Training Log Archive: TheInvisibleLog

Bush event 14
Oceania Relay
Given my 8 week taper, I made sure I was in a team who had similarly low expextations. I expected the lack of pressure would allow me to practice navigation and spike everything. Best laaid plans etc. It started at the map pick up. My map was already gone. I had to wait until a replacement was found. That was a minute gone. With map in hand i headed of and it should be no surprised i ran past the first control. In mitigation, the feature as a small broken contour knoll. One side was obscured by a green hatching. Not the best draftsmanship. Not much time lost. The next three were fine. Relatively easy. Then came the three longer legs in the challenging terrain. Muffed all three. Muffed the last of the following four technical short legs. In partial mitigation, for the third day running it started raining mid way through my course so had to remove glasses an choose between running and looking at the map. The final straw was being given an map at the download tent. The replacement map was the wrong variant. I went to all the controls on the map. I pleaded my case gently with the appropriate person. I wouldn't have bothered except for the fact i had team mates who had run their courses. As we were leaving the results still had me as mp and I was being asked what had happened. Mind on tomorrow with the navigation meant to be more difficult, the terrain rougher and the forecast rain heavier than the last three days.
Errors
1- 1.00 flustered after missing map
5 - .40 slightly off but stopped in time.
11.40
Uncertainty on two others.
Total 2.20. Six per cent of time.

Bus event #13
Oceania Long Champs
A 4.6 k course sounded gentle. It wasn't. A real long course with difficult nav caused by low visibility. Pampas grass was rampant. The first two controls were not to taxing. But i made a meal of the third like many others. I went past and came out on the road. That enabled me to quickly relocate and go back in and find it without further pain. This lost 2.50. Aftr that experience i took advantage my slow speed and kept constant contact. Arrived at the rest of the controls spot on, though being full of doubt for at least a couple.Total error time a little over 3 per cent.
I ended up 26th. At first i felt disappointed. Then i analysed the field. I was 12th in the ANZ runners. And I was 6th of the Australians. That sounds better. I have some understanding of what to expect at WMOC. Making the A final will be challenging.

Oceania Sprint Champs.
Not a hard course. One error but it lost me alost me alittle over a minute which in this field was a lot of places. Control 10 was in a community garden with lots of small tracks. Some were just narrow passages between beds. I misunderstood the map and found myself at the other edge of the garden unexpectadly. Lost 2 minutes. Quite a lot in a sprint. 10% of total time.
The rest were spiked. I may have chosen a couple of sub optimal routes but there was so little in it the main strategy was to choose quickly and execute.
My place was two thirds down the field. But Julie was fifth and third in the official Oceania results. That is better than I have ever achieved.