Training Log Archive: slow-twitch

Warm up extended when I realised just in time had left my hump in the car. Warm down probably way too late after I'd been waiting and waiting... and waiting... for Ionel to finish and took quite some time to convince myself the crucial 3 minutes were up.

Memories of last year, as an early cockup turned what was supposed to be a cruise to victory into a way-too-long mad dash. Confused 2 track junctions 200m apart to completely confuse my plan to 1 resulting in 10 minutes lost, but with Alan & Ionel also having nightmare starts, the entire M35 field was together by 2. Blew Alan away early on the 2.1 km leg to 5, despite that I kept drifting off my bearing, then Ionel & I split route choices for the final third of the leg & I never saw him again. Lost 2 mins on 8, 30+ secs in the circle at 13, 3+ mins through 15&16 and lost a bit of focus right at the end. Basically whenever I felt I'd regained my 3 minute cushion on Ionel would make another mistake. So can see the times the M21A guys were getting (though not Scott and Tania's awesome runs!) Apart from 13, lazy compass work the main factor I think. Not a good problem to have on this map. Still, a win's a win, an NZ title's an NZ title, but it feels a bit hollow, knowing that any or all of William, Rolf & John (the guys I was racing for 3rd place last year) should have smashed me today.

Weather turned horrid both when I needed to be warming up and down. Not fair! Still rather that way than for the duration of my race

Hubris!!!
Race was going really well, caught the previous starter, if anything ahead of schedule, unscathed past 2, 3 & 4 which seemed to cause a fair bit of carnage among better orienteers & had lost no more than a minute on 8 when I was contouring lower than intended & had to zig zag back on to the planned route. So on the way out of 11, notice how little course is left, realise that I hadn't been out all that long (just under 40 mins as it happens) & start thinking "this is going quite well actually". Been so long since I've been in that situation I've forgotten to NEVER EVER EVER let myself think that. For some reason, then carried on over BOTH streams in the circle at 12. And then some. Bye-bye 3.5-4 mins. Then drifted too far right climbing to 13, maybe up to another minute gone. Good again after that, even burnt Casser off for (part of) the climb to 15. Really not a bad race but knowing how little it would take to make it better.... Especially as there are some good scalps I missed out on getting, including (don't want to seem like I'm picking on him but...) ACW. Excellent job by Rob & Marquita, wringing a course like that out of a tiny little piece of steep forest.
Darren won in 35 mins, which makes 57 for me look ok & 51ish if it had happened look pretty good actually!

Event: New Zealand National Orienteering Champs
 

Before and after

Epsom campus. Would have been very easy at low speed but at a fast run became very intense very quickly. Very messy right from the start - headed straight towards the trap on the way to 1 (which caught out quite a few from what I heard) even after noticing it (!!!!) & drifted way wide right on way to 2. Setted down after that. Saw a lot of ACW from 7 to 11 - wish I could outrun him because I reckon I was out nav-ing him. Then was a bit scatty on 13 & 14, not much time lost at any point but just not quite nailing anything. Win to Karl in 13:09 so I'm about a minute under my 50% benchmark - so after a messy run like that must have been pretty good speedwise.

According to Winsplits I didn't make any mistakes. Lies, damn lies and statistics eh?

C • Length 1

Just a bit of a loosener before kickoff tomorrow. Cruising around at a gentle long-race pace (which is good as for once the long is the race I've got the most concrete goals for). Thankfully there was still sun and no bulls on one of the rock garden paddocks, as if I'd stayed in the shade the whole time might have done the legs more harm than good. Will be a cooooold one tonight!

Tapering. And trying to convince my body that it will NOT come down with the lurking cold in the next 5 days.

C • the lurgy 1

Down to check the mail (none! can't I at least get a cheesy postcard from someone?) which we'd tactically ignored the several chances to check during the day so I'd be forced to do the nice gentle pace recovery run I needed but might have been very tempted to forget.

C • Was that a very unsubtle hi... 7