Training Log Archive: caspian

Event: Harvester Trophy Weekend
 

Event: JOK Chasing Sprint
 

JOK Chasing Sprint - Prologue

Enthusiastically followed path from start kite instead of heading for first control, but realised in time and slowly got myself back on course; even more slowly through confusing labyrinth of horse jumps (resisted temptation to try these out) to find first control; then on to second, steering well clear of cowboys, which race instructions warned us to keep away from as they didn't like strangers. Was then passed by a flying Finn, whose coat-tails I happily hung on to for the next three controls, only to see him drift away over the long leg to number 6. But having run faster for a while got me into the spirit, and despite a few wobbles looking for little pits just off too many little turns in paths, ended up with a very decent time by my standards, and the prospect of some good runners to chase in the next stage. And with Roger starting 3 seconds behind me - was expecting him to charge past while I was unfolding my map.

JOK Chasing Sprint - The Chase

Was so keen to stay ahead of Roger that I darted off in the wrong direction at the first control, and found two other controls before I got to my own. Fortunately Roger did exactly the same thing. Then on his heels (with many other heels all around) to control 5, carefully sussing out other runners to see who was running fast and spiking the controls, and who had stopped navigating entirely. [Went for somewhere in-between myself, checking that direction, main features and control numbers were right (looks like several didn't bother with the latter, as there were quite a lot of mps on this stage), but running much faster than normal and paying very little attention to control descriptions]. This information proved useful on the long leg from 5 to 6, when the pack split in many directions - didn't fancy the look of the straight line route Roger seemed to be taking, and despite being led momentarily astray (down a ride rather than the optimal path, and therefore to the wrong side of a field) by someone who had until then been looking very reliable, he corrected quickly and ran fast, and I remained on his heels at control 6, where there was no sign of Roger. Impossible to say how well I was doing - the memory of the mix-up at the first control made me feel that I must have lost lots of ground, and with runners charging in all directions, very difficult to say if I'd been making up places or losing them since then. Also assumed that the detour on the long leg meant that Roger would be well ahead by now.

After running in another newly forming pack for a few more controls, a yellow top hoved into view ahead, which much to my surprise turned out to be Lard, who had started almost two minutes in front. Just as I moved delightedly into a position to pass him, Lard pulled on the trip-wire he had earlier positioned there with precisely such emergencies in mind, and I went sprawling head-first. I caught up again shortly afterwards, and this time he had run out of dirty tricks, and I edged past just before the third-last control, back on the heels of the person I had chased to control 6. Momentary confusion at the second-last control as the whole bunch of us had to suddenly stop to look at our maps, but someone spotted the control close by, and we were off again. One more to go, and it looked like the so-far-mostly-reliable runner had spotted a short-cut others had missed, so I and a few others darted with him straight across a path. But no, it turned out that he had spotted the finish instead, and forgotten all about the last control, so we all wheeled round from where we were toiling through the light green to sprint back to the path junction where the last control was waiting. Lard, meanwhile, was by now coming up the path just a few seconds away, so the pressure was on - but despite losing a place on the run-in, fortunately it was not to Lard...

Still had no idea how well I had done, or what had happened to Roger, but it turned out that I had gained places and had moved up to 28th overall after being 34th at the end of the prologue. Found Roger after milling around at the finish for a while, and he had gone walkabout on the long leg from 5 to 6, getting there two minutes after me - otherwise our splits were extremely similar.

Discovered that I had won something called UK Cup points, which I am sure are very valuable but don't know what to do with - can I sell them on eBay?

Took it a bit easier on commute with weekend's exertions in mind.

Then long car journey, enlivened by duels on Rosco's iPod: Suede against the Spice Girls.

Running to and from Meadows, and warm-up/warm-down with the crowd.

600m reps with 90 sec rest, session of only 4 planned, as some of the group had races the next day. Did them trying in vain to keep the fastest bunch of four within respectable distance, but was at least putting clear space between me and almost all of the others by the final two reps. Then some of the fastest bunch set off for another couple - tried to coax my legs back into action again, but was several seconds slower on my 5th, so decided that I had paced myself perfectly for the 4 announced at the start and so called it a day.

Reps: 1:44, 1:46, 1:47, 1:46, 1:50.

Felt-like a nostalgic throw-back to my very earliest days of orienteering, when the woods were full of windblow and brashings, the map was too detailed for my brain to deal with, and I blundered around over rough terrain in the vague hope that the control would pop up somewhere. Having also plumped for the M21L (what self-respecting orienteer wimps out by running M35, I asked myself, when one should be in the prime of one's career), I was convinced on arriving at the finish that I'd be last, but I ended up 10th of 13, with the time gap to the leaders looking quite respectable. So everyone else must have been making as hard work of it as I was.

A glance down the results suggests that people run whatever age they feel on the day - as well as the regular disguised M21Ls (young at heart, I'm sure), I spotted Eddie Harwood weighing in at M35. What to try next - M18? W65?

By the way, what's the 'Technical Intensity' box about? Which one are we doing at these events? And what's a spiked control? Or is that one only for use at drinks controls?

C • AP Mumbo Jumbo 2