Training Log Archive: slow-twitch

Reasonable warmup before race, barely able to jog for a couple of minutes afterwards

Long race at Waitarere. Feeling pretty stuffed right from the start but soldiered on. Things going well for the first hour, although one of those races where while I was mostly always exactly were I wanted to be, often wasn't sure of it at the time. 1:04.5 to the 13th control and on target for 90-100 minutes (probably closer to 100), anything around 90 I'd have been quite happy with. But then hit the low visibility section. Of 6 controls, spiked the last 2, lost some time on the rest, including significant amounts on 14 and especially 16. Relieved to get back into the white forest after that, so relieved that I then completely blew 20 and completely overran 21. Did quite well on the one remaining control before the finish though!

Sub ideal warm-up, running from car to start just in time to be called into pre-start

Middle distance at Waitarere. Possibly the most technical course I've ever run here with some fairly intense things going on in some of the control circles - good work Bill! Slow (especially on the first leg - recovering from the "warm-up" run!) but accurate for most of the course - possibly a minute at most lost on 3 trying to figure out which of the multiple small hills and depressions were which, but otherwise clean to 12. Just off to one side, in the 50:50 situation of just off to which side. Was with P at the time and when she decided to go one way I kinda followed. Wrong time to do so! Then next control headed along a parallel dune system just to the south that I was fitting quite nicely to the one I should've been on. Small loss on the last control, funelling into the wrong depression. Can probably just see 50 minutes, which in the context of how fit I wasn't feeling would be a pretty good time.

Warm down

Event: JWOC Trials & SuperSeries Round 1, Part2
 

Quick little jaunt at the Paekakariki end of QE Park. Realised I'd let the week slip by without any running so ought to get out and loosen up the legs a bit. Used the walking tracks through the dunes - nice and undulating without any excessively long up or downhills and got out on the beach for a bit where it was very comfortable to stretch the legs out a bit more. Thankfully not too hot, even though I'd forgotten that weird sea-mist all across Cook Strait means that things are very warm and very still.

Massey Sprint. Physically was more "on" than last friday, think the run earlier today did more good than harm. Let down a bit by brain on a couple of occasions however. Once again was slow on first leg getting the whole map reading idea back on-line, then blew maybe as much as a minute with a parallel error on 2 that took me down into the big carpark. 8-9 got onto a different route than I intended - still not a bad route but definitely slowed down figuring out why I wasn't seeing what I expected to. Not much time lost but plenty of annoyance as this is the area between the old and new ecology department locations so if I had any home advantage on this map this is where it would be! So in theory I could have been close to 19 minutes which I think I'd have been very happy with. Won by Ross in 13:13, Hubmann another 30 seconds or so, then next best were in high 14 mins (don't know yet how late starters went). So while the head is still not yet up to maths, seems whether or not I got my 50% targets depends on whether we count Ross as a kiwi or euro ;-)

Flood dealt to. All as good as could be. Even the cat missing since friday morning (who personally I'm blaming for the whole scenario) finally reappeared, asking to be let in. At 4 am.