in: hammer; hammer > 2005-10-04;
| # Posted 2005-10-05 08:36:59 | |
| j-man: | * When do you guys do these workouts?
* How far apart does everyone live? * Where do you actually conduct the training? * Does everyone actually work until 5PM or so? Needless to say, I admire the the group training you guys do, but wonder how it is possible. I think the closest person I can train with is Wyatt, who is about 40 minutes one way away, but worse during the 5 PM rush hour. 7PM is the earliest I could feasibly get together, and by the time I get home, the whol night would be shot. |
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| # Posted 2005-10-05 08:51:29 | |
| hammer: | * When do you guys do these workouts?
The GHO Canada GHO group trains each Tuesday and Thursday night at 6pm. We also try to get together on Saturday morning for orienteering and once in a while for Wednesday nite O races. * How far apart does everyone live? Griz lives in Beamsville (30 minute drive but it is on his way home from work). Sudden, MrPither, Meridian, Fossil, Nev Monster (when in Hamilton), Tarno, and I all live within a 15 minute jog from each other in Hamilton's west end (Westdale) which is adjacent to Dundas Valley (site of the 1986 World Cup). * Where do you actually conduct the training? At the Chedoke golf course along the side of the escarpment that offers a range of running choices and is close to the main highway for out-of-towners. It has varied terrain: Rocky, woods, grass, rail trail, ski hill. It is beside where Sudden lives. But we will likely have more sprint training here and there over the winter... * Does everyone actually work until 5PM or so? Work? ;-) Most do. On Tuesday and Thursday I work until 5:30, throw on my running gear at McMaster and jog 15 minutes to the training. Do the workout and if Sudden hasn't been too mean to us I then jog home. You can see McMaster, the Dundas Valley, Chedoke and my house which is near Cootes Paradise on the map linked above. Yes it is a very good situation. It isn't as sweet as Whitehorse or Harriman but for a University town in Canada it is pretty good for training... I believe that to train effectively you need to have a good group - preferably with people with similar goals (orienteering, adventure racing). You need to live close to maps (there are over 50 within 40 minutes of Hamilton) and you need to live close to your job to reduce your commuting time (I have a 8 minute bike ride to work). |
| # Posted 2005-10-05 17:55:16 | |
| j-man: | I think Hamilton is a Shangri-La.
To have that many people in close vicinity, whether by chance or design, is incredible. Of course, it has been seen before. Boston burned brightly for a few years as an Orieteering training center, but those days seem mere memories now. I guess there are occassionally some people getting together in the Bay Area, but even that is spotty. Oh well. And you have 50 maps around there?! How is that possible? |
| # Posted 2005-10-05 18:32:51 | |
| hammer: | Today it is a smoggy-la.
I would say it is mostly by design. I was lucky that the club (HKF and NIA which merged to form GHO) spent a lot of time making good maps close to the city and hosting big races (COC's, World Cup, etc). Once the maps were there the results came and others moved here. This area has always had a good group of orienteers. Ted de. St. Croix grew up in Niagara (where Mark Adams now lives). Ron Lowry and Denise Demonte lived here (2 blocks from where I lived) and a few other national team members/coaches. There is also a rich running history here (North America's oldest road race) and more recently triathlon and adventure racing.... 50 maps? Most maps are very small. Nothing like the size of the Harriman or French Creek maps. We have 64 in total but not all are currently used. Then there are the maps that Toronto and the Gators have. Map list. |
| # Posted 2005-10-06 21:11:47 | |
| cmorse: | just curious - of your regular training group - how many came to it from an established O background and how many came to O from AR, Tri etc... |
| # Posted 2005-10-07 06:23:53 | |
| Sudden: | I would say it is 50-50 orienteerers and adventure racers. We also have some XC skiers coming out now and then. One guy placed 4th at the ski nationals in the junior category a few years ago.
I live in Hamilton just because of the orienteering (well, I am married to a Canadian and that is why I live in Canada but...). I have been running orienteering since I was seven and I can´t possibly see myself not doing it on regular basis but I also need people to do orienteering with as well as doing races. It is all Hamilton. |
| # Posted 2005-10-07 06:40:45 | |
| hammer: | XC skiers in Hamilton? You must be kidding!
Yeah, I would say 50% O, 50% AR but there is so much cross over between sports now. Some people in our group started with AR but only do O, while others that started with O mainly do AR now. But we all do the Raid the Hammer Adventure Run. |
| # Posted 2005-10-07 17:54:17 | |
| j-man: | Set it to music and you've got a great jingle...
da de dah... "we all do the Raid the Hammer Adventure Run" ba dah dadh dah |
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