Training Log Archive: nmulder

Flew from Denmark to Switzerland. Legs are pretty hammered after running through the heather at the Relay yesterday.

Team Leaders Race took place after the JWOC Relay.

Extremely hot afternoon. Didn't realise it until we actually got out on the course. We started at 3pm, so got hit with the worst of it.

Started very fast to give a good show. Then fell back on the way to #1. Everyone ran the same course, so it was follow-my-leader. No problems around the first loop. Got a good cheer from Team SA on the way through the spectator control.

Started the 2nd loop, but made a big route choice error to #8. Should have run down the road in the valley. I had a good view approaching #8 of everyone who was just behind me punching the control.

The heat got to me en route to #10 and I realised I wasn't in good shape for this. I was already at TE 4.2 and only 1/2 way around the full course. A short while later I called the racing quits and started walking all the hills and looking over my shoulder for Alex. Saw him going to # 14, but as I was jogging about 200m ahead, I decided I didn't need to speed up just yet.

No problems with the last few controls. Got a welcome home drenching running over the bridge as we entered the finish arena. Alex had closed to about 50m, but he decided to cut out about 45m of the finish loop in the arena. I got him by 5m in the end.

Don't have enough fingers and toes to count my position in the race. As the Juniors also can't count without a calculator, this is probably all for the best.

To summarise, the JWOC relay courses were extremely hilly and the weather real nasty. Not a cloud in the sky. Ag shame, poor juniors.

TE 4.5, Epoc 218, 552 Kcal.

From Orienteering Maps

JWOC Middle Finals took place today. Some good results from the team once again, with a general improvement from 2009.

I ran the Open Course 2 afterwards again, which had some similar controls to both the Qualie and Finals. Once again, big suprise at the amount of 100% runnable forest, totally contrary to most of our training.

I had another brilliant run, despite being short a compass once again. In the end, I managed to compesate well and only lost about 20s due to the lack of one.

After running paths to #1 (best route), I started running as straight as possible, realising that the forest was so open. I nailed #2 and #3, hesistated on the way to #4 (double checking direction) and then fair to #5. Slightly too far left on #6, but from thereon, everything went perfectly. Aced every single remaining control with the best route choice. Pushed hard in the finish feeling that I could take another win, which worked out to be the case (13s to the 2nd place). I won the splits for #9, 10, 13, 15. Key splits to winning were #13 and #15 where I ran straight and hit them spot on. Biggest error was to #6, where I'm off by 19s.

Results Splits

TE 4.0, Epoc 154, 531 kcal. (suprised that I only got to TE 4.0)

From Orienteering Maps

JWOC Middle Qualie today. Some fair runs today, with good results from Steph, Brad and Salome. Steph continues to run well despite her hip injury.

Rest day for me, still feel knackered after Tuesday's Long and the Open race.

Ran around the model area for the JWOC Relay. Nice hilly terrain with white woods and lots of open slopes with deepish heather. Going to be a physically tough, but navigationally easy relay.

The JWOC Long distance race took place today. For me, this meant up at 6am, in the bus at 6.45, at the start at 7.30 am till about 2pm. Some other coaches were out there for another hour. Then across to the finish. Team SA had a few good performances (Sarah the best), but there was a general improvement from last year in Italy.

I decided at the last moment to run the Open race afterwards. We were pushing to get home in time, so I did Course 2, 6km, with a lot of identical legs to the Womens course. I had a very clean run at a good pace, despite heavy legs. Only made 1 big RC error and hardly any errors inside the circle. I nailed some of the RCs which undoubtedly gave me the win. Very chuffed, even if there weren't any other big names near the top (all running Course 1?). Only ever won 1 other race overseas, a 2003 WOC tour course in Switzerland.

Results Splits

TE 4.7, Epoc 231, 614 kcal.

From Orienteering Maps

Today was the JWOC Sprint. Good performances on the whole by Team RSA. Top performance by Steph, despite being seriously injured and running through the pain. Lots of rest for her now. I was too tired to bother paying R130 to run a sprint race.