in: Orienteering; Training & Technique;
| # Posted 2006-07-06 22:47:45 | |
| Gil: | Pace-counting thread drifted from subject of pace-counting to signing in your head while running through the course. Seems like I am not the only one who sings while racing.
Now I am wondering what other strange pre-race/race/post-race habits, routines, superstitions my fellow orienteers have and care to share (and are appropriate to share&). #1. I used to have superstition that I would not shave in the mornings of the race day. #2. When I used to have a coach (from teenage years till about college years) I had this thing with him that I did not wanted to talk to him before race at all during race day. I knew my routine, I had my own way how Id get mentally prepared for a race. However my coach would always wanted to give a one-on-one speech before the race how important the race is, how I should approach it, how careful I should be, bluh, bluh, bluh. I told my coach on more the one occasion that I do not want to see him before the race, that his speech (instead of motivating me) affected me negatively. For some reason it seamed that it affected my coaches ego that I did not appreciate his fatherly advice and as much as I was making a habit of trying to avoid him before races he made a habit of seeking me out before races. (My coach was excellent coach otherwise; he taught me lot of things but that was the only thing we were not on the same page). Luckily for me my coach had about 10-20 junior runners at every race, so, there were enough races I succeeded |
| # Posted 2006-07-06 23:46:15 | |
| ebuckley: | I don't shave the morning of a race. It's a habit from cycling where the helmet strap would chaffe against freshly-shaved skin.
I try to avoid having too structured a routine before a race, because if something happens and that routine gets disrupted, I don't want to be thinking "dang, I didn't get ready right" during the race. That said, having a short mental checklist of things to do before the race can help avoid some mistakes. Here's mine: Get all clothing/equipment ready the night before. Verify the map scale and contour interval. Review any course notes. First warmup (usually 10-20 minutes jogging). If feasible, jog past the start to confirm time and the finish to get a look at the GO control and finish chute. Change into O-shoes, get compass, clue sheet, punch card, etc. Second warmup (10-20 minutes with a few easy pickups and some terrain running if possible). Arrive at start 5-10 minutes before start time. Drink a bit. Reset watch. Clear and check (if epunching). Check compass for which way is north. GO! I'd like to say that this drill has resulted in improved performance, but I have no empirical evidence to support that. Seems I do just as well (or poorly, depending on what standard you use) in meets where I skip a few steps. One thing I do know is that the warmups are crucial. The older I get, the more I need time to get everything moving before a hard effort. |
| # Posted 2006-07-07 02:52:12 | |
| TimGood: | I usually try and shave the morning of the last day so I will look good when I get my award. |
| # Posted 2006-07-07 03:17:51 | |
| barb: | I sometimes have trouble navigating to the event, which makes me happy because I figure I've done the getting-lost thing and am less likely to screw up while in the woods that day. |
| # Posted 2006-07-07 18:27:16 | |
| ebuckley: | Oh yeah, I left that one off. The nav error on the way to the event is a prereq for a good run! |
| # Posted 2006-07-07 20:21:32 | |
| Acampbell: | to bad that can't help me! my dad has to drive and will have to drive me to meets for another 4 years (stupid change in PA driving laws) and he always knows where he is going, always. it is actually sometimes scary! the only time i get to help navigate to meets is when we are like in the west coast or down south then i get to help read the map. |
| # Posted 2006-07-09 02:24:06 | |
| Barbie: | I don't shave the morning of a race either - I figure the beard will intimidate my adversaries. But maybe that's from my shot-put background. |
| # Posted 2006-07-09 15:27:53 | |
| Kat: | I think that it can be quite dangerous to have superstitions or any good-luck charms such as a "lucky sock" or a special wrist band because a race can go really wrong if these things go missing (due to lack of confidence). Also, I think a good athlete recognizes that a good race is mostly dependent upon his/her efforts and not on the type of sock worn.
There's no real way of warding off bad luck, but being prepared and ready can help minimize effects. (For example, having an extra compass in case one breaks can turn a potential disaster into a minor time loss.) And it's amazing how many varieties of pre-race preparation routines exist. One major difference is that some people like a lot of time to prepare and others (like me) don't. I don't want to be rushed, but I also don't want to sit around anticipating the race because this usually affects me negatively. I'd rather get out there and run as soon as I'm dressed and ready. Nonetheless, since I never go to orienteering meets by myself, I always end up being at the event site at least an hour before I start. So I usually just wander around and kill time till about 30 minutes before my start and then get ready. I basically follow Eric's routine, except that I warm up only once, usually on the way to the start, for 5-15 minutes. |
| # Posted 2006-07-09 16:40:47 | |
| biddy: | ok here are some dumb things i do before a race:
. i touch my old watch that i use to wear orienteering when i was 14 . and i have a piece of my old brown lucky orienteering pants pinned onto my o top .i also put toothpaste in my mouth to make me feel better and fresher |
| # Posted 2006-07-10 06:21:33 | |
| Gil: | Katja - I won't disagree with your first paragraph that top seed athletes should not have any superstitious habits. However beauty of any sport is that human beings are competing, not robots, not machines. Every athlete will flinch. Top notch athletes will do that less then regular folks for the reasons you mentioned.
I have to agree with your second paragraph that being prepared can minimize the "bad luck charm". However... how do you prepare for every possible "disaster" that could struck before race? Let's use your example about breaking compass. Even if you have a spear compass the fact that compass broke could affect athlete's mental state. |
| # Posted 2006-07-10 06:32:11 | |
| Gil: | This usually happens to me at least once per year when traveling to local meets.
When I am past the half way point going to the meet I realize that I left my running shoes at home. I know that because all in sudden I have this mental picture of where I left my running shoes, that I meant to put them in the bag with rest of the stuff but I did not... This is not what I do intentionally, but it happens. Some might classify this as bad preparation routines and I wont' argue with that... I guess I feel more relaxed when competing at local meets and tend to get too relaxed here and there. |
| # Posted 2006-07-10 23:34:07 | |
| cjross: | Dad (our JWOC coach) had us all prepare a checklist and a raceplan on a recipe card that I now use before every race. On the checklist I have it separated into things I need when leaving home and things I need when leaving for the start. And my race plan just has points that I want to make sure are in my mind during the race such as "check compass when leaving control" or "be aware of other runners but stay focussed." I read my raceplan over before starting my race. |
| # Posted 2006-07-11 00:03:47 | |
| vmeyer: | I kept forgetting my O shoes since they are often in the basement drying. So, now I don't put any shoes on until I make sure my shoes are in my bag.
Last week, I forgot my O pants for the first time... |
| # Posted 2006-07-11 11:29:58 | |
| Kat: | I've actually never forgotten any clothes meant for orienteering, but I have forgotten clothes for changing into afterward. For example, I've forgotten to bring a pair of clean socks on several occasions and have had to go home wearing sneakers on bare feet. That sucks! |
| # Posted 2006-07-11 18:46:54 | |
| ebuckley: | One (of many) advantage of the Adventure Racing outfit is that it's reasonably comfortable to wear it to the meet, making it less likely you'll forget part of it. Still need to bring shoes and a change of clothes. |
| # Posted 2006-07-11 20:09:58 | |
| Gil: | Post race routines or mishaps are completely different story for me. 1 out of 3 races I will leave towel at home. 1 out of 5 races I will forget to have plastics bags where to put my dirty cloth. At least once per year Id take out running cloth I used at the meet and wash them right away leaving running shoes next to the sink in the basement still in plastic bag. There was time when I had two pairs of regular shoes to wear after the race but no sucks. I have not got lost when going to the race (yet) but I have managed to do so going home after the race. |
| # Posted 2006-07-11 21:54:26 | |
| furlong47: | I forget *something* almost every time I leave the house... but usually remember it before I get out of the driveway. Clean socks is a big one. Not just orienteering, occasionally I find myself at work without my lunch. I've never forgotten my compass when going to a meet but I've forgotten it 3 different times when going course-setting.
My bigger problem is forgetting things in the car once I get to the meet site -- having to run back from registration or start because I don't have my money or compass or I didn't tie my hair back. Once I walked to start still in my street shoes and had to go back. I have a packing list for A-meets... never forgotten anything then. |
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