Training Log Archive: TheInvisibleLog

5.7 straight line
Should have been 6.4 & 195m
What is it about control 2? Spiked 1, stuffed 2 ... again.
Very very silly error. All I had to do was run past a fence and then turn right. But I convinced myself I had already passed the fence, using a borrowed memory from the fence on the previous leg. Stopped 20 metres from the control and ran back. Lost 2 and a half minutes.

The other error was a bad route choice on the long leg. That cost at least another two minutes. But it was a good bit of course setting.

I took the worst of the four routes shown (second from left). After some armchair measurement, I believe the right hand route is the best. I saw it initially and rejected it. Can't see why now. It has the least climb, half of what i eventually did. Geoff Hudson got it right. Didn't find anyone else who took it.

The good news was running the last four controls against Ted, who came third. I learnt that i can run faster than a year ago. So clearly my navigation at speed is a problem. A general lack of confidence to push myself.
Placed.. 16th. Coodabeen dept... 9th. Clearly some others had good runs.

6.4 straight line
Should have been 7.0 215m
Rougher, hillier than the sprint terrain.
Spiked the first control and met Geoff Hudson running in to it. Geoff had started 2 minutes before me, so good start for me, not for Geoff. Its always deflating to stuff the first easter control. Then it was my turn. Took the adventurous rather than safe option to second control. Stood still for a little while too high up the spur as a result. The control was in the green further down so I eventually ran down blind and came onto it. Then totally stuffed the 3rd control. One of the downsides of all the hill training over the past 4 months was that the hills seem smaller. So I assumed I had crossed the main ridge lower down. Ended up making a parallel error into gully to the right. Stopped where I judged the control should be, and it clearly wasn't. This time the green saved me. This gully was green and there was only one green gully on the map around there. So turned at right angles and over the small spur to drop onto the control. So I had the distance right, just not the height or direction.

The rest of the course went uneventfully. Was passed by Geoff Lawford, the eventual winner. I tried to keep up with him, but realised I couldn't and also keep contact on the map.
All up, a loss of about three and a half minutes on the two errors, Obviously I wasn't alone in the error department. Finished 8th which was a few places above par. In the coodabeen department, without the errors, 6th was possible.

Event: Australian Easter Orienteering Carnival
 

3.4 k straight line.
Sprinting in the Slologue. Fast for me. I aimed to just jog around, but once that start clock beeped over I went into full easter mode. A match race between three of the group. The youngest of the three held the lead till the last control. I made a couple of minor hesitations early on so spent the race catching the other two. Came into the last control about 5 metres behind. Sprinted hard and overtook on the inside on the chute corner. Two runners, two finish SI boxes. Oh no.. a slow earlier starter heading into my box just in front of me. Thats when orienteering turned into a contact sport as I lunged right to the other box just in front of my rival. My stick was in first and the other SI stick banged into my finger. Cheeky! The rersults showed a 1 second margin, truth was it would have been in 100ths. Loads of fun when it didn't matter.
Liked the vague mallee terrain.

The final component of an Easter taper... the long drive. Hoping for somewhere near Renmark tonight.

Easy running on the welsford hill circuit, except for the surges up the three main hills. Next run will be the Slologue.

Commuting after leaving car at garage. Pre-Easter service. I am not sure if this ride counts towards a taper. The real Easter taper is the half day drive to the event on Thursday night and Friday morning, interrupted by a half night of broken sleep to the sound of traffic.

After the calendar synchronisation and mail archive both failed, I determined the only response was the first lunch time run of the year. The week before easter is just perfect for lunch time runs. Only short runs are in order, so they fit nicely. Moderate pace with a couple of 1 k surges. the first was 4.25 pace, the second 3.58. Just underlines another lesson for Easter. Don't stint on the warm up.

Bit busy.