Training Log Archive: ba-ba

Mmmm, Holme Fell. Thoroughly enjoyed this.
Find it very difficult in the circle in the lakes, attacking controls from above that should be approached from below, and vis versa. Lost a bit of oomph on the last section as well (Conor Short came past moving very well), and also made a novice parallel error on roads between 4-5-6. Result seemed OK considering general faff and ponderousness.

Event: LOC weekend - Middle/Long Distance
 

Saw Steve Cram. All I needed was a relegation battle and a hand job in a bus-shelter whilst eating a kebab to complete the full Sunderland experience.

Northern Road Relays last leg. Out shortly behind a Liverpool vest who didn't look too quick, but aware Rotherham were bout 1:20 behind so if they had a quality runner It'd be dangerous. Took my time Liverpool in, not going silly on the long gradual downhill. Planned to sit in a bit but moving OK so pushed on and could see I'd gapped him as we rounded the lake. A brief easing off before hitting the last hill hard.

Hr got to an acceptable level for the first time in a while. Pace as expected mind.

Told myself that if I was going to Sunderland to run on a road I'd at least purge my sins by heading to the lakes after. Trotted round the Sedbergh 3 peaks, solo as Pez wasn't about. Hills to myself.

HFW

The last time I wore my 'flats' was the Midland 12-stage 2 years ago, so figured they warranted an outing.

Took ages to drop off last night.

Ran an errand before heading to Weston Park.
4x3(1.5); 3x2(1); 2x1(1).
paces not that good but got it done.

return of the death march home

Left late as listening to the last of the cricket

Hutcliffe, Eccy and Milhouses. Nice.

The last 4 weeks have been pretty poor interns of training, scraping 40 mile a week average and minimal sessions. However I now don't feel fatigued (tired yes, but not like last week) and am ready to crack on.

First order of business is 2.2miles flat road as 12th leg at the Northern Road Relays. Not exactly my forte so I'm not even nervous - I am preparing myself for a world of pain for 12min or so though and will give any competition nearby all I've got. I'm not sure how often Ill be down at track over the spring as, depending on my calendar, I might end up moving a lot of hill work to Tuesday and do faster stuff on Thursdays.

C • Glory Leg.... 4

A few thought about Sunday's happening:

I've thought that 'orienteers go fell running' could cause problems for a while now. With ShUOC we had potential hypothermia cases in snow at the BUCS 2015 relays on Barr Wood with some novices and have since tightened up training and safety advice. There is still more we need to do however. Given the early JK details said 'Day 3 visits Fell Running territory' maybe the FRA rules should have been looked at prior to the event - they're pretty tight now after Brian Bellfield's death in 2012.

I think kit requirements need some serious thought for 'when orienteers go fell running' - i.e on exposed areas, especially in winter/spring. I'm by no means a saint and often moan about having to carry a cag but do so as it's a) the organiser's prerogative and b) I know what can go wrong. It's for this reason I've shelled out for a proper winter running jacket specifically for OMM/Long autumn/winter races/training runs with bad weather forecast - my Inov8 racing jacket is good, but isn't good enough for some things. A lot lies with the competitor, but the organiser has to take into account their knowledge of the area, conditions and that people will always try to get away without carrying extra kit.

On Sunday there were no check for cags save (maybe) at the whistle check (my cag was on for the jog to the start so I wasn't asked to show one. I had gloves and a buff with me as well). I know of one person who after the check hid their cag before starting and only carried a glove. Another wore an OMM cypher Smock - 70g windbreaker, paper thin, less use than a bin-bag. Club jackets are not much better, will wet out quickly and let the wind through - plenty of people wearing just these, including those should know better. There's then the issue of people not using Sound Mountain Judgement - given the drop-out rate it seems plenty of SMJ was used, but again, those not used to being high and exposed in a shit-storm, their only real hill experience in benign weather, will obviously have less experience and SMJ to utilise.

You don't have to shell out loads of cash for a jacket - even Decathlon's £6 walking jacket is partly taped, has a hood and, when put on, will provide more protection than a club jacket. It may not be nice to run in, but putting it on over a base layer when the weather turns will do the job.

Being ill-equipped is not only putting yourself at risk, but potentially fucking up the life of the organiser, planner, safety official, not to mention family, friends, orienteering in general.
If you don't like running with a bum-bag/in a cag, realise you will sometimes have to do it and practise with them every now and then.

SI boxes are used in fell races as back-ups to check when a person's exact location was definitively last known, but they are coupled with marshals who can relay to base immediately and - most importantly - deal with cold, tired runners, potentially even pull them out. Maybe a couple of marshals in the area to check? But then you have to think of their safety as well - this is a Fell Race organiser's primary though before deciding to carry on or abandon a race. Maybe the run-through marshal should have been detailed to check the well-being of runners in case of really poor weather?

When you consider that on Sunday getting us from the bus-stop to the arena across a couple of roads was obviously risk-assessed to within an inch of its life, it's slightly worrying that some (predicted) inclement weather put some people in really difficulty.

I know that those in their late teens/early 20s feel themselves immortal, that 'it'll never happen to me'. In some cases this is an enviable attitude to have, but in others it is dangerous.
I dislike overbearing health and safety culture, but when it comes to being outdoors I am now very cautious - especially with ShUOC and taking people out in the hills, even in good weather - as although only Fell Running properly for 6 years or so I have a lot more experience of shit conditions and what can go wrong. I don't want to come across all nanny-state telling people to put something more substantial on; admonishing them for not carrying/wearing suitable equipment - Orienteering and Fell Running are of course primarily about enjoyment - but in some cases it needs doing.

My worry is that Orienteering doesn't go Fell Running very often (when you look at the number of events listed on the BOF calendar), and that this may be thought about initially and then forgotten. This weekend a cyclist was killed in a race when hit by a race motorbike. The chances of this happening are likely higher than someone dying on a mountainous orienteering event - every bike race has motos, cars, road furniture etc. around it. But in the last year there have been many warning signs of riders being hit by motos/hurt by poorly thought out race routes/finishes, including some very big names (Sagan, Van Avermaert to name 2). Orienteering has had its warning and got lucky - lets hope it learns from it.

C • You should send this to Nick 10

Favourite part of the weekend: Old lady hands me map with the comment 'morning glory?' in a quavering yet excited voice. (maybe).

Worst part of the weekend: Being mistaken for Nixon. On the other hand I was twice mistaken for Speaky (courtesy of a flat cap)

minimal WU

Leg 1 for the 3rd team. Gave it as much as I could but was knackered and made a few silly mistakes. A bit slow to the corner so was stuck way back but worked way up through the sprintO, but then a couple of silly mistakes (one mistaking my AP for another feature) left me somewhat on my own. Got caught in a bush up the last hill which saw Alistair pass me, then died a thousand small deaths on the final fields.