Training Log Archive: Dooby

Went and spectated at the middle qualifying today. Body feeling ok after yesterday.

Event: WOC 2011 + O'Festival Savoie Grand Revard
 

WOC 2011, Long Qualification, Heat B

On October 1st 2010 I did my first training on relevant terrain to WOC 2011 on Cret de Bénevént (Le Semnoz) prior to running the 2010 French World Cup Race. My thoughts during this session were not positive towards France and WOC 2011. These thoughts got worse as that weekend of races and the following week of training went on. Whatever was going on I just couldn’t handle the orienteering and the area. I decided that after running the Swiss World Cup race the weekend after the French Race, that WOC 2012 was something to train for, not WOC 2011. So if that was the case how did I end up on the start line for a Long Qualification Race at WOC 2011???

As the winter turned into Spring I found that my shape wasn’t too bad, been improving over the last couple of years, it’s had no choice as the standard of the squad just keeps on improving. Did a few races, some went well and others went really badly. As Spring turned into Summer I found myself focused on actually wanting to go to WOC, and decided that if I managed to get selected I was going. Team was announced after the Shamrock and I had been picked to run the Long Qualifier,

I arrived in France on August 4th, giving myself time to train and prepare on WOC terrain. I didn’t travel to the selection race weekend and training camp in May so that made going to France early a necessity. Once I got out onto the terrain, 3 days in a row of morning and afternoon sessions, I didn’t have the same bad feeling that I had had last October. I was still making mistakes and struggling to make sense of the map at times but felt a bit more positive. In the last few days before the Qualification race it was one session a day, with sessions on both 1:15000 model maps. Training had been a mix of 1:10000 and 1:150000. Beating the split of 16/17minutes that Marcus took for a leg on Prepoulain was also achieved (very easily). But even on the model maps I still wasn’t finding the controls as easily as I’d have liked, but the map was making more sense. Decided I’d go with the “it’ll be alright on the day” approach.

Based on weather forecasts we knew that the weather was going to be hot enough for qualification, but expected it to be slightly cooler than what it turned out to be. In quarantine I felt fairly relaxed as I’d decided that in order to do well I needed to enjoy the orienteering, and not put pressure on myself. There was still a feeling of doubt as to whether I’d make big mistakes but decided to ignore that. Didn’t really do much on the warm-up map, just had a stroll around staying on the tracks. Then jogged for a small bit before entering pre-start.

When I started the race I saw that the 1st control was very close to a track so I decided to use that, play it safe, just after a big track too so that was a nice attack point. There was an Austrian lad around me at the start and I saw a bit of him until after the 4th control, so that gave me confidence in that I wasn’t losing too much time. At the 2nd control it was a lot rougher than I expected it to be, didn’t notice undergrowth on the map. Think I was lucky as I wasn’t too sure where I was after finding a control that wasn’t mine, I then went into the next depression and found my control. After that the next 2 controls were out in the open section of the map. It was from here on that things didn’t go so well.

There was a long leg to 5, so decided on a route which in hindsight wasn’t the best route, but was an easy route to navigate. During the leg my body started to feel crap. My stomach felt really bad. So I struggled across the open, which was hot in the direct sunlight. At one point I felt I was almost going backwards when contouring along the side of a steep slope getting stuck in some undergrowth, which wasn’t encouraging. I also went over on my left ankle but that didn’t really bother me until I tried to do a warm-down run after the race. I got 5 and the water that was next to it, I was thirsty. Then downhill onto a track before hitting 6 and then back uphill to 7, bit hesitant before 7 but got it. Saw a few orienteers around here but they were all going faster than me, tried to keep up but didn’t feel up to it. To 8 I decided on a much longer track route to the right. Just wanted to be safe, tried to run hard up the hill, did ok for the start but not so good further up and on the flat track after it. 9 was next to a track so I decided on another very safe route but lost direction crossing between 2 tracks, not a problem though as I realised quickly what I’d done. Again my stomach felt crap as I tired to run up the track to 9. 9 to 10 was probably the trickiest control on the course. Took a bearing and counted off the paths along the way. Then found myself in a depression which I identified on the map, getting closer to the circle now. After that I headed towards the control which was in a saddle. From the map I couldn’t really visualise what I was looking for. I saw a control guard so knew there was a control somewhere but eventually spotted it after losing a few seconds. Happy with how I didn’t lose too much time.

The next couple of controls were fine until the steep climb up to the spectator control, that hurt a lot. After the spectator control I lost a small amount of time on a couple of the last few controls. 14 I stopped too soon and then 16 I’m not sure what happened. I thought I left 15 in the right direction, followed a path uphill but found a hill next to the path which didn’t match the path I wanted to be on. I assumed I had followed the wrong path so found a path on the map with a hill next to it, so then headed in a direct line for 16 but found the control a few metres after leaving the path, lucky! Then a small bit more climb over the next control and the last 100m to the finish. I’m told I did the run-in quite fast, it felt it at the time and I definitely felt it after crossing the line. There had to be energy left since I definitely felt I didn’t leave it on the course.

During the race I felt negative about that sort of time I was going to do since I felt I was moving so slowly, couldn’t force myself to run as fast as I knew I could. Considered throwing up at one point but decided against it, I don’t like throwing up if I can help it. Maybe it would have helped. So was surprised to find that I’d done 94 minutes. Probably the fastest minutes per km I’d run in this terrain too. I was very disappointed with the race due to the way my body felt. But on the other hand I was pleased with not getting too lost. Reflecting afterwards I think I did the best I could considering the circumstances. I presume it was the stuff (my usual pre-race sugar boost) I ate before I ran or else maybe the heat that caused my stomach to feel the way it did. I didn’t take anything different with regards food intake than any other races I ran. So can’t really say I’ve learned a lesson here. I will prepare for the next race the same as I did for this qualification race.

Based on the time I ran, the most I could have hoped for if I’d run a race feeling ok would have been a faster time and a few places higher up in the results, qualification for the final was something I wasn’t going to achieve on this occasion, could have got closer though. There has been an improvement since WOC 2007 in my qualification result, so that’s good, and it has definitely given me motivation to improve at WOC next year in Switzerland, sure haven’t I been concentrating on it since last October.

Didn't do much today, just took it easy. Went up in the car to the model map, Le Creux qui sonne, but didn't go out on it.

Chalets de Crolles
Long Model Event

Again another trip into the forest where things weren't making sense and controls weren't being found as i'd like them to. Not as bad as yesterday though. Kinda knew what I was doing most of the time but messed up in the circle a couple of times, happy with how I relocated though. A couple of controls in the meadows, not the hardest of places to orienteer in. Last control did not make sense at all, not happy with map or feature the control was on, supposed to be a knoll.

Only 1 more possible day of training left, and will I use it for training, probably not! Will see how I feel, it would be going back to the same model map as Wednesday, small section of map so won't be much benefit from it.

Plan for Saturday, KICK ASS.

C • Best of luck! 2

Walk up to start of model map. Parked at the hairpin so long steep walk uphill. Wasn't tempted to run.

Lachat Nord (Model Map) 1:15000

Did a loop around the controls. Lost time at the 1st control, didn't go so well, did a nice loop around it to finally get to the site. Then the pit (32) I couldn't find for ages, no controls out, only a small blue stake. Pit wasn't the same depth as other pits on the map! Also messed up 2 earlier ones, so first 3 were all bad. If there were controls out I may not have lost as much time. Not a good start for a model map.

Walked up the Cat's tooth (Dent do Chat) from the tv masts. Did it in the morning, some cloud so views were interupted at times. Some steep sections in a forest which was slippy in runners. The last bit up the tooth had a couple of ladders and cables to use. Interesting walk.

Le Revard this morning, was nice.

Then lake for lunch and some sun-bathing, maybe got too much sun but no damage done.

Rest day tomorrow of sorts since plan is to do some walking.

Run along the track from car-park to start of todays session.

Le Revard 11

Control pick exercise courtesy of another national team courtesy of a runner in another national team! There were streamers on the sites so something to look for. We'd fun at times. Ran with Magic, Roar and Conor. So different route choices taken at times by all of us, some more successful than others. Some controls were more difficult than others, not helped by the map in places.

Last big session today, on the wind down from now until Saturday.