Training Log Archive: Kris

Trains cancelled from Haymarket meant I had a wait in Edinburgh and by the time I got home I was just wanting a rest. Looking forward to a couple of weeks of decent training now.

EOC relay. First leg.

A bit nervous, first race back in the forest, but the ankle had been good and so had the orienteering during the week.

I felt good at the start and put myself near the front through the first forking. Worked my way up to 3rd before the long leg which allowed me to take the first part of the long leg quite relaxed. Hit the path and was feeling good, maybe in 5th/6th and feeling like I could have pushed on but stuck in there. Across to 5 - I knew where we left the path, nice bearing across, look for the big stone by the river before the control - can't see it. That's fine, stick on the bearing to the river my boulder is on, but I can't see anything which is obviously my boulder. Hector came past at this point but we had different controls. Fredrick Bakkman was hesitating along with me. It took maybe 10 seconds to realize we were just a bit low and head up to get the control.

Working up to the control and across to the next was difficult in the stones and a lot of people had passed in my mistake. It was still difficult working down to the next control and whilst Fredrick was passing people and getting back, I wasn't so much. Number 8 I had the nearest forking, I bannana'd it a bit and the pack was gone. Looking at the tracking the other forkings were much further on and so whilst I slowed down to get my short control, they hooned it off on much longer legs.

Now dropped by the group I had to get my navigation right as there were just a few people around. In my head it turned into a salvage job. There didn't seem to be much chance of catching the group on my own. I was clean through the next few, just behind Spain and then Ukraine. Importantly however, I was clean through the green. When I got to the rocky hill with the TV on it I was suddenly caught by a big group with Sweden 1 + 2, Switzerland 2 and Hector. They had missed in the green (and I had a shorter forking) and were now running very hard to catch up. I had started to tire a bit at this point, not used to racing in the forest, but I stuck in the group around the last loop, having the slightly longer forking here. I came in maybe 2/3rds of the group; Would have been good to be able to stick with the pace of Leanderson and send out Ralph higher up in the pack. I was ~90s behind the lead, who didn't miss in the green.

In all a bit disappointed with the performance. It shows how fine the margins are at this level, a small mistake followed by a less than ideal forking and I was out the back of the group. I was perhaps fortunate that the main group messed up. Also it makes a big difference sending out your runner at the front of the group if possible. I think I learnt a lot doing this race though and with a better run up I will do a better job in the future. First time racing in the forest in 9 weeks it was always going to be hard work.

Went to the track but it was packed so I had to improvise. 2 x (~3min hill rep (Jog back), ~40s flat (Jog back)) and then 1 x (~1min hill rep (Jog back), ~40s flat (Jog back)).

Hill reps were up a steep ski slope and so I cut the last one to 1 min as I didn't want to do a full session.