Training Log Archive: jed

Inc. drills before/very slow after, so much dust!
I always struggle with the unknown timings of a relay which is one of the reasons I usual race 1st leg but this obviously had the added challenge of sleeping as well as the long/challenging courses. The leaders were expected to change over at 3:30am so knew I'd unlikely go out before 4am so planned to wake up at 3am to check results and if all going well eat something as I'd need the fuel as course length was equivalent of a W21E long. Went to go to bed around 10:45am after everything started settle down in the camping area but really struggled to get to sleep with the light/commentary/people going in and out of tent, hadn't slept very well the night before either. Think I got a bit of actual sleep between 12:30-2:30am but woke when Rona came back and decided to just check results and saw our 2nd leg had only just finished so had about 3hrs until I'd be running so reset timings for 4am. Slept off and on and got up at 4am, some food then saw my runner was out so headed up to where I knew some of my teammates would be watching and started to get the legs going. Stomach co-operated ok eventually.

Jukola! (Time includes map handover run). When we ended up not being able to raise a team through our friends, Rona and I went on the hunt for teams needing runners as were still keen to go especially when it was relatively easy to get to from Helskini. We ended up finding two teams but one of the places was in Jukola and decided I would step up the challenge. I've raced Venla 4 times with various Scotland/EUOC combinations but not for a while (2010 leg 2, team 249th; 2011 leg3, team 115th; 2012 leg 4, team 154th; 2013 leg 3, team 62nd) and have kind of wanted to take part in the actual Jukola race. It was confirmed I was running leg 5 (not the longer leg 6 as might have been earlier in the week) for BOK's 1st team.

The general word from those coming in was that it was much trickier than Venla with our courses getting out into the trickiest parts. Jim who was handing over to me had an absolute stormer and picked up lots of places so I felt a bit nervous going out. Thankfully I had a nice long run out to get into it. 1 was a long leg but it didn't phase me as there was a nice path attack point, I figured I wouldn't need to go around the first bit when I got there as there would be an elephant track and there was. All went well, got to within 100m of my control. People everywhere, could see a control on a boulder which knew wasn't mine but also one on a depression (same as what I was looking for) off left. Decided I was probably off (which was silly as I'd come in off my attackpoint) and checked it, knew where I was though and soon found mine (30secs). 2 was really vague and I wasn't confident at all but went straight to the control. Felt a little annoyed as if I'd just blasted it not checking I'd have been fine but reminded myself if I did that eventually I'd blow it. Carried on safe, hesitant orienteering ignoring those going other directions/stopped and hit 3. Not sure I took the best route to the path on way to 4 then missed the trod out and couldn't cut it after as it was all undergrowth so I had to go around the path and was really hesitant into control from there (1:30secs). Knew I just had to find the corner of the open for 5 but was pulled of line and hit the open in the wrong place. Pretty confused and could see lots and lots of people heading towards a control which I knew wasn't mine but headed that direction to relocate (turns out it was my 12). From there could see 1 other control in the whole open area with a stream of people going to it which I knew was mine. Unfortunately it was horrible scrambling over my favourite kind of brashed/rocky open area terrain to get there (3:30). Luckily had a nice uphill path to take out my mistake on and took a safe route to 6 allowing me to get into it again, good until right before the control where I went slightly the wrong direction then was pulled by others to a wrong depression before actually stopping and going the right way (1:30min+). The next few controls were in green/the most technical area so I knew this sloppy technique would not be good enough. Nice safe route and spiked 7 and 8, not really fast but these were good splits for me and especially on 8 I was confident from my attackpoint. Ok on 9 too. Should have taken a better route to 10 but happy with execution of the second part of it. It was one of the moments where I was like "the control will be just in that depression" and it was :). Lots of people here, my first real pack moment since coming out 3 towards road but let them pull me off left and pack missed control, annoyed as knew it felt wrong and would have been better navigating safely on my own (30secs). I went around the horrible open to 12 but there was actually a motorway through it so lost a bit of time (30secs). This time followed the trod all the way through the open, again lots of people here. Failed to have a proper plan when back in the wood and just lacked any sort of focus and only when it was too late did I start paying enough attention. I had been right online then veered off (2:30+). Paths all the way to the spectator, possibly could have cut the corner but looked horrible and didn't see a path through. 15 was my favourite as I just followed nice big paths, somehow passed people here without even seeing them. Picked up a few more places (basically all the places I made up were over the last few controls on paths/run in - obviously that's not exactly how it worked but at least I know where my strengths lie haha).

I'm a bit annoyed as I made over 10mins of mistakes but I enjoyed this more than I've enjoyed any long distance orienteering for a while. Physically I was good even at like 5:30am and my best controls were the really technical ones. The team were actually happy with how I did as I picked up places (8) but I feel I should have done a lot better, think I just stop focusing after a certain period of time and get lazy. Never was I that far away really lost which I could have been in that terrain, just off which is positve. I was distracted a but others but in general I never really got any help in a train as Venla and a lot of the earlier legs did. I saw a lot of leg 4s and a lot of people stopped/wandering etc. Happy to have ticked running Jukola off my list, it just such a cool experience, I had a lot of fun. Team finished 494th, just outside the top 1/4 which is pretty decent. Actually already considering running both races next time I go :)...still need to experience the Venla first leg and having been out there would have been a big help for Jukola as apparently some controls were the same.

Event: 70th Jukola Relay
 

Didn't end up running Venla as there was a risk I would be running leg 6 ~11km the next day so didn't make a real effort to find a random team as thought I might need fresh legs. Went out on the training map though as haven't been in this sort of terrain for a long long time. Took it nice and steady but hit every control. Hot which made me actually glad I was running early morning.

10x10secs (50secs) hill sprints, found a path with a hill which sufficed and let me focus on light, fast cadence (high knees) - not many good hills not in terrain.

Drills.

5x60m (3mins...should have been 4mins oops!) Ran the bend this week to have the gale force winds behind.

So much tightness today, don't know what it is that's made me worse than usual this week.

Easy WoL and old railway line to Craigleith and back via Comley Bank. Quite windy and hilly but feeling pretty good again :). Actually did some foam rolling in the evening too focusing on the really tight bits.

With work group as far as Murrayfield, different people this week so more normal pace.

15mins tempo. Felt like I was going to over heat when finished, doesn't seem to be any warmer than usual but maybe more humid. Didn't quite feel as comfortable as last time as legs still a bit tired but still tempo pace.

Pretty tired on the way there but better on way back. Despite drinking a lot more water than normal yesterday think I'm still slightly dehydrated.

The mostly plyo based session.

Easy, tired legs with bag from work - think it's just from the gym. Steep step climb from WoL was tough, felt better by end though.