Training Log Archive: АТ

This was supposed to be an easy fell run... So much for that!!

First day of training with Zac and Ueli (a swiss national runner) so we were just taking it steady out in the hills, but I put a few efforts up the hills to try and get a PB on some strava records. Felt actually really good although all this speed training showed because I was getting a bit tired towards the end. Nice run, great weather, with my mates, what could be better?

Jogging round in the pen, quite nervous since Dan brought back the lead on first leg. Didn't get the best of warm ups, but to be honest the warm up area wasn't the best, #bog!!!

Relays, leg 3 on the intermediate men, 48-:

Started off in the lead, thanks to awesome runs by my team, Dan and Ben. So the plan was just to go hard but not all out, in order not to make a mistake.

This plan went really well, was just going really smoothly round the course with one slight whoops at 7, but apart from that a really goood run. I didn't see anyone on my class, so I guessed that I had the win and this was backed up when the commentator said I was in the lead. Just soooo happy to take the win!! Great course, great area and I had a very nice not flat out run and got to do the run in with Dan and Ben. Great end to a class weekend!

Stretching and rolling with Zac, while watching fast and furious 4, ...

I got to the start nice and early, however I think I was wasting a bit too much time just standing about because when I was getting to the end of my warm I had to rush it a bit and didn't even finish it before I had to start, but tbh it didn't put me off or anything, only thing that it might have affected was the first control. 10 min jogging, 10 min drills.

Jk Day 3 - Bigland, 1st by 1.21 min/sec (NOT ENOUGH!!)

What a race, I was very worried the night before, because whenever I have done well on the first day, I always mess up the second day, so I was just trying to convince myself that things were going to change...

Started well, hitting the first control straight on, and then the second. On #3 I came into it a bit low I think that was mainly due to a lack of picture. On #4 I was hesitant coming down the slope on the open fell, which I shouldn't have been since you could quite clearly see the control. Then my direction out of #4 was dreadful, luckily it only meant that I lost minimal time coming through a crossing point but still worrying, then I got #5 without any more problems. My directions out of #5 was again crap but I soon realized and came onto the right track. I think that this direction wobbles was due to me not coming into the controls from the direction that I thought I was. Then it was into the forest for the rest of the course.

Dan had said before hand that he had messed up the first control back into the forest, so I made sure that I had a good plan that meant I couldn't get lost easily, basically following the wall as far as I could. This worked then I came of it and hit a ruin, yes that is OK, then I hit something that wasn't on the map; a collapsed person! Luckily for me people were already there helping but I still stopped and checked if he was OK. This put me off my plan, but for the better I think because I then hit a path and could attack straight onto the control. #7 & #8 I was still a bit distracted by the collapsed boy, was desperately trying to get it out of my head. This lead to my one mistake on the whole course at #8 where I must have been so close to it just ran straight past. Relocated quickly and then got on my way. #9 was a killer up hill, which I walked and Kasper took 1 min out of me on, he must have ran!

#10 I had a good route, apart from the last bit, where instead of cutting over the hill and down onto it, I went down the wall, then had to climb back up into it. From here onwards I was just going for, since I knew that I had 1.43 to make up from yesterday. I only made some minor route chpice errors, maybe 20 sec lost in the last half.

I got to the finish, and they announced "Alastair Thomas takes the lead in M16A" and I just went crazy, sooooo happy!! Then a few minutes later I realised that I had lost to Kasper overall by 22 sec!!!! Not happy at that!! Although at least it wasn't 4 sec like Aidan last year!

Came 2nd overall, first Brit by 5 min, really great weekend, training is paying off and hopefully that will get me on the BOF talent camp!

10 min jogging around, 10 min drills. My legs felt heavy but I knew after a few controls I would be into it.

Ulpha Park and Barrow Fell:

I was really quite nervous on the start line because I knew that this was what I've been training for, but then I also knew that I had to get this out of my head if I was going to do well, the LOC juniors on the start helped me to calm down a bit, mostly by just laughing at me! Oh well, time to start the race...

I was going well in the first bit of forest, just picking the controls off, although underfoot the ground was just torn up, it was soooo muddy! Apart from a fall going into #4 and then being slightly too high up the wall to the crossing point which might have lost me 20 sec, I made it onto the first bit of fell without much time loss.

Only three controls on the fell, first on I will admit that there was a massive elephant track going straight to it, thank you very much early runners! Then the next one was long leg were I think you had to lose height, but not much. From my quickroute, I saw that I was on line the whole way, then the last little but where all you had to do was contour into the control, I dropped down the re - entrant, then looked up stream and realised my mistake. Bombed it back up the hill and found #7, in the end winsplits say I only lost 15 sec, so I would have been probably the fastest on that leg without that mistake. #8 was a downhill short leg, my direction wasn't great but I soon realized and found it no bother. Then back into the woods.

Started off with a very near miss, looked over my left shoulder just as I was running past it and thankfully spotted it. Then #11 was probably the toughest leg, really hard going on that slope, but I had a handrail in the form of a wall, so I wasn't getting lost. Made it to the road crossing without much time loss, just a few dodgy routes.

Little bit of woods, where I caught Jo wright up for 9 min, was knackered at this point, and the tough woods didn't help. Then onto my last bit of fell...
First control was fine, and at this point I had a 2.30 min lead over everyone, if only I'd know this I would have slowed down, to avoid the mistake that came. Walking up a hill should have been fine, but aparently not, I just couldn't get the map to fit and wasted 4 min walking about until Jo lead me into it, very annoyed!!! Next 2 legs I was bombing, trying to make up lost time and then back into the woods one last time.

Longish leg back to the finish I was just running and not map reading, never a good plan, lost about 30 sec messing about in the control circle. GRRRRRR!

Came into the finish 1.43 down on Kasper and second, I knew without all the mistakes I would have a massive lead but then it gave me something to aim for the next day. Great relief after the sprint race, solid run to put in a decent position to try and get the win.

Legs were feeling very heavy at the start today, so did this thoroughly to make sure they feel better on the start tomorrow.

Event: Jan Kjellstrom International Festival of Orienteering 2015
 

Had a decent nights sleep, couldn't actually get to sleep for a while, think I fell asleep at about 11. Woke up at 6.30 but then went back to sleep again.

Breakfast consisted of a big bowl of porridge with honey and a banana, followed by two scrambled eggs on two bits of toast with ketchup. I am running at quarter past three so I will have something else at about 11.30.

Jogged to the start, then some drills.

Sprint at Lancaster Uni:

Started off well, flying through the first section, route choices were a bit dodgy but I don't think I lost any time in the first bit. Then the second half I started well but at #14 I just ran straight past it coz I was planning for the next leg and not concentrating. Was a bit annoyed but kept pushing.
Then my route to 18 was, well about 500 - 600m further than it should have been, didn't see a cut through and ended up running all the way to the top of the map to get round!! At the time I didn't realise so I didn't know that I had just lost it big time.

Oh well, I'm not a sprinter, looking forward to tomorrow, some proper orienteering!

Long Legs Practice.

Went out and did one of the courses that I had planned for the training day with Dan about a month ago, since the maps for today hadn't arrived yet.

I felt a lot better running than I have, the cough wasn't much of an issue and I felt strong on the hill so physically it looks like I am sorted (hopefully!!). I wasn't going at any sort of pace so the navigation was all fine, except for one leg early on when I got dragged off line by some marsh, that I though was by my control. Compass was OK but I wasn't using it all that much, just to get a rough idea of which direction I was going in. It was a lovely day, really quite hot when you got going, so hopefully it stays like this for the weekend!

Jogged from the car up the hill to where we were based for the rest of the training. Passed a mental dog on the way up, and then at the top it started jumping on everyone!

Went out and did one of the "Official JK Training" loops, which basically meant that there was controls out for it, which made things a lot easier coz I didn't have to stop and check I was in the right place. I was going quite well, although I wasn't focusing as much as I should of been, wasn't planning ahead at all! Navigation was fine, everything fitted nicely and had not mistakes. The one thing that is bothering me is my height judgment skills, I always seem to run too far uphills, even when I look at the contours closely??

On the way back to car I went out and did a few more controls, this time it was all downhill thankfully, so some decent overspeed legs. No problems apart from the map not seeming to fit at one point, think it could do with an extra knoll...

Getting the kegs ready, they fell quite good now, hopefully I haven't overdone it today, but I was taking it easy so I should be fine.

Very lazy day, stayed in bed for most of it. Gonna do some sprint training tonight.

Jog to dads planned start, was feeling good and legs were oddly springy, looks like for a change rest has done some good to my legs, instead of just making them feel heavy like usual.

I was getting a bit annoyed coz I wasn't getting to do any of the training in the south lakes, so very kindly dad planned us some quick short courses round cockermouth. This one was in probably the most technical part of cockermouth, if you could call it technical. So I was thinking that it would be boring and I would have no problems. And I'm glad to say that the later was true and the boring bit was not! Great fun for such a short course, lots of little paths everywhere. I took some dodgy routes, through some of the more intricate stuff to keep it more interesting, whereas in a race I would have just gone straight round the road.

I was trying to forward plan, but everything was coming up so fast, definatly not used to sprints, although that was good practice. Started off very slow and couldn't find where I was but eased into it and was going OK.

2nd of dads courses, this time on an easier bit of town. I felt like I was just cruising, although my throat did start to get a bit phlemmy so I can't have been going too slowly. Navigation was fine, forward planning was better so I think that Lancaster should be fine as long as I concentrate!

Thanks Dad, lots learnt and a good confidence boost for the sprint race! Bring on the JK!!

Very slow jog back to the car with dad.

Haven't actually done this yet, just gonna go do it in my room so I can go straight to sleep!