Training Log Archive: Rowl

Event: MTB Orienteering - Pickering Brook
 

Generally a decent ride but with some big mistakes that lost me a lot of time.
1 & 2 easy
3 - long leg. chose to go north first and lost track of where I was a little. Figured it out but then misread a track junction and ended up exploring on the out of bounds areas a bit
4 - easy
5 - somehow managed to misread the main roads intersection - drove past later while control collecting and still missed the road I didnt spot the first time. Had something to eat here and decided to simplify my course choices as I obviously wasnt on the ball today
6 - easy after dodging the trail bike riders zipping around
7 - simple route choice and a late minute decision to avoid the hill worked out well for me
8 - looked at the track spagetti to the south and chose to ride the hill. It was a bit of a grind to the top but the downhill was fun and worth it. I beat some people I left the junction with so I'm pretty happy with that leg
Finish - uphill with soft gravel kindof put me out of the running for the fastest split

Found the nav quite tricky compared to previous M courses - but Wal tells me that M is just a shorter course not easier. I was thinking about moving up to the L course this week but I think the longer M course this week will be a good transition. Nice length ride, legs held up well and I had a lot of fun when I wasnt making silly mistakes.

C • L-M-S 1

Control Collecting (& course modifying)

Got as close as we could in the car and then jogged and rode out to collect controls while Wal was lazy and sat in the car reading. Not sure why I was running around when he only did a short course. Had to modify the map slightly and remove an obstruction at one point when we couldnt get the forester past.

C • I was being gentlemanly 1

Bridges and clams only. Skipped the knee exercises as my knee was a bit niggly after todays efforts.

Medium - Splits

Event: Avon Descent
 

Took it reasonably steady to the freeway and then tried to get a draft from a MTB that passed. When I got behind him I noticed his tdf calves and then tried to hang on as he pushed the speed up - last time I looked at my speed it was over 33km/h and about half way up the freeway I decided to drop off in the interest of this Sundays MTBO and to be nice to myself. Still managed to stay around 28-29km/h so Im "assuming" (just to piss Juffy off) that it wasnt very windy out there this morning.

Tried to hurry home to go out for dinner into a stonking headwind, was struggling until some guy slowly passed me. I all but wedged my front wheel between his cheeks and gratefully accepted a draft all the way to Canning bridge. This gave me lots of energy and legs for the hills near home.

Managed to get into bed nice and early last night and wake up this morning to go paddling feeling if not refreshed then at least passably human.

No wind made for an easy paddle where I could concentrate on fine tuning my technique. I think perhaps I am leg driving too strongly as I am bobbing up and down and when I pulled my feet back from the foot plate I didnt seem to go appreciably slower and the ski definately rocked back and forth less. So I will work on smoother, less violent leg driving and see if it makes a difference.

Legs tired still and I the small bit of wind out there drained all the energy I had left. Hooked onto Saz as she came under the Canning bridge and chatted all the way to the narrows trying not to look like I was dying as I struggled along.

I really tried to take it easy on the way home...

Succeeded okay until about half way down the freeway when a guy wearing shorts and very visible "Calvin Klein" underwear overtook me and sat about 50m in front. I thought I might be able to get a draft off him and take it even easier so I caught up only to have him almost spit on me twice and then almost blow snot all over me. Thanks very much dude - stood up and blasted past him making disgusted noises, but now I was riding harder trying to stay in front cause I didnt want to be caught in his disgusting spray of various bodily fluids.

Eased off again once I got to Canning bridge and realised I had left him far behind. Took it nice and slow and just spun up the hills to home.

Needed support again for SUFS on left leg - knee is still cranky.