Training Log Archive: ba-ba

Before a long coach journey.

SWEEPSTAKE TIME!
If GG starts 3mins after me on a predominantly open, steep area:
When will I be caught?
When will I be dropped?

I'm going for 23mins running (for me) , then 5mins later.

C • sweepstake 5

Damp run from Okehampton with Pete Tryner and Bill Edwards. Dry shoes well damp now.

Hfw. Bumped into some CSO types looking for something above the stables.

Out around Attercliffe on the 'loop of legends' Purely a scouting mission for me though I saw Horton going at it. Rain abated fairly soon after starting out. Honest pace for most.

Easy lope to Forge Dam after 2 day meeting in Cambridge.
Cold well on the way out, perfect timing.

Fully colded up now and rhr high. Unaftected bits of body feel ok otherwise, hopefully got away with yesterday and this my scheduled illness.

token warm-up not including the bit where I followed Oli and Duncan to scout out the run out.

FRA Relays Nav with tomtom. 3rd behind only OJ&Duncan and Spongey and Partner. Some good scalps.

I felt alright on the flats, downs and walking hills, but not moving so well on the more runnable uphills but got back on Tom OK when I dropped off (though he may have sat up a bit!). However, I was generally pleased with how I went considering my throat had got worse overnight - was hoping the cold hadn't sunk to my chest - maybe a bit touch and go. We were well matched and moving we and didn't miss a beat navigationally except a banana to the 6th control.
Was nice to not have the pressure of all the nav solely on me and I could focus on 'race management'. Really enjoyed running with Tom. Enjoyable slide down into CP4 to drop teams we had caught, picking grass out my arse hours later a good reminder.

Once again the ambiguity of an FRA nav leg leaves me with anxiety (it doesn't take much these days. Thank you PHD). We ran to what the map and the details I had been furnished with (read them the night before specifically looking for mandatory use of crossing points) gave me. Here is my thinking from being on the fell:
- The first black line on open fell we came across (at CP2) was a fence. Therefore assumed the rest would be and therefore crossable.
- the lack of a red overprint (that is not solely restricted to pure orienteering - used at OMM and LDMT)
- that leaving CP1 everyone went across the 'non-open access' to the gate. There was no difference between 'passable' and 'non passable' on the ground here - the ambiguity of an OS map.
- The line to CP1 and leaving CP5 was bent to denote 'you must run this way'. Had the organisers wanted us to do similar to 3 they would have bent the line here. For me this is the clincher.
- Knowledge from 2013, where I followed the local team over all the fences/walls we came across.
- the knowledge that other teams are doing it and there is little room moral high ground in a race (rightly or wrongly).

That's a lot to process when you're racing and the fact there was confusion and lots of people doing different things highlights a fault on the organisation, probably at the event rules/guidelines than the event organiser per se. Tom was happy with what we were doing.

Speaking to people I respect got views from both sides and I do feel a bit sheepish. I dislike climbing walls (the only wall I climb is the one next to the headstone!) and know it shouldn't be done, but when there is so much ambiguity you just have to resolve to get around the Cps as quickly as you can.

A few other rumours:
Apparently rumour of people cutting the corner to #1.
Pete G said some marshals on the hill said crossing black lines was fine.
Pez said he had asked an organiser if crossing points had to be used. they were evasive in their answer.

It's simple really:
Red line/hatching over impassable objects. Even annotate map with 'do not cross this'
CPs at mandatory crossing points.
More fairness in nav leg - maybe some brief guidelines/rules, it doesn't need to be lengthy! Take those of the LDMT, easy.
Never assume. All details should be on map. People do odd things when racing.
Tannoy announcements/disseminating race info on FB/being told by a marshall are not failsafe ways of disseminating race information. People miss briefings/don't use FB/marshals forget.

Hopefully JackW can gets me good practise for next year's relay that can be carried forward as it's been a bit of a joke several times the last few years (I lost out a bit on Pendle in 2015). I'm going to put some evidence and suggestions to the relevant people/groups when I have time.

C • Next year 19

C • Crossing points 1