Training Log Archive: Bruce

Orienteering race 35:14 **** 5.0 km (7:03 / km) +278m 5:31 / km
ahr:148 max:180 (injured) (sick)

2019 Oceania Championships - Relay
Split Rock
M45A



My feet were very sore. I had to treat my blisters last night with at least 3 bigger than 50c pieces. I drained the fluid and tried to keep the skin in tact, but they were still very tender. I used some short tight fitting socks, and will call for some shoe reinforcements from home before Kangaroo Crossing next Saturday.

Matthew Stocks was a little behind on the first leg, but Craig ran a solid race to put us back in front of NZ comfortably.

My race was good except for a lack of concentration on control 8. I failed to check my compass and went up one gully too far to the right. This meant I had to climb more than necessary wasting both time and effort. I think I lost around 2.5-3 mins here.
The rest of the course was quite good. I did struggle for breath up the hill to #1, but I felt a little stronger running than yesterday in most parts. My feet were bearable on the flatter ground, but painful on the steep downhill near the end of the course.

I ran the fastest time for the M45 class, but I should have been able to go closer to 32 with no mistakes, or even sub 30 if I was fully fit.

Orienteering race 52:56 **** 7.8 km (6:47 / km) +293m 5:43 / km
ahr:162 max:188 (injured) (sick)

2019 Australian Championships - Long Distance
Split Rock, Cootamundra NSW
M45A



I started well with the first 7 controls in a tricky granite section. I had caught both the 4 and 6 minute runners ahead of me.
Then the style of the course changed into some very open running. I tried to accelerate but my chest infection was limiting me. I was still in the lead at 10, but I hadn't been able to build a big buffer before the downhill steep slope orienteering from 10 to 14.
My biggest mistake was wearing new o socks with nvii shoes. The steep slopes were killing my feet, and before long I had significant blisters on both balls and heels of both feet. I had worn the shoes in for several runs. My other o socks were all holey. The new ones were the same trimtex style, so I thought they would be ok, but the combination of slopes and newish shoes hit me hard.
I navigated carefully to 11, but just before I reached the circle I was distracted by a huge unmapped rock feature to my right. It may have been a small boulder on the map, but it looked more like what I was expecting in the circle. As there were no good attack points I had to check it out. It turns out that I was wrong. But within a minute I saw another mapped rockface and relocated quickly.
On the way to 13 I lost Matt Bixley up the hill as my feet were killing me. I should have stayed on his tail and followed him to the control. Instead I tried to take a more efficient route and contour in from the spur. This worked ok until I mistakenly confused another unmapped rock feature. This time I climbed above 2 rockfaces and ran to the boulder. In fact this was 30m short of the control and was actually just one rockface and a boulder cluster on the map. I lost around 90 seconds here and lost the lead to Carsten.
I pushed hard from 13 to the end and made up a little time, but was still 32 seconds short of outright victory.
At least I was still able to claim resident Australian Champion by around a minute from Craig.

It was a tough day and I tried hard, but some things didn't go my way today.

Orienteering race 16:27 **** 2.8 km (5:53 / km) +70m 5:13 / km
ahr:163 max:178 (sick)

2019 Oceania Championships - Sprint Distance
Charles Sturt University Wagga Wagga
M45A



My preparation was excellent until a couple of weeks ago. I had trained well, and stayed lean, but things fell apart in the lead up.

I had to overcome a number of obstacles just to get to the start line.
First my hip and hamstring were tight all week and just getting out of bed was painful earlier in the week.
Second, my chest infection was making breathing difficult, particularly when exercising. I noticed this by about control 4, and all uphill legs were particularly difficult. I felt short of breath, and tired more quickly than I should have with my training preparation.
I also had to manage and drive a bus full of the Vic Schools Team and make sure that they were all ok.

My race started well. I picked the best routes in the uni terrain before the spectator control and built up a lead.
Then the forest section was tricky. I decided to go up and over the hill as I didn't have top speed today to go around. It turned out ok, with the 2nd best split on the long leg out of 144 competitors on the course. I ran conservatively in the forest section. I was not the fastest in this section, but also didn't loose any significant time. I felt if I was able to be careful and avoid time loss, then no one would catch me in the urban terrain.
I lost 10 seconds on a bad route choice to 17, but otherwise there were no issues.

My hip/hamstring injury was good. I was just restricted with my breathing.
Given this, I was super pleased with 40 second win over Carsten, along with all of the M45, M16, W20E, and W21Es.
Winners of those other classes all got IOF diplomas and medals. I just got a paper road sign and a mug :-)

Cycling 31:35 9.82 km (18.7 kph) +62m
ahr:154 max:183

Cycling 35:08 9.45 km (16.1 kph) +85m
ahr:151 max:185

Cycling 37:03 9.83 km (15.9 kph) +64m
ahr:132 max:176

Cycling 35:20 9.62 km (16.3 kph) +79m
ahr:154 max:184

Orienteering race 1:43:15 *** 16.61 km (6:13 / km) +271m 5:45 / km
ahr:154 max:184 (injured) (sick)

2019 Victorian Championships - Long Distance
Chinaman's Flat
M21E 4th



I was running quite well on tracks, but I couldn't get a lot of power from my left leg in the forest. My hip flexor was ok, but I felt tight in my upper hamstring and groin area when lifting my left leg over logs or pushing through bracken. Unfortunately there was a lot of that in the forest today, and I tired lifting my left leg in the last half of the course.

I will try to see my physio in the next couple of days and get some more treatment to try to release that tightness.


I was satisfied that the left route choice on the 3km long leg from 3-4 was a good one for me. I did a couple of super fast kms on the road, which I would not have been able to do in the forest. I drew a course for Mason last night, with an almost identical leg, so luckily I already had a good idea of the route choice options. Others may have been able to go faster straight, but I'm not sure that I would have been able to do that today.

Orienteering 6:44 1.22 km (5:31 / km)
ahr:137 max:154

Orienteering 7:59 1.54 km (5:10 / km)
ahr:132 max:158

Cycling 30:54 9.85 km (19.1 kph) +65m
ahr:98 max:129

Cycling 35:57 9.56 km (16.0 kph) +81m
ahr:89 max:119

Cycling 30:48 9.81 km (19.1 kph) +65m
ahr:105 max:163

Cycling 33:43 9.58 km (17.0 kph) +49m
ahr:117 max:167

Running 6:07 0.72 km (8:31 / km)
ahr:111 max:145

Running 7:18 2.0 km (3:39 / km)
ahr:135 max:151

Running 17:57 2.05 km (8:45 / km) +12m 8:30 / km
ahr:129 max:171

Cycling 33:32 9.85 km (17.6 kph) +63m
ahr:116 max:155

Running 1:00:39 12.61 km (4:49 / km) +78m 4:40 / km
ahr:132 max:150

Cycling 29:44 9.43 km (19.0 kph) +83m
ahr:84 max:132

Cycling 27:31 9.82 km (21.4 kph) +60m
ahr:162 max:187

Running 19:10 3.25 km (5:54 / km) +2m 5:53 / km
ahr:170 max:186

Running intervals 13:04 3.81 km (3:26 / km) +30m 3:18 / km
ahr:146 max:175

Running 18:06 3.2 km (5:40 / km) +46m 5:17 / km
ahr:126 max:144

Cycling 29:19 9.55 km (19.5 kph) +47m
ahr:126 max:151

Orienteering 23:20 3.03 km (7:41 / km) +11m 7:33 / km
ahr:122 max:144

Cycling 28:55 9.83 km (20.4 kph) +62m
ahr:172 max:194

Cycling 29:42 9.45 km (19.1 kph) +75m
ahr:158 max:188

Running 41:28 8.02 km (5:10 / km) +42m 5:02 / km
ahr:185 max:199

Orienteering 33:52 * 6.55 km (5:10 / km) +2m 5:09 / km
ahr:155 max:184

MelBushO
Banksia Park



Mason has done it. His first head to head victory over me in an orienteering race. I was very pleased for him. Probably the first of many to come. I had 8 minutes over him at Bendigo yesterday, but he ran very well today. He must recover better than me when backing up on consecutive days.

Conditions weren't in my favour today. I started early and had to wait for the SI units to turn on, and I had to form a path through the sometimes meter high long grass, which subsequent runners could easily follow.

Orienteering 32:28 *** 6.47 km (5:01 / km) +81m 4:43 / km
ahr:161 max:191

Bendigo Bush Classic 17
Brown's Reef



Glorious sunshine. A perfect day for a run in the Bendigo forest with wattle in full bloom.
Very happy with this run with no major time loss.

I was excited to be able to race, after feeling like a cripple just 2 days ago - not being able to walk more than 100m at a time. The physio session on Thursday evening did wonders for my hip flexor tightness.

Orienteering 8:57 *** 1.86 km (4:49 / km) +11m 4:40 / km
ahr:145 max:163

Cycling 32:06 9.28 km (17.3 kph) +59m
ahr:85 max:154

Running 40:46 5.72 km (7:07 / km) +111m 6:30 / km
ahr:113 max:143

Cycling 27:41 9.48 km (20.5 kph) +77m
ahr:132 max:163

Cycling 28:00 9.77 km (20.9 kph) +62m
ahr:99 max:152

Cycling 24:11 7.86 km (19.5 kph) +53m
ahr:136 max:163

Cycling 25:18 7.54 km (17.9 kph) +56m
ahr:114 max:152

Cycling 31:32 9.55 km (18.2 kph) +49m
ahr:128 max:192

Cycling 33:19 9.81 km (17.7 kph) +60m
ahr:93 max:151

Cycling 32:05 9.54 km (17.8 kph) +48m
ahr:110 max:159

Cycling 29:47 9.83 km (19.8 kph) +61m
ahr:122 max:152

Running 27:10 3.21 km (8:27 / km) +26m 8:07 / km
ahr:95 max:158

Cycling 30:00 [3] 10.0 km (20.0 kph)

Orienteering 35:46 2.34 km (15:16 / km) +71m 13:16 / km
ahr:106 max:173

Cycling 31:23 9.94 km (19.0 kph) +61m
ahr:120 max:166

Cycling 28:58 9.56 km (19.8 kph) +78m
ahr:111 max:145

Cycling 32:53 9.85 km (18.0 kph) +61m
ahr:82 max:111

Running 1:08:40 11.7 km (5:52 / km) +100m 5:38 / km
ahr:128 max:167

Cycling 40:21 9.62 km (14.3 kph) +50m
ahr:96 max:158

Cycling 29:50 9.77 km (19.6 kph) +60m
ahr:151 max:195

Running 48:31 10.4 km (4:40 / km) +61m 4:32 / km
ahr:174 max:199

Cycling 30:51 9.54 km (18.6 kph) +49m
ahr:103 max:154

Cycling 30:52 9.81 km (19.1 kph) +61m
ahr:136 max:163

Running intervals 1:08:52 12.49 km (5:31 / km) +84m 5:20 / km
ahr:132 max:166

Cycling 31:06 9.5 km (18.3 kph) +49m
ahr:116 max:164

Cycling 31:57 9.78 km (18.4 kph) +62m
ahr:121 max:165

Running 48:38 9.52 km (5:07 / km) +148m 4:44 / km
ahr:121 max:144

Cycling 22:14 6.73 km (18.2 kph) +50m
ahr:114 max:165

Running 13:36 1.36 km (10:00 / km)
ahr:108 max:131

Orienteering race 15:53 *** 2.84 km (5:35 / km)
ahr:149 max:171

Eureka Challenge Bush Sprint
Whims Holes near Enfield
2nd. 21 seconds behind Ben Goonan

Orienteering race 34:39 *** 6.91 km (5:01 / km) +79m 4:45 / km
ahr:166 max:184

Eureka Challenge Chasing Start
Monmouth near Enfield
1st in the afternoon and 1st overall.