Training Log Archive: Psuba

Event: Open Hungarian Classic Distance Championships
 

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Hungarian Championship Classic Distance, part 1 - the section before my Garmin ran out of battery.

M40, finished way down the ranking.

Not sure if it is worth analysing as I messed up the whole race by being about 5 min late for my start. This meant a messed up warm-up, no stretching, no mental prep, straight into the course as a flying start. Surprised I haven't messed up control 1, but did then duly messed up 2 and no longer motivated at all from that point. Jogged around where I could, tried to make good route choices.

Also - the prep during the week was quite poor with limited sleep and training due to travel, work and other events.

In terms of further controls, route choices were probably OK, but execution wobbly. Did not attack any legs really though, did not run on the edge. Went long way around to 7 on the left but probably that was an OK route for the most part - did suboptimal micro routes in the first part. Hit the controls OK on most controls except for 11 where I drifted too far north through the ridge, which was probably the result of imprecise descent on the previous ridge - then took a valley 1 north of the one I originally intended to. Took some time to relocate in the valley. Then finally a mistake on 17 as there was a similar rough open area NW unmapped to the one with the control. but again I wasn't sharp at all by that time.

Shame, the course was well planned. Disappointing to have done this now considering the prestige of the event.

Regardless of the mess I have made of this with the prep, for the most part I have orienteered OK, but also felt I was too weak for this amount of climb - clearly the south of England training environment is too flat so I need to make more effort on hill training to be competitive.
I have written a year and a half ago on the JK that I wasn't physically or navigationally prepared. I think by now navigation is a lot better, and although I did not really attack any part of this course, but I wasn't exhausted after 2 hours of running which I think should be considered an improvement too.

Hungarian Championship Classic Distance, part 2 - the section after my Garmin ran out of battery.

This is a rough estimate drawing the route as I remember is on GPSies and seeing what I get on climb and distance.

Event: Open Hungarian Club-Relay Championships
 

F170, Club Relay Championship. Ran 2nd for the Spari team, a good team and mostly held my own.
Could have finished 2nd but unfortunately our 4th runner missed a control in the high pressure last loop when chased down for 2nd position. He managed to pip them at the last control so we were all ecstatic until we realised the missed control. Oh well. One could argue it is all our fault, I certainly could have made less mistake which would have put him under less pressure and that would have made our 2nd place secure. To be fair I had the shortest course of the 4 (should have got the 2nd longest based on age), so need to be in better shape to be able to contribute yet more. Nevertheless I think since last year I got to the point where I am no longer a liability for the team, even if I am not a differentiator either.

5 - overran the control above in the open, for some reason misread the map thinking the rock I was looking for was out in the open, when in fact it was underneath. 1:10 lost
10 - slight directional error but corrected based on vegetation - 10s
13 - oversimplified the route so diverted to the right at the edge of the open - corrected quickly though - 20s
14 - the biggest mistake of the run. About 4m wondering above the control circle... directional mistake and too high, fundamentally as my attack point wasn't as distinct as the map suggested. I chose the small hill SE of the control. I have ran up to the highest point near there assuming this was the mapped hill, but it wasn't in the right place relative to the control, so something wasn't quite right either in the map or in my plan. Relocated off the track above in the end, but took far too long, and probably indirectly cost us our placing as I put too much pressure on Ege as DZ caught him up and caused him to rush and miss a control.

Sum of 5:40 of mistake, if only I did not make this last one I would have been happy with my run. As it is, wasn't a catastrophe and still brought the team up from 5th to 4th but could do better next time.

Event: Wessex Club Night & Night League
 

Placing controls

Placing controls

Collecting controls