Training Log Archive: rcro

Memory-O course at Warmley. Good fun, but took a little while to work out exactly what I needed to memorise.

1:5000 map, so got to places more quickly than I had expected, especially control 1, which I overshot. Mistake at 2 as I didn't know which track to take through the green, took the wrong path but corrected myself easily.

3-4, worked out the right route, but forgot to check the control location. Thought it was between the two cycle paths by the ring road, and then I saw Nick Ajderian coming out from the point I was aiming for. Was then following Nick, often at some distance, to 8, occasionally we had taken different routes.

From 8, Nick seemed to go south, whilst I went straight for the cycle path and by control 4 again. Got to 9, and saw no sign of Nick, unsure whether he had got well ahead. 10 again straightforward, but the exit was through some long grass of about Adam Potter height.

11 long, easy, 12 shorter and easy; 13 fine, but tiring for the shallow climb up to 14. Went south around the green from 14-15, and straight across the common, remembering in time the ditch by the road. Had some trouble finding 15, and then was a little disappointed to have to go further north to 16 - a depression in the woods. 17 easy, and finally heading back south after it. Saw Nick at his 15 after I left my 19 going back to the start/finish area, so knew he was behind me after all, meaning I assumed just Paul was ahead of me.

Had lots of trouble finding 19, all I knew was that it was on a hill on the inside of a path bend, but that hill was overgrown and thistly. Spent 5 minutes wandering around before I happened to find it. Seems I was creating the track up to it. Finished to find I was the first back on the long course and second back overall!

Think I've managed to sort out how to cope with overheating/dehydration, drinking the right amount and taking painkillers at the right time. Think today was the fastest speed I've averaged whilst orienteering in over a year (I seem to remember being quick, for me, at Silkwood back in early 2009 before injuring my ankle), and also the fastest I've ran since preparing for BUCS back in March. Very happy with my performance, especially as I was only 10 mins behind Keith, and 15 behind Adam.

Green course. Tempted to miss as very bad memories of last year getting heat stroke and a very boring, exposed area.

Courses this time much better than before, but again very hot. Been unwell all week (suffering from stomach cramps for over a week now...) and had been particularly bad out in the sunshine today so was going to walk. In the end, I jogged most of it, taking a bottle of water with me.

After about 2 mins jogging I'd determined that wearing a black top was too much with the heat, and apart from when in the brambles/nettles/long grass I departed from the BOF regulations and ran topless (although previous experience of the area meant that I did know to wear long trousers...)

Most of the controls were easy, but 10 and 13 were a bit harder. Did two different entries in to the stream at 10, through the brambles, with the first getting me nowhere but the inside of a sharp, overgrown meander with a quite deep crossing to the other side. With my trainers only having done 7 miles previously I thought there must be an easier option, and I came into the stream again by a weir, found the control, and crossed the weir where the water was only an inch deep.

At 13, I went down the path, decided to turn back a bit, and thought the best plan of action would be to go in and find the bank, went in, found the control exactly where I went in, and came out again - total time about 30s! Heard Daniel Wilson fighting his way through the green as I left.

There was a couple getting very close to each other around controls 11 and 14. Some people seemeda bit awkward passing them.

Suffered quite a bit again with heatstroke – my eyes went dodgy after I finished, with black patches appearing and jumping around, but seemed to be fine by the time we left at around 9pm. Didn't feel right in the car coming back, and think it is probably a mix of heat stroke, dehydration and the stomach pains.

Putting out controls on the east side of the map, checking some controls in the bottom of the gorge and collecting them in from the main field and up on Kings Weston Hill.

Suffering the effects of a food intolerance today (don't know yet what it was that disagreed with me) so had a very uncomfortable night and morning. But the afternoon/evening was very nice and I didn't get the chance to really think about myself and how unwell I felt.

78 different competitors/groups of competitors attended – meaning that it qualifies for a levy. Only had 25 printed maps of long, and 20 of medium so many people had to use non-waterproofed master maps and some finishers had to return their maps. Very hectic for me so grateful to Christophe, Phil, Tim, Chris and Naomi (a non orienteer!) for helping out.

Surprisingly all controls was found by the end, some uprooted a bit. Phil even found control CJ whilst collecting them in – lost some years ago (possibly in 2008). Very happy with how the evening went, and received a lot of constructive feedback regarding the yellow being slightly difficult at one place, and the orange generally being a little too easy.

Maybe not the most conventional way for me to be spending my 21st birthday...

Bit of an oversight – forgot to turn the interior lights off Naomi's car when we kept all the doors open. Pushed the car across the Blaise car park but had no success.

Think Christophe found it hard going. That Metro is bloody heavy...

Home to/from Blaise. £4 cheaper than the bus and takes about 5 mins less time.

Walk round Blaise to mark control sites for Wednesday. Think I found all the sites ok and feel that I demonstrated good route choice getting it all done in under 2 hours!

Felt very overdressed for walking up hills today.

My second visit to Oldbury Court, this time without the torrential rain (started just after I got home!).

Mostly clean run (or walk) although did make a bit of a mess with attempting to contour along the steep, overgrown valley towards the top of the map. Valiantly admitted defeat and went to the open at the top of the hill, only to re-enter a bit too early. Control 6 a bit overgrown, and in my attempt to exit via the route I came in, I become more pre-occupied following the vegetation boundary around in a circle rather than thinking where I should go.

The paths around control 8 were not well mapped. Chose to approach from the bottom, which was quite straight forward - could see the control from the bridge. Too steep and muddy for trainers, should have worn o-shoes. Then had an encounter with a very nasty dog, and had to stop an Irish lady running the other way to warn her.

Took the loop top first - CP, AA, CC, AO. All quite straight forward, but didn't know that CC was on a saddle, so went up a big lump next to it. I did, however, spot my mistake quite a bit earlier than the two or three people around me. Quite complex area.

Rest of the course path/open running, got the lot relatively well but was tiring towards the end. Didn't want to use my compass so went to the outside of control 7 on my way from 15 to 16.

Felt a bit dehydrated after the run, although I have been drinking a lot more than I was at/before previous events. Pace slightly slower today because of the odd bits of green, and having to descend from 8 very gingerly for lack of grip.

Blaise next week, so I'd better get on with sorting out helpers and marking the sites...

First run in over a month, and a much needed break from revision.

Ashton Court should never be considered a 'tough' area, but a considerable lack of fitness (second run since the JK...) and a susceptibility to heatstroke resurfacing, I didn't find it at all easy. However, I shall claim a victory over Lazy Tim, who wimped out of the 60 minute score, and ran the orange course.

I ran an anti-clockwise route, getting every control but CX - which was placed next to the junction of the A369 with the B3129 - a good quarter mile, verging on half a mile, away from any of the other controls.

Navigation was very easy, the confusing bit was straight forward, although one of the controls was hard to get to. Even got the control that was in the wrong place without losing any time. Unsure as to how to fit in control CE - right in the middle of the map, with everything else towards the edge - and did so towards the end, via a somewhat circuitous route which absolutely exhausted me, although I seemed to run to the next two controls at 4-8 km/hr. Gave everything I could by the final control, and the uphill to the finish meant that I was about ready to collapse once I got there. Seems that pretty much everyone else felt the same too.

Should definitely have been able to get all the controls I did in time, and if I was at the same level of fitness as I was in March I should have been able to get the lot within the hour. Probably, however, I would still not have gone to CX as the extra 3/4 mile just wasn't worth the effort. Somewhat disappointing, but I will soon have all summer to rebuild fitness.

The new trainers felt ok, although I did feel the rough ground trying to twist my ankles on the stony paths.