Training Log Archive: O-ing

Windy. No pain in legs. Good to get the recovery started.

Cascades North, Passchendaele State Forest, Amiens (QLD). Middle, M60, 4th.
Disastrous effort. Going OK till 3, had the lead. Somehow stuffed 4 by 1 minute, not sure how that happened. Then 6 - got in the right gully, followed it to the top, no flag. Hmm. OK - go west along the slope to get to the next gully - none and slope change. OK, get to a certain point -to the top of the hill and the edge of the big bouldery knoll. Got it, bearing back - back to the same gully where I could see the flag this time - had been within 10m of it twice (-3:30). And just as I punch I look up and Paul Pacque is running in. Half the course gone and I have to change tactics. So I decided to run behind Paul to see if he would stuff up and if not, read the map for the next and sprint for it as we punch to see if I could lose him. So I did that for 8, but missed it by a mile (-1:10) and Paul went straight to it behind me. Had to sprint for 9 (fastest split) to catch back up. So sprinted for 10 and missed it (-1:30). This time Paul followed me. I had worked out where I went wrong but hung around a bit before heading back for it to see if Paul would go somewhere else. He didn't, so sprinted for it and 11. Paul hung on, so another sprint for 12 - missed it. Tried again for 13 and 14 but no go. By this time the R achilles wasn't happy, so walked/jogged back in - that cost me a podium place as Ted gained a minute and got me by 23 seconds.
Glad that Paul won in the end and that I didn't cost him it - good to share it around (Ted won the Sprint).
Not a great fine of this style of course - lots of short legs. Our longest leg was 280m (number 1). That's not really long enough to drop anyone.

All this time I've been doing it wrong. What I needed to do was get injured, in both legs, and do no running training for 3 months.
Amiens, Passchendaele State Forest (QLD). Long, M60, 1st. 24 years, 19 starts, 6 not good enough, 5 injuries, 4 podiums, 3 colds, 2 stuff ups very near the finish and finally a win.
Was lost 200m after the start, could not make the bare rock I was on fit the map. So just got on the compass, and started to pick things up near the circle. Took a bit of bumbling to find it as it was tucked in. Terrible route to 2, got caught on the wrong side of the ridge. Better to 3 and good to 4 where I took the lead for the first time. 5 was a short leg and my worst mistake - lost my direction when the slope changed and I just went straight down. Hit the track and recovered (-1 minute). Back to third now behind Paul and Ted. Very good to 6 and especially 7. Paul's broken glasses puts him 1:40 down now and I keep that cushion to the end. 8 is another blunder. Didn't recognise a rock line as I passed over it, so climbed unnecessarily. Had spotted the likely rocks as I passed by, so when it didn't look right up there I ran back down (-1:30). However, Ted has now grabbed the lead. Running well again to 9 and nailed it, giving me a minute buffer, good to 10 and 11, jogged in.
L knee was taped and fine. R achilles was OK - some pain after halfway but no impediment.

C • Congratulations! 8

At physio. R leg is much better, but still a bit sore/dodgy. Hopefully that will be enough to get me through the Oz Champs: and hopefully again that it is technical enough so that not having been for a training run in over 3 months won't matter too much.

C • Amiens ... 1

Normal session, with 240 on the mat; 30 hammies off the wonder chair; usual 200 on 3.25 on the reformer, 200 hundreds, usual arms, legs and more slidies 2x20 narrow, 20 wide, 20 lunges.
A chink of light at the end of the tunnel - physio attacked my right leg yesterday and managed to transfer the pain from the achilles to my calf. So I'm not limping today and may be able to run Saturday!

Event: Australian Orienteering Championships 2016
 

Griffith University, Gold Coast. M60, 2nd. Tricky sprint and couldn't read the detail in some vital parts. Went for a run-through and ran down a corridor to a set of toilets on the way to 3, no way out. U-turn and went back out but still couldn't see how to get through on the map or in real life. So went around. Another couple of instances of similar inability to see the detail, but not as costly. Had trouble finding the start triangle too - should have been prepared to turn the map right way up, with the tartan track on the left.
So 10 starts in the Aus Champs Sprint - 10 podiums - 4 wins, 3 2nd and 3 3rd.
Running wise went OK, but lack of training showed in sub-standard speed. L knee fine (kinesis taped). R achilles flared up in the last 500m and rendered me a cripple after - can't walk without pain. Luckily didn't enter the Relays, but does not look good for next weekend.
Tale of the Winsplits:
-10 seconds: Confusion at start - couldn't find start triangle; couldn't see way through to left
-10 seconds: leaving 2, trying to work out route to 3 - difficulty reading detail
-10 seconds: missed ramp access to straighter route to 3
-30 seconds: on way to 3 ran down a throughway to a toilet block (not on map). Back out but couldn't see throughway stairs on the map (partly under circle for 9 and a contour) or in terrain. Now 6th and 1 minute down after 4:43!
-5 seconds: couldn't read stairs access to 7 - thought it was probably OK but couldn't be sure on my glimpses at the map.
-10 seconds: 100% my mistake; misread the map and went down the wrong path
-5 seconds: leaving 9, again couldn't read stairs access on the map, so went around
-10 seconds: hesitation on the way to 11. Basically ran straight to it, so Ted gaining 14 seconds here is strange (23 to 37). EDIT. Not that strange. It was 100m so Ted ran it at 3:50 pace where I was 6:10 per km.
Fastest to the finish from here but only got that 10 seconds back from Ted so lost by 42.
Total time loss - 1:30.

Encouraging warm up, no pain in L knee or R achilles.
No warm down - R achilles locked up, sore could not walk without a limp.