Training Log Archive: LOST_Richard

Ran for Lagan Valley in a handicap team, I think I was the handicap!

Managed to get on a wrong track on a moderate navigation course, I blame the water in my eyes and on my glasses, as reading the map detail was a challenge! Need to investigate the one eye contacts that seem to to be all the fashion for old folk.

A somewhat scruffy bit of forest with most controls being in and out off the tracks.

All was good as Lagan Valley Handicap 18 were the winners, so a good way to end the carnival which was very good. Different terrain, good complex courses, mostly dry if a little cool and very friendly orienteers to share the experience.

Irish Long Champs were at Mahon Falls. Another open moorland event with boulders arranged randomly across the grazing country. Mixture of grass, heather and swampy sections.

Very limited parking on the moor so we were bused up from the valley about 20 minute drive, steadily ascending into the cloud. When we arrived at the assembly the visibility was low but not impossible, but much discussion on which way the cloud would go. It turned out that it went up not down and the visibility for the race was fine. Temp was around 8-10 deg and a modest wind so a around 50% of runners had cagoules.

Nicole was on W4S Course 9 and I was on M65 Course 7 and Nicole started 2 minutes before me. My head was obviously not quite there as I picked up a Course 9 description and map and headed off. Overtook Nicole on the way to #1 and then bounced around in the very detailed rock and contour detail through to #9. At this point I looked at the rest of the course and thought this is not 4.7km and why have I not crossed the creek as stated in the course notes for my course? Soon realised that I was a dumb as dumb and had taken the wrong course!

Finished off on the last three easier controls, downloaded for an emphatic win in W45S - no legal courses I could claim as it was M70 and up for men. (Need to check where I came against the M70s and M80s?

Checked with the course controller if he was Ok with me going around again this time on my correct course and he said it was fine, so back to the start I went.

C • Assimilating... 1

C • Routegadget? 4

Back to the start and this time got the right map and description. Different map 1:10,000 whereas the W45S course 9 was at 1:7,500. I had taken my glasses off early on the previous course as the cold wind and mist had fogged them up. At 1:7,500 it was doable to read the map without glasses at 1:10,000 it was more of a challenge.

First part was back into the complex rock and contours with a couple of controls the same but approached from different angles. Went Ok 1 through 5 but 6 which had been on the other course, I was too low and ended back at 5 and got it Ok the 2nd time. After this is was across the creek to a part of the map I had not run on before and some long legs across the moor. The leg of about 1km to #10 was hard to pick up which rock was which on the way, spotted a likely looking control, but decided it was too low and maybe the wrong side of the feature so went on before doubling back to find it was my control!! From there back across the creek and up a steep hill with the legs starting to complain but still going at an OK pace compared to others near me on the course. Messed about a bit looking for gully that seemed rather high up the hill but found it Ok.

Likely to have been 5th and not too far off the places, think the errors were more a factor than doing two courses.

Relay tomorrow I hope I have my head on for the guest appearance in the NI Club team :-)

Pleased that my fitness is holding up, with the half marathon in a few weeks, I need to do some runs once the Orienteering is finished

C • Map 1

C • Good job 1

Long Course7 - Splits

Coumshingaun - the side of a hill strewn with glacial boulders in random order. Sheep pasture which when the rock density was low was quite runable but ankle busting in the high density rock areas. Lower down was a think mature pine plantation with low branches and more scattered rocks.

Going well through to 4 and was in 2nd place - lost concentration and overshot the control was too low and went lower before I spent too long relocating. Running well again to #9 where I made a bad route choice in the thick forest section. Thought I would out along the wall and back in at the end of the green, did not go straight down hill which would of worked but angled off and missed the control in the low visibility area. The green was just as slow as the low hanging branches and I then missed the control and had to double back from a ruined wall in the forest.

Ended up 5th out of 9 finishers.

Best quote of the day, was from one fellow coming from the finish to the car park "thank god it wasn't sunny or I would have boiled out there" The temperature was around 9 or 10 deg with a decent wind chill, at least 50% of the runners were wearing jackets, they make them tough in Ireland!

Split browser shows the errors well!

http://www.orienteering.ie/results/splitsbrowser.p...

Got headhunted by Lagan Valley Northern Ireland for a spot in one of the relay teams on Monday

C • 2nd place speed 1

Course 6 - Splits

Event: Irish Orienteering Championships
 

Basically a clean run and a fairly straightforward campus map. After the first couple and I realised that there were not too many tricky routes or a lot of detail I tried to run a bit harder then I normally would.

No results display working when I left but I know a few behind and one guy I think Wilbert Hollinger told me he had done under 12 minutes.

Course length was published as 1.9km so 2.19 on the GPS is pretty close to optimum.

C • Course length 8

Sprint course 5 - Splits

Four times around the Peoples Park in Waterford, which is conveniently almost exactly 1km around the perimeter.

Cloudy but not so windy as the last couple of days and no sleet / hail so managed to stayy warm..

Glendalough area looking at old Monastery and the Upper Lake and back.

Great day sun shining and birds singing in the trees with interesting history to get some minimal understanding

Later driving across the Sally Gap it was 2 deg and hail / sleet!

C • Rock climbing 4

Bray Head

Nice little headland on the edge of town, woke up around 7:00am and the sun was shining so thought a quick walk up the headland was a good way to start our first day in Ireland. Cool and windy so needed some decent protection to stay warm,