Training Log Archive: AliC

19th at WOC Relay with Sam and Hannah

My weakest run of the week, which never feels good to have happen in the relay, when teammates are depending on you! I was doing well until the long route choice leg (#4), which I made I think in the end an ok choice to go straight on (I had the shortest version, others the trail was definitely the better option). But then I didn't leave the big trail right, even though I identified where I was when I came out. I'm really not sure how that happened...

And then things were just a bit panicky, because I realized I'd lost the fast bunch I'd been with earlier on, and I really wanted to get time back. But that made for some further time loss on just sloppiness, boo! Still, nothing totally game-ending and Sam and Hannah both had decent runs to end us in a solid 19th place.

The best news- it looks like we probably have two women's spots for the middle and long next year. Woo!

C • two spots 8

29th in Middle Final at Vuokatti Keima

Woo, cracked top 30! (Being top 30 in both distance races this year was one of my sort of stretch goals, so very pleased to have made it in both!) So a good race, but there was also more time to be found out there.

#3 and #4 were both a bit rough as I bent off my bearing to 3, and caught, while to #4, I just couldn't find a good plan, so was going carefully, but even with that, went to far and had to hook around. To the long route choice, #7, I didn't execute my chosen plan well, trying to run too fast and thus not picking up the signs (like not climbing enough) that I was falling off the route. The last loop went almost all fine, with just a small miss to #14, where I was too far left and confused by just how generally open and rocky the area was.

Jogging in the meadow hearing the rest of the runners post faster and faster times... =) Chatting with Judith Wyder, who had had a good one and came storming by me at 5, I kept up until 6...

11th in Middle Qual at Vuokatti Koljola

A good solid run. I pretty much spiked (albeit slowly) the first 3 controls which I'm super happy about, because it was very tricky stuff right off the start. For 4, I was a bit wishy-washy with my plan and sort of got dragged into the route I took, which worked fine, but didn't feel good to be flying more seat-of-pants. I should have taken just a few more seconds and committed to a route, either the left route around, or just going straight over the hill.

The rest of the controls after that were a mixed bag. Some speeding up because racing Celine and the Italian that I'd acquired at control 1, but I was the fastest of the bunch, and I think wanting to try to run away from them made for the mistake at 8 (didn't go high enough to be where I wanted). To 10, the long downhill leg to the pit, I actually lost quite a bit of time. I guess it probably actually required less fear, because of the very distinct vegetation beforehand and the field after, to catch, if needed.

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More detailed analysis:
Start - 1: Whoa there, tricky leg off the start. I didn't push it to the start control, just tried to read map and figure out a plan. The marshes under the line could get me most of the way in, then would have to be more careful. Executed well, it was just a matter of hopping from cliff to cliff to get me right to the control.
2: Lots of reentrants, too slow to keep track of each. So I went on a bearing, hoping to notice the small cliff about 1/3 of the way, and then really attack from the big cliff right under the line when I got close. Worked perfectly, even kinda slid on my bum down the cliff, it was pretty slopey.
3: Just go south, climbing, then go a bit west to climb up to the flat area, big boulder easily visible to use to drop right into the reentrant.
4: Eep! Route choice. So I didn't fully choose a plan to start with and sort of started running off, because the Italian was right behind me. So my execution was very reactionary, just sort of muddling along on this leg. I additionally had a small problem within the control circle, due to an imperfect bearing from a clear feature only 170m or so away.
5: Now running against both FRA and ITA, with FRA leading this leg. On a bearing, obvious marsh-nose-reentrant halfway through to check off.
6: Still in a pack, bearing, again knoll/marshy stuff to check off halfway there.
7: Here I definitely took the lead, bounding downhill, right into the reentrant that led to control.
8: Boo, I kept leading. And missed too low. I was partly suspicious, but mistook one feature for anther (but really, it came *far* too early), caught really by the distinct veg-change.
9: Could see from 8, but I got eaten by a marsh along the way, like, difficult to extract leg eaten.
10: Should have just gone faster, and maybe more directly from the edge of the semi-open brashing area, too hesitant, but also off!

Warming down, a bit with Hannah and a bit with Sam.

C • Relay start 3

Easy-peasy tour de Pökkelöpera, because the middle model map had quite a hike to get to anything interesting. My legs feel more generally tired today than yesterday, but my right hammie is actually feeling better, which is a good sign!

Notes:
1) Much lower visibility than the long. Will have to orienteer much more precisely.
2) Hill tops, even small ones, are good features to pay attention to. Visibility is higher from them, usually, and not bad footing, and they are on the map.
3) Paying good attn to compass will probably be key, but the more solid features that can be noticed along a route the better.
4) Mostly the route choices might be straight, but some seconds evaluating routes around, particularly that have solid approaches to the control will be important. There is much more time to be lost in the control circle in this terrain.

Wahooooo!! Very happy! Cracked the top 20 with an 18th place for my best ever at WOC and the best American individual place ever, I think. Was a good solid race and really hard physically by the end... More later!

C • Awesome 30

Around the model map that contained a chunk of woods from the long qual. Including my worst control, #10, so got to check that out again... Right hammie a bit sore, but legs otherwise in an ok, if not 100% sprightly state! (Much better than how they felt for long final in France.)

18th in the Long Final at Tipasoja

A stadium start that actually used exactly our last control from the long qual for the start control. The first loop had some good playing in awesome open woods, particularly off the start. The first loop finished with a fairly epic route choice that after some sitting and wondering while walking up the hill from #10, I opted for the somewhat gutsy route around on the far left, using a big trail and a road. What finally convinced me was the extreme ease of finding the control from the road, while for the straighter routes, you first had to find the river crossings and then find the control itself, amongst and uphilll slog through green.



With that over, we had a map exchange in the stadium. I knew things had to be going pretty well because maps 17 and 18 were still there, so I was at least 4 and 2 minutes up on those gals, respectively. The second loop wasn't as long, but had quite a few controls in trickier greener sections of the map. I felt a bit tired going into it after my long road run, but I knew I had to keep focused, that a lot of time could be lost in the green if I didn't have solid plans and execution. The whole second lap went pretty well for me, the only problem was with the very last control, where I simply didn't exectue my 'go straight' plan very well, losing about a minute. Gotta keep the respect for the orienteering *all* the way to the finish!

It was awesome to finish and hear I was in fact in the lead, so neat! (Quickly taken by my 2 min back girl, Amelie after about 30s.) And very happy to stay tuned and to realize that not all the gals behind me were actually faster, leaving me in the top 20 after everyone in. Woo!

A waddle with Cristina around the team tents. Veeery slow, tired tired! Rasa was somehow managing to carry on a phone conversation while warming down. =)

Woo! And through to the sprint final with a solid race in the qual. I finished 4th in my heat, 1:05 down to Simone but only 30ish seconds back to Merja Rantanen and Annika Billstam.

A good run, but I had some fumbling with the first water route choice to #5 and then again in the confusing mini-golf area. Splits also show that I was slow off the start, but it's better suppose to start solidly than mistakenly, so not too upset about that!

Time to chill for the final now.... they report that there will be lots of artificial uncrossable fences, will have to be very aware of route choices!

C • artificial fences 3

C • Rupali and Brad were here 3

And 25th in the Sprint Final in Sotkamo!

My was it tricky! There were *tons* of artificial fences. Everywhere. Not a second you could space out. I got trapped significantly once (#9) and lost about 30s it looks like. I really was hoping to improve on last year's 20th place, but 25th is totally respectable and will keep me hunting down the ways to improve...

C • final 4

C • And the RAR is real! 1