Training Log Archive: simmo

Oceania Middle, 3.82km on the Garmin. Nice area with lots of big rocks and intricate gully/spur with many depressions - very muddy though, especially for late starters.

Was never going to be fast, and took my time to 1, then 2-4 ok. Went one gully too far at 5, and lost 2 mins on a very steep hillside. 6 was a much bigger and preventable disaster, had a good route and found it straightaway, but read the wrong number on my descriptions so kept going for 300m too far before realising - 5 mins+ gone there! Another 2 mins lost at 8 which was a pretty vague feature in a badly mapped area. Good after that, but the winner was 13 mins quicker overall.

Oceania Relay, 1st leg M65. Garmin got switched off around the 3rd control without me noticing, lots of runners around and bush thick in places so assume it must have happened with the jostling.

Thought I was up near the leaders through 4, but made a hash of 5 by not noticing that the track just before it was indistinct. Crossed it without noticing and then crossed another track 70m further and couldn't find the control or match the map with the ground. Spent 4-5 mins before spotting a flag and finding it was mine, then promptly lost another 2-3 mins on the next short leg because I was so relieved stumbling across 5 that I didn't really register where it was in relation to where I thought I was.

Otherwise fine, but about 9 mins down. Fortunately our 3rd runner (Steve F) ran a blinder and pulled us up to 3rd, so earned my first medal of the carnival.

Oceania Long Distance, Garmin 6.67km, so quite a lot of running around like a headless chook.

Slow and steady to 1 and 2, with low visibility and vague contours. improved to 3 and 4, but slow across a featureless green area then a 2 min loss just missing 5. Had taken wider track routes from 3-4 and 4-5, but decided to risk a straighter, contouring route to 6. Drifted low even though I thought I was contouring higher than necessary and came out on a main track. Looked at the map and decided I was above the control, so ran along the track to find an attack point but couldn't recognise anything. Ran even further, then back the other way and further still. Finally realised the road I was on was below the control, 500m from where I thought I was - duh! (See gps or routegadget.) 14 mins blown.

Pretty good splits after that, all top 20 with 3 fourth-best times. 27 mins behind the winner, but his time was exceptional, 7-10 mins ahead of 4 very, very good internationals. Helps that he lives nearby I guess.

Long - Course Course 16 - Splits

Event: Oceania Championships 2017
 

Oceania Sprint, stuffed up by missing a control. Should hsve finished top 6 which would have given AUS a chance of taking the class from NZL.

Won the first split with a wide right route. In the lead until 3, when I made a 45 second mistake, putting me down to 8th. Pulled up a few places despite losing 20 seconds on route choice to 11. All this time it had been raining buckets and had to remove and carry my glasses which was a distraction that finally caused loss of concentration. BIG brain fade at 14, where I must have thought I'd already found 15 so headed to 16, then got confused with the OOB markings (well-taped by the way) because I wasn't coming from where I thought I was. 2 minutes to recover and find 16, then reasonably fast to the finish, where I got the big disappointment on download.

GPS shows 2.64kms, will try to put it on Routegadget later.

Sprint - Course - 10 - Splits