Training Log Archive: Magic

Kerry O sprint event at Rinn na gCros in Kenmare. Probably the worst that I’ve ever orienteered! Navigated to the wrong control three times and ran right past two others. Not helped by being straight after food and there being lines all over the map, but basically it was an easy course and I was just being plain stupid! Nice little area though.

Nice jog with Kieran after around the area in the sunshine.

Back to the same area as yesterday. Snow now nearly gone so looking forward to it much more. Still pretty cold out though. Much more successful with the navigating today and even started to get quite confident. Mistake that, as soon as you relax in this terrain it bites!

Very enjoyable week training and I'm looking forward to coming back to this terrain, but I'm not sure that I'll have enough exposure to it prior to WOC as it will take a long time to be fast here. I love the areas and the challenge, but really haven't just got my head around the mapping style. It just seems completely inconsistent to me, particularly with rock features and vegetation.

C • headcam vids? 3

This should have been April the 1st, not June. Got to the map to discover 20cm of snow. Had a thermal but not really enough to cope with the conditions as the trees were dropping wet snow all over. Headed out and soon discovered that all the holes, rocks and branches were hidden and it was quite an un-nice place to be. Cut it short and headed back along the track to the car, which probably gave me the only proper bit of running that I've had all week! Not a very usful session though.

Then the fun started. One car wouldn't start. No phone recption. South Africans helpful. Organiser gave us tea. Lots of phone calls from those who went back. Sixt not very helpful. Pizza in the worst (But best) restaurant in France. Lots of waiting. Silly games in car. Tow truck arrives at 21.30. Over 7 hours after the problem. Car now works fine... Want rid of it anyway. Don't want it to do it again. Good fun (?) with Toni and Hugh. Carol usful for French - thanks. DInner waiting when we got back.

Prepoulain, WOC training. Back on 15k and although I managed better than when we trained here last week, I still really struggled to interpret the map when moving (let alone running). Made several noticeable mistakes and went back and redid them afterwards - came to the conclusion that the map was simply wrong in many places and things just didn't line up the way they should. That's not an excuse as I still need to work out how to move quicker in control. Tried a magnifier for the first time but it was useless in the rain.

As hard as the terrains are here it's great to be somewhere where the navigation is constantly challenging, most events you do week to week you're running through processes that you've learnt for years and not losing any time is the goal, but here it's like starting to learn orienteering all over again.

C • re-learning 4

WOC training in Le Revard II. Back into the technical bit, but this time on 1:10k. Spent a while working out why I couldn't find the first one (it wasn't there) but found it all much easier from then on at this scale. Still moving nowhere near race pace though and constantly stopping to heck the map. Like it but need a lot more exposure to attack the terrain - though it had tracked significantly since my early start yesterday.

Le Revard II, Irish WOC selection. What a tough long day, but I like a lot! Never got any speed going but that was the nature of the terrain. Wasn't perfectly clean but only really lost much time on three (6,15 and 24 (2mins and two 30 seconds)). So difficult to keep in contact, have never stopped so much in a race to read the map. Beat Nic by a minute and Andrew was the only other Irish finisher - really don't know how Tero got around in 91 thought!!!!! Not got to decide if I want to do the classic at WOC.

C • WOC 14