Training Log Archive: neon

First day of the Canadian Nationals! This was the sprint, held on the campus of McMaster University in Ontario. I have a lot of trouble with sprints (you'll see if you look at the winning time for girls on this course, which was about 17 minutes, ouch) and this one was no exception. I ran out of the start triangle to control 1 just fine and had no trouble finding it, but then I tried running to control 2 and just completely lost my head. For some reason I couldn't figure out how the map translated to reality. I spent 8 minutes running back and forth over the same spots trying really, really hard to remember how to orienteer! Things clicked for me eventually (after 8 minutes) and I understood where I was and where I was supposed to be going. After I found 2, I more or less got back on track and my mind started working again, although I was pretty slow and hesitant throughout the entire course, probably because I didn't want a repeat of that horrible experience in the beginning.

Looking back on why that happened, I think I just panicked. I was really excited running out of the start triangle, but then because I got the slightest bit confused on number 2 I just completely freaked out and thought about all the orienteers running by who looked like they knew what they were doing and how my competition probably would have moved on halfway through the course by now. I also kept getting distracted by people turning in different directions going to other controls so I (totally illogically, I know) went to these other controls in the area because I thought they might be mine. When this sort of thing happens I just need to calm down, stop for a second, and focus on the map. It really helped me just to take a breath and ignore everyone else for a second, because then I actually understood what the map was telling me.

I looked at the map again and all my controls were really very easy. I just got trapped in my own nervousness of telling myself how I needed to move on, start thinking, because every second in a sprint counts so much. If I had stopped myself from thinking like that earlier and just focused, I wouldn't have made such a huge mistake on number 2.

Sprint Course 4b - Splits

Rock climbing at Lindseth. I went to go club afterwards because I was nearby and there were maybe three people there because everyone else was studying for prelims (like I should have been) :(

Plantations loop.

Went to a fun THOMASS event with ROC! I had a really nice handicap since I'm a female under 19, and although route choice was a little difficult at times it was overall an easy, enjoyable course. I felt good running and didn't make any errors... the only thing is I don't know how helpful it was as training for the Canadian Nationals next week -___-

C • Anything is better than nothing 1

Jogged the white course without a compass as a warmdown.

Avalanche - Splits