their gardens.

Autopause. It happened a few times. Down to lowest gear, going up a steep rocky track, panting and just keeping balance, when the GPS decides I have stopped exercising and stops recording. Deflating.

Dogs. Some fools walking with some sort of bull terrier cross. They saw me coming so called their dog and held it. But no lead in sight. Dog went free when I passed. There were quite a few people down the track in front of them, but like most Bendigo bogans, they acted as though the bush was theirs alone.

Spectator encouragement. New to this bike thing. What is it about bogans that they think they are smart to scream some inane smart alec comment from the car window as they pass? Merely demonstrating the prevailing IQ in the car might just reach the population mean if summed across all occupants? Does this happen with monotonous regularity to everyone else on a bike? Might stick to bush tracks despite the dogs. Taser gun would be nice though.

C • Bogans on Bikes 13

Saturday Jan 13, 2007 #

Running 43:00 [2] 5.0 km (8:36 / km) +40m 8:16 / km
weight:79.2kg (injured) shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Test run on the ankle. Took it very slow, but spent most time in some unmapped sluice erosion terrain, just exploring. The terrain is on the edge of Bendigo suburbia.

MTB (Not O) 2:10:00 [3] 40.4 km (3:13 / km)

New toy, so went for a spin. Some single track (through New St Mungo, Fiddlers green, Peter the Great Gully and Ironstone hill, some roads and a spin or two round the velodrome. The latter was a lactic experience. Probably have to do it again tomorrow rather than run.

Friday Jan 12, 2007 #

Note

Went on a long drive yesterday. On the way back home after work was done, I had the chance to visit some interesting terrain. Any guesses?

C • Let me guess 2

Thursday Jan 11, 2007 #

Note
weight:80.6kg (injured) (rest day)

Ankle deteriorating on the hard baked clay surfaces round here. Appreciated getting up at 7 rather than 5.50 as well.

C • A few days rest sounds wise 7

Note

Sitting on my bum, thought I might look over the training volume last year. The following graph is a volume log for each year since 2001. Its a smoothed 4 week average.

Almost reached my best yearly distance logged in 2005. Looks like I was periodising my training, but I think planned periods were less influential than holidays, short days and injury. One consistent through the years is getting enthusiastic about November. Every second year this leads to injury. Maybe thats happening again. Then there is generally a drop in volume for Easter. Getting revved up again through winter is generally beyond my enthusiasm until 2006. I think Lithuania had a bit to do with that. Then wind back for Oz Champs, but mostly that means no wind back at all. Then new season's resolution again.
MAYBE THIS PERSPECTIVE WILL CONVINCE ME TO REST THE ANKLE.
And how do I regulate the width of these notes?

C • width 2

Wednesday Jan 10, 2007 #

Running warm up/down 24:47 [2] 3.7 km (6:42 / km) +40m 6:21 / km
weight:80.2kg (injured) shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Running hills 16:42 [4] 2.24 km (7:27 / km) +190m 5:14 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Intended to do the hill 3 times, but cut it off at twice. Ankle seems to have regressed to a higher pain level. perhaps the bike tomorrow.

Running 14:20 [2] 2.24 mi (6:24 / mi)
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Back down the hill. Particularly tough on the ankle.

Tuesday Jan 9, 2007 #

Running 1:00:16 [3] 8.91 km (6:46 / km) +150m 6:14 / km
(injured) shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Sore ankle still. Slow track logging.

Monday Jan 8, 2007 #

Note
weight:79.2kg (injured)

First rest day in almost 3 weeks. I really wanted to run when Jools alarm went off this morning at 6.30. But I decided to finally give my right ankle a rest. It was injured on day 1 of the 5 days, but I managed to keep running, if slowly. The splits make it quite obvious that i was slowest on the downhill legs and relatively fast on the uphill. Pity about the navigation. So this is the day to reward the ankle. But a gentle run this evening does sound tempting.

Sunday Jan 7, 2007 #

Running warm up/down 15:00 [1] 2.0 km (7:30 / km) +10m 7:19 / km
(injured) shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Real Orienteering race (Gumble Pinnacles) 48:44 [5] *** 5.73 km (8:30 / km) +150m 7:31 / km
spiked:16/18c (injured) shoes: New Balance Road shoes

RAIN AT MAQUARIE WOODS

This was always going to be a runners day. Fast country in an unusually pleasant pine plantation area. Better fun than I remembered from the Family Relay a decade ago. Turned out to be a climbers day as well. The altitude profile tells the story. Check out the green line. The first third of the course drops 120 metres, the last third climbs it back again.

As you would expect, the ankle constrained the downhill sprint. A slight wobble on control 7 cost 30 seconds or so. By then the three runners starting after me in the chasing start had caught me. I was particularly surprised by Geoff Peel being in the bunch. But once the climb started I was confident of making up that ground, which i did and more. Converted a 2 minute deficit into a 4 minute gain. Couldn't keep up with Ted though. No one could this day. Clean navigation which isn't always obvious on the GPS thread. The signal kept dropping out in the pine forest.

All in all I felt good about today, which was a change from the two days at Gumble. Loved the fast running, which is ironic seeing speed is not my strong point.

C • no race reports? 6

Saturday Jan 6, 2007 #

Running warm up/down 10:00 [1] 1.0 km (10:00 / km) +10m 9:31 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Real Orienteering race (Gumble Pinnacles) 56:48 [4] **** 5.95 km (9:33 / km) +260m 7:50 / km
spiked:10/12c (injured) shoes: New Balance Road shoes

MORE STUPIDITY

Long course setting by Julian in the nicest section of the Gumble map. A great morning of orienteering, marred only by my stupidity and weather a little on the warm side for the later starters.

The GPS track doesn't lie. I vowed to take the course carefully after yesterday. But caught 2 runners by no. 2 and got a bit excited. The idea was to end up in the gully that runs straight to 3, but initially go up the ridge on the right. A ridge too far and a long period of self seception meant I ended up way too high. Hard to belivee really. A slight wobble on 10 but couldn't undo the damage. You rarely can.

Friday Jan 5, 2007 #

Running warm up/down 15:00 [1] 2.0 km (7:30 / km) +30m 6:59 / km
(injured) shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Real Orienteering race (Gumble Pinnacles) 54:24 [4] **** 5.4 km (10:04 / km) +190m 8:34 / km
spiked:14/16c shoes: New Balance Road shoes

START STUPIDITY

Middle distance setting by Shep on the most complex part of the Gumble map.

Hubris after a good result yesterday. Rushed off at the start down the wrong gully and lost 4 minutes by refusing to concede stupidity. Lost concetration between 7 and 8 and lost contact. Went too far right and ended up in the clearing. Mis read the contour direction. I can't believe how stupid I was. Saved by being on the control side of the boulder and saw it from some distance.

Thursday Jan 4, 2007 #

Real Orienteering race (Kahli's Rocks) 43:10 [4] **** 5.45 km (7:55 / km) +122m 7:07 / km
spiked:13/14c (injured) shoes: New Balance Road shoes

MASS START MADNESS

Wasn't optimistic today with the traditional mass start event. My sore ankle meant I had no hope of keeping up with the pack. The first 5 controls were a downhill sprint. I lost sight of the back of the pack by 4. The choice to 5 was straight line risk or a diversion left and then along the fence to a strong attack point. I took the fence because I thought it might be both safer and better for the ankle. I had given up on the main bunch. A little wobble on the way to 5 was the only blemish today. From 6 it was a long uphill slog. I was now in a small pack consisting of the lead women's B runners and a couple of blokes. I had the pleasure of gradually pulling away with the climb. Midway between 11 and 12 I had lost site of them. The main bunch was still nowhere to be seen up ahead. Finished strongly on the last hill climb and arrived to find a reasonably empty assembly area. It seems the main pack had a big blue on the straight run to 5. Everyone expected someone else to navigate. Somehow I finished up in 3rd position. First and second pretty much had solo runs like I had. The ankle problem turned into an advantage.

Similar story of pack stupidity in the A course. Someone ask Simon Goddard how he could lead a pack astray without thinking to read a map. Sometimes orienteers can be real sheep. I like this format event.

Running warm up/down 10:00 [1] 1.5 km (6:40 / km) +20m 6:15 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Wednesday Jan 3, 2007 #

Event: Ultimax 5-Days

Real Orienteering race (Kahli's Rocks) 1:03:08 [4] **** 5.16 km (12:14 / km) +245m 9:53 / km
spiked:12/16c (injured) shoes: New Balance Road shoes

JUST IN TIME NAVIGATION!

Day 1 began with some just in time navigation. And I mean JUST in time. Planned to leave Bendigo at 6.15. Somehow timetable urgency doesn't filter through to the passengers' brains. We leave bendigo at 6.45am. Constant driving with the absolute minimum of stops. We arrive at Kahli's Rocks in just enough time for Ryan to get to his start with 30 seconds to spare!

I was entered in course 3.. my age group. The first time ever at a 5 days. Pity about missing the sprint format. The opinion seems to be that only the young ones like that discipline. Well, hear me. I AM NOT AGE APPROPRIATE. Well not for sprints. Maybe a 12 k long is beyond me though.

So how di my race go? In a word.. scrappy to shocking. The GPS track below tells the story. Injured my ankle between 3 and 4. Thats a good start to the week. Major error on the shortest leg of the course, 5-6. Went far too high on 7-8. A function of feeling strong on the climb so not avoiding it. By now Roch has caught me. He has picked up 3-4 minutes on me. We race along to a joint major error near 10. Things come good on the hills that finish the race. I pull back all but a minute of the time I had lost to Roch, so at least something to smile about. Might have reclaimed that minute if I hadn't made a thumbing error and gone to 14 b4 13! Still, I sprinted to 14 the second time and had the dubious pleasure of the fastest split!

Good courses in terrain that has thickened and roughened up bit in the last 10 years. The elites avoided this by doing their sprint up the top of the escarpment.

Running warm up/down 15:00 [2] 1.5 km (10:00 / km) +20m 9:22 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

Tuesday Jan 2, 2007 #

Back, core and achilles 13:00 [1]
weight:79.6kg

Running 57:11 [3] 8.52 km (6:43 / km) +100m 6:20 / km
shoes: New Balance Road shoes

2273 kilometres for the year. 100 more than last year, 50 less than 2004.

Monday Jan 1, 2007 #

Running 1:07:57 [3] 10.8 km (6:17 / km) +55m 6:08 / km
weight:79.6kg

More track logging in the Crusoe area. As I get closer to housing, the track density increases exponentially. Unusually humid for Bendigo.
After a brief few days being ahead of Blair in the time aggregate, I note that normality has been restored with BT's long run yesterday and my opting for technical training at Korong instead of a long run. Driving day tomorrow.

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