Training Log Archive: Keith

Shattered.

Jukola 2013 - Jamsa
Bristol OK - Leg 2

A little bit apprenhensive in the start box, nervous from first training, and failing to go straight. I know I love big races, I've done well in Jukola before, this will be fun. Expect Quick terrain on the out, technical and quick on the way back.

Waiting by the Ramp, runner streaming past, there's Mark! solid run, he always delivers. I'm off.
Pushing out of the field, in conger line to #1, runners around me a bit slower, safe to #1 by going far right to settle nerves. #2 easy, 3 follow lights, traffic traffic, too much.
#7 looks tricky, go up hill following line of people hope we're going right place. We're in a clearing, "Is there a rock?" yes, tick bang on. Straight to #8, good line. #9 bit of clearence ahead now going up hill, take lead, spike it - yipee. drink number 11.
36 mins, 9mins down on leg leader, gained 12 places, feel strong.
Decide to go right, get out of traffic, to #13 = poor decision. Hadn't evaulated routes properly, hadn't looked at contours, nonone goes right. balls. Then confused by slow green which looked like scattered trees, fluff control. Damn it 3mins lost. Ah well, if no more time loss still be a good result.
#14 noone goes the way they should must be gaffled - spike! man this terraine is cool. On my own. Go to 15, where am i, opps right of green, duck through green then OUCH that hurt, stick in eye, but I can't see properly, stumble forward to #15. This is strange still can't see......
Ah shit, what's wrong, feel for contact lense in Right eye = no contact. Maybe it's further up, nope. no where.
I really can't fecking see, can't make out the ground properly, can see linear features on map, make out big purple numbers, that's it. Shit.
Options bounce round in my head
1) give up - No can't do that team would kill me
2) I've got lenses in the tent, go back, ah 7k back... may as well give up.
3) First aid point is close, unlikely to stock a -4.5/-1.25x130 lense
4) Go back and look for lense. Nope don't think i could find where I was now.
5) Take the left one out too, see if it improves things. Dumb idea, then I really would be blind.
6) soilder on. Guess that's it then.

Aim for #16, cross stream, keep on going, shit gone too far now, at a control, not mine. Guy asks me where i am, I tell him I'm blind, he just wanders off. Right i must be too far and can't see open so too left, wander back, there's a light, boom my control. 17, follow lights as people stream past me.
#18, right now I'm getting cold, need to work out how to run, find it easier to focus to shut right eye. I'm right dominanent so difficult but allows me too see tree trunks on ground. Back into the ungaffled bit, follow lights, 19, follow lights. Feel a bit sick from my lack of vision balence, damn it keep that eye shut. #20 follow lights, #21 follow. Damn it not my control. oh look lights over there, is that the stream, follow stream, control, boom. follow lights not my control, keep following. BEEP. 23 lets go follow follow, 25, now people are starting to slow down as I hemorage places, this is easier, I can just follow these guys instead of having to switch the whole time. 26, I beat them too it with my point and go technique.
Follow follow. #30 - last control, right i'm just sticking with whereever the most people go. Track = cool, i'm going same pace. Green = shit, i can't see branches, can feel people breathing behind me. Last control punch. There you go Al, Sorry mate.

http://online.jukola.com/tulokset/en/j2013_ju/kilp...

http://online.jukola.com/tulokset/en/j2013_ju/kilp...

Massivly disspointed by my run. Got some Pyttipanna and ate a lot of choclate (Fani Pala).
In 100's of Orienteering runs, in 14 years I've never lost a contact lense. Much more respect for the time Al did in Tio now!
I had a spare compass, from the once I've smashed a compass.
A spare light, from the once I've had a headlight fail.
Spare contacts?.... where does it end.... Spare shoes?

As it was a ,rouge emit brick caused us to be DSQd. If i had downloaded to find my emit had shat itself i would've been devasteted (it was the same emit that was cycled through to Mark2).

My time loss of 20mins from this had probably written off any chance of a good result, as we lost contact with the relay. Across the line in 308, Still need a top 200 some year!
Girls team did super!!

Went to first aid, afterwards, who were superb. Intially they gave the impression that they thought the the mild pain in my eye was hypochondria. Then there was all manner of exictable finnish gibberish and instrument grabbing, and a lense was extracted from above my right eye. Damn it - so it was there the whole time!

C • Lens 3

ended up going to pub with a collegue.
Hunger for harvester grows, Got to have a good run at least once this year :-)

Event: Jämsä-Jukola 2013
 

Model 1
Trains with the boys. Much easier area than yesterday, very flat, and realtivly featurless. Still couldn't go straight, but apart from that no major problems. Expected the out anb back in Jukola to be like this.
Good session, walked back with Ben to take it easy.

Training on Jukola model 2.

Took it slowly at first reminding myself what finnish terrain is like. Did some long legs, not much tracking which was good. ballsed some up a bit, quite tough technically and physcially on the hillsides. Ran a couple of legs at race pace. Compass seemed to be jumping around. Nice session, made me think Jukola could be tough.

Jukola number 5.
Bring it on.

C • Jämsä-Jukola 6

WoT urban.
Really enjoyed this, much better than I expected. Started down greystoke ave and WoT village in some fairly stock urban terrain. Got a little bit funky in WoT village, don't think i ran the optimum route 9 -> 10, before 12/13/14/15/16 being funky technical housing estate type ones. slight hestitation exiting 13 and didnt' see hedge on way to 16 intially, but otherwise good. Good new sprint training centre from the Henleze clubhouse. Then long drag up valley. 18 seemed much of a muchness right or left. Went left, but probably should've come back to the right. Richard was behind me here, and think he took a few seconds out of me doint this.
Was looking forwrad to the pinball through the 20's, couldn't find 22, after a while saw it in the vege edge, just as some old fella that i had passed at #17 cruised in!
Pansiesed out of going stright through the long grass to #25, confused myself a tad on what mown track I was on.
Impressed none of the scallies flogged any controls. Only flag missing on 23.
Good fun orienteering, went reasonble quickly whithout really pushing it with Jukola coming up.
Bit of a throaty thing now. Think i've been fighting of a low grade thing for a few days. Bring on Finland!

C • scallies flogging controls 7