Training Log Archive: BrandNewMe

JK long

Insomnia. I often find insomnia good before races as a way to clear the mind of peripheral stuff. I tired mind can only focus on the job in hand, it can't get distracted.

So today the legs were going to be a bit long to do just on bearings. The emphasis was gong to me on running straight and planning what to pick up on the way, then push check push check etc etc.

I've been working on direction a lot recently and it is paying off. Thinking about turning my whole body and focus, looking towards a new horizon when I make even slight directional changes. It sounds basic but t is more than just taking a bearing and running, but visualising the new direction and discarding the old one. Hard to explain without descending into gibberish.

Time loss:

Took ages to put my map in the bag at the start but glad I did before I set off.

2 was perfect but lost it at the very end and veered right. Boo. Relocated off a boulder.

6 was lots if checking but good.

13 I was pretty nervous. I was on the right line the whole way but didn't believe in myself so was v hesitant.

14 not great. Too far right.

17 tired stagger up a hill to a bingo control. Luckily Sasha nailed it just I was getting near.

18 - stopped a bit early. Nervous and hesitant.

Overall I wasn't buzzing, or powering around, but navigating defensively and cautiously. It wasn't the most fun style of orienteering but it did the job and I won the day and overall. Pleased with that.

Achilles aching a bit tonight.

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

C • Hurrah! 2

JK middle. W21E.

Not up for this, so just went out for a compass bearing exercise. This seemed to do the trick and I won. A few misses (15 secs at 4, 30secs at 5, 20secs at 7, 30secs at 15) and a blind, planless hesitating blunder to 18 which I got away with. Plan, check, push and direction tomorrow if I want to win.

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

Jog to the start w Sarah. Nice. Chatty.

JK sprint. W21E.

Completely unable to sleep, to think straight and do much that doesn't involve crying. Certainly not able to orienteer. Dropped loads running from 9-16 (got to the fence) went back and did the others, got to 16 and got caught by tessa and had had enough. I think this is just tiredness. I hope this is just tiredness. And yes there is nowhere I want to be less than at the JK tomorrow, but it looks like I'll be there. Great! :-(

Bed late, up with the kids at 6, pack up, drive to Wales, so tired and melancholy the day ends in tears and beers. Great! I can't believe this is my life. I can't believe I usually make it work without becoming a pathetic exhausted cry-baby.

EOC 2014

I survived EOC 2014. EOC 2014 survived too. After the first few days we were trying to decide how they would c*ck things up next. Nobody ever guessed that they would leak the courses. Incredible. But they pulled off some decent courses, planned and printed in under 12 hours. The original control sites were used. All athletes think the finals were all fair so Portugal pulled it it off. All team managers placed the blame squarely at the feet of the arrogant, overbearing Swiss IOF controller btw.

I was v tempted to pull out of EOC as I had been feeling really shit after the test races, but workd ranking points are so useful I had to go. Glad I went. I enjoyed the races, handled the fast terrain better than I thought I would, the team atmosphere was fun. I haven't enjoyed orienteering as much for ages. The terrain was not v technically challenging, and the courses were not all that exciting, but it inspired me lots.

First leg relay was a new experience too. Pleased to be so close to the lead despite tired legs. My performances were much worse than 2012 in Sweden, but a lot has happened since then and I am confident that I can get back to 2012 form and better between now and woc.

Since the selection races:

1. Enjoying orienteering. Mojo on the horizon. Not quite there yet, but big step forward.
2. Physical training. Going to plan some tonight. Virtually pain free races all week - how exciting.
3. Getting technical help. I've had some this week and it has been really nice. Need to sort something out going forward still.
4. Being less miserable in general. Improvement this week.

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

First time on first leg. I was very not keen on running anything other than 2nd leg as that is my comfort zone, and I was a bit exhausted after the middle and the long and first leg would be brutal, and I am not feeling 100% fit and it was going to hurt, a lot. But you get what you're given, and it would be interesting to be in the mix the whole time.


Not much sleep last night, as at 2:30 my legs were still throbbing too much to sleep. They felt ok-ish when I woke up though. Warming up was pretty painful, so I only did 5 mins. I didn't really want to know how bad it was going to be.

I haven't done an XC race for over a year and this showed in the start. Everyone was sprinting, really sprinting the 400m to the start, and I was at the back. Was this ok? I hoped so as thre was nothing I could do about it. I had noticed Baptiste was off the back of the men's mass start and he's git a few medals in the bag so i was not too concerned. Then the start kite, and the pace noticeably dropped and I was back in the race. Phew.

Bit odd to one. Came over the saddle, and everyone seemed to be heading to number 2 already. Then i realised Russia was going my way, and the two Swiss teams. Punched it, and on to number two but we were firmly at am the back of the pack now. 2, 3 and four and we seemed to be gaining ground. 3 and 4 were common i think. Still lots of people ahead going and they didn't seem to be going out to 5. The Swiss girls were and I sat in. At 6 we hesitated. I was the wrong side of the bush and dropped about 10 secs. I could see the athletes I was with ahead, so 7, 8 and 9 were easy. (Maja went straight from 8-9 over the hill on last leg. Crazy stuff. You can tell she hadn't done the long). Going into 9 the other gaffle seemed to have merged with ours. I could see tessa ahead, and when she dropped time at 10, I was back with her. 10-13 was running, and my legs were not cooperating v well. Pain! I was glad not to have the gaffle that took in the hill SE of 15. They had it shorter at 13 but still, it would have been nasty!

Over to HP who did a good job on leg 2, then Charlotte on leg 3 who ran strongly and was only just reeled in by the first team.


It was pretty painful, but I was pleased with my performance. I kept my cool with the gaffles and kept navigating. I didn't let what the others were doing distract me. I couldn't have got much more out of my body, and the only wobble was 6, and that was very minor. So yes, quite pleased. And no injury pain. How exciting. I think this racing training is good for me. Just as well. One day off, then three more races in three days.

The warm up confirmed that i had sore feet, ankles, knee, hips, glutes. I kept it to 5 mins as I didn't want to know more...

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

Eoc long.

After the farce if last night we were not quite sure what to expect at the start, but they pulled it off. I think they used the same controls as the original, just in a different order and actually it was better. Respect to the organisers. We were suitably laid back at the start.

Start to one, a long leg up the pylons. Checked out the rest of the course. The track was pretty sandy so not great running but the terrain here was knee to waist deep grass. Off the pylon bend, and down to the fence crossing. We didn't have to use the fence crossing and I ignored them after this as they were easily cross able. Down the reentrant and in. Easy.

To 2 it was just contouring across. V long grass. Easy as you could see for miles.

3 was tucked away a bit. I was online but hesitated a bit.

4 veered right a bit, then went through the gate. Then it was easy. V long grass in all of this section. Was a bit hilly to 5 again long grass. Bit left by 10m at the end.

6 uphill through the grass. V easy. Could see it a mile off.

To 7 I went up and along the fence. Hit some fast terrain after crossing the fence and could run. Through the fence / road junction on a bearing into the most fast terrain I have ever experienced. Down past 9 and from the bottom of the valley I could see the control in the wet pit.

8 and9 and 10 and 11 all very very easy. 12 could see from 200m away. Getting hot and tired and a bit bored but trying to push on.

To 13 got a bit offline on a bearing through the brashes eucalyptus.

14 bearing from the crossing but it all got very bushy and vauge. Missed the control as I was left and continued left. Relocated on the small paths.

15 hit the reentrant to the right before relocating.

16 and 17 easy.

18 ouch!!!

19 couldn't see the big spur from 18 so hard to make things fit. Tired here.

20 thought it was a different knoll I was going for. Ok-ish though.

21 just a control in a massive re entrant.

22 racing Peter bray. Got him

Peter chasing me down.

So it was dull, but I enjoyed it. The big mistake was a shame, and I wish I had done better in the qual to avoid the long grass. Fitness to work on. Looking forward to it.

Brilliant result for cat. We are all thrilled.

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

Eoc middle.

Feeling quite sick this morning. Really nervous before the start. Didn't really want to be there.

Start to 1 - the plan was to run on a bearing, cross two tracks, the up onto the hill. I was a bit left if the line, and a second track appeared (not on the map) and a spur that was half way along the leg, and I looked for the control here, but couldn't see a hill. Really confused. Took a while to relocate and calm down. 1:30

1 - 2 up the valley, and over the col (drew my route on wrong). A bit left. 10secs

2-3 fine

3-4 fine. Actually noticed the significant tree.

4-5 easy. Left the track early as it was sandy.

5-6 easy but came up the hill a bit left of the top. I knew I was left so should have just turned right but let myself be distracted by the non-existent track and weird veg. Dropped 30

6-7 white course control.

7-8 orange course control.

8-9 found a gap in he gorge and went through.

9-10 lots of bushy crap here. Bearing. Crossed halfway at the track. There were loads of tracks coming in here, and no earth banks. Lost confidence. Went to the boys control. Then decided to continue on the original line and found it. 20secs

10-11 south. Ok. Straight or north was quicker.

11-12 bit offline as followed the men's tracks. ALL girls did this. 20secs

12-13 fine.

13-14 so easy.

14-15 too far right. Poor direction. Then control was badly mapped. 30secs.

Rest fine.

So not a great run. Some points:

I managed to drag myself back from a bad start to motivate myself to finish the course.
I came with an aim to qualify. I qualified.
It tracked up but didn't get all that much physically quicker, so hopefully I can still get a good result tomorrow.
I actually enjoyed it in the end. I don't feel all that fit now, so it was hard to enjoy it but I did. It wasn't as bad as the pre-race nerves made me thought it was going to be.

The downside was that the strategy was compass, contours and direction, and it would have worked if I had followed it. I needed to ignore paths and vegetation, and didn't. I will follow this tomorrow.

Best news, this is possibly the first race since before I can remember that I had no pain from injuries. Wow. Totally inspiring.

Warm up. No warm down. Not really in the mood. Oh well.