Yes I am still here, no blogging due to a mixture of long work hours, other committments and general apathy.
I have been doing some running however competing in the Summer Series last and this Wednesday along with running 25km in the STaR at Homebush on Sunday.
Certainly not ideal but better than nothing I suppose, the Summer Series sessions have been great fartlek type sessions and have been very intense. The STaR on Sunday was tough, got caught up with the 6:20 group for a while and suffered accordingly down the track struggling home in much warmer weather.
Will try to get back on track now with a couple of longer Orienteering/Rogaining events coming up.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Recovery
Had a massage yesterday afternoon, freed things up nicely that were tight but she commented that for sure the lower hammies/tendons behind the knees were inflammed.
So a complete rest today given that tenderness and also while I am "working" over the blisters on my heels.
Summer Series for sure tomorrow afternoon and still having a big rethink about the rest of the year. As much as I regret it seems the tri's may be beyond my reach with everything else that is going on. Work is busier (with more trips planned) and the social calendar at home is also conjested.
So Summer Series is on for sure, might switch and do the 6 hour socialgaine in November (instead of Nepean tri) and now it seems work want me to be in Singapore in early December which is also when the Singapore Marathon and Half Marathon are on so might have a go at that which makes the Canberra Half Iron Man extremely shakey 7 days later.....
So a complete rest today given that tenderness and also while I am "working" over the blisters on my heels.
Summer Series for sure tomorrow afternoon and still having a big rethink about the rest of the year. As much as I regret it seems the tri's may be beyond my reach with everything else that is going on. Work is busier (with more trips planned) and the social calendar at home is also conjested.
So Summer Series is on for sure, might switch and do the 6 hour socialgaine in November (instead of Nepean tri) and now it seems work want me to be in Singapore in early December which is also when the Singapore Marathon and Half Marathon are on so might have a go at that which makes the Canberra Half Iron Man extremely shakey 7 days later.....
Monday, October 17, 2005
NSW 24 hour Rogaine Championships
Warning, not much running here in this post, more about long distance bush navigation, move on if that is not what you are looking for.
For the uninitiated a Rogaine is a long distance bush navigation event. You are provided with a large map with "control points" highlighted. Each control point has a value, usually ranging from 10 to 90 and also usually associated with the ease/difficulty in reaching the point. Along with the map you get a list which actually tells you the feature the control point is located, eg top of knoll, saddle, gully, spur, watercourse junction etc etc etc. It is really a long orienteering event but you get to choose which controls you visit and the route you take to get there.
I have done a few 6 hour events before but decided to step up into a 24 hour event and see how I went. My physio who also does rogaines put me onto a couple of mates of his that were planning on doing it and so we had a team (you have to do this as a minimum 2 person team).
The course was based in the Wollemi National Park near Dunns Swamp, which is about 30 minutes away from Rylestone (which is about 45 minutes east of Mudgee). I had actually been up here 12 months earlier for the NSW Orienteering Championships, but this was going to be much longer.
Up at 5:30am and on the road just after 6, travelled to Lithgow on Bells Line Rd and then towards Mudgee before heading east getting to the Hash House (the start finish point and also where they cater food for entrants during the event). Meet up with a few familiar faces and then found my new team mates Brad and Jim.
We pitched the tent and then started reviewing the map. They wanted to do the event in 2 loops, one lasting around 12-13 hours, back for a feed/rest and then out again at first light for another 6-7 hours. However the layout of the map did not really allow for this so we devised a hybrid version. While doing this fuelled up with food and drink and loaded up the camelback with everything needed out on the course. The hash house was at the southern end of the map and right at the northern end was a tea & damper camp, where you can refuel etc during the event.
Midday rolls around and we are off, heading east to pick up a few controls before turning north. About 90 minutes in and we had cleared a couple of controls but then struggled to find the next one, eventually opting to move on rather than wasting anymore time. From here we shifted westward and made some good progress. Crossing the swamp being unable to get the feet wet and then a long climb up a gully/watercourse to yet again have problems finding another control (40). Again eventually opting to keep moving. From there things went very wellpicking up a number of points with minimal navigation problems before attacking number 60 at the top of a serious climb that the course notes suggested should only be attempted in daylight. Thankfully we got to the top just as the sun was setting and were rewarded with a magnificent vista overlooking the ranges.
Down the other side to pick up a few more points and then a couple of km hike to the tea and damper stop. By now it was dark and the torches were out. We refueled with some damper and honey, cheese sandwiches and some cordial and I topped up the camelback having drained the 3 litres. Also donned my thermal vest and armwarmers and tried to tape up the blisters on my heels and replaced the socks.
At around 7:30pm we headed out again, head lamps on and I had a good small torch as well. Picked up a few more controls fairly easily, given navigating in the night but the scrub was noticeably thicker here and I was leading for quite a while with real tough going in places.
About here the wheels fell off. We were heading down one slope and then across a valley to climb up to another spur. We decided to turn a little earlier and climb up and contour around the slope but hit some pretty steep bits. Losing quite a bit of time we evntually got more level ground and puched on but it seemed had lost map contact. We spent about 45 minutes looking for the control (52) and eventually decided to move on and head back. However as we headed south all we could find were impassable cliff faces which we could not get down. So we ventured around the contour lookking for a way down, and at the same time hitting even denser scrub. Finally we found a way down to the gully below but it was very treacherous and slow going given the conditions.
By the time we got to the valley floor it was around 11:30 it took another 45 minutes to fight our way out through the scrub back to a track so we finally knew where we were again. At that stage we had had enough but were a long hike from the hash house. At least there was a firetrail we could take which eased the navigation aspects. Jointly we decided not to head off road again, Jim was quite fatigued and was also very sore in one knee, which with a bit of bush doctor diagnosis sounded like ITB.
As we progressed along the track each downhill he slowed more and more and so it ws agreed, even the control points within 100m of the road on the way back were now not feasible and the sole goal was to get back to camp. With about 3-4km to go an approaching a "proper" dirt road we agreed it would be best if I went ahead and picked up my car to come back and get the others, so off I went. Out of interest I decided to see how it felt like running, after 14 odd hours of walking and surprisingly it was pretty good. So I mixed up running/jogging downhill/flat and walking uphill. Very sureal with only the moon and my headlamp to keep me company in the middle of nowhere.
Got back to camp, grabbed a can of pepsi and packet of chips which I furiously consumed while drivng back out to pck the others up. Finally got back to the tent we all changed (I put my skins on and downed an Opti) and as we quickly drifted off to sleep it started raining...
Woke up at 7am, feeling remarkable fresh to the sound of consistent rain, that coupled with Jim's ITB issues and my blisters on both heels made an easy decision not to go out again. Instead we wandered over to the hash house for a great cooked breakfast. Caught up with Rob Vincent who it seems had got back abtout 7am and had cleared the course (ie all controls!!!). In cahtting he did mention that the scrub out there was as tough as he has ever seen so that made me feel a little better.
I'm very happy with the way I have pulled up. Of most concern are the blisters on the heel, caused by movement over the orthotics in the shoes over the very uneven ground. Only 2 real tight spots muscule wise, the lower inside hamstrings/tendons which I associate with having to use a much higher leg lift in the bush than normal trail or road running and the lower back and obliques from all of the pushing /twisting etc through the dense scrub.
A little disappointed in our navigation stuff ups but the more I hear from others who were out there it seems a common theme, in what is being described as a difficult course.
For sure I am going to do more of this, probably culminating in the World Championships which will be held in NSW this time next year!
This week, gently does it but I will be at Summer Series orienteering at Meadowbank on Wednesday for sure.
For the uninitiated a Rogaine is a long distance bush navigation event. You are provided with a large map with "control points" highlighted. Each control point has a value, usually ranging from 10 to 90 and also usually associated with the ease/difficulty in reaching the point. Along with the map you get a list which actually tells you the feature the control point is located, eg top of knoll, saddle, gully, spur, watercourse junction etc etc etc. It is really a long orienteering event but you get to choose which controls you visit and the route you take to get there.
I have done a few 6 hour events before but decided to step up into a 24 hour event and see how I went. My physio who also does rogaines put me onto a couple of mates of his that were planning on doing it and so we had a team (you have to do this as a minimum 2 person team).
The course was based in the Wollemi National Park near Dunns Swamp, which is about 30 minutes away from Rylestone (which is about 45 minutes east of Mudgee). I had actually been up here 12 months earlier for the NSW Orienteering Championships, but this was going to be much longer.
Up at 5:30am and on the road just after 6, travelled to Lithgow on Bells Line Rd and then towards Mudgee before heading east getting to the Hash House (the start finish point and also where they cater food for entrants during the event). Meet up with a few familiar faces and then found my new team mates Brad and Jim.
We pitched the tent and then started reviewing the map. They wanted to do the event in 2 loops, one lasting around 12-13 hours, back for a feed/rest and then out again at first light for another 6-7 hours. However the layout of the map did not really allow for this so we devised a hybrid version. While doing this fuelled up with food and drink and loaded up the camelback with everything needed out on the course. The hash house was at the southern end of the map and right at the northern end was a tea & damper camp, where you can refuel etc during the event.
Midday rolls around and we are off, heading east to pick up a few controls before turning north. About 90 minutes in and we had cleared a couple of controls but then struggled to find the next one, eventually opting to move on rather than wasting anymore time. From here we shifted westward and made some good progress. Crossing the swamp being unable to get the feet wet and then a long climb up a gully/watercourse to yet again have problems finding another control (40). Again eventually opting to keep moving. From there things went very wellpicking up a number of points with minimal navigation problems before attacking number 60 at the top of a serious climb that the course notes suggested should only be attempted in daylight. Thankfully we got to the top just as the sun was setting and were rewarded with a magnificent vista overlooking the ranges.
Down the other side to pick up a few more points and then a couple of km hike to the tea and damper stop. By now it was dark and the torches were out. We refueled with some damper and honey, cheese sandwiches and some cordial and I topped up the camelback having drained the 3 litres. Also donned my thermal vest and armwarmers and tried to tape up the blisters on my heels and replaced the socks.
At around 7:30pm we headed out again, head lamps on and I had a good small torch as well. Picked up a few more controls fairly easily, given navigating in the night but the scrub was noticeably thicker here and I was leading for quite a while with real tough going in places.
About here the wheels fell off. We were heading down one slope and then across a valley to climb up to another spur. We decided to turn a little earlier and climb up and contour around the slope but hit some pretty steep bits. Losing quite a bit of time we evntually got more level ground and puched on but it seemed had lost map contact. We spent about 45 minutes looking for the control (52) and eventually decided to move on and head back. However as we headed south all we could find were impassable cliff faces which we could not get down. So we ventured around the contour lookking for a way down, and at the same time hitting even denser scrub. Finally we found a way down to the gully below but it was very treacherous and slow going given the conditions.
By the time we got to the valley floor it was around 11:30 it took another 45 minutes to fight our way out through the scrub back to a track so we finally knew where we were again. At that stage we had had enough but were a long hike from the hash house. At least there was a firetrail we could take which eased the navigation aspects. Jointly we decided not to head off road again, Jim was quite fatigued and was also very sore in one knee, which with a bit of bush doctor diagnosis sounded like ITB.
As we progressed along the track each downhill he slowed more and more and so it ws agreed, even the control points within 100m of the road on the way back were now not feasible and the sole goal was to get back to camp. With about 3-4km to go an approaching a "proper" dirt road we agreed it would be best if I went ahead and picked up my car to come back and get the others, so off I went. Out of interest I decided to see how it felt like running, after 14 odd hours of walking and surprisingly it was pretty good. So I mixed up running/jogging downhill/flat and walking uphill. Very sureal with only the moon and my headlamp to keep me company in the middle of nowhere.
Got back to camp, grabbed a can of pepsi and packet of chips which I furiously consumed while drivng back out to pck the others up. Finally got back to the tent we all changed (I put my skins on and downed an Opti) and as we quickly drifted off to sleep it started raining...
Woke up at 7am, feeling remarkable fresh to the sound of consistent rain, that coupled with Jim's ITB issues and my blisters on both heels made an easy decision not to go out again. Instead we wandered over to the hash house for a great cooked breakfast. Caught up with Rob Vincent who it seems had got back abtout 7am and had cleared the course (ie all controls!!!). In cahtting he did mention that the scrub out there was as tough as he has ever seen so that made me feel a little better.
I'm very happy with the way I have pulled up. Of most concern are the blisters on the heel, caused by movement over the orthotics in the shoes over the very uneven ground. Only 2 real tight spots muscule wise, the lower inside hamstrings/tendons which I associate with having to use a much higher leg lift in the bush than normal trail or road running and the lower back and obliques from all of the pushing /twisting etc through the dense scrub.
A little disappointed in our navigation stuff ups but the more I hear from others who were out there it seems a common theme, in what is being described as a difficult course.
For sure I am going to do more of this, probably culminating in the World Championships which will be held in NSW this time next year!
This week, gently does it but I will be at Summer Series orienteering at Meadowbank on Wednesday for sure.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
2 posts in 2 days!
Yes a new record for recent times.
Felt very average yesterday afternoon, tired and it seemed on the verge of a sore throat etc. Sleep was not good last night, our 2yo who had his first full day of day care went to sleep at 6:30pm and so at 5am this morning was full of beans while I was still trying to catch up on the lost sleep from last week.
Could not be bothered to go out for a run, the legs have pulled up ok, the niggles that started to surface have gone away so it seems easing up when I did was the right idea. Hammies are both a little tight but I'll call that DOMS.
Given the plans for the week end with the 24 hour Rogaine I'll do a few short runs but nothing too intense.
Might also have to do a rethink of the rest of the year after this weekend, the calendar is looking pretty full and work seems to be getting busier. I've sort of enjoyed the last month post Sydney of "cruising" but the program I drew up has gone to waste and I'm not sure how I'll fit all of the different committments looming in.
Felt very average yesterday afternoon, tired and it seemed on the verge of a sore throat etc. Sleep was not good last night, our 2yo who had his first full day of day care went to sleep at 6:30pm and so at 5am this morning was full of beans while I was still trying to catch up on the lost sleep from last week.
Could not be bothered to go out for a run, the legs have pulled up ok, the niggles that started to surface have gone away so it seems easing up when I did was the right idea. Hammies are both a little tight but I'll call that DOMS.
Given the plans for the week end with the 24 hour Rogaine I'll do a few short runs but nothing too intense.
Might also have to do a rethink of the rest of the year after this weekend, the calendar is looking pretty full and work seems to be getting busier. I've sort of enjoyed the last month post Sydney of "cruising" but the program I drew up has gone to waste and I'm not sure how I'll fit all of the different committments looming in.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Weekly update
As foreseen in my last post this week (just past) was going to be hectic. Not much running here I'm afraid!
Had a presentation to do in Christchurch New Zealand and in the end did an all nighter for final prep on Tuesday night. Finally finished at 5:30am, just in time to shower/shave etc and catch a cab to the airport. The followed 3 days of mayhem,
Wednesday saw me flying to NZ, arriving at 2:30 local time and then going to the customer office to finalise details for the session the following morning. The pre-requisite dinner with grog then also followed. The weather outside was terrible a freezing howling gale.
Thursday, I did wake early (6am NZ time) but in a very sleep deprived state (well it was 3am Aust time) opted for an extra hours sleep, encouraged by the still raging wind. Did the 3 hour presentation which went well, back to the hotel onto the airport for the flight to Melbourne, via Sydney no less! At least I got a free upgrade which made life more comfortable as I did the final prep on my next presentation. Got into Melbourne at around 7:30 and then met up with a few colleagues for dinner and you guessed it with accompanying alcohol.
Friday was busy all day, with internal meetings and my presentation to some of the key management out from the US. Ended up in heading out to dinner, of course with some wine to match. So back to Sydney on Saturday morning to see the family again but also very tired. Tried to cath up on CR and blogs and was disappointed to realise that I had missed my opportunity to pass on my thoughts to those that were marathoning this weekend :(. Worked on final details and handicaps for the Striders half marathon for Sunday and then crashed.
Now for some running!
Up very early and down to Lane Cove to setup for the handicap half. Everything went very smoothly and eventually it was my turn to start. My target time was 93 minutes and only had one other runner show up at this mark so off we went. I planned to run @ 4:25 min/km pace and see what happened in the back half of the race. This was going very nicely and in fact taking advantage of the downhill from the gate to the start/finish I did the first 10km in 43:46 and was gaining very well in the field with no one catching me either.
On the way back out Scribbly's was a bit harder and I was starting to struggle on the flat but was keeping the pace going. One or 2 went past me here but when we got to the major climb the second time I blew up. Still keeping some pace I rolled back down the hill but it soon became apparent that I had spent all my money and the events of the past week were now coming home to roost. Kept on grinding but with about 3km to go the various niggles started to flare up and I eased up not wanting to doing any damage. (knowing that next weekend I am doing a 24hour event)
Stats/splits
5km 22:06 22:06
10km 21:40 43:46
15km 23:22 67:08 (tougher second time out!)
20km 29:06 96:14 (not pretty Jan!)
Finish time 104:07, avg HR of 175.
All things taken into account I am actually happy with the run. At the 15km mark I was still roughly on pace but died second time up that hill. The body actually felt more bashed up after the run than post marathon. So a week of getting back into it hopefully (although another Melbourne trip looms) and then out the back of the Blue Mountains for the 24 hour Rogaine next weekend!
Had a presentation to do in Christchurch New Zealand and in the end did an all nighter for final prep on Tuesday night. Finally finished at 5:30am, just in time to shower/shave etc and catch a cab to the airport. The followed 3 days of mayhem,
Wednesday saw me flying to NZ, arriving at 2:30 local time and then going to the customer office to finalise details for the session the following morning. The pre-requisite dinner with grog then also followed. The weather outside was terrible a freezing howling gale.
Thursday, I did wake early (6am NZ time) but in a very sleep deprived state (well it was 3am Aust time) opted for an extra hours sleep, encouraged by the still raging wind. Did the 3 hour presentation which went well, back to the hotel onto the airport for the flight to Melbourne, via Sydney no less! At least I got a free upgrade which made life more comfortable as I did the final prep on my next presentation. Got into Melbourne at around 7:30 and then met up with a few colleagues for dinner and you guessed it with accompanying alcohol.
Friday was busy all day, with internal meetings and my presentation to some of the key management out from the US. Ended up in heading out to dinner, of course with some wine to match. So back to Sydney on Saturday morning to see the family again but also very tired. Tried to cath up on CR and blogs and was disappointed to realise that I had missed my opportunity to pass on my thoughts to those that were marathoning this weekend :(. Worked on final details and handicaps for the Striders half marathon for Sunday and then crashed.
Now for some running!
Up very early and down to Lane Cove to setup for the handicap half. Everything went very smoothly and eventually it was my turn to start. My target time was 93 minutes and only had one other runner show up at this mark so off we went. I planned to run @ 4:25 min/km pace and see what happened in the back half of the race. This was going very nicely and in fact taking advantage of the downhill from the gate to the start/finish I did the first 10km in 43:46 and was gaining very well in the field with no one catching me either.
On the way back out Scribbly's was a bit harder and I was starting to struggle on the flat but was keeping the pace going. One or 2 went past me here but when we got to the major climb the second time I blew up. Still keeping some pace I rolled back down the hill but it soon became apparent that I had spent all my money and the events of the past week were now coming home to roost. Kept on grinding but with about 3km to go the various niggles started to flare up and I eased up not wanting to doing any damage. (knowing that next weekend I am doing a 24hour event)
Stats/splits
5km 22:06 22:06
10km 21:40 43:46
15km 23:22 67:08 (tougher second time out!)
20km 29:06 96:14 (not pretty Jan!)
Finish time 104:07, avg HR of 175.
All things taken into account I am actually happy with the run. At the 15km mark I was still roughly on pace but died second time up that hill. The body actually felt more bashed up after the run than post marathon. So a week of getting back into it hopefully (although another Melbourne trip looms) and then out the back of the Blue Mountains for the 24 hour Rogaine next weekend!
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Long Weekend retreat
Yep, not much blogging as we packed the family up and headed down to Kangaroo Valley with 3 other families for the long weekend.
A brilliant time had by all, BBQ's, out door log fires and the kids ran themselves ragged.
I did manage to get out for a run Saturday and Sunday afternoon and clocked up 10 and 16km respectively. The cabins we stayed at are on the road out to a dam, and not far from where the Shoalhaven KOM run comes through.
The actual runs were pretty tough with pretty much all up hill and on the Sunday battling into a warm westerly was tough. However that then makes for a nice negative split coming home. Overall on the weekend though I think I drank a heap more proportionally than I ran :)
Stats
10.1km in 48:20 (4:46min/km & 167 avg hr)
16.1km in 1:19:55 (4:57min/km & 170 avg hr)
Felt pretty good, even in the heat and I think the body has just about recovered after Sydney now. Interesting to see the results from the Striders 10km race on Saturday with quite a few people obviously still also recovering. Makes me happier about my 41:35 at SMC the week before.
A very disrupted week looming due to work, flying to Christchurch and then onto Melbourne, not getting home until Saturday. So no riding but hopefully I'll be able to slip a couple of runs in.
Speaking of riding I forgot to blog that I did a ride with Aunty K and Truckie on Thursday afternoon. Good value zipping around Olympic Park and hopefully passing on a few ideas/thoughts that I have managed to accumulate from my cycling days.
A brilliant time had by all, BBQ's, out door log fires and the kids ran themselves ragged.
I did manage to get out for a run Saturday and Sunday afternoon and clocked up 10 and 16km respectively. The cabins we stayed at are on the road out to a dam, and not far from where the Shoalhaven KOM run comes through.
The actual runs were pretty tough with pretty much all up hill and on the Sunday battling into a warm westerly was tough. However that then makes for a nice negative split coming home. Overall on the weekend though I think I drank a heap more proportionally than I ran :)
Stats
10.1km in 48:20 (4:46min/km & 167 avg hr)
16.1km in 1:19:55 (4:57min/km & 170 avg hr)
Felt pretty good, even in the heat and I think the body has just about recovered after Sydney now. Interesting to see the results from the Striders 10km race on Saturday with quite a few people obviously still also recovering. Makes me happier about my 41:35 at SMC the week before.
A very disrupted week looming due to work, flying to Christchurch and then onto Melbourne, not getting home until Saturday. So no riding but hopefully I'll be able to slip a couple of runs in.
Speaking of riding I forgot to blog that I did a ride with Aunty K and Truckie on Thursday afternoon. Good value zipping around Olympic Park and hopefully passing on a few ideas/thoughts that I have managed to accumulate from my cycling days.
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