GPS Visualizer

Spent too much time playing with GPS Visualizer which is a VERY COOL site.

Here's my very cool trail from yesterday (note the small oops in the bottom-right corner), which is *completely* meaningless without a map underneath. Not quite sure how to do this. I'll try scanning the orienteering map tomorrow and hopefully just overlay the track on top. One of the guys (gals) at work is really into 4WDs and GPSs, so I'm hoping she'll bring in a raster(?) map of the area.

[[image deleted from gpsvisualizer site]]

Bunjil Dreaming

Bush orienteering event @ Bungal State Forest. Course 5: W35A. NAILED IT! Very happy. Had the Gizmo in tow to record 8.5 km. Nice open runnable forest, not too steep, and no stuff ups.

Sore quads after yesterday's run, and they're still sore now, but they didn't slow me down at all today. I haven't had my knee taped all weekend, and that's okay too.

Street-O @ Deepdene

Cold, miserable morning spent painting on undercoat on all the windows and wardrobe trims. Weather cleared up about lunchtime with a glimmer of sunshine in time for Street-O. Windy and cold.

Did course A, for 9 kms.

Entertaining moment at the first control. This was on a walking/bike track which passed under Mont Albert Rd. So we all scrambled up the bank to get to the road level, and were then faced with being fenced in! There was a gate onto the road - closed and padlocked. So, being orienteers, we simply climbed up and over it. Only some orienteers aren't too good at climbing fences (deprived childhood perhaps?). Very funny watching some of the more "mature" runners struggling with upper body strength and hip flexibility. I'd like to report that I got myself comfortably up and over without assistance. :-)

>hic!<

Japanese Slippers at lunchtime are really not conducive to a productive afternoon! We've just had a farewell BBQ for one of the guys at work, and his speciality is Midori-based cocktails. We'll miss you Chris!

can I go to sleep now...

Street-O @ Heathmont

Cold and drizzly (which cleared) making for pretty good running weather. Took the Garmin, but realised very quickly that I also needed a CLOCK so I could get back at the right time. Hah! I noticed one of the other Garmin-wearers had the FR on his arm, and a watch on his wrist. Hmmm, overkill perhaps? But easier than switching modes to get the actual time.

Note to Garmin: could we have a clock as an option in the Custom display?

Felt sluggish during the first 20 minutes, and I don't think it had much to do with the first km being uphill. Am I overloading perhaps? Observant readers will have noticed that I've upped my mileage this month beyond the recommended 10%, but I'm not really doing *that* much. Perhaps I'll skip the Foggy Friday run, which should leave me fresh for Saturday's Street-O. Sunday is State Series bush orienteering, so a definite chance to totally exhaust myself.

7.5 kms, and back 2 minutes late after I decided to "just nip down and get control 4". Only problem with nipping "down" is that you have to nip back UP again, and it just wasn't happening!

Got very cold afterwards, with teeth chattering on the drive home. Is this "normal" or am I coming down with something? Arrgh, hope not! But no one else seemed quite so cold, with some still in their t-shirts during drinks (tea, coffee, soup) afterwards. I don't have a hot drink, mainly because I don't like anything that's on offer, but I had plenty of water and a muesli bar.

Two-hour commute? no thank you

Headed out the door a bit earlier this morning at 6:20am to get a slightly longer run in. Running in the dark, on unlit, unsealed roads proved interesting, especially over the rough bits! Lucky I took a torch. Pity the batteries were nearly dead.

Man, I can't believe how much traffic was on the main road - why would people live in the Valley if they have to leave home before 7, just to get into the city by 8:30 - 9 o'clock. Work 'til 6, then spend another 2 hours on the road getting home again. No way.

Caught me by surprise, because I wanted to cross Warburton Hwy. Headlights coming in all directions. Ended up doing 5.6 kms - and reasonably slowly too. I wanted to stay out of Zone 5 on the HRM - not easy running hills.

Busy day at work (NOT)

Cruising the web for Forerunner/GPS stuff. It appears that I can't actually import maps into the Training Center? Bummer. I'm hoping I can print my route off at a specific scale - so I can overlay it onto a 1:15000 orienteering map, for example.

Worked out my max heart rate on one of those websites - 184. Which means that my "running" zone (zone 3) should be 139-154 and my "going hard" zone (4) should be 154-169. Oops, I generally sit in my "going hard" zone for most of the time. Does that mean I should slack off a bit? I noticed the forerunner saying my heartrate zone was 5.2 after an uphill part of the run on Friday. I guess that's in my "all out" zone.

Will have a play with the toy tonight, and venture into the heartrate menu.

Busy, productive weekend

You know that tv ad where the guy goes into the hardware store with his glasses covered in paint? Well, that's me tonight!! Did several coats of paint in the reno room this weekend, and have just finished painting the ceiling. I hate painting ceilings - they're so hard on the neck and shoulders. But at least all the horrid pink and cream is well hidden. AND... the framework for my walk-in-wardrobe is up - had the builder in on Friday. Not long now... :-)

Did a Metr-O run at Endeavour Hills this morning. A fun course set by the Fox-O guys - they always set something interesting. Took the Forerunner, wrapped around a sock cuff on my wrist. Very comfortable. 7.28 kms. Didn't run particularly well - too hot, I think. Not hydrated enough.

Garmin - the verdict

Took the Forerunner for its first run this morning.

My 4.6 km route is really only 4.4 kms. Oops. :-)

The satelite thing is amazing! The self-adjusting map showing where I ran this morning is way cool.

Kept switching between Pace and HR, still can't decide which I prefer. I think HR while I'm running hills, and use Pace when I'm running at a reasonable one.

Here's my hill:



Turned the unit on inside before heading out, and it couldn't find the satelites. So I had to stand outside in my garden, in the cold, while it contacted its mates in the ozone. I thought it was supposed to do it quicker after the first time?

Found the unit awkward on my wrist. If I fastened the strap at a comfortable tension, it slid down towards my hand while running. If I tightened it, the buckle tended to grab skin. In the end, I put my sleeve (long-sleeve top this morning - 8 degrees) under the strap, and that worked well. But as I don't wear long sleeves very often, I'll have to find/make(?) a wristband of some sort. Sweatbands are too thick - perhaps I'll sacrifice an old sock.

The HR strap and transmitter is comfortable - a lot smaller and neater than the Polar unit that I've had for years.

The "weather cap" is a bit suss - it doesn't want to stay in.

Overall though, it's going to be a fun toy to play with.

New toy

Oooooooh, guess what just arrived?!?!?!?!!!

My Garmin Forerunner 301 from Al's. US$265.99 incl p&p.



It's charging off my USB port while I'm reading the manual. :-D

Street-O @ Canterbury

Good run in the new jellybean shoes, very comfortable with the new orthotics - didn't even notice that they were there. 8 kms. Didn't stick around for the usual chit-chat/hot soup afterwards - I cooled off VERY quickly after the run, and started shivering after about 5 minutes. Yes Mum, I put my fleece on.

Put another face to a CR name - nice to meet you Paul (paulc).

New shoes

Well, I promised myself new shoes when I got my new orthotics, so took both orthotics and feet off to Active Feet in Heathmont, and walked out with a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus. These babies are bright!!!

Test run tomorrow.

Run Planners are like diets

Run Planners must be like diets - they start "tomorrow". Pleaded exhaustion last night, and headed straight home. Picked up Red Rooster on the way - which was completely disgusting. A pathetic little chicken wing attached to a shrivelled up piece of chook, with a pea-sized lump of stuffing. And the chips were way too salty, overcooked, and soggy. Euugh! And I had to wait in the drive-thru lane for 10 minutes to get it.

Run around Seville this morning - 4.6 kms. Foggy, 12 degrees, ran well up the hills. Didn't take a watch (it was in the car with my O' gear), but wore the HRM: stayed in the 160-170 bpm range, spiking at 173 on the last hill before home. Good run.

Run planner

Okay, here's my new running planner:

DAY	AM	PM
Mon		Pump class
Tue	Run ~5 km	Yoga
Wed		Street-O run ~8 km
Thu
Fri	Run ~5 km	Pump class
Sat		Street-O or run ~10 km
Sun	Orienteering	or long run ~15 km

Blodslitet

"Blood, sweat and tears"

No tears, but some blood, and plenty of sweat.

I ended up doing only one loop of 8 kms before retiring. Navigation was mostly spot on, but legs had no strength. Took me 1:47 to cover that distance, mostly walking.

Bruised, scratched, sore, and completely buggered.

Hot bath. Warm fire, yummy meal.

Bliss.

Lillydale Lake

Quiz: why does Lillydale Lake have a double-L, when Lilydale suburb only has one?

FRIDAY PM: Pump class. Weird sort of groin strain during the lunges, which really kicked in doing reverse crunches. So sore, I couldn't do them. (The instructor calls out, "come on Lou!" ... I hate it when they know your name). Sore to straighten the leg too, to stretch it out.

Pasta meal at Chirnside Park, takeaway dessert of blueberry pie from Jesters, and a slice of Tim Tam Cheesecake from Gloria Jeans. Mmmmmm. :-)

I could only eat half of it!!

SATURDAY: did a couple of hours of painting in the reno room.

With a Street-O event at Lillydale Lake ("just up the road"), I decided to fit in a bike ride as well. So I hit the Warburton Rail Trail and cycled into Lilydale. About 3 kms from home, my legs were empty. :-| It's all uphill to Mt Evelyn (8 kms), then mostly downhill to Lilydale. 27 kms for the round trip. 50-minutes each way.

Run around the lake and surrounding suburb. I'd decided earlier that I wanted to do Course A (60 minutes) on Saturdays. Well, the legs were still empty as I set off to the first control. Struggled around, and came in after 50 minutes. 7.6 kms.

Completely shattered by the time I finally got home. Finished off the cheesecake, and the last of some rhubarb that I'd cooked up last weekend.

Foggy

7am run around Seville - 4.6 kms. Very foggy! 10 degrees. Knees, feet, iPod all behaved well.

A beginner's guide to Street-O

For paulc who posted a comment, and anyone else who's interested. In Melbourne, you can get the latest information from http://street.orienteering.com.au/. In Sydney, talk to O Runner.

Street-O in winter works on a Score system. There are 20 controls on an A4-sized map (approx area 6km2). Controls 1-5 are worth 2 points; 6-10 are 3 points; 11-15 are 4 points; and 16-20 are 5 points. You choose your course based on the length of time you want to run: Course A is 60 minutes; B is 50, C is 40. The PowerWalkers course is also 60 minutes. There are penalties if you are back past your time.

So basically, you choose a course (eg, B, for 50 minutes) and try to get as many controls in that time as you can. Without being late back.

To "get" a control, you punch your control card with the numbered punch at each control.

see here: http://street.orienteering.com.au/Common/What%20is%20Street%20Orienteering.html

Street-O @ Rowville

I discovered my butt muscles.

don't laugh!!

TUESDAY: before my yoga class at the gym, I burned up a few kms on the rower. I haven't managed to crack 2 minutes for the 500m yet, but I can sustain around the 2:05 mark for a few minutes. Anyway... I noticed that up at these speeds, I was keeping the glutes clenched to provide support for the legs.

WEDNESDAY: and halfway around moderately hilly Rowville, I noticed that the butt muscles had kicked in again while running uphill. Is this good or bad?

It was a good run anyway - 8 kms. High leg turnover, and not too many walking breaks. Nice clear, cold night to run through.

One of life's little mysteries

I put on an old woollen coat this morning, which I haven't worn since last winter. Put my hands in the pockets, and found... a pair of spectacles. They're not mine, they don't fit, they're not my prescription or preferred style. Where did they come from? How did they get into my pocket?! Did I pick them up on a walk perhaps, thinking they might be useful one day. The answer to this, and a great many other unanswered questions shall remain... unanswered.

Went for a short run around Seville this morning. 4.6 kms. Cold. Chased by one dog. I'm considering buying a tiny camera, taking photos of the little mongrels out on the road, and sending them into the council. Took the iPod again, and a new set of clip-style earplugs - Sanyo, $12.99 from Kmart, and very secure over the ear.

Puffing Billy Photo

heh...
>>> click here <<<
might have to get one of these... my first race photo. :-)

No show??

I'm considering being a "no show" for the GO half marathon next Sunday, and doing the Blodslitet instead. It's all becoming too hard. Pros and cons:

GO Marathon	Orienteering
I'd have to skip Street-O on Saturday	I can do the Saturday Street/Park event at Lilydale Lake - a new map, and an area that used to be one of my regular haunts
I'd have to drive 3 hours to Apollo Bay on Saturday afternoon, leaving enough time to find accommodation	I can get a lift to the Blodslitet with Pete and Ilse
I'd have to get up waaaay too early on Sunday in order to catch the 6am bus to Kennett River	I'd still have to get up far too early, but I could probably stay in bed until 6am.
I'm not going to know anyone, unless some CRs make themselves known	I'd know 80% of the people there
I've already paid $60 and got the t-shirt	It'll cost me $10 (wahoo)
It'll cost me a lot more than that for food and accommodation
I've never done a 1/2 marathon before	I've never *completed* a Blodslitet before (I DNF'd last year)

Mother's Day run @ Christmas Hills

FRIDAY: another hell day at work. You just know it's going to be a long one when the boss calls a meeting at 4:30pm. Finally got out at 6:30pm - too late for a Pump class at the gym - and headed home to blob. At least I got a couple of slices of pizza in before being dragged away, so I didn't have to worry about dinner.

SATURDAY: sanded, skim coated (god's gift to amateur renovators) and sugar-soaped master bedroom. First undercoat went down on Sunday.

Went for a run around Seville late morning - 7.8 kms - wearing the HRM and the new iPod. Very nice run - talked to several sets of horses, got chased by some dogs, and took another look at the blocks for sale (fully serviced, home and land package available).

One surprise though: at the 5-minute mark, after running up a hill and feeling very stuffed, my heart rate was only 160. After 10-15 minutes, I'd warmed up, and 160 felt pretty comfortable. Managed to spike 170 occasionally, but generally managed to stay between 155 and 165.

The iPod behaved well, tucked down under my shirt. Except that the right earplug kept bouncing out - I must have a weird-shaped ear or something. And once things started getting a bit sweaty, they both felt a bit insecure.

SUNDAY: low-key orienteering event at Christmas Hills. Course A, approx 7.5 kms. Hard work up the hills, but managed a fair amount of running once out of the scrub. No problems finding the controls, and managed to beat both Eric and Pete. And congratulations to Tina and Vic who outed themselves as a couple today. Go kids! (they're both in their 50's).

Another "day off"

I think I'd better go back to making Thursday my "day off". I abandoned all things beginning with rice and went back to my oats-based muesli, Fasta Pasta for lunch (because I knew I wouldn't get any tea), and Pancake Parlour for dessert. And that was it for the day - three square (round?) meals.

Funny night last night - I had a presentation to go to in Glen Waverley which finished at 8pm. I then decided to go into Chapel St (yeah, like it's just up the road). Browsed through Borders for an hour (didn't buy anything - most unusual), then decided to have dessert before I headed home. And very yummy it was too.

Oh, and nearly forgot (well, I DID forget, and added this bit at lunchtime). I dealt the VISA another blow yesterday and bought an iPod Shuffle. Spent the afternoon scouring all the lab machines for ilicit mp3 files, and loaded up a bunch of "running" music. Will take it for a testrun tomorrow. Not sure yet how to attach it to me - I'll use the lanyard tomorrow, but maybe a tiny phone holder with a belt clip?

Beer o'clock in 2 hours 25 minutes...

Street-O @ Balwyn

WEDNESDAY: very ordinary blah sort of a run. 6.9 kms. Bit hilly, and no endurance in the legs (or the rest of me).

Took the new orthotics for their first run. Not very nice. Felt very flat-footed, and I was landing heavily: thwack thwack thwack as I ran. I guess that means I need a less stabilizing shoe with these orthotics - which is what I guessed when I first saw the podiatrist. Not that he knew enough (anything?) about running to be able to advise me. Might be shoe shopping this w/e...

Came home and sulked over this month's RW magazine - sketched out a running plan that would see me doing more of everything. Yeah, right.

Thought for the day

Thank you Cirque - you made me laugh! Yeah, Mondays are pretty good.

Another thing I've noticed too - since I've started taking lunch to work every day, I have SO MUCH MONEY left over! My weekly allowance is still mostly all there at the end of the week. And I haven't been near Nandos or Fasta Pasta for ages (my two favourite eateries). How to save $50+ without even trying.

Yoga last night.

Run tonight.

Recovery Day

MONDAY: is going to be my designated "day off", as I'm always doing something over the weekend - whether it's killing myself in the garden or renovating, or chasing trains, or orienteering - and I need the day to recover.

Actually, not at all sore after Sunday's effort.

Only had half a packet of carob fudge (divine) in the afternoon, a Red Rooster Tropical Pack for dinner, and my first Coke for a week!

No exercise, apart from a walk to the shopping centre at lunchtime, and a blobby evening in front of the box.

Out of puff

Started strong, couldn't hold it through the middle, but finished well. Happy with the way I ran, especially downhill where I pushed it a bit, but spent too much time walking.

Spotted myself in the TV clip on Channel 9 this evening. :-)

PUFFING BILLY GREAT TRAIN RACE 13.2 kms 85 minutes.

CRs RMC and KevinCassidy came up and introduced themselves before the race (something to be said for wearing the CR top!), and met Grey Beard and Go4it at Emerald afterwards. Also met up with a bunch of orienteers to swap war stories and have lunch with, so didn't make it to the CR lunch.

FRIDAY: Pump class, hard work in the squats track.

SATURDAY: stiff in the glutes and hamstrings. Spent the day sanding and filling holes in the master bedroom.

Oh, oh, oh, and I lost another kilo. :-D

Found the food thing quite hard this weekend. Leftover rice thing for lunch on Saturday, with fish for dinner, but really craving something sweet (I resisted). Sunday was a bit easier with the race on - had half my normal breakfast serve before the race, some tinned fruit afterwards, then a beef burger and chips at lunch. Once I got home at 3pm, I had a protein shake; risotto for dinner, and several glasses of barley cordial. Still craving *something* but not sure what...

Tired too. Early to bed tonight, I think.