Training Log Archive: RichT

Swim in Coniston with Rachel - one tree island and back. Very choppy.

Travel back from Denmark - long day.

WMOC Long M60B. 47th of 80.
Another hot day touching 30deg.

Started steady to #1 and spiked ok. Long leg to #2 which went ok, and good line to #3 although drifted slightly west. Ran hard into control and rushed next short leg. Result binned 1min 30secs on 1min 20sec leg.
Set off for #5 around side of hill and after a minute or so saw wall off to my left, probably chest high. Having just messed previous control and not seeing wall on planned route I stopped and faffed. Took at least a minute to try and find such a large feature on map, thinking was I doing a 180deg error?
Finally realised that it was marked as an earthbank as grass growing on top of wall!
Charged off towards control and rushed and missed at first. Total 2mins 30secs binned.

Tried to refocus and reset.
Next few were ok, small miss at #9 fighting thru green. Finally made a mess of exit direction away from #14, crossed a large marsh (slowly), to get back on line, and trundled across to control on small marsh with 1min 30secs binned.
Struggled onto finish.

Feeling a bit frustrated with another "nearly" performance.

Gribskov - Model. Easy jog around area in 28deg heat.

Middle Final M60B - 51st. Very humid morning.

Started well with solid compass to pit at #1 and hill at #2. Bit rushed towards #3 and bearing drifted right and hit small path. Ran 30m to junction, checked map set correctly and back into green re-entrant to spike the control.

Bit of a banana towards #4 but hit path again, and path crossing and along hill to knoll in green. Blasted out and compass to small re-entrant. Exit #5 ok and descending slope managed to cut my thumb. Began to be distracted licking wound to try and stop blood running onto my compass and dibber. Followed compass and found two fallen trees and then started looking for depression (as there was a circle with a line on the map).

Unfortunately it was a brown circle with a green line - a hill with a fallen tree. Wasted 2mins plus running around trying to find the depression. Eventually figured it out :o(. Remainder of course okish with small miss at #12 when drifted off compass through green, and another at #13 when looked in next re-entrant across.

Final problem was climbing through green to penultimate control when my dibber string caught in a young tree and ripped sapling out of ground. Spent frustrating seconds untangling the tree and finally exiting the green with the dibber loop twisted, struggled up the slope with all impetus lost.

Felt there were too many small mistakes.
B Long distance final on Friday.

WMOC M60 Heat 3. 19th of 80 - Middle B Final.

Set off confidently but missed seeing large ditch on map, so having crossed path surprised by this. Some small faff and then found small ditch.
Up and over hill to #2 and found spur and then following swede across to #3 on another ditch. Lost him on way to re-entrant at #4. First wobble on way to #5 across semi-open but sorted things through plantation and nailed ditch on far side.

Drift to right on bearing across to #6 but realised close to path and swung left to find re-entrant. Another small banana to form line re-entrant (2.5m contours!) and then ok to #8. Into pantation for #9 and hesitation as passed another control but only 15 secs lost.

Longish leg to #10 which executed ok until near end where missed small knoll and through to path behind control. Sorted myself out and spiked on second attempt. Another longish leg to #11 where I began to feel the heat and slow. Spiked the control and down into the semi-open for #12 & #13. Very tired and poor direction exiting field - struggled with line through the green and slow to figure out crossed wrong path. Quick panic and legged it towards end with another 30secs binned.

Overall happy with qualifier.

Forest model event. Steady in terrain - every control had a dozen people standing by it.