Training Log Archive: TheInvisibleLog

Day 2- Windfalls
An appropriately named map. The course was tougher and more difficult than the previous day. My performance showed this. I ran 20 minutes longer than the day before.. but so did everyone else. The navigational litany:
1.. purposively slow but spiked control.
2. Stopped a little too early in a pack.
3. Stopped too early because I tried to navigate on the vegetation mapping. 1 minute
4. OK
5. Error Missed the control by climbing too high. Climbed to the top of hill to relocate.. 3 contours, then I could see the control. Must have been obscured by a tree. 45s
6. Easy
7. Took the correct decision... up and over. Nigel went round and the margin between us at the end of the day was what I gained here.
8. Grunt
9. Error Aimed off, but veered the wrong way, reached the gully right near the control and then ran down hill. 2.35
10. Risky spike
11. Error Ran past control.. too high. 20s
12. Facile
Summary: 4 errors for 5.20 lost
Result.. 9th again, which shows that others were making just as many mistakes.

Nigel and neil on Route Gadget
http://www.tasorienteering.asn.au/gadget/cgi-bin/r...

Day 1 Easter - Benbullen.
A very scenic location under the north face of Mount Barrow. The map was a mix of marshy paddocks and bluegum plantations. It wouldn't be my pick for map of the year or even a World Ranking Event. Still, the course had its challenges, including a second day of wet feet. Nigel started two minutes after me and it was hard to forget his presence. Took the first three controls very carefully and spiked each, gaining another minute on Nige, although I didn't know it at the time.. Then proceded to take the short and risky route rather than the longer and secure option to number four. As a consequence I missed the control and blue almost 3 minutes. Saw Nigel coming into the control as I was leaving it. To this stage the course had been in low visibility plantation and only two more controls wer eleft before the paddocks. I shot off at speed, whilst taking as much care as possible on the navigation.. ie running hard on the safe route options. Somehow I slipped away. Made up the lost two minutes on control 8 due to Nigel's navigational blunder for the day. Picked up another couple in the latter part of the course. No more errors. Result... 9th. Not unhappy with that. Target was top 10.
Summary: 1 error for 2.40.

The Nigel/Neil race is here on Route gadget
http://www.tasorienteering.asn.au/gadget/cgi-bin/r...

Event: Australian 3-Day Orienteering Championships
 

Easter Slologue.
Bush terrain, but an enlarged ISOM map, so the minor mapping differences compared to ISSOM led to a few of the serious young insects considering protests.
Ran moderately hard on the assumption that the only way this event could influence the easter outcome was through injury. In that regard, the day was a success with no injury to take into Easter proper. The highlight was a running jump into the water for the photographers. I realised after that I could have jumped over their heads into the water. That would have been fun.

A terrain run through some granite, with surges interspersed with camera stops.

A fartlek on the Dodder Track. Remember, speed is a relative concept.

C • relativity 2