Running (Warm up) 20:00 [2] 3.5 km (5:43 / km)
shoes: Inov-8 x-talon 212
Jogging, drills and strides/sprints. Feeling ok, but not confident.
Orienteering (Interland Proper) 1:11:47 [5] **** 11.58 km (6:12 / km) +230m 5:38 / km
spiked:19/24c shoes: Inov-8 x-talon 212
Interland review
Course 3: 8.9km 230m 24 controls
I wanted to use this weekend as a way of race preparation for the JK in 3 weeks. If I run like I did today I may as well just not go. Tired to sort out my head from yesterday and I thought I had, preparing well before hand but once I'd started, I just fell apart. I think my main problem at the minute is I've been running races too much, but not actually orienteering them, which is different to sept-jan when I was really focused on navigation but I seem to have lost it. Hopefully I can pick this up next week at the Warwick sprint and Sundays race.
Poor from the start to be honest. Had a rough plan in my head for one but didn't contour or stay on my compass well at all, just ran in the general direction which on this sort of area is impossible to find the control in. Found it in the end after being too far up the re entrant but at this time I'd already lost at least 2/2.5 minutes. Headed off to 2,meter mined to nail it this time but again a slip in the circle, getting the wrong junction, cost me time, 30secs~. Better to 3 headed straight but again slow going and could have been faster. Similar story for 4. Good route to 5, simple control, just taking the path to loop up the hill and found it well. Biggest mistake was probably 6. I had no bearing out of 5 at all, so picked up the wrong path just 100m from the control. If I'd have run down the depression I would have found it easily. Instead, I forced my self to bash through the rough "runnable" stuff on the path which again I thought was the right one. But it wasn't and I ended up a good 400m from the control on the wrong side of an uncross able fence, meaning I had to run around it and in to the control (3~?). Tristan had caught me at this point (5mins) but stuck at it and pushed through, taking advantage of the easy control for 7 to try and get my head back in gear which I managed. Stuck with Tristan for a bit, taking different routes but often ending up at the control at about the same time. Contouring was good through 8/9 and bearing was solid on 10 before heading straight to 11 forcing myself up a big climb, which basically got the better of me. Easy one again to 12 just heading straight to the control. Tricky one for 13 but took the low path route which was safe I think but found it well off the large pond. 14 looked to be a tricky one,but in truth it was a simple loop around the path, it was just a case of getting the right one, which I did so no problems there. 15 again looked tricky, but it was just a matter of getting the right paths at the right time. Headed east well, picking up the second path and then cutting right out towards the huge open slate hill. Climbed the hill, feeling tired from this, then across the plateau on top to the control which you could see miles away. Another poor mistake on 16, took a rough Bering to the corner of the hill, then from there, blundered in to the rough open, which wasn't rough open, just trees, in to the pits and depressions around here. Messed about for too long, just not concentrating and having no plan at all before being lead in by Mark. 17 was better, cutting cross the open early to cross the ditch to the control. Bit of a poor bearing on 18 hit the path too far north before running along it and off to the holly bush at its side. Straight to 19, planned on using the path but it wasn't there so went straight instead. Really stupid mistake on 20 got to the circle well. Up just wasn't planning ahead at all And so when I got the big pit of water, I didn't realise what it was so messed about for ages in there (2.5~). Straight to 21 got my head in gear a bit and found it well, then path to 22 as I didn't fancy bashing through the rough stuff. Round the hill on 23 when really I should have gone over it then on to the big path for the last control and finish.
Overall, I'm very disappointed with this run. Having slept on it, I realised my main problem was not planning ahead, meaning whenever I got to a remotely technical are! I didn't have a clue what to do with it. This meant I was constantly questioning myself on every decision when I should have simply been flowing through. I was distracted by others as well (again!) meaning I wasn't focus on what I was doing. Running was generally ok, bit slow towards the end so might take some jelly babies out with me at some point to test before the jk, or maybe some energy gels. Just a bit of a crap and depressing weekend. Need to get some good pressure training in next weekend with the Warwick uni spint and cademan woods on Sunday.
Running (Warm down) 10:00 [1] 1.5 km (6:40 / km)
shoes: Inov-8 x-talon 212
Deflated, and just annoyed, feel like my technique has just gone, need to get it back at Warwick and Cademan next week.