Training Log Archive: rcro

Had a rubbish day today - left for Uni this morning with my left foot in pain - feels like I've pulled a muscle or something, but don't remember hurting it, and it was fine after the BOKTrot. Got to 1 p.m. and had a heat induced migraine come on - bad enough for me to struggle to focus my eyes on anything without static objects seemingly jump around all over the place in front of me. Went home, had lots of painkillers and water and went to bed for an hour or so.

Means that the weather is now too hot and sunny for me, so very possibly I'll be at the end of running regularly until the end of the summer...

Haven't ran since the JK, and was expecting to suffer from the hot weather with the large climbs. Started at 9:58 - probably the first or second short brown starter, and was proved right as I got very hot going around, and have had a bit of a headache since finishing.

Generally I found it an easy course to navigate around, with just the one place where I got in to a bit of difficulty. 1, 3, 4 were all where I expected, but I wasn't sure whether I was on the marked path going to 2, but kept my eyes open and saw the control to my right after running some way. 5 - entered from the bottom, too early, and had to walk around the thicket, approaching the control from the north. Contoured to 6, but found it quite a long way above me; straight line to 7 and then 8.

Went mostly in a straight line to 9, but took odd detours to find an easy route through the heather and brambles. Hit the feature about 10m to the right of the control. Followed the wall to it's junction and then headed down the hill to 10. Path along the bottom of the hill until it started going down steeply, then began the vicious climb up to 11 - again straightforward.

12 however, was the one place where I didn't do too well. Lots of stones and and one of them had my control (116) on it. Found control 127 where I was expecting to find 116, looked up the hill and saw 107 not far aware, so assumed 116 wouldn't be between them. Headed east until I'd gone way too far, turned round, and again found 127 where I expected it to be. Decided to go up to 107, and then found 116 somewhere beneath it.

Overtaken by other runners on the short brown at controls 3, 5 and 7. Somehow there were all still in sight (not more than a minute ahead of me) at 9, and we were all pretty much together at 11. They obviously didn't mess 12 up like I did.

13 was done by contouring along a path, then going down around a thicket. Got overtaken by a BOK man with red trousers (Richard Worrin?) who overshot the control badly, and headed to it as I left. 14 and 15 straightforward. Went to 16 by going up to the open ground (should have gone down to the path), then approached from under the crags. Surprised to meet loads of people coming down from above. 17, 18, 19 were all straightforward, but I was really tiring with the final climb to the summit of that end hill.

Hopefully doing the blue at Painswick, but because of exams, won't be doing any more orienteering until the Fosters' Ashton Court informal. Surprised how well I did today considering I've not run since the JK, and have had a pretty bad cold for most of the time since - compare this time for 7.6k against the course I did of the same length back at Cookworthy (and I was much fitter then too!)

Had a look around the other half of Blaise Castle today, looking for suitable control sites for the informal. Planning somewhat ahead, as the courses are mostly there with 2 months still to go - lengths 5.1km, 2.4km and 1.7km - close to the guidelines suggestion of 5km, 2.5km and 1.5km, so I'm happy. Need 25 controls; don't know how many I'll have.

Having got a bit lost going between two control sites, I think I now better appreciate that there are quite a few route choice options in Blaise, especially as the brambles are starting to grow and some bits of the eastern slope are much less steep and more runnable than others. Have to hope people like the route choice options as none of the controls will be hard to find; but then, it's only a summer (fun) informal. Sympathise in advance to anyone coming along in June as I found it tiring enough walking! But then, I've had a cold and pretty much lost all my fitness in the last fortnight.

Got Condes mastered today and have the control descriptions written. For those that know Blaise, one of the sites is a cave apparently named "The Rapist Cave" - I think I'll have to give some consideration to removing the "rapist" part from the descriptions sheet!

Done nothing for my fitness, but helped navigation skills. Need to do some proper exercise next week...

Still suffering from the cold I picked up at the JK, and this with car problems meant that I missed the NGOC at Bixslade last weekend.

Spent the morning battling with problem network drives on the university computers, and then getting some work done on my research project. Very glad to stop at around 12 noon to go to our library and look at orienteering maps, with the spectacle of an ash induced haze covering the Bristol skyline visible from the university precinct.

Started planning for the Blaise Castle informal by looking for potential control locations on the maps, and because the weather was nice and I didn't want to work, took a trip out there to have a look around Kings Weston Hill, the Folly and the field by the big house. Found most of the locations I was looking for, spotted several map errors and had to cross a few off because of expected brambles being too bad.

Never planned any events before, and am trying to fit in some route choice whilst trying not to make it unpleasant to run. Not finding it easy to balance out, and I've a hard act to beat with Keith doing such a good job last year. Trying not to keep the same as previous years but everything always ends up going alongside the golf course in either one direction or the other.

Longest course currently just 4.6 km which sounds a bit short, but I think it's about right for an informal. Going back out there to have a look around the east side on Saturday, and maybe will come across more of the mysterious bits of red/black tape that I found at two of my potential control sites today...

A much nicer day - started off with another hour on map box duty at a very relaxed blue start, a mile from assembly.

My run was a bit earlier than the day before - 13.06, with the last start at 13.30. Lots of people about, and seeing so many runners around, many lost, and standing around of the top of the dunes, was much more fun.

I was very tired and run down/unwell following the dreary weather and location of the previous day, so thought that I would take it slowly - not push myself unnecessarily - with a view of having fun in the sun and maybe stopping off at the controls on the way around.

Don't know how I found 1 - wasn't paying the map any attention, and was working off seasonal marshes and lakes only, of which there were many. 1-2 was walked most of the way, but seeing the big puddle across the path south of the fence crossing (east of the marked pond), it was quite enjoyable running through it, along with about 5 or 6 others, although it was a bit surprising when it got to about 2 ft deep! 3-4-5 all easy.

5-6 went close to my route of 1-2, then went generally south. Stumbled onto the drinks station, which was a bonus. Then chose the strangest route ever to 6, of follow the bottom of a linear dune, then climb to the top, down the other side, along the bottom, then up again! Approach the control from above, so was dropping down at the end too!

To 7, I was sure there was an extra path than was marked, so I approached from the wrong side. 7-8 was slow, walked most of the way, and stopped to help Pat Cameron of NGOC who was lost, well south of the end of her map. As with most controls, I didn't know whether 8 was at the top of bottom, so I went to the very top to see it at the very bottom - still was great fun running down the very steep, sandy slope! Stopped on the fence crossing afterwards to tie up my shoe laces for what would have been the third time that run - don't like the swoops, and find the grip awful.

8-9 was straightforward but wasn't paying attention to 10 and thought I was going well off course. Finding it confirmed that I wasn't wrong though! 11-14 were all just off one path, and I used where I thought the path went to get the controls, but didn't find the path at all!

Everything else was easy, and an elephant track took me straight up from the flat open by 19 up to 20.

Overall a much nicer day, and with no mistakes, I'm very pleased with how I did.

Had a very enjoyable morning of putting maps out, and then running the -3 box of the red start - despite the weather. Heard people commenting that the start was a hell of a lot better than the walk from assembly, and a trip there showed me why they were all complaining - quite deep mud and water along the whole path!

Navigation was easy, but 18 felt like it was further along than I thought and I was running with (following) another M21S from 9 to 10 before leaving him to get totally lost alone.

My start was very late - 14 minutes from the final start - so I would have had lots of elephant tracks to follow, and this turned out to be quite a hindrance. First hid the squelchy ankle deep mud between controls 2 and 3 (course 8), but this was nothing compared to later.

I approached 5 via the open area, which on a good day should be ok, that day was knee deep in mud and a real fight - should have gone through the runnable wood to the west. 6 was ok, but I was reluctant to get into the stream until I could find a way out on the other side, which wasn't easy.

The area around 7 and 8 was the worst for mud - 8 in particular had absolutely no grip at all - without moving I would already be sliding.

9 to 10 involved having to cross a very deep little valley and I found it quite difficult to get out the other side. Followed someone else into the "open", who went the wrong way. He disagreed with my navigation so I left him to go to the correct side of the "open". Came out on the wrong side of the corner to what I had expected, so went the wrong way, and relocated off the main path just south, with the aid of a BOK runner.

11 onwards was getting very muddy, but straight forward. Took an indirect route to 16 but was ok. 18-19, didn't really know what to do, but found a way there involving coming up the side of the cutting to the bridge and then really struggling with the mud to get up a little bank onto the path.

Did my biggest slide at 19 as I thought it was a bit firmer. Run in from 20 onwards was wet, muddy, slippery and generally horrible. Assembly area was pretty much empty when I finished.

Probably the least enjoyable orienteering run I've ever done.

Event: JK 2010
 

Nice course, but would have preferred for it to be all on paved surfaces rather than half in fields.

A bit manic around the buildings with so many people running across each other, and I narrowly avoided several collisions.

Only mistake I made (M Open course) was 5 to 6 where I totally ignored the path marked, and instead went straight through the [surprisingly runnable] fight. Came out somewhere unfamiliar and went off the map before getting to the control having seen Colin Welch head to it from the path.

Narrowly avoided getting electrocuted on 7-8 - grabbed hold of the wire to steady myself and then saw the sign and let go very quickly! Colin wasn't so lucky and I heard him yelp in pain as I was leaving the field by 8.

Shame I messed up number 6. Can't let Christophe be smug when beating me...