Training Log Archive: Tim C

Went out with Nitsy to go run the Sprint final course.

Really fun area and some nice and tricky nav. Lots of people around though!

Legs feeling surprisingly good!

WOC long.

This was the race I most wanted to do decently in, so had some high expectations of myself.

Plan was to just try start conservatively and reduce the mistakes, hopefully then finishing strong.

Hit #1 okay, then going well to 2, but didn't keep map contact at the end and fiddled around near the circle in some very vague stuff, not able to quickly work out where I was. 2min+ gone..

Then solid enough from 3-7, not going fast, but hitting things fairly well.

Then the long leg to #9. Had caught Ruari and ran behind him a little while I tried to decide on a route choice. Got to the open area and couldn't see any reasonable options but straight, so straight I went. Managed to execute it fairly well, though definitely not running as fast as I would've liked, with having to stay in contact with the map the whole time.

Small mistake to #10 stopping too early (20secs), then too far left to #11, first going through some crap veg and then hitting the path too low down (1min lost).
But of a poor direction out of #11 and then going too far left again just before the open area in front of #12 (45secs)
Decided to take the route around to #13 to get a break, and would've been good besides for getting stuck in a neck high field of nettles on the way out of #12.. (30secs lost in here)
#14 fine.
Then fecked #15 properly...
Not focusing properly and stopped too short (at the earlier river junction). Nothing seemed to make sense and after a while, ran back to the path and tried again..
(3:30 gone..)
Fine to #16, then took an absolutely shite route to #17, getting stuck in a lot of green and going for a full body swim in the canal.. (at least 1:30 lost here).

Fine to #18 and #19
Some hesitations executing my route to #20 and then was far too low at the end (1min lost)
Again a bit left on #21 (20secs)
Too low at the end of #22 (45secs)
Bad direction out of #22 and ended up going all the way to the open (30secs)
Then a bit out of it and stopped too early to #24, not wanting to run into the arena looking like an idiot.. (20secs lost).


So fairly happy with my run up until spectator. The one irritating big mistake at #2, but otherwise pretty clean and feeling pretty good physically. Then stuffed up #15 and I think that mentally destroyed me. Started suffering physically here as well and the route choice to #17 broke me a bit. Really just slogging around the last few controls and also making lots of smallish mistakes on all these, just not able to focus at all.

10min slower than I should've been after spectator and then a few min before, so would've been happy with under 2:05.

Realised I'm definitely not physically ready for this distance in this terrain. I'm fine running for 2+ hour on trails, but rough terrain is a completely different story.

Anyways. Not a disaster, and a lot of positives to take out. Also ran 99% of the race on my own, so that definitely makes things a bit more difficult.

C • Well gone 4

Loop with Christie from the accom. A few strides on the track at the end.

Jog to and from the track and then messing around there doing some random strides and zigzagging across the field.

Short exploration of the trails around the sports gym before heading down to the river to meet the others and have a swim.

Very disappointing..

Started conservative like planned, hit the first 3 solidly enough (even if not particularly fast), then caught 2min man and stopped reading the map, scrappy through 4 and 5 losing 20 secs on each, then dropped too low to #6 and had to climb far too much (45secs), going okay on the long leg to #7. But didn't know where I came down into the valley and thought I was too far right.. so went left for way too long before coming back. 2min lost..
Going perfectly to #8, read the big re-entrant, ran within 10m of the control and didn't see anything... hit the path and came back, punching it with Nitsy and his pack. Another 2min binned. Feck.. Running angry now and took the path option to 10, pulling away from the group who went straight (3rd fastest split here), then fairly easy 10th and 11th controls with lots of running which suited me nicely.

Caught Cillin at #11 and then preceded to completely feck #12.. missed it a bit to the left, tried to correct, couldn't find anything to relocate off (super flat+vague area and the "lake" wasn't at all visible through the green.. eventually gave up and ran out to the path near 13 and came back at it, 6 min later than I should've.. punched it with an Aussie and a Hungarian who then towed me into #13. Then tried to get away a bit to #14, but came off the path a little too low, so only punched just ahead of them. Then went right to #15 and didn't take the greatest line, maybe losing 10secs. Struggled to read where we were coming out the arena passage and was very hesitant into #16, losing another 20secs. Fine through to #17, but then took a crap line through the green to #18 and hesitant into the control, another 20secs.. Then a bit of a crawl up the hill to #19 and a sad attempt at a finish Sprint.. only 15th+3secs down :'(

Bleak that I made such big mistakes.. Really need to get better at knowing when I need to slow down and navigate carefully and when I can try run..

Fine making the 20-30sec mistakes, but really should not be making anything bigger.. getting far too distracted by other people and not running my own race.

Sub 40 would've been easy enough without the 3 big mistakes and sub 38 definitely possible just running relatively clean.. Maybe one day I'll actually manage to put together a complete race. :/

C • Keep at it Tim! 3

Jog around the middle model. Yesterday's forest ruined me.. need to get back into the fighting mentality.