Training Log Archive: GM

Got home just after 5pm. It was cold, but not windy, and I was annoyed by my running yesterday that I decided to go out. First run for the year with thermal top and beanie. Ran up to Mt Rogers, then a half loop and down the other side to Fraser. Back up to the top of Mt Rogers then home.

C • coach grant! 3

ACT Long Distance Champs. Started steady, but stuffed around in the circle on 3. My route choice to 5 was essentially go straight over the top which was fine navigationally, but I just found clambering over the fallen trees so slow. The next few legs were fine, just no oomph. Leaving 8 I drifted a tiny bit to the north, but more in trying to find a better path to run. Essentially straight over the top of the hill to 9. Leaving 10 the running was easy but I didn't pay so much attention to my direction so ended near the fence about 2/3 of the way to 10. I quickly decided that this was a good route choice and used the track/fence intersection as my attack point. Took the right hand route to 11, but the first part was thick and slow but then it opened up and I enjoyed the best bit of running I had on the whole course. A small wobble approaching 12 lost about 30 seconds. My big stuff up was at 14 - I just didn't climb out of 13 so picked up the lower line of rock. Things just didn't fit, so rather than stuff around I headed back to the clearing near 13, relocated, then went straight to the control. Lost about 1.5 minutes. Steady to the end.

It was a good course, but the terrain is a lot slower than it looks, and I was slower than I should have been. Interestingly, I felt the same way when running in the Oceania long distance here last year.

ACT Middle Distance. In the circumstances a fairly solid run, but nothing great. Had a couple of minutes of joy at the finish when Geoff Lawford read his time as 48 something, but in reality it was 40 something, which made a lot more sense.

Steady to 1, but I was a bit sloppy on 2 and wasted over a minute. For some reason I kept changing my mind as to which linear marsh I had crossed. A careful straight line to 3 reading the ups and downs paid off. I found the map around 4 vague at best (I remember spending 20 minutes trying to put out a control near here for the JWOC training camp at the start of 2007). I saw the boulder off to the right and thought the termite mound was also off the side of the spur, but now sitting at home I realise that it isn't and I should have run over to the boulder and used it as an attack point so lost about 1 minute here. For my leg to 7 my aim was to head for the boulders near the track junction but hoping to pick up the boulders I was after just before reaching them, but I didn't so I had to double back 40m and so lost another 30 seconds or so. I was pleased with my leg to 8, and saw 9 as being a potential problem so I went to the right through our control 2 then carefully from the next big boulder - slow but steady. I had no more time losses from navigation to the end, but didn't push hard until I was through the short legs from 10 to 13. After 13 the running became easier and it was the first time I felt I could run on the entire course.

I finished up 6th on course 3 (2nd M45). Jo (36 min) and Geoff were way out in front, but Tracey, Mace and Allison were within a few minutes.

I warmed up well, including a couple of times up the hill near the start. It stopped me being nervous/excited and rushing off too fast.

Event: ACT Championships
 

Controlling duties for ACT Spint - putting out SI units and checking controls; waking up the controls (Bill Jones said punching time is 0.3 sec when awake, but 1.3 sec for a sleeping unit, so with 20 controls on course 1 we thought it worth waking them all up - but only have 2 hours before they go to sleep again); picking up controls. No protests, not too many grumbles, but orienteers love to 'nit pick', and a lot of nice comments to Hugh. Weather was great. I am looking forward to having a run tomorrow - love middle distance events.

Cockies intervals. RobW had set 5 loops of about 1km around the southern bit of ANU. I tried to keep my map reading up the whole way which was hard because the printing was a bit faint. The other problem was the amount of construction work going on at ANU - most of the loops had some areas fenced off that weren't mapped. Great autumn morning again.

BL training run. No O this week after camp - I was too tired, but I thought a run would be good. Only had Olle and Lachlan, plus Mary, but quality is better than quantity. Started at Regatta Point and negotiated the barriers for the Olympic torch relay tomorrow, then across Commonwealth Ave Bridge, through the Old Parliament House rose gardens, and up to New Parliament House for a lap of the garden paths. Back down to the west and through Lennox Gardens. Glorious weather, and the autumn colours are fantastic.