Training Log Archive: Nathan

Scottish Analysis:
All in all, being genuinely honest, i was quite disappointed with the 6 days this year. Although i finished 4th overall (1stEnglish), i didn't feel like i had a good run at all. There was always just one or two mistakes a course that ruined it for me, being it not concentrating or being slightly out on a bearing or mis reading contours, i just didn't feel clean this week. Obviously there is also the aforementioned external factors as well, but purely from a racing point of view, i was well off the pace. Just looking at splits, i was no where near running fast enough and just didn't have the endurance I have ha in the past. However this can come down to fact That this season i was injured for a good 8-9 months so missed the major part of the base phase but even so, i feel i've matured more as an orienteer enough to cut out the stupid mistakes i have been making this year.
Making it even more disappointing, was the fact that I didn't have good enough results for selection for EYOC by the looks of things, so that means my biggest goal this year is more or less out of the window. I don'tman to sound bitter,I'm simply speaking my mind, and the selections aren't out yet, but from the results I'm pretty certain i won't get in, having said this, congratulation to all those who are selected as from some of the runs you've had you definitely deserve it. Also worth a mention here, unfortunately I wasn't selected for JHI's this year which is a big shame. I guess what I'm saying is basically, provided i can stay relatively injury free for this next year, i hope i can improve on my training, making it more structured and specific and hopefully get the results next year.
Route Gadgets (bar Culbin as it is late) all in order Course M16A:
http://www.scottish6days.routegadget.co.uk/cgi-bin...
http://www.scottish6days.routegadget.co.uk/cgi-bin...
http://www.scottish6days.routegadget.co.uk/cgi-bin...
http://www.scottish6days.routegadget.co.uk/cgi-bin...
http://www.scottish6days.routegadget.co.uk/cgi-bin...

Bit of a recovery cycle after the 6 days. Route around the villages, nice to not have my legs battered. Bit of a grisly evening for it, but got on and quite enjoyed it in the end.

Jog to the start with drills.

6 Days, Day 6
Coulmony and Belivat

Start Time: 12:00

Last race of the week and was really quite up for it, last proper race of the year really. Started well, caught Michael H up on the way 1 (1min). Then slip on 2, too far right, easy through to 3, being careful on the open. Followed the contour round to 4, but not quite far enough so hesitation here. Got leg caught on barbed wire going in to 5, that smarted a bit. Poor route on 6, going over rather than round, losing about a minute. Easy round to 7, then timed out road crossing so a bit of a breather. Had 5 minutes but only took 1:34. Planned route to 9, executed well but running poorly by this point, good through to 10. Lost ~1min on 11, missing the huge open section somehow, but corrected myself and fell through the bracken to the control. Pre planned 12 so ran it well, followinf the ridge along to the hill. Then slip on 14, going too far left and relocating off of the depression. Across to the grotty area for 14 found it fine. Found 15 quite well, navigating to the boulder then on to the penis-shaped green and up the veg boundary in to 15. Messed up 16, open area was very vague and didn't go far enough, Found 17 well but i think the area was mapped a tad dodgily, btu no matter, then fine bearing to 18 and got it spot on, albeit a bit slow. Horrible climb to 19 but ran the vast majority of it, with very few stops. Round the marsh for 20 then across the track and round the 'pond' for 21, then down the hill to 22 and finish.

Finished 5th, could have taken off a tonne of time without mistakes but that's just the way it goes, plus i reckon all the later starters must have had somenkiller tracks to follow, can't help that really though. Finished 5th today.

As hefty as this looks for a warm up, it was an almost 4km walk to the start so normal warm up, plus the walk up.

Scottish 6 day, Day 5, Roseisle

Start time: 11:15

Really nothing to lose now. Had a really terrible night last night, 2 hours sleep or so, feeling really about external events (i won't post details on here). But mindset pre race was really poor, the worst this week.

Having said this, i had a reasonable race. Spiked 1, easy peasy, took the path route to 2, which i think was quicker and easier as you could see it from the path. Tough little rise up to 3, but spiked it fine. Along the beach to 4, good route i think, then cutting in early and following the ridge along. Same again, following the tree line to 5. Raced Gustav to 6, unfortunately he beat me, i reckon he got lucky, but found it well, despite taking a different(ish) route to him, aiming for the tree ling and along whereas he went straight. Straight to 7, reading the contours well, and the same on 8. Very hesitant on 9, didn't think I'd gone far enough but stumbled on the control, maybe a tad lucky. Began to tire a bit on the way to 10, especially on the climbs, but navigation was good. More or less straight to 11, then cruise round the hill in to 12. Path to 13 then along the tree ling in to 14 and then on to the other side of the map. 15 was quite an easy control, basically just went straight to 16 and 17. Couldn't find the crossing point at first on 18, but did in the end and found it a bit rubbishly but still ok. 19, out in the open, was stood on top of it but couldn't see it, bit annoying to lose time there. Too far left on 20 but didn't waste too much time with it. Went straight through 21-23, losing a bit of time on 23 but seem to be the only one who found 23 without too much trouble, relying on the contours rather than the vegetation, but still messing up a bit. 24-25 were so simple you just couldn't mess up. 26 was my only proper mistakes, losing a good 3 minutes or more here, going too far let then right, including looking an idiot in front of the camera control but found it eventually then in to 27 and finish.

Bar 26, my cleanest race of the week, but i was exhausted so couldn't keep my pace going. More pleased with it today, despite terrible preparation. Lost 3-4 minutes mistakes, mainly on 26 and then a few other hesitations. Finished 4th.

Easy trundle and stretching.

Jogged to the start (slow). Drills and dynamic stretching when there.

Loch Of Boath, Last selection race.

Start time: 12:59

With this being the last selection race, i really felt like i had something to prove, sadly i didn't manage to. There was obviously less pressure on me as i hadn't done as well as some of the other guys in the last 2 selection races.
Started scrappily, clean enough through 1-3 (the early section), but didn't feel comfortable and wasn't concentrating enough so made a few small slips, but they all add up. Fastest split to 4, thought had my head in gear. Lost a tonne of time on 5, wrong side of the sparse open, when i thought i was right, lost maybe a minute or more here. Straight to 6, slightly off, then easy to 7, and across the open to 8, managed it fine. But still at this stage was making stupid errors that were easily avoidable. 9 i found cleanly but was slow, at this point in the week, i began realising just how much missing the large endurance block had affected me as my pace was way off what i was expecting. Was relatively clean through 10-12 but slow again and then 13 i found ok. Some questionable route choice as well. Poor route to 14, should have taken the path so lost yet more time. 15, out to the path, then straight to the forest track trying to push but not able to on the way to 16, then across the field to 17 and finish.

Really quite a bad race, and so disappointed as it was the last selection. Won't be selected now, i just didn't perform when i needed to and it cost me. Lost a good 3 minutes, maybe as much as 5 on mistakes and then yet more on pace, so overall just not good. 8th today.

Easy jog warm down.

Jogging with drills pre race.

Scottish 6 Days, Day 3 Culbin
Start time: 11:59

Pre race i felt a lot more relaxed than i had done before the last selection. Sasha starting 4 minutes behind wasn't ideal either. Started ok, straight bearing in to 1, legs were already feeling it here, a sign of things to come. Scrappy route through to 2, then easy through 3-4. Slight sips through the next 3 controls, too far right on 5, too far left on 6, then poor bearing out of 6, meaning i was 90 degrees out to 7, but corrected it when i hit the path. In total, reckon i lost maybe a good 2-2:30 mins so very frustrating. Along the open out of the forest to 8, then same again to 9, hesitant and very cautious. Safe to 10, then too simple a route in to 11, should have run up the ridge and along but rather went up the ride then over, losing maybe a minute purely through route choice. Steady/hesitant through 12&13 then long leg to 14, where Sasha caught me up. Couldn't stick with his pace, got 15 just behind him, another long leg. On the way to 15, was where my legs just were gone, i don't know why, my fitness isn't where it should be, but it isn't that bad, but i couldn't keep my pace up. Cruised in through the short last bit (16,17,18). Then finish.
Was quite happy with my run, should have got closer to 42 really, through pace, route choice etc, but my main concern after the race was how bad i felt physically when running. Maybe missing the big endurance block due to my knee affected me more than i thought. 6th overall (5th Brit), so selection is looking doubtful, also doubly annnoying because from what I've heard from a few people is of an instance of 'following' meanin someone had a very good run, but i guess that's life.

Jog back to assembly with Sasha

Easy jogging to the start, with drills and dynamic stretching.

Scottish Six Day : Day 2
Start time:10:22
Course 34: 7.3km 20m
As today wasn't a selection, I decided early in the day not to race. Started steadily, cruising to 1, the slight slip on 2, didn't run far enough. Flowed through 3-6, then slightly longer leg in 7, using 3 as an attackpoint, the over to 8 then good bearing in to 9. Went dead on the line on 10, then was pretty clean through 11 to 15, bit of slip on 13, but corrected my bearing. Caught Andrew at 16, where he'd made a bit of a mistake, so we're 1 all now on catches, even though i think his is slightly more important. Got 17 well, concentrated throughout the leg then out to the open for 18, flowing through 19-21 with Andrew and a Scandinavian guy on our course. All taking slightly different routes but really in the same general direction. All messed up a bit on 22, ran too far. Then nice long leg up to 23, taking it pretty easy, then hesitant on 24, in to the last control and finish.
A lot of positives from today, even though i wasn't racing, navigation was a lot cleaner so something to think about tomorrow may be going a smidge slower than full belt like yesterday and then working my way up to a far better pace.

Easy jog with Andrew and stretches on a cattle feeder.