Training Log Archive: CaptainControl

A run with Tom on an area previously used for the swedish champs. What great terrain. Tom and I took turns running legs, while the other followed. Tom was exact with each leg. I continue to have some problems with hitting features right on. I seem to run off of general features, without knowing exactly where I am when approaching a control. In most North American terrains this presents no problem, because the areas aren't as complex of technical, but when you run into very technical areas like here is Sweden this is a big problem. This indicates to me that I am not running as systematically as needed to really be a top orienteer. I will really have to focus on planning all the way to the control. I have a knack for getting in the circle, but I am not good enough at hitting the control right on at my present state. It will come.

C • 2

Training on Sörmon norra to the west of karlstad. The area was half sand hill terrain, and half flatish rocky and thick terrain, more typical of sweden. The area was great for compass work. I have needed some major work in this area for some time now, so I felt like this would be a good opportunity to improve. By the end I did feel more confindent in the use of my compass. I was feeling the wear of training towards the end of the session. I hope to sleep a bit more tonight, and have fresher legs tomorrow.

Warm up for a sprint at Kristinahamns, about 30 min east of Karlstad. A a beautiful evening, and lots of participants.

Final sprint in the Karlstad series. I ran pretty well, had a few confusions near controls, but felt that I had good speed. I was a bit tired by the end, most likely from training earlier in the morning. I was caught half way through by the 23 ranked swedish orienteer. He ran 1307. A great experience!

I biked to Sanna Kartan, just south of the hollowell's place. Mostly on bike paths, but some of the ride was on gravel roads. It was quite fun to navigate on a bike.

This could almost count as training for the World record attempt in September. There were a couple of longer legs mixed in to get a bit of a variety in the leg lengths. I was really trying to focus and concentrate throughout the run. I did pretty well, even though I started to get hungry and thursty about 2/3 through. I was quite satisfied with my effort as well as the terrain. It was really quite a nice run all around.

A street orienteering course around the Hollowell's house. I wanted to take it easy and go slow. There was one pretty interesting area, in the woods, with a 1m contour interval. It was quite interesting, and fun. It took me a leg or two to get used to the map, and then I started doing some compass training.

I was a bit dissapointed in my overall result at Jukola. I ran well, and was quite satisfied with my physical performance, but my technical performance was less than par. I messed up the first leg, even though I knew I was messing up the first leg. I was in a train that I knew was going to the wrong place but I still went to the wrong place. AHHH. I had another mistake later in the course, where I left the train way to early, assuming that I had a fork that no one else had. I was way short of the control, a pitiful mistake. I just need to focus completely on orienteering. I think that I was a bit flustered by my early mistake. Overall, I was a bit dissapointed but I was glad to see that I only gave up 10 places, even though I felt like I lost 500. I had about 6-7 min of error. In hindsight, this past week was my first experience with night orienteering, and I am pretty happy with this initial glimpse of a new variation on classic O. I hope to spend more time in the woods at night. All in all, a great event!

Event: Jukola/Venla relay
 

Running through the army tents, and in the change over area. I felt pretty relaxed before the race, even though I still had horrable concentration during the race.

Eric and I went out and ran the model course, at night (if there is night in Finland during the summer). We both ahd troubles at some points. I many made mistakes when I stopped focusing. I beleive that this is the major flaw in my orienteering right now. I have the means to get to every control quite quickly. I just don't always do it because I am tired, or have laziness programed into my head. I must fix this problem. I feel that a breakthrough in my orienteering is near.