Training Log Archive: Rich

Event: Southern Championships
 

Jog to start

Southern Orienteering Champs @ Star Posts

Still didn't feel all that great when I got up this morning, lots of snot still. As I was down here that I wanted my O fix so layered up and headed into the cold and rain for what I planned was an easy run of 50-60mins.

In the end I ended up doing the whole thing. The course comprised a number of loops with easy cut offs so assessed how I felt towards the end of each one and by the time I got to 19, I thought sod it, I'm enjoying myself so steadily cruised the lot, purposely missing the last control.

Even at an easy pace it took me a few controls to get my eyes adjusted to orienteering on a 1:15k map faffing at 1,2,3 and 5 losing ~20s on each. Note on 5 - told you not to run along cycle paths then give you a leg when the optimum route is to run along one and much slower not to - not being competitive I didn't but think I would have in a race situation.

My route to 6 was not great, looking after right was much better and this without the tough bracken I had to run through going left. I then got into a nice rhythm and picking off controls nicely with my only miss of ~1min at 28. I even picked off quite a few fastest splits towards the end inc 24 by >30s. Only gripe with my navidation was that I was particularly straight with my lines, often bouncing left to right off features (6,11,16,17,18 and 28 particularly).

Note on 30, 150m leg through a green marsh - I went way right to go round the marsh as I didn't fancy a fight. I relocated off another control and then got the right one, I won the split by ~20s so the marsh going straight must have been mingin.

At the speed I ran at I expected to be well off the pace (i.e. >20mins off the pace) so was somewhat surprised to be only 9mins down on Mharky and beat quite a few decent seasoned orienteers so all in all I think I can take quite a lot out of this run. Felt far better at the end than I felt at the start too! :)