Training Log Archive: lost jokes

Legs quite tired during warm up. Calf feeling better, so the risk I took wasn't bad in the end :)

Baltic Cup stage 3, distance 5.4km.
Map
Splits

Knew that it would be a complex middle distance with 21 controls for 5,4km. Wanted to focus again on checking my compass well and, where possible take the easier trail routes. Again warmer today, close to 20 degrees.

1) Good start. Doubting a little bit in the last part, stopping for 3" in the rough open with undergrowth to make sure I was going correct. Should've run a bit longer on the trail and take the trail leading south into the control. Would've saved some climbing too. +10".
2) Didn't check my compass well enough, came out to the trail and made a parallel error, misreading the depressions on the other side of the trail. Noticed it a bit too late. Annoying mistake, but told myself it would probably only cost 30". +35".
3) Good route choice. Maybe the eastern choice, picking up the small trail between marsh and hill would've been a bit better, because I would've avoided the big climb just before the control. When hitting the 2nd trail just before the control I landed on my ankle the same way as when I injured it, and I got a bit worried. It didn't hurt so I decided to keep going anyway. It was a bit stiff after the race, and the days after it was also a bit swollen.A bit worried, but it will probably be fine.
4) Focused to find the trail out of 3 quickly. Easy leg, but happy with my speed.
5) Had pretty much the same leg on day 1 (6-7). This time I did run around. Easy control on top of a hill in open beech forest.
6) Wanted to climb the hill through the re-entrant and then descend on the spur on the other side. Great forest on that side, way more dense and steep than on the map. In general I think the map was drawn pretty simplified, but I liked that. Might've been fast to go a bit around, almost through control 9. It would've given less climb, but also more vague terrain the last part into the control.
7) Ran on compass to the open hill. Stopped for 3" to just make sure I was at the right place.
8) Good on compass bearing.
9) Already planned on the way to 5 that I'd run around the big hill. Misread the contour under the line 5-6, thinking it was a hill and not being able to see it in the terrain. Knew I was going in the right direction anyway. Tiny direction mistake in the circle. +3".
10) Wanted to go around on the big trail, but should've gone more west to the trail. Now I climbed a big hill and then hit the narrow ride. Would've been better to follow that I think, but I stuck with my original plan. +10".
11) More climb when going back to the trail, but easier route.
12) Tough uphill, easy control.
13) Again I didn't check my compass and misread the contour detail. I wanted to run left of the depression under the line 12-13, but instead went left of another depression. Then came to a big depression thinking it's the one close to my control, but it was the one with a marsh... Saw the trail in the distance, but still took far too long to figure out where I was. Even when I finally did I lost my confidence and made another small mistake near the control. Frustrated with such a big mistake, but I should've checked my compass better and run out to the trail to relocate. +2'40".
14) Down into the depression, up to the road, down again and uphill along the field to the control. Tough leg and felt really slow up the last hill to 14. Maybe left around would've been faster avoiding the depressions. Again getting to the very open forest now, like on day 2. +10".
15) Slow, but easy leg. Ran down into the long depression a bit too early, but at least that was more sure.
16) Wanted to follow the big trail a bit longer, but came out too far north. Didn't matter because I noticed that right away.
17) Easy leg, but should've checked my compass better because I could've run more straight. Also a bit confused over the exact control location, losing some seconds. +5".
18) Easy.
19) Contemplated taking the trail east of the line, but figured straight would be just as fast.
20) Bit too much around, but wanted to avoid the hill just east of 19.
21) Easy downhill. Bit surprised in the finish that I was 5'30" back on the winner, but lost it on stamina, especially in the last part of the race. Running three days in a row isn't easy ;)

Conclusion of the 3 days: Very nice, tough terrain with sometimes pretty steep hills. Micro route choices very pretty important; 10m more left or right could mean a lot of difference. Really enjoyed that kind of orienteering. Course setting wasn't always the best it could've been, but the trail running gave a nice break sometimes. Happy with my technical performance, made some mistakes but felt in control and very stable most of the time. That also reflects in the splits, I wasn't the fastest runner, but made fewer mistakes than the rest.

Barefoot cooling down along the beach :) Also trying to 'swim' a bit, but water was still too cold for that! Good to cool the legs anyway.

Warming up until I heard our start was delayed 60min... After the race I heard three runners in our category went out with maps that had the control descriptions printed over a part of the course. After they found that out they delayed our start to print new maps. Mistakes can happen I guess!

Calf a bit troublesome during warm up, got better after some minutes.

Baltic Cup stage 2, distance 7.7km.
Map
Splits

A bit warmer today, around 17 degrees. Bit annoyed with the delayed start, but I just wanted to have a nice run so it didn't bother me much (didn't know at this time that they were going to cancel the results for day 2 because of the mistake). Observed one of the runners in our class again so I had a good idea where the first control was.

1) Fast start again, immediately focused.
2) Some troubles making out the trails in the terrain as they were covered with leaves. Also hard to read the contours.
3) Good route choice and execution. Hills were high and tough to climb but that also made the contours easy to understand.
4) Good.
5) Wanted to follow the trail immediately east out of the control, but made a last minute bad decision to cross the marsh. Slow going through there and had to climb an extra hill. Best route was west around on the trail I believe. +20".
6) Caught up the runner that started 3min ahead of me and together with him drifted off a bit after passing the waterhole northwest of 6. Noticed it quickly when we got to the top of the hill and corrected. +5".
7) On the way to 5 I decided to take a risk and run this one around on the trail. Even though it seems like a long way around I think it was the right choice. Lost 25" on the best leg time (3'46" vs 4'11"), but others seemed to have made mistakes here (best time after me 4'57").
8) Easy leg, good execution.
9) Feeling confident from the moment I left the trail. Just before the control I doubted for a second because I didn't see the open area in the depression just east of me. Decided I was at the good location anyway and found my control right after. +5". Still the fastest leg time by 29" (3'05" vs 3'34"). Another confirmation that physically I might've been worse than the others but technically I was doing better :)
10) Slow going. Ran around around the big depression in the final part because I expected to have to climb up all the way again, but misread the contours there. +8".
11) Should've gone around, but my mind was saying that after running around on 7 and 9 that it was time to run straight. Not such a bad route, but should've stayed west of the last hill between the marshes, running more close to the line. Very tough uphill the last part to the control. +30".
12) Easy.
13) Easy, but getting tired. Spotted a deer crossing the trail. Bit insecure in the last part, not sure whether to look for a re-entrant or a spur. Should've read my control description. +5".
14) Already spotted the saddle my control should be near when running to 13, so easy control.
15) Tough terrain, up and downhill. Easy control with the fence as a clear attackpoint. From here I pretty much died physically, lack of stamina. Terrain got more open but I couldn't take advantage of it.
16) Unfortunately a far too easy route choice. Also a change to way more open forest with pine trees and a grassy underfoot close to the sea. Had problems understanding the contours at the end and even though I thought I was at the correct place I overshot my control. Should've paid more attention the saddle between the depressions just north of the control. +1'.
17) Unconfident, trouble reading the vague contours.
18) More dense forest again, spotted the small trail and had no problems finding the control. Should've stayed a bit south of the 5 trails crossing though, would've saved me the downhill all the way into the depression. +5".
19) Bad compass bearing and a parallel error, crossing the trail and thinking I was running directly on the line. Realised my mistake too late, but then quickly relocated. Annoyed! +55".
20) A bit insecure in the circle. +5".
21) Went off the trail a bit too early, should've seen that the control was on an easy point and that I wouldn't miss it. +10".
22) Should've just gone straight on compass instead of picking up the small trails. +5".
23) Easy downhill to the last control. Run-in on the soft sand was hell :P

A bit annoyed with my two big unnecessary mistakes at the end, but still overall pretty satisfied with my orienteering and the nice terrain. Realised again today that orienteering is completely different from running ;) Quite different terrain from yesterday, much more hilly. Add in the rocks and cliffs and it would be almost Swedish ;)

Nice hike from the house we were staying to the beach and back.

During the first steps of my warm up I felt 'something' in my right calf. Running hurted a bit, but decided to start anyway. Probably made a wrong move and strained it a bit?

Baltic Cup stage 1, distance 4.5km.
Map
Splits

Weather a bit cloudy, but at the end the sun came out. Not so warm, maybe around 12-14 degrees. Feeling pretty good after two rest days, and all day very eager to start. I had looked at the old competition map before, and decided to focus on keeping a good compass direction and try to avoid parallel errors. Before my start I checked in which direction another runner from my class was heading off, since there was no pre-start.

1) Went off quickly along the trail and almost missed the point I had to turn off. Found the control quickly and also understood the map well. Good start.
2) Went up and over the hills, maybe not the fastest and also quite tough. +5".
3) On the way to 2 I knew I didn't want to go straight, so followed the hill. Halfway I changed my mind a bit and tried to cut the route a bit. Not a good choice, going was slow through the marsh and I lost my direction a bit. +10".
4) Parallel error here, but I got away with it. While already in the control circle, I was looking for the solitary hill northwest of the circle. Ran up the slope and spotted a control, not really sure if it was mine but turns out it was.
5) Unnecessary climb uphill in the first part of the leg, should've contoured more. +5".
6) Took a rough compass bearing and wasn't 100% sure where I crossed the path. Once I got to the depressions I quickly relocated though.
7) Caught up with the guy who started two minutes ahead of me, and even though I thought the trail to the north was faster I followed him on the straight routechoice. Tough climb in the last part and had some troubles understanding the contours.
8) Not precise enough with my compass bearing so I climbed a bit too much unnecessary. Also a bit rushed now running with two. +5".
9) Happy with my route choice and execution here.
10) Wanted to pick up the trail to the east, but when I got close there was another small trail that I started following because it looked good. As a result I climbed a bit too much, certainly wasn't the fastest route. Should've either taken the western route on the big paths and between the two marshes, or straight past the small hill in the middle of the marsh and then the narrow ride between the two hills. +10".
11) Rough going uphill through the heather.
12) Good route and good execution. GPS track shows I stayed south of the hill in the beginning, but in reality I was north of it, following the re-entrant. Small mistake at the end, in memorised the control as being inside the marsh, so when I got to the end of the marsh and didn't see a control I got confused. Quick look at the map showed me the control was actually just outside it. +5".
13) Easy leg, good speed.
14) Followed the trails on purpose. Control was a bit deeper down the re-entrant than I expected.
15) Knew I wanted to take the route choice around, and then see along the way if I was going to cut my route somewhere. Got disturbed by somebody asking me where we are when I just started running on the trail (+5"). In the end decided it would be faster to run all the way around. Couldn't go as fast as I wanted on the trail.
16) Happy with an almost error free run (+-45" lost) :)

So almost without any mistakes, basically only route choices mistakes apart from 3, 4 and 12. The terrain was more tough physically than technically, which doesn't really show on the map. Couldn't run faster than this, so I didn't have much trouble keeping up technically. Was really focused anyway.

Checking the splits I noticed that my running speed certainly wasn't the fastest, but others made more mistakes. Happy with the win on the first day!

Travel from Steenwijk to Warsaw 09:15 - 23:55. Running Baltic Cup this weekend. I'm running M21A with distances 4,5 / 7,7 / 5,4. Going to take it a bit easy, and maybe skip parts of the second stage. Curious how my ankle will put up with orienteering three days in a row.

Short easy run with Natalia. Having fun on the trails and small hills in the forest. Bit of faint pain in my left ankle, will watch it but I think it just needs some rest, might have been overdoing it last days.

Didn't plan a run, but felt good enough to go for a 25min run. Tired and stiff legs, but running felt pretty smooth anyway. A bit overdressed with thermo shirt and long tights.

2x12 + 2x12.