Training Log Archive: Mark3

Brilliant event; I characteristically made some annoying mistakes but still enjoyed myself. Which is the main thing. Mostly.

Very happy with first 22 controls. I thought it had been quite a long time without a mistake, and I'd just caught Matt Pickering (c.2mins?) so I decided it was time to let him have some time back. I looked at the [correct] set of steps up from the beach, but convinced myself they were too close to the control and that they were the steps that didn't go anywhere. I ignored the fact that the incorrect and correct steps were basically adjacent and had a nice run around the rocks looking for some more steps. There were no more steps. In a nice deja vu from the BOK urban a few weeks ago, there were some tourists (whom I ignored) saying "everyone's gone up that way"... who looked smug when I came back to them a minute later "oooh look; he's come back". This felt like I lost loads of time but comparing splits with RP it was about a minute. I failed to learn my lesson from #1 yesterday which was to use everything on the map rather than just picking one thing and focussing on that; there was plenty to tell me the initial steps I saw were right.

Then another good section. Missed the optimum route to 28 but that was only a few seconds. Then at 29, caught Matt again and proceeded to miss a set of steps and therefore set off in entirely the wrong direction; luckily noticed quite fast and turned back around; maybe 30s from 15s either way. I should probably have used the magnifier whilst on the previous leg, but it was through a crowded section and I couldn't read the map in a lot of detail whilst avoiding all the people. So probably should have paused briefly at the control.

Anyway, took a good route to 31 (high) and passed Matt for the third and final time. Then another spell of good controls with one small miss on 34 where I think I'd spent so much of the previous leg considering the best choice that even though I had made the best choice in advance I forgot what it was and ended up going the wrong way; only a few seconds though.

Got down onto the beach and basically switched off because mentally it was the end. This was clearly exactly what the planner wanted. The caves came up far faster than I was expecting and I wasn't keeping close enough contact with the map, such that I didn't run past just one of my controls but two; reaching 39 before 37. I had to check my control descriptions twice to make sure I wasn't imagining it. Then on the way back to 37, which was straightforward, it was easy to pick out 38. But the damage was done and I'd already lost 90s by running an extra 200m on sand. Dammit! This was far more annoying than the other mistake because I always try and make a point of keeping concentration right until the finish. Fail.

Still not a bad result with 3 mins lost, but could've been much better. Felt like I was running really well and for 36 of the 39 controls, a very positive performance. Great planning and the bonus of a lovely day.

C • Tourists 2

Hmm where do I start with this kerfuffle...

http://www.baoc.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#146&cou...

#1. The plan was to follow the ride until I saw the crag on the left and use the end of that as the AP. I did not see the crag at all, turned left when I got suspiciously far, saw a control in a reentrant that wasn't mine, ignored that extra information, found another control on a ride junction and decided to pay attention this time; realised I was an idiot and than navigated perfectly to the control. 3 minutes down already, wtf.
Lesson: there was just so many other things I should have been looking out for which I ignored because I was only focussed on the crag. I need to take more features into account rather than only thinking about an 'obvious' one.

I'm happy with 2-11. I think the North route on 7 would've been better though as it avoids a lot of the rocks.

On #12 I was so caught up with not going through the uncrossable marsh, and the hell I was going to recognise the boundary between crossable and uncrossable marsh without just falling in it, that I deviated to a comical level and was nowhere near where I thought I was. Then my line to the control was actually quite good but unfortunately I couldn't see it until I was on top of it, so was really slow. I think going higher first is the better plan here.

#14, tried to go too straight and found the control ok, but ran through a lot of unnecessary marsh. Going higher seemed to result in other people being on a path here. I very much was not on anything. Should have seen I needed to gain the height at some point and avoided the march.

#15 terrible; no real plan, found what I thought was the boulder on the way, didn't even check it since I knew it wasn't mine. Turned out it was actually #16 which would've made a reasonable AP, but actually kept going and ended up overshooting by miles. Should've had ANY plan.

#17 just getting annoyed; not even looking in the right section of land.

#18,19 fine (because I followed Marcus)

#20, F my best legs of the day.

There is a lot to learn from this. Nice area though. And definitely enjoyed the section between 2 and 11!

Pump #47

Going to miss this when I move :(

Taking it easy

4th/50
http://www.bristolorienteering.org.uk/sites/defaul...
Close at the top! Good to see I won a few controls; looked like I as doing well at most of the short legs and losing time on running speed on the long ones, except the downhill one where I did really well! Uphill speed clearly needs work though.

___

Definitely the right shoe choice today; there was no advice given but there had been quite a few offroad controls on the past events here and it had been raining constantly all day.

10s lost on 9, standing literally right next to the control which it turned out was behind me; but really not confident that I was definitely in the right place even though it was pretty obvious.

Then a couple of silly route choice mistakes, the same mistake both times. 14 turned right before rather than after the alleyway and added an extra 100m running; 20s. And 16 same thing really, planned a bit too far ahead and ended up on the wrong road, adding another 100m and 20s. So maybe a minute lost in total, but two mins down on Tom so he's still running faster than me...

Pump #46

Was going to go to track but it was raining and I was weak.