Training Log Archive: O-ing

Day 2, Kowen East. I was looking forward to this venue, having mountain bike O'd here previously and knew it was probably runnable - and how! While I was pleased with the win from yesterday I hadn't got the buffer I really needed and could have had. Here was a chance to actually run and maybe improve on that lead. Plus, the body was holding up and I actually felt good in the desultory warm up.

Got out well and even though I had been careful, 5 minutes into the race at no. 4 I already had 1:40 on Hatley, 2:24 on Smith, 30 seconds on Mella and a minute on Dowling. The first two came back at me during the rest of the race as I tired, particularly on the long leg where Tim got over a minute back.

But then it was that beautiful downhill section from 12 to the finish where I was fastest. Only three fastest splits though; mainly due to Simon Phillips who although finishing 30 minutes back still had 8 fastest splits on the course.

Job done, I was first again and opened up a further 1:23 on Tim while Bjorn's fitness told as he dropped out of second place, losing 4:45. Was my lead of 4:21 enough to hold off the Day 3 blues?

Early start, so had to run. A lot faster than a normal warm up and, writing this on Day 3, a lot faster than I ran at any time on Day 3. Got there with 10 minutes to spare, so no repeat of WMOC. These organisers had enough toilets.

Day 1, Gudgenby. Horror start, on the way to the start triangle saw that the best way was from the map boxes immediately right. Trudged up to the start triangle anyway, intending to turn around and go back down, but after touching it convinced myself I could see a little path heading my way, so set off along the power line. Wrong, it ran out after a while. Struggled along till my attack point, a nice cliff on the power line and went in on a bearing. Arrived on a slope covered in boulders and stood there for a while before heading down, and as I caught sight of the feature I could see Bjorn Mella heading for it too.

Bjorn is the Australian Long Distance M45 Champ from 2009, and was supposed to start 2 minutes in front of me, but was late and started a few seconds behind. [Note: well done to the organisers for letting him off almost immediately he arrived, rather than making him wait. We parents on split starts need this kind of understanding].

No. 2 was steep uphill and I left Bjorn way behind, but I stumbled on 3 when I got to my attack point (watercourse) and headed off on to the spur but couldn't see the 3m boulders a bit below in the bush. Another sub-optimal approach to 4 (too high again) and Bjorn had got past me. A short leg to 5 and we were off on the long leg. I chose the right route, although got a little bit high and had to drop onto the saddle. Halway down to the river, where I was going to go and come back around to the control, once again I convinvced myself I could see a little pathway into the green/rocks which I thought would drop me right onto the flag. Wrong again [-3 minutes], what a farce this was turning into.

Got going again, and the terrain opened up again. Looking at the splits I had by now pulled myself up to 4th place (3 minutes down on Darryl Smith) from 13th after no. 1 by a process of attrition with other people making more mistakes than I had in the granite terrain. But now it was time to run and I turned on the turbo to run past Bjorn (again) and I had the next 7 fastest splits in a row to move to second.

However, we were now back in granite and I got much too high again on 16. I had tried to run below the first group of rocks but decided once again to take a short cut on an animal trail which ran out. I was in the first group of rocks and couldn't get out, getting forced ever upwards right to the massive boulder. Then a little trouble getting the flag and I could see Bjorn gaining on me again.

The hardest part was over now, and I pushed on towards the finish, having now taken the lead after Darryl's issues on 15 and 16. There was one last twist when I fluffed a short downhill leg to 20 after an uphill surge and Bjorn got over a minute and was back in front. The finish was too close now and I opened up after Bjorn punched 21 just ahead and I was 32 seconds quicker over the last two splits for an overall lead of 2:27 after his 2 and a bit minute late start.

The terrain and difficulty decimated the field of challengers, but Tim Hatley survived for third 2:58 down, with Mike Dowling at 3:02 the last of the serious contenders. Darryl had lost 6 minutes on no. 16 and at 6:47 down in 5th looked too far down - you can't win Easter on Day 1 but you can lose it.

Event: Orienteering Easter twenty10 Carnival
 

Kissing Point. Took it easy. Idea was to get the legs turning over, but they weren't very happy about it and are still grumbly even today.
Going into Easter a little bit better prepared running-wise than previous years and hoping to improve on those (2009 - 11th, 2008 - 6th), but will need to step it up from the NSW State League performance two weeks ago (6th over the two days). Four of those are at Easter (StK66, Golfer, Rob Prentice and Geoff Todkill) as well as Tim Hatley who got me at the 2009 World Masters, Mike Dowling who got me at a previous World Masters, Andrew McComb who has finished second at Easter at least 3 times, Darryl Smith who has won Easter at least 3 times and of course not to forget the dark horse Leepback. I'm claiming underdog status.

C • Add 4

To simulate 3 days in a row.