Training Log Archive: Anvil

Day 6

Quickroute

Plan for the day was to beast it and hope for the best. Didn't quite work out that way.
There was a couple of sections where I was navigating better than I have all week - all flowing and reading ahead. Problem was it was interspersed with a couple of whoppers. Bonus was at least they weren't moronic mistakes like the rest of the week, actually falling for the traps of the terrain - of which there were many.
Loved this area, I want to run there again and again - would probably go on my top 10 list.

C • weak aussie award 13

Day 5

Hmm, kinda better again, but not really. I'm feeling more confident in the terrain and am running faster with each day - but am continually making dumb arse mistakes as soon as I let my guard drop on the easier sections of the course.
Today was a 6 min mistake on #2 due to misreading one massive field as another to the north and eventually relocating off #3. Later on in a trail section I miscounted how many junctions I'd passed - went left instead of right and ran 400m in the wrong direction. Total punter.

On the plus side, after feeling totally weak and exhausted in the terrain on days 1 and 2, each day onward I've felt stronger and more like myself again. Hopefully tomorrow it can all come together.

WOC Spectator Races Day 4

Another improvement today. Finally we get some runnable white woods (the first part of yesterdays long final).
We got much more of a 'tourist' course today with a long section of trail running to take us to the amazing viewpoint and massive cross (that we had a control on - check out the GPS track on 'Earth') on the southwest corner of the map and followed with a dash of mega Euro multi day, with 2.5km of trivial nav at the end to get us back to the arena.
I still enjoyed it, I've really missed running fast in white forest, which I felt I could do today. There were also a few legs where everything clicked and was able to navigate competently and run at high speed - it felt great.

However, still made errors; 2x90sec in the circle on #8 and #11, when I got pulled off by the big clumps of people chatting in the forest trying to relocate by groupthink - in this case they weren't actually at controls like where these groups usually congregate.
The worst though was picking bad routes on #3 and #8. Especially 8, when I decided to contour and took a terrible line on a rocky scree-ey slope only to discover when I got back I was running parallel to a track 8 contours below. Figure I lost about 5 minutes alone on that.
Hot day, fun forest, back to low-vis hell tomorrow. At least it's a middle.

C • Happy Birthday Too! 4

WOC Spectator Races Day 3

Getting there, slowly but surely. After a 4 minute followed by a 3 minute mistake on the first two controls where I felt that reading the map was optional, I decided to get my head into gear and actually do this properly - the rest of the course was generally clean, bar a few hesitations as I entered the circle.
I think it helped that there were fewer, wiggly indistinct track options, so instead of wasting time making sure I was on the right one/not on an elephant trail - I either went straight or took the main trails and used massive attackpoints. Starting to get a lot more confidence in terrain interpretation as well.

Quickroute

WOC Spectator Races Day 2
Better than yesterday, but only just. Roughly 2x2min and 1x6min mistakes - again, not due to the difficult terrain, just me being stupid but also occasionally confusing the elephant tracks from the real ones. Also a short section where I fell very hard on my knee and was cursing all things French instead of running.
Seem to be lacking a lot of intensity and focus - I imagine I could post much better times, but I'm having a lot of trouble getting motivated for these races.

Quickroute

WOC Spectator Races Day 1
On yesterdays long quali map, but only in the forested part - which was a shame, I was hoping for some of the open meadow route choice legs.
So clearly the A in H21A stands for amateur. Well below average performance.
I wasn't feeling incredible with an early start on little sleep and a toilet queue issue meant I wasn't as comfortable as I'd like on the start line.
Spiked the first, but that was about it. A 15 minutes mistake on #2 - one of the easier legs of the course, meant I spent the the rest of the race hesitating and checking off every single feature.
Will do better tomorrow. Promise.

C • A also stands for.... 9

Event: WOC 2011 + O'Festival Savoie Grand Revard
 

Quick wander round one of the training maps after the Long Qualis
It was... interesting. Not quite as terrifying as expected, but a few sections of horror and despair. Constant concentration required at all times - even on the tracks.

On some massive mountain on the other side of Aix-Les-Baines to where WOC will be, with B1 and B2.
We drove most of the way up, cause we're either lazy or unable to understand the French signage. Short scramble with ladders and scary drop offs to a mini Rock of Gibraltar spike, then a longer out and back along the ridgeline.
Fun, but I was pretty tired towards the end.
GPS track stolen from B1s log, just cause I know Bash wants to see it :)

After 5 mins of running, B1 and B2 needed a rest


Ladder scrambling


A terrifying drop off is right behind me. This is my face of fear


Over to Aix-L-B and the WOC terrain, the high plateau


The 'spike' we first went to


From the spike looking further along the ridge - we went the other way


Coming off the big rock spike. Limestone=scary


Some friends we made, with Mt. Blanc in the background


B1 tries to make friends


But gets chased away