Training Log Archive: Jon X

Tourist wanderings then travel home.

Event: MOV - Gara Burano
 

Warmup jog round the edge of Mazzorbo.

Venice 2015 race 3, this time on Burano.

M45, 9th place. Winner Martin Ward 14:06.

Start on Mazzorbo for three controls then over the bridge into multi-coloured Burano. Another good course although a little easy at the end. Tired legs, a couple of little time losses at #9 where I ran into wrong courtyard and went to wrong control (-10sec) and got ahead of myself going to #10 and briefly took a wrong turn (-5-10sec).

M45 Overall, 9th place - very competitive and runners from six different nationalities ahead.
Winner was just under 3mins ahead, third place was 89secs ahead, 6th/7th/8th places were all tantalisingly in the 10 seconds ahead of me...

Event: MOV - Gara Ca' Savio
 

To the start + drills

Venice 2015 race 1, not in Venice at all but over at the mouth of the lagoon, on Ca Savio.

M45, 9th place. Winner 15:07

Okay but not excellent race. Tried to turn right a block early en route to #1 (-10sec). went to wrong, more visible control at #9 (-10sec), couple of non optimum routes especially to #10 (-5sec).

But also maybe 10-15secs lost at #16 because the control was missing when I got there. Looked the other side of the fence and had a quick check, but sure enough to go on quickly. Found the control on the ground most of the way to #17 which at least reassured me it had definitely been missing.
It was replaced quickly and only a few late starters affected - so they decided to allow people to miss the control but to let times stand rather than remove the relevant two legs (?!!).
A bit of a strange decision - not too bad for me with only 10-15sec lost but much worse for Martin W who lost maybe 90sec there, 30sec ahead of me before it and finished 40sec down.

Run with rucksack back to the ferry terminal (after the long queue to download.....not to be confused with the long pre-race queue to collect race numbers, or the long queue for a punching start....).

Limited warmup - a 9.30pm start combined with a bit of a fail on the eating plans after race 1 meant still on the antipasti and prosecco past 8pm.....

Venice race 2, Venice by night.
M45, 6th place. Winner 31:11

Good challenging course with only 12 controls and some interesting longish legs, all to the east of the Grand Canal.
Started okay, picked it up well in the middle, but then halfway to #8 started navigating to #3 instead. Realised quite quickly and corrected back to original route but at expense of an extra 150-200m and some dithering (-1min).
Still a little flustered going to #9 and missed a turn just before the control, had to run an extra little loop (-15sec).

Ahead of Martin at #7, he finished 3rd in 32:29. So that was in reach although second (31:42) was perhaps not.

Travel to Venice. Flight delayed.

In London, planned to get away in time to run, couldn't.

Got to the mass start in time. Just.

FVO night race, Falkirk Wheel.
Not the best start, almost last at #1 and then (with Jase) way off at #2. Got worse when I lost maybe 3mins failing to find the central control again at #4.

Improved after that and a bit of to-and-fro with Rosco and Murray round the long loop, helpful to have multiple torches to find that pesky ruin!

Close wih Lewis round the last part, got #18 and #19 before him but he had a better line to #20 and so a few secs ahead at the finish!

Rosco won by 3mins in 48, ahead of Jase and Rog. Complex and fun (despite the undergrowth) race - thanks Will!

Road running! With Rosco from the uni through BofA, level crossing, Causewayhead and back. All good.