Training Archive: distractedIn the 7 days ending 2008-06-15:
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Sunday Jun 15 | ||
| Orienteering 2:19:30 [4]**** 13.8 km (10:07 / km) +505m 8:33 / km | |
| ahr:167 max:188 spiked:23/32c shoes: 2007 Falcons | ||
| Jukola, Leg 7 for JOK 2. At the time this run was far more frustrating than it was enjoyable, primarily because I got shunted off in the mass restart, which was pushing the original mass start in terms of numbers involved. Around 1400 people on legs 4-7. So far large parts of the course I was stuck in a trail of people on an elephant track, with crappy forest either side, looking for that opportunity, that bit of nice terrain, that alternative route choice - the chance to get past without making a mistake and dropping places. I didn't cope with this very well, frustrated that for the first time there was this mass of people out there slowing me down - I couldn't run at the pace I wanted to! A new experience for sure, and one in which I did best when relatively on my own, in the nicer bits of forest doing my own navigation.
For reference, My Route Having said that, my orienteering wasn't up to much. Finally got to the start with the masses, could pick up the pace a bit as people spread out more, then overly hesitant near the control, see a swarm of people off to the right and relief more than anything - first control. As I reached #2, saw the hill covered in runners, shouting various things in Finnish. First thought that came to mind: "we've all hit the wrong control and they're trying to work out where to go." Got closer and realised it was a massive scrum for the punches, think I was lucky and got in and out faster than most. The scrum was far more manageable at #3 and saw first chance of a "round" route choice to gain some places/not get stuck in a train of runners. Going well until I spied the wrong control, other gaffle... back we go - 1' loss - so much for gaining time... Similar thing happened at #6 - thought I saw a faster route, realised the crag I saw wasn't the one and turned round to see it back up the hill. Another 1' loss... The first real tricky/route-choice leg was to #9 - down to the stream and immediately stuck in another train of runners. Saw a nice route north of the line, though would need to be careful. Going well until dragged by the vegetation and back into a re-entrant with other runners in - of course this was the route I would have taken had stayed in the train. Problem here was not quite staying in contact with the map, then didn't check the compass - had I the route was a good'un - but instead lost about 3' and by the next common control had lost 85 places in the leg standing! Another long route choice to #12 - again thought I'd spied a good'un by going away from the crowds and along the ride. Caught people along here and picked up a train along a small path in the green - slower than I hoped and should have cut out earlier to save distance/gain places. As soon as we hit the track I could speed up, and overtook a load of people - surprised to see the splits have me gaining 35 places at the control. Train to #13 and then out - the latter was slow and should have broken ranks here with a different route-choice. Hit the track and was surprised to see everyone ahead turning back into the terrain at the next junction - I preferred a further 200m on the track, cut in and swung round to a huge boulder with a control on. But now there was virtually no-one around - the extra track run had worked - relocated on the boulder and a bit further on was the control on the crag - another 31 places gained and finally could run freely :) albeit 75 mins and 14 controls into the course. Now the people around were of my pace and I was moving nicely along - feeling pretty strong, overtaking people on the hills, reading the map ahead a bit more and hitting the next set of controls cleanly. Ignored the train of runners going right out of #18, which was wise given it was gaffled and mine was on the left the other side of a fairly big re-entrant. Bit of a wobble to #20, short control pick to next common control and hit the high of 581 on leg (having been 745 at #11) and 582nd team - was running really quite well on this section of the course. Then the big mistakes - to #23 was going well, on intended route but then onto the wrong hill. Faffed around, dropped off the hill - there's my #24! Back we go - but direction was slightly out and back onto the same wrong hill... Eventually twigged, onto the correct hill and easily into the flag. 8'30" lost, 700m+ extra distance, and over 100 places - back to #24 in 700th on the leg. Big Mistake #2 was to #26 - was a bit higher than thought and went up the hill rather than along. My tour of controls took me round 94, 77, 170 and 117 before I attempted to bail to the pylons, which led me back to 78. Another 3'30" and 40 places gone - down to 731st. Somehow pulled back places to #27 even though visited 174 and 149 before my control, they were almost on line but still shouldn't have been distracted. The final loop was fine, took the track option from the spectator rather than through the green as was tired and it looked faster/safer - 10 places gained by doing so. Was absolutely knackered by the end and the run-in was a struggle. JOK 2 finished 602nd overall - somehow I managed to pull up 14 places on last leg - should have been about 20 more... and 705th on the leg - the two big mistakes cost a mere 230 places on the leg. Lots of people mean errors are very costly. The trains early on had slowed things down as well - sub 2 hrs was achievable and should have been done. Garmin distance: 16.9km - 1km of which was extra distance run due to mistakes. On the event itself - I felt a bit let down by the set-up - both for the runners and spectators - there wasn't much room to see the first legs run out and the unnecessary bridge didn't help matters. The size of the restart and lack of running to separate people wasn't fun whereas at Tio I hadn't a problem at all - more space and fewer runners! Felt I would have had a better spectator experience sat at home in front of the computer... A bit more thought could have improved things significantly. Certainly at the moment prefer Tio, still a pretty impressive size but far more manageable. But think will have reserve judgement until have experienced both events again... | ||
| Warm up/down 12:00 [2] | |
| shoes: 2007 Falcons | ||
| Warm-up before Jukola | ||
Saturday Jun 14 | ||
| Event: Jukola 2008 | ||
| Orienteering 2:00:00 [3]11.2 km (10:43 / km) | |
| ahr:139 max:187 shoes: 2007 Falcons | ||
| Training on map next to the Jukola area, going fairly slowly, trying to work out how things were mapped, what was and what wasn't etc. Generally things were variable - certainly in terms of vegetation, although generally you didn't want to run through the green - and a bit vague in places, felt like 2.5m contours would have been more appropriate in parts. Met up with Phil on one of the loops and we tried a few different route choices between controls - some which you thought should have been slower turned out to be OK and vice-versa, as you never quite knew what the forest on/around the hillsides would be like. White could mean visible with a few brashings/fallen trees, or more runnable but lower visibility with small conifers to push past. White on the flat, however, was absolutely fantastic - fast, highly runnable, high visibility - a bit like Culbin in a way.
Interesting introduction to Finnish orienteering, and hoping the Jukola forest would be a bit 'cleaner'. Time includes the rather long jog to the start/finish and the proper start/finish - map can be seen on Oystein's site - completely missed #1 trying to go straight from #2... | ||
Wednesday Jun 11 | ||
| Note | |
| (rest day) | ||
| No real motivation to do anything today - partly as needed to get some work done... | ||
Tuesday Jun 10 | ||
| Cycling 50:00 [2]20.2 km (2:29 / km) +95m 2:25 / km | |
| ahr:143 max:182 | ||
| To Wittenham Clumps - nice ride, wind behind for parts which was helpful. No real hills, worst was a 40m climb right at the end which was a little bit of a struggle. Reached the heady heights of 27mph coming down the hill into Chiselhampton. | ||
| Orienteering 47:39 [4]** 6.3 km (7:34 / km) +275m 6:13 / km | |
| ahr:185 max:197 spiked:17/19c shoes: 2007 Falcons | ||
| Summer Series at Wittenham. Didn't attempt to push it but still feeling a bit off and this meant walking up a few of the hills at the end. Quite a bit of the climb was avoidable which helped. Far more alive than on Saturday though - I reckon it's the antihistamines hindering rather than helping...
Fairly solid run, navigation wasn't overly challenging, just one hesitation and one silly mistake where, having taken the "round" route I couldn't count thickets... Some interesting route choice problems which I might have done better with in places. Hardly used the compass. Quite a few people sneezing after this, not surprising seeing that the courses were mainly out in the grassland bit to avoid the primarily nettle-filled woodland. Garmin distance: 7.6km Have rediscovered Sleeper's "Sale of the Century" and had this in my head for most of the way round the course... | ||
| Cycling 57:00 [3]20.1 km (2:50 / km) +75m 2:47 / km | |
| ahr:151 max:171 | ||
| Cycle back from Wittenham, quads felt pretty tired after the cycle/run and felt like I was working a bit harder. Dropped pace off, seemed to be far more slight uphills sections on the way back, and the breeze was against in places. Probably the tiredness emphasising things - I was knackered whenj got back! | ||
Monday Jun 9 | ||
| Circuits 40:00 [2] | |
| Circuits - a lot of the usual crowd missing through exams/being abroad. Felt OK after a couple of weeks off, it wasn't the most active of sessions as the heat made people a bit more lethargic than usual. | ||
