Training Log Archive: slow-twitch

Race 3, Whitireia Polytech. Cautious-slow through the first 3 controls (but still bagged one of those splits) then the gas went on on the long leg to 4 and from there on I think I was mostly at maximum-possible orienteering speed. A small oops on that leg 4 almost missing the tunnel through a big building, and probably by the time I corrected I'd lost the advantage of using it, while all my other mistakes were in the latter half of leg 18. But would have been 3rd regardless - Greg and John in a different class, but it was becoming apparent by now that I was consistently a class above the rest of the field too.

Race 4, Raumati. This was the one that I really felt the new leg-speed working, with less maze-solving and more pick-a-route-and-GO! compared to the previous races. But while running at close to maximum, felt in control of the nav until a couple of silly things happened at 2 controls right near the end. However found a few shortcuts on the map afterwards that I didn't see on the run - most of them I think the time it would have taken to see them would not have been worth the time-savings from using them, but 6-7 there was definitely a better route choice available than the one I used. Greg well ahead again, but close enough to John to wonder... he was already just ahead of me at #13 (just before things fell apart a little for me) but throw in that #7 route choice as well, and maybe, just maybe...

See yesterday's WU/WD entry.

Event: W6 (Waitangi Wellington Sprints)
 

W6 race 1, Karori. Scratchy at first, culminating in a comedy of errors for #4, but then got into it, and only had a couple of minor glitches in the latter (Samuel Marsden) part of the course. 3rd - the minute lost on #4 would not have brought me close to Greg and John though.

Race 2, VUW. Very sketchy start with the first two controls in the Wai-te-ata maze, but while I was slow to 1, only lost time on 2. Then pretty good, could really feel the speed I've gained this summer through the more open legs, picked the right routes for the 2 big climbing legs, but dropped a bit of time in the last super-detailed area before the run back to the finish. 2nd, a long way behind Greg but John had one of those John R moments somewhere along the way....

There were warms-up and -down, I really don't know how much so this will do as a close-enough

Supposed to be a nice gentle pace run on the riverbank, but the pace kept creeping up... need to reinlist my 'recovery run buddies'!

Also I may be coming down with a cold, which would be absolutely typical timing.

Reread 'KEY THOUGHTS' from 24/1/16 training session before Waitangi!

Hamilton Gardens. A little sluggish out of the start, but think I found my legs on the downhill after the cemetery, and kept them right up to the hell-climb to the last control (let Bozzy get past here dammit). Lost at least half a minute on 13 as the only thing I'd read on the map leaving 12 was the direction the red line went - and in correcting went back to the route I would have taken if I had been paying attention when by that stage I might have been better of going straight through some light green or round the paths to the right. A little more time lost not checking the direction I climbed out of 10 but as I had the wrong shoes for that kind of thing my direction was probably more the way I could keep my footing rather than the way I wanted to go!

easy run over to my local map (I have a local map!) and back. Hard to get started in both directions but rolling along nicely eventually.

Test run of the initial idea for the long course for next month's christening of the Porritt map. I had the intent to keep the pace nice and relaxed, but.. well, I had a map in my hand... Mainly worried about the overall course length (which doesn't seem too far out for a 'sprint' after all) and whether the long legs out into the streets really added value. Given what they add is about 10 mins of nearly dead running to set up one key route choice leg I think I will go back to the drawing board. I have to anyway because the football club has now extended it's fence to completely enclose their main pitch instead of having it stop in just the right place to set up a couple of cool legs. I'm always a fan of one particular sport taking exclusive access rights to a section of public park even when they're not using it. Although given what's happened to the footbridge round the corner since my last mapping visit (which is a further reason for course redesign if it's not going to be fixed in time) I suppose they have a point in trying to look after their club assets.

C • dead running 4