Training Log Archive: Kseniya

Reflections on this weekend's O races:
I'm no good at post-race analysis of my own performance besides the immediate general feeling of how well I did in comparison to my "ideal" self. As part of my training goals I will be trying to work on this part, both in a qualitative and quantitative fashion.
For now just some meaninglessly meaningful meandering:
Based on my splits the major thing that stands out is the consistency. Slow and steady. No major mistakes, no getting lost (opposite of how I feel in my life right now).
My style of orienteering is based on intuition and trusting my inner compass. Up to this year the trust part was always lacking confidence. My typical mistakes in the past were almost always due to doubt, not inability. This weekend reinforced the changes I've been going through and the payoff in constantly working on oneself. Even in areas where I didn't know where I was I trusted that I was on the right track. Oh.. the analogies to life again. The uncertainty of life journey is bringing certainty to my orienteering. If that's a start, I'll take it!
I was able to take risks (Кто не рискует, тот не пьет шампанское!), especially on the second day. The first day I just took it real slow, read more details than was necessary and was very safe. Second time around I decided to try a different strategy, one I have not really employed in the past. I'm still unsure whether it was successful or not but I am glad I tried it. In the detailed section of the map I just took a general bearing towards a prominent feature and tried to locate and attack once I was there. This was new to me because I'm so used to always knowing where I am (control freak much?) and so naturally I hesitated in certain spots, but overall it seemed to work. Will need to practice this approach in training.
I would say the biggest success to me out of these races was the ability to focus on the map throughout pretty much the whole time, something I definitely have had difficulties with in the past. If my mind drifted (only once did a song get stuck in my head and it was Miley Cirus so it was easy to snap out of) I would bring it back consciously and without serious effort. It certainly helped that the map required 100% focus. It is much easier to drift when the course and the terrain are easier.
Hopefully, this 'focused-go-slow-yet-take-risks-in-the-face-of-uncertainty" orienteering approach will feed back into my life.. it probably already has.

C • bearing towards a prominent feature and attack once there... 2

Day 2:
Today's goal was to not get lost in the detailed section of the forest. Successful at not making mistakes but definitely had hesitations, which was fine today for some reason, diff. kind of hesitation i guess. Anyway though, all consistent, no major mistakes.
1. Straight up the road and 90 degree right into the reentrant, thick woods hitting pretty drastically so took time to adjust.
2. Decided to go straight, cut through the marsh and up the spur through the yellow corridors
3. Up the corridor leading to the control then following my compass but going astray slightly to the reentrant to the right, adjusted quickly
4. Compass bearing to the stream, up the hill over the spur
5. To the right side of the marsh, then to the small marsh, never minding the rocks but confused by the green
6. To the two hills, going in between, stream up to the marshy area into the saddle
7. Straight to a big pile of rocks at the end of the spur, ignoring the rocks in between, then up to the circle reentrant
8. Compass straight, thought I heard a bear roar, scared me a little but kept going, over the spur
9. To the road, left after the hill
10. Mostly straight, twisted my ankle, was trying to find a corridor leading to the control, gave and went straight, saw Andis, who started 2 min before but he disappeared quickly
11. Hopping on the yellow corridor all the way to the control, saw Andis again leaving 11 but no more after that
12. Corridor to the road then straight through the streams, slow but not bad
13. Straight, confused by the green, veered right to the stone wall and saw the control from there
14. Right of the green but hesitated early
15. Straight

Day 2 - Red - Splits

Event: UNO Boulder Dash
 

Day 1 - Red course Boulder Dash

Should have walked around the model but decided just to change my start time to an earlier time primarily because I was running out of food and I knew I will be too hungry to start at noon.

1. Starting slow on purpose and taking time to absorb into the map. Veered right and lower of the control and was confused for a bit, then clicked in and went up into the ditch to find the control.
2. Decided to play safe and headed to the trail to avoid the green. Came down the reentrant and compass to the control
3. Taking a slight left entrance into the reentrant and took a bearing to the control without trying to read details. Asimuth worked, I was right to the control but was about to go further thinking it was too soon, checked it since the feature and surroundings matched, and it was mine!
4. Right of the huge reentrant to the trail, taking the white woods across the marsh and following along the marsh, which was rather dry. Checked off the hill, knew I was low, saw my spur and went up.
5. Straight to the cliffs, some strange mapping prior, missing a contour for the reentrant there, went up anyway and saw my feature.
6. To the small trail, taking it across the large one, around the yellow field and through the woods cutting the corner. Trail to the stone wall, up slowly to my rocks
7. Bashing through the green, hit the yellow corridor , left on the road then cut through the yellow corridors to my reentrant, wasn't bad.
8. To the trail, then the slim yellow corridor, which wasn't fun at all, and bearing to the control
9. Very careful to nine, mostly straight checking off too many features than necessary prob.
10. Straight faster now to the yellow with the rocks as attack point, down further from there to the control
11. Getting sick of the yellow "lungs" and sort of just going straight to the stream, confused by the rocks near the control but saw the flag from the perpendicular stream so wasn't bad.
12. To the road, ran further than originally planned and attacked from the third spur I guess, slow in the green
13. Straight to the stone wall, then yellow corridor, which seemed wider in reality than on the map
14. Right of the forest boundary, greener than drawn
finish..

Day 1 - Red - Splits

No energy or motivation today, ran around neighborhood and some on track