Training Log Archive: roar

Event: Irish Orienteering Championships
 

Warm up before the sprint. Did a little bit of a jog with Colm and then some strides. Feeling pretty good before the start and ready to try a little to open out the legs.

IOC Sprint - WIT Campus - DSQ

At the start I was in two minds about taking it chilled or pushing hard. After about 4 controls I was feeling good and it was going well so I kept pushing on. Saw 8 was a 'which side' control and used the Yannick descriptions techinquie to check it out. Was unsure whether I could run down the earthbank to 10 but check it out on the way to 9. Saw a gap in the green hedge on my map and thought yes I can! (you couldn't, it was olive). Then Colm M came up it which verified it for me. Was very confused by how to actually get into 9 then. Was solid then for the next bit. Saw Darren who had started 2 mins after me when I was going to 17 and I reckoned I wasn't too far behind. Kept pushing as I thought a decent time might be on the cards. Few funny stairs controls nearly caught me out, then I crossed the olive twice more... Nearly went to 22 instead of 26 but caught it at the last second. Legs were tying up quite a bit for the last bit then.

Speed was actually ok ish and I was 13th before being being disqualified (after I told Andrew and there was a protest).

Cool down with a big group. Everyone was finished so back around the area. Had a little look at the controversial areas. Nice to have some chats and good post race banter.

Sprint Course 1 - Splits

Body was still wrecked so I took it easy again yesterday. Drank lots of water, ate lots of food (including some tasty ice cream) and played some games. Feeling a good bit better today and was actually able to spin the legs reasonably while cycling into work.

woo racing weight.

Phd interview thing today. Only a small thing I think.

Was very tired yesterday and decided to take the day off. So much for my streak of running every day, but I reckoned it wasn't necessary. Feeling better today, though I'd love more sleep still and I'll do an easy jog.

Still properly tired so went for a reeeally easy run. Just to move the legs. Lovely evening out and I was happy once I got started.

Week goal - recovery
I'd like to keep doing little bits of running this week, but the focus will be on recovering as I am tired after the weekend short just short runs, compression tights and stretching. Something like the following

Monday - 20 mins
Tuesday - 30 mins
Wednesday - 30 mins
Thursday - 20 mins
Friday - IOC Sprint
Saturday - IOC MIddle
Sunday - IOC Long

Event: Leinster League, Brockagh Mountain; East Top + Mall Hill
 

Warm up to the start and then some jogging about. Hands very cold as I couldn't find my gloves, though it had stopped snowing so I reckoned I'd be alright. Put my watch in my jacket pocket and did some strides. Feeling low on zip.

Map

Swedish League #4 (WRE) Middle
H21E3 - 16th - 771 pts

Legs were tired from yesterday. Start was uphill and I stuck with the guy starting in E2 at the same time as me. Was a bit stuck behind the D20 and H20 too as it was a narrow path and they had a slightly better starting place. Decided on straight to 1. Seemed to far down to go to the road. Picked up the climbs then stayed left and saw the open in front of the control to drop into it. It was fairly buried (though not on the ground and trampled on like for Shea).
Straight to 2 and I had caught my 2 minute man. There was a guy standing on top of a crag clearly looking at the control at the bottom. Jumped off it and punched it. People going everywhere in the forest here.
Same route as for 19 yesterday. Past the funky plants in the valley. Compass was not good off the last hill and came too far left. Saw the craggy bits though and headed downhill but veered when I saw a control on a knoll and some lady asked me if I knew where I was. Wasn't my control but it did tell me where I was.
Stayed high for 4 to get runnability on the hill. Compass was bad down the hill again and I got distracted by a higher control.
Thought left was risky for 5 but decided to go for it. Ended up right of the first green bit so continued with the intention of bashing through the green. Didn't see the gap in the first green under the line. End green was thick so I went around.
Again looking for runnability stayed higer. No attackpoint though left me floundering in the green. Eventually found a crag and came back for it.
Legs were in a bad way going up to 7 and I fell into a fallen tree what cost me some time. Control was easy.
Again taking some running but misread when I needed to go up. Ran a bit too far around and then when I did head up I wasn't sure of where I was. Ended up below the control on a feature that looked like the control should be there. Realised it after a bit and climbed up.
Didn't like the look of the crags to the left. Went right and got up high to the open bits to be sure of position. (maybe not as high as I drew though). Dropped in, hesitated for about 5s and then turned left to get it well.
10: straight. Guy I started with reappeared on this leg and I was trying to stay with him. Bit of hashing and my legs were having a tough time. Went straight up the hill and read my way into the control for a spike.
Had a brainwave to go around for 11. That was wrong. Realised at some point and cut up to get the open bits. Small hesitation at the second one as that was where I thought it was at the first one to punch it just behind the other guy.
Straight again keeping a little right and saw the wall. went up the ridge then kept left to hit the control
I was not running fast for 13 though I knew I should be. Just on the compass and needed to hit the big marsh and keep going straight. Picked left of the hill as it seemed more definite and then followed the crags to the control.
Ran though the semi open which was rough so just beelined to the open. Suffered across the field and up the hill to the last one.
I wanted a faster run in than yesterday. It didn't happen.

16th - 771 pts
Happy enough. A big improvement over yesterday and some positives to take. Need to be a bit better in the control circle though.

Cool down jog up the road to chat with myself about how the race went. Legs tired. Found my gloves in my pocket too which was pretty dumb of me.

Event: Swedish League, #3, lång / #4, medel (WRE), med publiktävling
 

Warm up to the start. Warmed up pretty quick with the sun out and put my jacket and watch in the clothes transfer pretty early so I added some time.

Map. My route is now there.

Swedish League #3 (WRE) - Long
H21E2 - 42nd - 674 pts

Started really well. Felt great on the first hill and the plan was to build into it. 2 was super clean as well. Lack of experience in Swedish terrain was showing on number 3 when I didn't have the confidence to push through the green but I caught my 2 minute man. FIne through 4. Stopped a bit short on 5 when I found a control on a different feature with code 98 when I was looking for 68. Myself and the two minute man had a bit of a double take here.
Decided on a straight route to 6. Bad decision to go over the hill before the field and I was caught 2 minutes. Had a quick "social" drink with Nick at the drinks stop and then into the proper forest. I immediately knew about lack of terrain uphill strength and suffered for the rest of the course. Route was fine. Dropped left for 8 when maybe dropping right was better. The climb up to it was super hairy, basically involving slab climbing and then I missed it a bit. 9-10 were fine and I got some energy back. I was hesitant on 11 and the control was properly buried and dropped maybe 30s here. 12 was bad though. Saw the track route choice left but missed the fields right. Dropped a lot of height through green down crags which was horrendously slow. Then had to climb back up on a track, which was ok, but it took a lot out of me. Took a gel on the way up this track. Got the control kinda ok, but hesitant in the circle. More time lost on 13 running between different marshes. Started to feel really bad heading to 14. Just felt like puking. That made running difficult. Again not super clean to the control, being a little lower than intended and getting stuck in crags. 15 was easy. 16 was where the wheels really came off. I was just trying to keep moving and stopped reading the map. Climbed an extra hill. Then zigzagged through the open areas. Had to stop and stand a few times to let my stomach settle. When I did eventually get to the control there was water so I took another gel and a water and that helped a lot. Still tired for 17 but a bit of path running and I got my act together a bit. Again slow in the circle but ok. Dropped to the runnable for 18 but it was pretty rough still. Better nav. On the way to 19 in the valley there were the weirdest plants. In the circle I was standing on the wrong side of the knoll for a good 10s. Managed to move myself around the last few controls but still slow in the circle. Felt totally dead by the end.

Overall not too happy. Sloppy in the circle on a lot of controls and physical state was bad. I've never had a problem with those gels before, but I guess it could be to do with the yoghurt and muesli for breakfast. Very glad to get some practice in Sweden again before the next selection races.