Training Log Archive: Ollie

JWOC Spectator Races: Stage 5 - Druskininku Miskas, Lithuania. H21S (i.e. M21L) 33C, sunny.

The hottest day of all, this was a real fight against the heat - and a real sprint too. The JWOC competitors used this area in the morning and were running 10km races in under 50 minutes - so it was always going to be fast. The forest was pretty flat, and almost entirely white - you could reasonably go dead straight for all but one of the legs.

Good compass-work was important and unfortuantely I was hindered by using a Moscow Type 2 compass - I had bought it to replace my Silva Jet Spectra that I thought I had lost. The compass was maddening - every time I ran a step, it would jump around, making it impossible to use it on the run (I later replaced it with a more stable Type 3.)

However, my first mistake was not due to the compass, but to not focusing on the map at the beginning of the race. I was already feeling dehydrated in the intense heat, and ran down the wrong path, following the other people on my start block. Once I realised what I had done, the bad compass then made quickly correcting the mistake impossible, so I took a chance, ran to the wrong control and then quickly decided to do a full relocation, almost back to the start. A 2-3 minute leg had taken 8 minutes - my second worst mistake of the entire week.

Another mistake between 5 and 6 - I failed to spot a dead horizontal ride on the map, mistaking it for another path, and almost ran off the map - I knew what I had done but still wasted 3 minutes, having deviated substantially off the line.

Running around fast to try and correct these mistakes only exhausted me more, and the rest of the race was a fight against dehydration and passing out in the heat - running fast in open (i.e. sunny) forest in 33C temperatures, I was in no mood to orienteer properly, so got tows to a couple of controls, and walked in the more shaded parts. Luckily, it wasn't too technical, and I made no further significant mistakes. The end was a lovely run past the lakes in central Druskininkai, into the JWOC finish arena.

Despite this being my fastest mins/km race, it was the race I performed worst in, compared with my JOK contempories - most of whom are good runners - on a real runners' map. Still, I ended the week being the overall winner amongst us six - although I just missed out on being the best Brit to one of the British Army runners.

JWOC Spectator Races: Stage 4 - Petrosku Miskas, Lithuania. H21S (i.e. M21L) 31C, sunny.

The most physical day, although good planning kept the course largely in cooler forest, sometimes quite thick, so the heat wasn't felt nearly as much as for Days 2 & 5. Leg 2-3 was a 1km leg, alternating through steep hillside, rough open in the heat, and thick undergrowth - a true challenge, but a clean leg for me.

My only serious mistake was the second long leg (9-10). I decided to avoid the thick green forest and go around on an inevitably track. I stopped concentrating on this leg, and upon plunging back into the cooler forest, didn't start concentrating again. I badly overshot the control, ending up 300m away in intensely technical terrain. I needed to very carefully recover from it, costing 3 minutes. Apart from that there were 4 silly mistakes near controls, each costing perhaps a minute and again due to my lack of concentration. I'm just not used to orienteering in such hot climes!

Overall a good run and I again (just) beat my contempories in JOK.

JWOC Spectator Races: Stage 3 - Petrosku Miskas, Lithuania. H21S (i.e. M21L) 30C, cloudy.

The shortest day's running, and thankfully some cloud cover to keep the sun off the back - however after yesterday's nightmare and pain later that evening, I was taking no chances, and fully hydrated and fuelled before going out. This was technically my cleanest race, with just two significant mistakes.

Control 7 was in a very vague area, a jumble of paths and very small hills on the map confused me - it was difficult to know what was mapped and what wasn't - and I was 100m too far to the east. Perhaps 90 seconds was wasted in this area.

Control 14 was a very traumatic control for me. It was very near the end, so I had stopped concentrating, and swung too far to the right. The control itself was in a pit, surrounded by green forest, and was really a pot luck control. Having wasted 3 minutes here, I bashed my head hard on a horizontal branch. One control later I felt my head and realised I was bleeding quite badly. I was only a minute away from finishing the race though, so carried on, and must have looked quite a state at the finish line. However, the wound healed quickly and I don't seem to have suffered any concussion. It was a really nasty blow though and if I had had more of the course still to do, I would probably have retired as a precaution.

This time I was able to beat everyone in JOK, although by a much smaller margin than on Day 1.

JWOC Spectator Races: Stage 2 - Noskunu Miskas, Lithuania. H21S (i.e. M21L) 30C, sunny.

Just like the Scottish last year, I always seem to stumble on the second day of multi-day races. Today was the longest course of the week, it was much hotter than the previous day, and I had not been sensible at hydrating and eating enough before the race. Also, I made the worst mistake of the week - a 10 minute disaster in which I ran off the map. This mistake was very early on (2-3) and I only found the control by chance, as I was on my way to relocate!

I still had over 7km to run in very hot conditions and I was in trouble. I took a track around a long leg (7-8, over 1.5km) but failed to notice a closer track - the perfectly north-south tracks scattered through the area were seemingly invisible, my eyes automatically assuming they were gridlines. This long, hot route further dehydrated me, and a water stop didn't help too much. Just 1km from the end, I suddenly found I was completely unable to concentrate or hold a bearing. 14, 15 and 16 were a control pick. For some reason, I found 16 before 15, then after 15, I hit 14 while trying to find 16! So, I ended up going 14-16-15-14-16! I was getting extremely frustrated that I had already been to 16 but could not now find it. Four minutes were wasted in these two legs. My route to 17 was appaling - I was again completely un able to hold a bearing, and got my paths confused, getting dragged a long way off the line. Another four minute mistake. Finally, there was a long, physical leg to the last control, and I got stuck in thick green undergrowth, almost in sight of the finish!

Most of the others in JOK also struggled on this most difficult day, but Hedley had a great run and beat me by several minutes.

JWOC Spectator Races: Stage 1 - Pieriskiai, Lithuania. H21S (i.e. M21L) 27C, sunny.

The first day - and, as it turns out, my best day. I had reasonably high hopes that I would do well, as I had been to seven orienteering events in June, plus some serious effort on the bike, in terms of training. It was certainly hot today, but not as hot as it would get later in the week, so the heat did not affect me badly. The orienteering was technical, but I felt good, but took risks, running fast in terrain that would be a nightmare to relocate in. Normally, I don't get away with taking risks, but it just all went right this time.

Ironically, my only significant mistake was a 60 second bit of confusing in a non-technical area at the very end of the course - I misread the feature in the middle of the control circle, and, only a few metres away, aimed off in the wrong direction.

This was my best result of the week, and not only did I beat my JOK contempories, but also the other British runners on my course.

My route.