Training Log Archive: blairtrewinIn the 1 days ending Jul 31, 2010:
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Saturday Jul 31, 2010 #
6 PM
Run race ((orienteering)) 16:07 [4] *** 2.6 km (6:12 / km) +50m 5:39 / km
spiked:16/16c
Did the necessary in a pretty technically straightforward sprint qualifier, with a few route choice problems but no real fine navigation challenges - although a few people who hadn't read the program came to grief by misunderstanding a high bridge. Felt reasonable running without being brilliant, and handled the stairs OK - not that a qualifier is the place you want to have a flyer physically. (I did have a scare in the sprint qualifiers last year, although one big advantage this year is that I'd actually eaten in the 48 hours prior to the race this time). Achilles still a little touchy.
I was expecting Christoph Plattner (whom I'd regarded as the pre-event favourite) to come through me from two minutes back, but he didn't. Ended up in 15th place but only just over a minute down (although there were three significantly faster times in the other heat, on the same course). Realistically I'd be happy with a top-20 in the sprint and a top-10 in the long - the field is deeper than the last two years and I'm not in quite the same shape. On qualifying times I'm 28th combining the two heats, but the final should be a bit more technical which will suit me better; this was really a running race.
We were reminded after finishing that Swiss event organisation is not always as flawless as the country's reputation would lead you to believe (no-one who was at the 1996 World Cup will need much reminding of this) - someone had clearly neglected to work out how many download stations would be needed to handle the flow of competitors. The queue was around 20 minutes when I finished but blew out to an hour later on.
The opening ceremony was also a bit shambolic, but Switzerland hardly has a monopoly on that; it was somewhat unhelpful that the ceremony venue was a block away from the designated municipal firework-exploding place. For those not from the Territories who have forgotten what a good old-fashioned cracker night looks like, this weekend is it (Swiss National Day is tomorrow). Fireworks were being set off in other places too, including next to the fifth control while I was the process of punching it.
(I thought the fireworks might also make for a very disturbed night's sleep, but as it turned out more disturbing were the loud and continuous church bells at 6am - the Church obviously being an exception in a country where noise pollution is taken so seriously that using a washing machine on a Sunday is deeply frowned on in many quarters. Australia clearly has had a different attitude for some time as I found a 1910 newspaper article about an upheld noise complaint in Melbourne involving church bells).
I was expecting Christoph Plattner (whom I'd regarded as the pre-event favourite) to come through me from two minutes back, but he didn't. Ended up in 15th place but only just over a minute down (although there were three significantly faster times in the other heat, on the same course). Realistically I'd be happy with a top-20 in the sprint and a top-10 in the long - the field is deeper than the last two years and I'm not in quite the same shape. On qualifying times I'm 28th combining the two heats, but the final should be a bit more technical which will suit me better; this was really a running race.
We were reminded after finishing that Swiss event organisation is not always as flawless as the country's reputation would lead you to believe (no-one who was at the 1996 World Cup will need much reminding of this) - someone had clearly neglected to work out how many download stations would be needed to handle the flow of competitors. The queue was around 20 minutes when I finished but blew out to an hour later on.
The opening ceremony was also a bit shambolic, but Switzerland hardly has a monopoly on that; it was somewhat unhelpful that the ceremony venue was a block away from the designated municipal firework-exploding place. For those not from the Territories who have forgotten what a good old-fashioned cracker night looks like, this weekend is it (Swiss National Day is tomorrow). Fireworks were being set off in other places too, including next to the fifth control while I was the process of punching it.
(I thought the fireworks might also make for a very disturbed night's sleep, but as it turned out more disturbing were the loud and continuous church bells at 6am - the Church obviously being an exception in a country where noise pollution is taken so seriously that using a washing machine on a Sunday is deeply frowned on in many quarters. Australia clearly has had a different attitude for some time as I found a 1910 newspaper article about an upheld noise complaint in Melbourne involving church bells).