Training Log Archive: IanW

as previously mentioned, was going to run the Town and Gown 10k today. Except I then forgot to enter...

Brill night-O was much more fun anyhow!

Night-O training on Brill, in preparation for the Harvesters in 2 weeks time. First ever night-O, great fun, really made you think about orienteering properly. It actually seemed to suit my orienteering style quite well, and forced you to keep looking at the compass, to pick out the big obvious features you needed to see and then to choose a decent attack point at the end of the leg.

There were a couple of silly screw ups, mainly as distance judgement wasn't quite up to scratch at night. But got into a flow a couple of times which felt good.

Went out with Eva on the loop I'd just done, but in the other direction, talking over each leg and how to tackle it by breaking it down and looking for the obvious features. Time an arbitrary guess...

Collecting in a set of controls from the far end of the Brill map. Hit every one spot on, even having been to 4 of the 6 already directions of approach was different; most satisfying to do this at night :)

So Ian, in the lab, suddenly realises that time has ticked on a bit more than he'd like and needs to get a move on to get to Thornhill, via home to pick up 'O' stuff. Seemingly hits every red light in existence on the way up there, but still beats Scott who took the bus (late as well??)

Summer series at Wendover. Up on the Eastern spur, which used to be covered in brambles but is now fast runnable beech woodland. Would have looked gorgeous in sunlight, unfortunately we were covered in gloom. Ran again without a compass, which caused hesitation and error on 4 of the controls and could have saved a bit of time on at least one other. Two others were my screw ups (cutting in too early, taking the first path rather than the second...). Probably lost at least 3 minutes. Physically felt quite good and fluid out there, don't think I've felt like that since mid-March. Time a rough estimate based on Jon M's finish time.

Brief warm down jog with Jon M, which was curtailed when I saw Scott in the forest approaching the finish and decided that going for a sprint finish (assuming he didn't twig I'd already finished) would be amusing :)

Then went and collected a couple of controls in from the X loop a bit afterwards.

Cycle back from Thornhill in the rain...

I was going to cycle out and back to Wheatley this evening for a meeting, but at the bottom of Headington Hill my mudguard decided to attach itself to the front wheel of my bike, mangle itself, chuck me over the top of the handlebars so I was lying on the road holding a bike over the top of me...

Took a while to get the wheels spinning freely, didn't want to risk going further in case it happened again, so came home. Surgery on the bike probably necessary tomorrow morning, fortunately only superficial injuries to me.

Badminton Cuppers vs Keble B. Fairly easy matches, won 15-8 and 15-5 so through to next round.

Would have done circuits except there was a men's blues committee meeting. So instead I managed to get Joe an extraordinary full blue. I think that's a good enough excuse :)