Training Log Archive: Bertbennett

Tried to navigate by reading contours. Need to practice reading black dots and grey splodges better. Anyone got any tips? I need some...

This course made me question my entire orienteering style. Nothing really made sense to me yesterday. I was constantly having to relocate. I prefer to navigate by building a sort of 3d image of the terrain in my head using the contours, but yesterday it seemed that using the contours was just really difficult. Better technique was to hop from bare rock to bare rock using compass. I'll try this style in the middle.

Tried to simplify the rock by looking for clumps/patterns but often it just seems like a jumble with no discernable pattern. Having an orienteering existential crisis now..

Model map jog with Alvin. Alternating controls. Actually one of the most enjoyable areas I've ever run on. However I looked at the amiens map again tonight and there's some pretty stark differences between the model area and Amiens. People are saying the rock was mapped poorly but honestly I didn't mind it at all. If you're confident enough in your nav small differences in what boulders are left off the map shouldn't be too much of an issue.

Took the str8 compass out today. The magnifyer was f#$k@n awesome in the detail. Not sure how I'd have read anything without it today.

Legs felt a little dead after yesterday, even though it was only 7km. I think the heat and my lack of warm down/food afterwards contributed.

Aus schools relay champs. Junior boys 1st in Aus with a great last leg by Alvin. That kid is going places. Still 3 years in junior boys and already on the honour team. Senior girls 3rd after an MP by tassie.

Supervising disco. Amongst the cringiest 2 hours of my life.

MP'd on the senior boys course on the shortest control! But physically I felt pretty alright out there. Technically a little bit messy but mostly pretty clean. I think the control I missed would have added all of 30 seconds to my time -_- Didn't even see the control on my map! Woulda won the "race the kids" but alas...

C • Don't 7

Travel day. Thought I'd take it off despute wanting to go for a jog this morning. Going to "race the kids" tomorrow. Best case scenario beat all the school kids, worst case, get beaten by all the school kids. Motivation enough to not stuff up.

C • "Motivation enough to not stuff up." 3

Public event for the schools sprint. Would have made the senior boys podium but a couple errors late in the course and one control #18 being in what I think was the wrong spot, and a few older participants taking their sweet time punching controls, put me down on what was a very impressive winning time for the senior boys.

Surprisingly fun for such a small map.

5 minute plank workout

On the 25th of september 2016, it was declared that there was to be a sick relay race. The stage was set. 6 teams. But who would come out on top?

Macey was sent out first leg. I hoped that Macey wouldn't blow himself up trying to hang onto Simon. He did a great job pacing himself and came back in 2nd place just ahead of a hungry chase pack. But where was the ACT? Their first leg runner had a pretty average run by the looks of it and sent Shep out with a bit of a task ahead of him.

Toby was the 2nd leg runner for my team. He had a great consistant run and came in in 1st place! Pressure on... no idea how big the gap was to Eon. Turns out about 2:40. Which shrunk significantly after bungling the 2nd control. A 100m short one... s#$t! Was messy through the 1st 3rd of the course and I could feel the pressure of the situation really getting to me. Ian caught me just before the long leg. S#$t!
Got a tow from eon on the long leg. Then the next leg couldn't see him anywhere and assumed he'd gone off into the distance. Saw him again coming in as I punched the control! Must have missed it a bit. I had a narrow lead going into the 3rd last control but wasn't certain of the ponds. Attackpoint felt funny. Eon punched first and from then on I couldntreally get around him. Tried a sprint in the finish but the shape of the finish shoot wasn't conducive to a sprinting overtake. Disappointed that I couldn't bring the W home for the boys. They did an awesome job to put me out in the lead. Next year?

Congrats to ACT!

C • Great work 13