Training Log Archive: satay

Took lots of time to warm up my sore right hamstrings, probably due to all the mileage from yesterday.

Messed up first control. Unsure initially if I could run up between the tennis courts, and then ran up the stairs W before realizing what I was doing and had to come back down to get control 1.
Control 2 was not under the canopy as described, but I had look over the railings and spotted a control there. Looked around the canopy again and decided that lower control was too close not to be the control. It was the correct number. Either control placement error or description error.
Was careful to pick route to control 5. But got a little confused coming out of it to 6 and decided to climb the fence and go via the road instead.
Control 8 was a real hit and miss and I went to 2 dead ends before finding the correct passageway. Detail too hard to read. Maybe I need better glasses?
Control 9. I deliberately went down E early down the stairs, and then NNW up the path, right angle turn W , expecting to get into the undercover area. But ?? Nothing added up. Ran along that level, then down to ground level via the mesh stairwell, then up to third level. Trying to work out what was mapped. Finally, Richard came by straight to the control behind the walls. Thankfully I was at ground level then. Decided that I had to take time to see this whole area properly from a mappers perspective and then realised I had gone into the internal stairwell mapped as dark grey to access the various levels. So I was using Out of bounds internal stairs. I knew then I would be DQ'ed for it as unmapped internal stairs inside buildings are out of bounds.
Anyhow, had to run down a couple of the parallel buildings to work out how I could get down towards 10. Messy control and I will go back to have a good look at the area again next weekend.

Took my time to slowly do the rest of the controls. My time wasn't counting and I had taken time to assess the area around 9 anyhow, so it wasn't going to be an inspiring run. Downloaded and DQ'ed myself.

Basically had to leave straight away to take David to the airport.

Disappointing run.

Event: NOL Round 1
 

Spent an hour getting 16 controls out.
Then helped Liz with another 3 before heading off to Roma St.
Temperature this morning was so much nicer that the last few days.

Relays with team mate, Clare Leung

I was a little tired with the late night and early morning. Tried to focus but there were too many things on my mind. So glad to have a break here and run on Wendy's new map. Never been to Roma St park before and it looks lovely.
First run was a disaster due to my slackness in reading detail. Ended with a really terrible route choice and having to go in circles to get across the bridge....definitely disliked running extra distance. Orienteering really implements natural negative reinforcements for errors. Much like a double whammy. Make a mistake and you not only feel endless frustration with your error, you get punished by having to run the extra distance, or even worse, climb the extra hill. So I got punished. Was also feeling faint on my return and I knew that was due to low blood sugar.....so sucked on a Chupa chup. Felt little better.
Clare looked chirpy on her return, and I aimed to route plan a little better. Much better run second time round. Took 4 minutes off my first run. Looking at the results, we both did better on our second runs.
Had to dash off straight away to get more controls out at Griffith.

Great little area with good fun courses.

Got the rest of the controls out with Liz.

Starting to feel weary in the legs. Think my adrenaline is keeping me going.

Hope the event goes well. So much time and neurons have gone into it.

Early morning jog to escape the heat and traffic at a Griffith Uni to check all the controls and surroundings. Just in case there are any new out of bounds areas that have popped up.
Thankfully not!!
Phew!

Lots of residents starting to arrive and thankfully that area is Out of Bounds for the race and we are parking at the opposite end of the campus.

Met up with Anna again for 400 m intervals.

Doing 3 lots of 400 m are about my limit. Recovery time is too short for me to keep going, or else I loose too much pace.

Enjoy the distance. Short and sweet. Could even be shorter!

Managed to dnf for street O due to slacking off with my concentration and so I missed picking up one control when it would have made no difference to the distance.
Need to maintain concentration when the going gets easier. Always my problem.

Pleased with my route choice and it was fun meeting Tony Howes on the fence. He climbed the gate while I climbed the fence at the same time.....not sure if a route choice should encourage runners climbing. But orienteers do end up in all sorts of places.