Training Log Archive: Old Daniel

Warm up

NGOC Event at Cranham, using part of the normal wood but extending south to some new woods and fields beside CW.
Stuffed up no 2 taking route to west of line but no clear attackoint from path, went in too early, forest is scrappy and map depicts numerous bumps. (I always find this area difficult and stuff up particularly at night) - thought I had relocated and turned wrong way so 2+mins lost. Rest pretty much ok but probably most would have thought easy - but Cranham does have plenty of hills. I think I interpreted the map correctly but some e.g. purple lines to clarify which fences were crossable in the fields might have been a good idea.

Blaise run and pre-occupied again so not concentrating and so just pottered around. Time a bit of a guess and not sure what more to say

Just the standard Purdown run mostly to clear the head after looking at a PC screen with mountains of stuff about orienteering

Good standard warm up

MLS Event at Hawley, not quire the usual area going further into a limb which was quite straight forward , so not quite so tricky as sometimes but still very enjoyable. The pace was not quite as good as recently I seemed to be having to work quite a bit harder, but ok with the nav. I missed a bush at 19 only saw one in circle when there were 2 (90 secs?) and then could not make head nor tail of the map at the last control 21 losing approx.2- 3 mins. So a disappointing finish . Also a bit disappointing at download where I discovered that I had missed no 9. Initially thought it was a reoccurrence of Emit/ brick that I seemed to have run into last autumn -new battery required? but my criticism of the system was incorrect -sorry EMIT system I apologise.
What actually happened that as well as the usual camouflaged squaddies jumping out of bushes and the somewhat disconcerting large ordinance that was being let off closer than you might like, the army cross country champs was also taking place and my route to 9 was part of the course and I was keeping pace with part of the ladies race which I did passed the control by 25m and onwards to 10. Yet another new way to mess up orienteering !
Ankle was ok

In Sheffield for a lovely couple of days, not sure if swimming (aqua jogging ?) in the pirate pool counts

C • Haha 1

Warm up -arrived late and had to run the 1.7 km to assembly and start

GO middle distance race at Farley. I had gone to this race as a meeting had been fixed for BOC but others were doing this event. I pretty much hated this event. Took longer messing around in Guildford, then missed a turn (actually turned too early got lost found myself back in the suburbs. My ankle hurt quite a lot on route to start. I pretty much hated the race it just seemed to be bracken, brambles or bracken. With 29 controls just set compass and run.
Clean through the first 7, and ok to 8 -well except I misinterpreted the spaghetti and had navigated to 13, cursed, but it also meant I went to 8 but I approached from a really odd direction could see the control but clearly not mine, could not relocate so eventually went to flag and of course it was mine, but dis orientated and fluffed next one. We crossed a road timed out 2 mins so looked at rest of course un-inspiring, ran through next two realising eventually that there must have been two controls in bracken and I had mis-stamped. Running short of time and not enjoying so headed of to finish to retire......then decided this was not me so got back onto course tried to concentrate on navigation and finished without incident . Ha not last as DQ hurray! Others though race was great
On to a very, very wet site meeting …...to find we had a new set of permission issues and long, long wet drive home. A day to forget!

C • Oh dear... 1