Training Log Archive: O-ing

Boboyan Divide, Long. M55, 2nd. Running a bit better today, but the terrain called for much faster stuff. Needed a longer stride length to attack the fallen timber in "white" where I actually walked a lot of the time. This course was set a lot better than it appeared while I was doing it. The long leg 4-5 featured a deep gully on the straight line; smart people like Grant avoided it, I didn't. Not only was I sucked into the deep gully, but that led into a wide area of tussock grass (more walking) and then led me to the wrong saddle over the last ridge - 2 minutes gone trying to relocate. Really should have been looking at the compass!!
Lost another minute on the innocuous short leg to 8.
Finally no. 12 - i'm now thinking that wide right in open yellow might have been the go instead of being drawn back to that wrong saddle in the timber-strewn "white".

Event: ACT Champs Carnival (NOL Round 3)
 

CSIRO, Sprint. M21A. Flat, no drive. Missed a bit in the vague bush at 2.
This was very poor.
2 - lost 25 seconds when I stopped short, flummoxed by blue tent below and pseudo-track above (which was a clearing)
6 - 10 seconds behind Blair on this leg, 2 seconds overall - maybe left was faster?
12 - lost the plot and went to the wrong (blocked) entrance -15 seconds and dropped back to only 6 seconds ahead of Blair
15 - uphill and Blair squeezes ahead
17 - end of the first loop, and this would have been a good place to finish: winner Matt Crane was 12:09 at this stage and I was in touch at 3 seconds down on Blair.
18 - lost the plot again, couldn't read the buildings -20 seconds
21 - bad route choice -15 seconds
So overall lost 1:25 in mistakes and ran slow. Blair was 43 seconds up at the end and Geoff further ahead at 51 seconds. 38% behind Matt. The disappointing bit is that 2 minutes quicker would only have been worth 5 places for 30th, so pretty uncompetitive and 27% down.
At least I "won" M21A (decided not to enter E because of the one-time compulsory ASADA 2 hour video tutorial)

Orroral, Middle. M55 3rd by 35 seconds. Felt weak going to no. 1. Had to really dig in to keep running on the flat. Walked the hills. James Lithgow came through for the win by 1 second from Grant.

Lane Cove (UTSN). Slow, not quite recovered. Legs still feel detached/weak, as if I'm sitting on a cloud.