Training Log Archive: DWildfogel

Morgan Territory, U.S. Long Champs. Long Brown-X 4.45 km, 250 m (I calculate 270). 12:34/km (9:37 adjusted for climb). Start at 11:58. Sunny, nice, not as warm as yesterday.

Again first over all on Brown-X, this time by several minutes. Was amazingly strong out there today. They probably should've given me a PED test.

Strategy for today was essentially diametrically opposite to yesterday, as for a Long I didn't want to risk being tired at the end and making a sizable mistake. So, plan was to minimize effort for the first half of the race by avoiding climb even if it meant more distance and by taking safer routes so as to avoid wandering around. Did just that, getting to #5 with no mistakes and feeling pretty fresh. Was surprised to learn later that I was already in first place by #4. Took a little too much risk for #5 and #6, but fortunately both worked out fine. A very minor bobble on #7, and then really started putting out the effort. Even surprised myself with how strong I was for the last third of the race. Felt like I could have run another km or two. An extremely satisfying run.

[Orienteering race]

C • PEDs? 1

Warm up: After shuttle ride, 1500m, 100m climb. Mostly with Graeme Ackland, and some with Greg Balter, then Sergey Velichko.

Cool down: Walk back to assembly area with George and Leslie, and Walter. 900m and some climb.

Brown X Long - Splits

Event: US Individual Championships (M/L/S)
 

The usual weekly accumulation of morning stretching and strength exercises.
Tapered off on the strength exercises as the week progressed.

Morgan Territory. U.S. Middle Champs. 3.1 km, 140m climb. 10:38 min/km (9:14 adjusted for climb). Start 12:30. First overall on Brown X.

Intentionally went out faster than usual, trying to capitalize on the sprint-O training I've been doing. Nailed the first 8, really pushing it, with the fastest split on 7 of those. But I guess brain started tiring then. Inexcusable 50 sec error on 9, nearly 4 min error on 11, though still had leading split on 10 and 13 and second on 12. Fortunate that I managed to hold on to the lead.

Without the 4 min error, adjusted-for-climb pace was 8:06, essentially the same as I did two days later in the Sprint.

1. After the T-intersection of the fire roads, the map shows an indistinct trail heading in the direction of #1. However, didn't see this on the map because it was covered by the red line - but also didn't see it in the terrain, so no harm done. Soon did see a quite distinct trail a bit to my left, so thinking that it was the one heading to #1, hopped on it. But as it started to go uphill a bit, I realized it was the trail a little further west. No problem, that one was also headed pretty close to #1, so stayed on it, keeping my eyes right, and soon saw the bag.

3. Initial thought was to run along the top of the ridge, but once near #2, realized that would be too rocky, so went a few meters to the right than ran keeping the rocky stuff on my left.

6. Had to walk the last 80m uphill, legs feeling quite tired.

7, 8. Kept pushing anyway. Didn't know this until much later, but had covered the first 2.1 km, 95m climb, in 18:42 and had a 3:16 lead.

9. Ran essentially due S to where the ditch meets the trail, then headed up on the trail, noting that I should stay on the trail until the top of the rise. I think at that point I started working out the details of the next leg; when my attention returned to the present, I was at the top of a rise ("What, already?!" I thought), so turned right. Within 10 secs, with nothing making sense, realized I had left the trail far too early, at the top of the spur N of the broken fence. Corrected from there. 50 second error.

11. After another fastest-split on 10, the wheels came off as I headed for 11. I was confused almost immediately as I saw a big drop off to my right. I had intentionally gone a bit right to make sure I didn't go straight up the reentrant heading SW, but had I overdone it and drifted to the edge of the hill? Attempted to correct by going left, and then thought I was in the reentrant W of the control when in fact I was in the one to the E. Very stupidly ran around in a big circle like a madman, turning back to the W when I saw the fence to the E. Finally recognized that I was in the big clearing with the vegetation in the middle, just WSW of the control, and so finally got there. Nearly 4 minutes lost.

12, 13. Managed to run two more good legs. Was very fortunate that my early lead enabled me to stay in front despite the large error at 11.

[Orienteering race]

C • Congratulations! 2

Walk to start, mostly with George.

Warm up back and forth on road near start. Felt ready, though not quite as good as I felt on Wednesday. Definitely feeling some anxiety.

Brown-X Middle - Splits

Feeling very rested.

Front of house. Warm up jog in my new Salomon Speedcross 3's, which arrived in the nick of time. Could've gone much faster. Seems like a very long time since I felt this good prior to a meet.

556, 509

Temp in the high 50's, and suddenly it feels warm. Could be high 70's at MT. So now I can worry about it being too hot ;-)

[Easy distance]

Cool down

Casual walk around the Oracle lagoon.

Oops: forgot to beware the Ides of March.

Event: BAOC: Oyster Bay
 

Oyster Bay C-meet. Start at about 11:55. Set out to do about half of "Course 4", 5.0/85 28c, and that's what I did. Debated about whether to actually go since it was pouring rain, and I've had a good deal of orienteering in preparation for the US Champs already, but decided to go for it, and got quite lucky in that it was only drizzling while I was out on the course. Ankle deep standing water was unavoidable, though. Hadn't been to this park in many years, and it was essentially completely unfamiliar, so good for training.

Counting this as training since I didn't run it like a race. As planned, ran at about 85% speed, trying to keep up a good flow. There were several knots of clustered controls with significant changes in direction, good practice. The sequence from 8 to 11 was pretty much straight running, so I slowed down on that portion. Ran through #14, went to #15 at a reduced pace since it was on the way back to the finish anyway.

2. Went by #4 in an attempt to avoid the (wet) bushes on the direct line. But then I apparently didn't recognize the small foot path and instead turned right on what's mapped as a larger path but wasn't all that distinct. Came to the junction, realized where I was, turned right and spotted the big tree. Lost almost a minute. Clearly hadn't adjust to the 1:4000 scaled, so this was a good wake up call for Mills.

3. A few steps straight E to get on the small N-S footpath. Map showed a trail going down to the paved path, starting a little to the right of where I was. So, even though there was an elephant path straight ahead, went to the right looking for the mapped trail. Not seeing it, went back to the elephant path and took that. Guess that was actually the mapped footpath. Lost :10.

4. Took the path back to #1 and then took the elephant trail I'd taken past #4. That made it easy, but it was too far out of the way. Lost :10.

7. Lost several seconds trying (unsuccessfully) to avoid large and deep puddles.

11. As I approached the final path junction WSW of 11, could see a big field of very large rocks that didn't seem to be on the map - there was a patch of light blue there instead. After the run, realized that that patch was actually gray, representing bare rock - not at all appropriate for what was actually in the field. Anyway, I ran a bit past where I should have left the trail, realized that when I saw the junction ahead, turned back and found the control. Lost about :20.

13. Straight. Got to just S of the little reentrant, could see it, but there was some deadfall and vegetation in my way, and I picked my way very carefully over that - with everything being so wet, did not want to slip and fall. Lost :10.

Looking at the results, surprised I did so well (for the portion I ran) since I was just cruising. Could have easily maintained that pace (indeed, sure I could have picked it up) for the rest of the course. Here are the top times after 15 controls:

1. 2417 Gavin Williams
2. 2522 Tac Sukiyama
3. 2605 Rex Winterbottoom
4. 2656 me
5. 2801 Julia Doubson
6. 2853 Marie-Josee
7. 2859 Steve Gregg
8. 3107 Penny DeMoss

In the evening, before seeing the results, thought to myself that come the weekend I need to be conscious of not being as relaxed as I was out there today. But after seeing the results, I wonder if being relaxed helped me minimize errors, and so that is exactly how I should be. Hmm.

Also before seeing the results, I thought my best legs were 5, 6 and 14, and those turned out to be 3 of my 4 highest ranking splits. The surprise was #15, where I was second fastest. I definitely cut my speed on this leg: after promising myself I'd "retire" at 14 (halfway), I only did 15 because it was on the way back. Furthermore, at one point someone was coming the other way in a narrow passage of vegetation, and I paused maybe 5 secs to let him pass. So how did I wind up with such a high ranking split? Perhaps it was the route choice: I avoid the bushy area W of the control by taking the path to the hairpin turn to the NW and then followed the edge of the bushes.

[Orienteering training]

C • Didn’t see you there 4

Warm up, partly with Marie-Josee.

Went directly from #15 to #28 and then to the Finish, as a cool down.