Training Log Archive: rcro

Event: London City Race
 

London City Race. 7.1km Men Open course (for the non elites).

Didn't spend too much time looking at map from start so ran in same direction as person in front - in hindsight not the shortest. After this got into it and picking reasonable route choices around the city but most importantly, keeping moving and being decisive.

Went right round Bishopgate on 13-14 - had to fight through a lot of people early on but soon cleared and think this was best.

Then, the Barbican. Mark had discussed old map at some length on way in so I had simplified the map down in to three levels, and had planned route choices based on which level the controls sites were in advance - so it was just a case of identify level, identify route, run. Worked a treat and started gaining places from here. Did take a little while to be sure where 17 actually was - almost required a stop to read the fine lines on the map.

In the last loop spent a long time trying to work out 22 - again almost came to a stop - if I couldn't work it out was going to go right round to east and play safe. Got the level sorted and took the sneaky tunnel to the west, came out on right level and sneaked past the person in front of me!

Back to the pre-planned routes in Barbican to finish. Turns out there was a second equally good route though the curved tunnel on 24-25, but as Mark failed to take it meant I leapfrogged him at the final control!

Quite a nice run. Happy with the route choice, running and planning ahead today. Think the work understanding the Barbican paid off and my map generalisation to retain just the bare bones (i.e. only reading the levels) meant I spent less time reading than others, hence ran faster.

Headlines of the day probably that the megabus was pretty good - definitely worth £13 return. Am sure I'll find a good use for my newly acquired Barbican map wall tile eventually.

http://www.strava.com/activities/197710271/overvie...

C • Impressive 8

I think I'll take the rather unbelievable ranking points (1315!). Paul? You'd better be taking note...

C • ranking points 4

Event: BOK Saturday Winter Series
 

BOK series at Greyfield Wood. 4.7km green.

Not trying too hard as don't want an injury before tomorrow. Result was a race where I ended up leading Alison into each control in first half, get away, and then have her catch on each dodgy descent down into control.

12 was in the wrong place - about 50m too far NW and binned 2 mins. 18 also in the wrong place but map also pretty wrong here and another 2 mins binned looking in the right place for it.

14 just wasn't much fun fighting through waste deep bramble for 2 mins to get out, and exiting 16 to south turned out to be a mistake as almost impenetrable (not white).

Thinking on way to 20, seeing some lovely woodland just left of path, that today's course seemed to only take us in to crap and avoid the runnable bits. True to form, 20 was after the nice bit had ended.

Winning time was just over 10 min/k.

Charles is right about orienteering in the summer. September probably isn't the best time for orienteering in Greyfield Woods. Would be much better in the winter/spring, on a map with brown features mapped correctly!

http://www.strava.com/activities/197039739

C • no 18 3

Spent the day in meetings with reinsurers, mostly eating pastries so maybe not in best form. Struggling with the heat and humidity - 23.5 degrees.

Short timed pyramids - 30-60-120-60-30 x3, 30s rest between, 2 mins between efforts. Didn't think I was trying too hard but the heat made it hard. Put a little more effort into the final set and was significantly faster.

Not wanting to knacker myself before Sunday but think it was a good session all the same.

http://www.strava.com/activities/196334961/laps

MLS at Brambleshott. 8.4km brown.

On the shittiness scale this was a "Penpole". Many controls in the wrong place, features in the wrong place and map so out of date for paths and vegetation it's unuseable for orienteering at the moment.

Basic translation was fast run=thigh deep bramble, rough open=shoulder deep bracken, undergrowth screen/lt green/dk green=runnable. Got very fed up after 10 mins of fighting through brambles. Had a control in the middle of a gorse thicket to liven things up a bit.

Lost a lot of time on 21 - simple control site next to path - go along and turn left. Unfortunately, at some point since the map was drawn, the paths had changed course and the control was off some way to the right instead.

Got as far as control 26, but it was a complete bingo control - depression in 8ft deep bracken, where the attackpoint would be a nearby path junction. Just there wasn't a path junction, and the vegetation boundary (white/yellow) wasn't there either. Went in optimistically on an unmapped ride but didn't find any depression and went on. Passed lots of rides that could have been the missing path junction but eventually found myself at the path junction two along from where I wanted (didn't see the previous one either). Went back, then wondered what the point was in spending hours to look for a bingo control and gave up.

Found several other major map errors with paths on way back to finish, and with some help from Ian Ditchfield, found the finish too - hidden in a big block of bracken when intuition suggests it be visible and in the open.

Still, could have been worse. Green course first control 100 yards or so from correct place and right next to parking - many lost more than 5 mins. Luckily it had been re-sited by the time I got to it following complaints.

http://www.strava.com/activities/195784070/overvie...

C • Shitiness scale 2

From Winterbourne down along river to Frenchay and back via Blackhorse.

Not really trying tonight and lots of hanging around for Michael so surprised to have covered so much distance in the time. Seems everybody was running fairly well tonight.

http://www.strava.com/activities/195473897/overvie...