Training Log Archive: Angus

I was amused with all the pink members here during past week. Not amused anymore that I've joined you.

Event: Leinster League, Mullaghmeen
 

Mullaghmeen was a reason why I love orienteering, now Mullaghmeen is a reason why I wouldn't do orienteering.

Coillte have destroyed the soul of the woods and in its place left huge extraction tracks. For those too young to know, Mullaghmeen was a special place in Irish Orienteering, fast running woods with contour detail. 10k course were run in an hour. This is a distant memory. The woods have been thinned, this has allowed the light in and now brambles flourish in the fertility. To put it bluntly it is shit!
Of the 8k course I'd say less than 1km was good running. The map is crap as it needs major vegetation revision before every event to try map the brambles but to get it good would be a labour of love, and the one person who would have done this in Setanta has passed away. There were areas today that were actually free of brambles but were mapped as such, but it was mostly the other way round.
My will for the course today was mostly gone by 7...even thought of retiring. I doggedly tried to stay with straight line routes rather than go the quicker track routes. If I want street O I'll do it...The only nice bits of forest was a short stretch to 10 and some of 12. The one leg I took track route I had quickest split...

And now I feel a cold coming on and with VHI next weekend, this is **** timing.
Hopefully a good nights sleep...

C • Mullaghmeen 2

Collecting controls

Brown - Splits

First k very fast with a junior leading out. I changed my mind a few times whether to let him go or stay with him, but each time I decided to let him go he came back to me, so we passed the 1st garmin km in 3:27, then suddenly after another 300m he slowed quite a bit. I slowed with him waiting for him to pick it up again but he didn't, so I sped passed him and ushered him to keep with me. 2nd k 3:38. he didn't stay with me, so was pacing from there on. 3rd k 3:33. Had to start working harder for the 4th k 3:38 and kept same pace to finish. Didn't sprint the finish. Ended up a minute ahead of the junior who held onto 2nd.

Chilly this morning, a bit of frost.

Managed to squat for first since since big impact on my knee. So I almost have 100% mobility back and not much reaction after today's run. Has been stiffening up quite a bit after each run till now.