Training Log Archive: Jon X

British Relays 2011, M40+
FVO crossed the line first but mis-punched on first leg.
I did first leg.
Pretty devastated.

Got to the front early and running with Martin W for SYO (different gaffles). Wobbled 45s at 7 and the next men plus  lead women caught up, wobbled again at 10 and went to wrong control but saw mine behind me and again 45s lost. Got in the lead again with Martin just behind heading over the footbridge to 16 and then the spectator, longer gaffle one before the spectator saw me through 20s or so down and in 4th. Could see the others and let their control distract me to 19 where I missed badly. Finally back in 4th around 80secs down which seemed like not disaster although not quite what it should have been. 

So so horrified at download to find that the control I punched after my miss at 10 wasn't mine after all, I even saw it was code 94 but somehow thought that was right when actually I needed 93. No excuse.

No fun at all telling Jase the bad news after I finished.
Ben did the job on leg two and came back in second right behind Charlie Adams. No fun telling him either.
Very mixed feelings watching Jase run an awesome time on the last leg and come back ahead of Bill Edwards for what would have been a fantastic win.

Thanks to Ben and Jase who both took the bad news well - really sorry to let them both down like that and deprive them of the win that their race deserved.

C • Thanks from SYO 7

Warm up trying to get enough flexibility to run.

Sent to warm down by Jase, not sure whether he could see I needed a little bit of time to deal with things or just wanted me out of his sight...

Event: British Orienteering Championships
 

British Champs Long 2011, M40L, 3rd place.

I guess a championship race is ultimately about position. I thought before the race that I had an outside chance of a top 3 finish. And in the end I was indeed on the podium in 3rd, which I am delighted with.

It is a lot harder to be delighted with my performance though, nothing like the performance i thought would be needed for a top finish. Shaky at 1&2, felt like i was into it through 3&4 but got confused on the way to 5 (never got a grip on the path/ride mapping in the Greno section) and when i did relocate ran to #8 not #5 by mistake. Saw Ben punching and realised. More time gone at 7 and coming back to 8, all adding up to a terrible start losing more than 6 mins by control 8. Probably helped that i knew i was only a minute longer than Ben to 8 so didn't realise quite how much time i had lost. Improved briefly but problems at 13&14 cost another minute, then a miss at the end of the long leg to 15 (plus perhaps also my route?) meant another 2 mins or so gone. There were positives too though as from 15 I ran the final half hour really well and pushed hard with fastest splits on the two longest legs in that section. I was in 8th at #15 and more than 5 mins off a top 3, so the final section was good for me!

Bill won in just under 70mins, Rich Barrett was second in 72mins, then I sneaked into third at the head of a little group - me 78mins then Neil C, Ben and Andy M all on 79mins and Jase on 81mins.

Route: http://www.syo.routegadget.co.uk/cgi-bin/reitti.cg...

C • Route to 15? 2

Good warm-up to the start arriving in good time for drills and stretches. Feeling better than at any time in past two weeks and ready to race.

Decent warm down shuffle with Ben.

Course 7 - Splits

Legs really quite heavy and tight from yesterday's not-at-all strenuous session. Cold still lingering too dammit.

However, I do believe it is the National Championships tomorrow. Looking forward to feeling great when I wake up tomorrow....

C • More importantly.... 2

Round Leckie again. Cold almost gone now and hoping to feel quite bouncy but instead just felt totally lacking in rhythm. When I got to the top of the track did 2x45sec at a good pace with 45sec in between, and then did that twice more on the way back with 90sec between each pair. Running at a decent pace didn't feel much harder and felt a little more rhythmical, not sure the pace was quite what it should have been though....

Settled for the rest day rather than the 20 mile threshold run.....

Decided I was on the mend (helped by crying off the trip to London today) and gave the FVO evening event at Barr Wood a go. Just ran steady but feeling okay in the legs, glutes and ITBs v tight though. Felt better for going out, pretty hopeful now that I will be back fighting fit by Saturday.

Excellent planning tonight too....

Collected a few flags with an extra jaunt across to the open farmland as I remembered I still had the start cane from March's night race to pick up! Luckily it was still there and unscathed, obviously not to the taste of the cattle loitering nearby.

Still a bit bunged up and achey but getting there I think....I hope....

C • Take it easy... 5