Training Log Archive: IanW

Travel south day. Legs pretty achy.

Good week up in Scotland - fun terrain, though not always the most technically challenging of courses. Reversed overall positions with Jon M when compared to 2 years ago (43rd vs 49th), and a long way off winning the wooden spoon this time!

It was a long day in the forest...

Scottish 6 Days - Day 5 - Roseisle

Cracking bit of terrain with lovely dunes in white forest. Brain was not switched on in any way today though, and navigation was hesitant/useless throughout. Several stupid mistakes, including overrunning one control by 150m. Just hoping the flags would appear - which they did, after I'd found several others beforehand. Not sure the heat helped either.

Amazed not to be further down than I was, as I think I orienteered better here in 2003, on my first foray into sand dunes...

Scottish 6 Days - Day 4 - Loch of Boath

Middle WRE today. Warm up was a jog over to the start, to mingle amongst the midgies... Started off steadily, with the ITB at the back of my mind, and never really got going, and didn't feel like pushing on either. Only one 'mistake' drifting left to #14 after a slight parallel error, and compounding it slightly by getting caught in some grot. The open wasn't conducive to running fast, and this also slowed me down trying to get out of #10, compounded by the twisted ankle that I'd managed on the road between 8 and 9.

Fair bit easier underfoot than I was expecting, but maybe felt easier as I wasn't pushing the pace today? Technically a bit easier too.

Eating ice cream and watching dolphins

Steady to the start

Scottish 6 Days - Day 3 - Culbin

Today the wheels fell off. Was expecting another 70-minuter, but they'd got the planning about right today, and the softness of the ground (with some heather) made it far more physical underfoot than Lossie.

Probably started off too fast, but technically sound. Then was hanging on a bit in the middle, with several 10-20" hesitations but nothing worse, before things went to pot at the end - lost 7 minutes or so across the last third of the course. This all started when I went for a radical route choice on #18, but hadn't got round to thinking enough about the attack for it to pay off (90"). Followed this with a 3' and 2' mistake amongst general slowness. ITB tightened quite markedly towards the end, despite rolling/stretching yesterday evening.

81 was achievable today, but I was definitely on the edge navigation-wise almost all of the way - beneficial to find the current limit, but need to get the focus right for the middle WRE on Thursday.

Glad there's a rest day tomorrow...

A bit less frantic today...

Scottish 6 Days - Day 2 - Carse of Ardersier

Middle distance course today, in the dry and warm. Better than yesterday, a minute miss on #11 and a few 10-20" hesitations where I was a little unsure, or was a bit off the optimum route. Flowed well round the shorter controls in the lovely open pine forest and pretty surprised with the time - would certainly have taken that before the start! Though I think the climb figures today were a bit of an underestimate...