Training Log Archive: jennycas

Event: National Orienteering Leagues 1&2 / NSW State Leagues 1&2
 

I runned orienteering, it was fun :) Also it was the NOL relay. First runned Liv, then runned Bridget. And Bridget brought us back in first place! There was no way I was going to hang on to that but only Tash (I was glad to see her at the 3rd control because I thought I may have overrrun it) and Belinda (although I never saw her, she went through me before the spectator control so at least the time I lost on 8 after the end of the runthrough didn't lose any more places) overtook me, so we ended up 3rd, for the 4th year in a row now. I think we were all pretty happy with that, even if the ACT junior girls did beat us.

Hill End's a lovely town in the autumnal afternoon light but it's kinda frigid here this evening, glad I'm not camping! The Royal Hotel's a very popular place for dinner but the dining room only holds about 20 people so the Arrows shivered outside for a while until our food finally came. And all I had to do afterwards was walk upstairs to the antiquated possibly-haunted bedrooms, instead of driving back to Bathurst (was actually tempted to sneak upstairs and put on my PJs as thermals while waiting for dinner).

NOL relay Womens Relay - Splits

Finally this morning I managed to consume enough salt to alleviate my 3-day headache (although not 3-week neck stiffness) but my brain is just so full of things I need to do, that it literally can't hold any more. Unloaded a few frustrations on to Zara and also told her a bonus anecdote about how last night in the fading light I was following a bearing towards a rather dilapidated termite mound when I realised it had feathers, a long neck, and little beady eyes! Gave that one, and the other unmapped 'termite mound' nearby, rather a wide berth...at least they didn't stand up & chase me.

Pretty sure this course was originally from the Summer Of Stefano (and before he'd remapped any vegetation changes...). Got around ok without aggravating too much the ankle I'd tweaked last Sunday, but think 4 more km this Sunday will be a struggle, especially as I have last start in W21 (and will therefore see no one on my course) which is clearly a punishment for being vain enough to enter 'elites'.

C • Vanity 1

Working off some frustrations, also hopefully working off the junk food that was initially consumed as a band-aid measure.

Very convenient that today's event was literally next door to the caravan park; the last time I remember doing this combination was an Arrows' training weekend in 2008 when we'd all had a fine evening at the Pt Elliot pub, so running felt somewhat difficult that day. It felt difficult now also but that's because my legs are 11 years older; after sending my parents off to walk the easy course, I staggered painfully around the long - 3 minutes slower than a lady who'd had a baby 6 months ago! Great ocean views though, and unlike on Granite Island the natural beauty of the rocks and coastline wasn't marred by stupid modernistic sculptures.

Perfect water temperature in Horseshoe Bay afterwards, so I jumped a few waves with Bridget & then Zara, before retreating slightly sunburned and setting up a foreshore sandwich-production-line for family & friends. Hands up if anyone's read all the way through the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series to the 5th book - Mostly Harmless - when Arthur Dent is stranded on a planet where he becomes known as The Sandwich Maker? That's me; the Sandwich Maker (even if I didn't have any Perfectly Normal Beast to put in them).