Discussion: New to orienteering and need advice

I am not sure where to start. Most fitness stuff I have looked at, peridization etc. recommends setting goals and then everything flows from there, of course. Well I don't have any really, other than wanting to do everything I can outdoors, get out of the freakin gym and enjoy time with my family doing it. However, I am an ex-military guy with a fair amount of 'I need my fix' adrenaline (or endorphine) competitve gusto to not allow me to simply enjoy a slower healthier life. I miss being in the woods and moving fast all night long to a place I have never been before. I have tried adventure races, 5ks, blah blah blah and put simply, they are too canned. I would like to set up a training plan to loose 10 pounds, increase my cardio capacity and think about getting out with my son to an orienteering event. I do not have a ton of time each week, but what I do have I would like to do outdoors. A little fitness background, I played D1 linebacker, am Ranger qualified, and have done enough explosive impact sports (Rugby etc) for a lifetime. Want to transition to more of an endurance athlete but feel a little overwhelmed with all the 'endurance' terminology. Any training/life recommendations? How do I grow into orienteering? Sorry for making this so long and thanks for your help.

Ignore all the obsessive hardcore stuff on this website and get out to some local orienteering meets. If you enjoy doing it, your questions will start answering themselves.

Thank you

Check out the US Orienteering Federation at http://www.us.orienteering.org/. You find events, links and information about local clubs. Most clubs have beginner's instruction at their local events. The season usually start in March or April, so it is a good time to begin.

The best motivator is just to find the peer group you enjoy being with.

Endurance training just needs to be done in incremental steps - like strength training that you're obviously familiar with. Sounds like fitness is already your lifestyle so you don't have far to go.

Orienteering is an excellent sport to do with your son. There are obviously other outdoor sports as well (rock climbing, kayaking, etc.), but orienteering requires minimal equipment, costs are low, and it is very welcoming and accessible.

You sound like you are almost exactly where I was at about 16 months ago. A person with no orienteering experience or knowledge, but with an athletic background, some kids, an enjoyment of the outdoors, and some good old competitve gusto.

I agree with what you've already been told - find some meets and enter them. Your competitive gusto will tell you what your goals should be soon enough. I've always found that the goals that are the product of your competitive gusto are the most energizing, the easiest to stick with, and the best.

Only thing I'd add is something I tell everyone coming from a military background: BE PATIENT. I know they taught you how to navigate in ranger training, but orienteering is much different - much more detail and you're covering ground faster. It will come, but if you expect to get it right the first time, you'll be disappointed and quit. Half-hour mistakes are not uncommon the first few times out.

My personal advice: start off simple! I started orienteering by attempting to do red courses (the difficult and lengthier ones). This, of course, led to me spending three hours in the woods, lost but still stubbornly trying to find the controls.

My rationale for doing red courses was "It's only 7 km! I can do that." It took me some time, but I realized that doing a navigation course in the woods is not the same as running a road race (or even a cross-country race). I wasn't a runner when I started orienteering, but I was fit enough from swimming that I could go at a decent pace. The problem was I was always going in the wrong direction. And to be honest, it's been over a year and I still make ridiculous mistakes sometimes. Orienteering takes time and patience to become good at. Right now, there are plenty of seventy-year-old men in England who beat me on orienteering courses. I am faster than they are, but I usually make about 10-15 minutes of mistakes which they do not. But this is what makes the sport interesting. It's not all about speed and physical fitness. Experience and map-reading skills count for a lot.

What helped me the most, I think, was going back to the basics. After several unfinished red courses (and several finished ones where I blatantly followed other orienteers), I decided to go about this the right way. So I did some white and yellow courses, which are usually decently simple and good for newcomers. I still managed to make a few mistakes on these (mostly going in the opposite direction), but after a few, I felt that I could handle them. Then I moved on to do a few orange courses, and then a green. Next time I do a race in the US, it will be a red. :)

The turning point for me, I think, was when I ran in the Canadian Orienteering Champs. There were only 5 people total in my age category, so there wasn't really competition and I wasn't racing with anybody head to head. So I was forced to read the map on my own and this helped me focus on navigating rather than just running around in circles hoping to spot the control. I spent about an hour doing a 3 km course the first day, but then I spent an hour doing a 5km course the next day. So there was progress already! And it's only been getting better since.

So take it easy. Better to start off with easier courses and then gradually move up, then start off with long, difficult ones and not be able to finish.