Training Log Archive: nmulder

Business trip. First to Dusseldorf, then via Maastricht to Paris, then Evron.

Event: Urner OL
 

Urner OL
Gemsfairen, UR
1:10'000
HAL course

High altitude alpine middle distance event. Meadows and rock slopes. Okay to #1 but struggled to get into the map. Better 2-4 but only really clicked after 3. Long leg to 6. On leg to 7 there was a notable cliff missing off the map that caused a lot of hesitation and I even stopped (1 min). Same problem when we crossed back over the area again 10-11 (30s).

First real mistake was 12-13 where I could make much sense of things. I also underestimated distance here (45s). From there to the finish was good, but with a bit of weird planning 16-19 where I ran past 18 twice on way to 16 and 17 before finally getting to punch it on the 3rd pass. Wrong RC to #20 (15s)

Finished 10th. Got as high as 7th at #10.

Results

Short run around Dafto Resort, down to the water edge and back along the main road.

World Orienteering Champs Long Distance

I lucked out with the start draw, being given the 2nd start slot. We overlapped with the ladies race a bit, meaning that I was out on the first part of the course with the top seeded runners which forced me to push hard once or twice on some roads and tracks!

Map flip was a shock as we had a very short S-1 and then an ultra long leg to #2 (about 3.5km). So I think most people just jogged to #1 from the arena whilst studying route to #2. A bit of a waste in my opinion.

I made a direction error out of 1. Cost me about a minute. Then I took a northerly route that linked up some tracks. Went okay, maybe would have been a bit faster going straighter. Lost a lot of time with speed going straight over a rocky hill later in the route where some recent felling had taken place. Another few minutes lost by staying too low for too long to #3. 3-4-5 was processional (follow the camera cables). Then the next long leg to 6. Went okay, slowed down a bit in the middle with steep cliffs and then a small orientation wobble late in the leg through a marsh. 7 okay and another wobble to 8. Getting tired already here.

At the theta loop from 9-14 I finally got into a good rhythm and also stayed with a couple of passing guys. 17 I also hit well.

From there on nav got easier. No problems 18-20 but then I got real tired. Stupid RC error to 21. Arena passage to 23, but then I was well blown despite eating and drinking well. This was already 2h in on extremely physical terrain. Messed up >1 min not understanding the map at 23. Got caught by Nitsan going to 24. Stayed with him to 26 where he pulled away. 28 okay but very tired and slow into 29. Didn't attack properly either and tried to take an 'easy' way in.

Finished about 12 mins behind schedule. Very tired afterwards. Lack of preparedness for the very high physical demands of cliffs and marshes being the main issue. Also once again, no recent racing experience in similar terrain.

62 / 69 incl. 4 dsqs. 173.9% of winners time is also below where I should be.

World Orienteering Champs Middle Distance

Had a good start draw towards the back of the early batch. Felt good on the day as well, but was quite unprepared for the physicality of the terrain in that I was never able to get up to a good speed.

Hesitant to #1 but hit it okay. Struggled down cliffs to #2, then missed #3 on the low side quite badly - couldn't read the detail. Lost about 2 mins. To #4 I chose a route choice with way too many cliffs and lost more time. 5 - I lost bearing a bit. 6 - hesitant and didn't see the control even when I was close on this short leg. 7 - Came in from the wrong attack direction. Ross caught me here and I tried to hang on. Saw him making a mistake to 8 and I corrected before him :-) To 9 we took different RCs. I saw him in the distance going into 9 up an extreme cliff but he pulled away here as I struggled up. 10 and 11 were good. To 12 I took a circuitous route that still worked okay. Contours were misleading with so many form lines otherwise I would have run a bit straighter. 12-13-14 -15 also good but not as fast as I needed to be. Hesitated into 16 and also out before deciding to go straight to 17. Good choice but map also not ideally represented here. Easier from here on, just more green. Struggled to find the mapped path to 22 but at least I didn't try to go straight like Olav.

So about 5 mins down on the time I wanted. Lost time with not being smooth enough and lost a lot of time not being fit and fast for this specific type of terrain. More pre-WOC prep needed, including races.

HKG, NED, TPE, KOR, MNE behind me + dsqs. 67th out of 76. 175% of the winner, which is a good 15% below where it should have been.

Tanum Lycke
1:10'000

WOC Middle Distance Model map. Nice area bordering on tomorrow's middle Final, so should be nice. Once again, cliffs not as bad as expected.