Training Log Archive: AUS WOC 2008

Profile: KERRIN RATTRAY
Nickname: Kez

Running at WOC: Sprint, Long



1. Guns 'n Roses or Madonna?
Madonna

2. Tea or Coffee?
Coffee

3. Sydney or Melbourne?
Melbourne

4. Ford or Holden?
Holden

5. French or German?
German

6. Sweet or Savoury?
Savoury

Well today it started feeling like WOC 2008 was beginning...

The 6 team members racing tomorrows sprint race all spent some time on the sprint model, which was a short tram ride from our accommodation (our WOC ID cards give us all free travel on Olomoucs trams during the WOC week). There weren't too many surprises, although the difference between a rock face and a wall - both black lines on the map - wasn't all that clear (at the team leaders meeting we found out we weren't the only ones wondering). Everyone is in good shape and set for a good race in the qualifier tomorrow morning. The girls will travel to Prostejov at 7.45 and the boys will follow about an hour later. The runners will be quarantined both before and after they race and it will be everyone's first venture into the centre of Prostejov, which has been embargoed. Today has seen tropical weather in Olomouc - warm weather and a couple of thunderstorms and some heavy rain. With the chance of wet cobblestones and grass, shoe choice could prove to be vital - we'll let you know what our runners chose!


Sprint model map.

The final tomorrow evening is in Olomouc and should be exciting for spectators here and online. Hopefully we'll have 6 Aussies to cheer on!

Profile: JULIAN DENT
Nickname: Jules

Running at WOC: Sprint, Middle, Relay



1. Guns 'n Roses or Madonna?
Madonna

2. Tea or Coffee?
Coffee

3. Sydney or Melbourne?
Sydney

4. Ford or Holden?
Holden

5. French or German?
French

6. Sweet or Savoury?
Sweet

The team is complete.

The Skoda Fabias and Octavia plus the Nissan Note are parked outside building NIII at the university in Olomouc. Inside are all 12 Aussies (9 athletes and 3 support staff). Captain Keith, Lance, Pidge, Princess Allura and Hunk never looked as good assembled as Voltron as the Aussies did this evening.


We had our first team meeting discussing everything we've learned so far during the training camp about the terrain here in Olomouc. Everyone is healthy (except for Mike still recovering from a bout of food poisoning) and positive!

Training today was mixed, some running, some orienteering (middle and sprint) and some resting.

C • French 10

Profile: JASMINE NEVE
Nickname: Gorgeous

Running at WOC: Sprint, Relay?



1. Guns 'n Roses or Madonna?
Guns 'n Roses

2. Tea or Coffee?
Tea

3. Sydney or Melbourne?
Melbourne

4. Ford or Holden?
Holden

5. French or German?
German

6. Sweet or Savoury?
Sweet

C • Doesn't look like that hot a week 1

Today saw the team members again split up for training.

Jasmine headed back to Prostejov for Sprint training, and encountered the Chinese team on location. Plums were the recovery food of choice for Jas and the Chinese.

Simon returned training after two days off, venturing north with Vanessa and new arrival Grace to the middle distance training area near Stara Ves. As seems to be the norm, this was also followed by fruit eating, this time fresh blueberries picked by Vanessa.

The journey home also included a stop at castle Savinec.

Where something seems to have gotten the better of Mike and Vanessa....


Meanwhile the other boys (Kez and Julian) stayed at home, subscribed to Eurosport, and spent the day watching the tour.

The team has also officially signed in at WOC now, which meant we have all received new stylish backpacks, modelled here by Jas. Boy does she look happy about it.

Profile: SIMON UPPILL
Nickname: Simmo

Running at WOC: Sprint, Middle, Relay.



1. Guns 'n Roses or Madonna?
Guns 'n Roses

2. Tea or Coffee?
Coffee

3. Sydney or Melbourne?
Sydney

4. Ford or Holden?
Holden

5. French or German?
German

6. Sweet or Savoury?
Savoury

C • nickname 1

Profile: VANESSA ROUND
Nickname: Ness

Running at WOC: Middle, Long, Relay?



1. Guns 'n Roses or Madonna?
Madonna

2. Tea or Coffee?
Coffee

3. Sydney or Melbourne?
Melbourne

4. Ford or Holden?
Holden

5. French or German?
German

6. Sweet or Savoury?
Savoury

After yesterday's recovery the team was back in the terrain today across all the terrain types. First Sue, Jas, Vanessa and Kez, headed out to Bukovice for Vanessa and Kez to test themselves in the forest of Czech Long Test Race, then they all headed down to Brno for Jas to have a good hitout on the Sprint training area. Then Mike and I (Jules) along with Kiwi Neil Kerrison headed out to Stara Ves to a middle training map. Unfortunately overnight Simon was struck down with food poisoning after a dodgy Chicken Pizza last night. But with a days rest and under the supervision of his fine room mates,Vanessa and Jasmine, Simon is feeling a little better this afternoon, and we hope he continues to make a speedy recovery for the first race on Sunday.

This week we'll be presenting the team on the trog. We've got six questions that were scientifically designed to give maximum insight into each athletes personality... Stay tuned!

After the weekend of racing there is plenty of coming of going at the Australian base here at U Chmelu, with Rob and Kathryn heading to Dresden, Germany for a relaxing final preparation before the first races on Sunday, and Jo and Head Trogger Shep heading up to the Czech mountains for some relaxation before rejoining the team on Friday. Luckily though after some delay, with have had some new arrivals with Coach's Mike and Sue, both arriving in time for a team dinner last night after long trips from Australia and Portugal respectively. After the 3 days of racing over the weekend, the team is having a relaxing day today, with Kez, Jas, Vanessa and Sue heading out to Moravsky Kras and repeating the tourist expedition of Shep, Jo and Simon from last week, while Simon, Mike and I (Julian) relaxed at our comfy accom, watching the Tour de France and taking an easy run on the nice muddy trails along the river in the afternoon after a torrential downpour.

dobrý den

Sunday the 6th of July in Runarov, the third and final race of the Central Moravian Grand Prix. With the overall results thrown wide open by the departure of the Swiss, the race was wide open...

The day was warm and sunny and for the Aussies it was a final chance to get the racing legs into shape before WOC starts in a week. The mens race was 6.3 km with 21 controls so promised to be a genuine middle distance - and it was. The course gave us route choice, speed and direction changes, point features in vague areas, vegetation changes, rocks, nettles - the works. The men ran well - Jules and Shep were only 20 and 40 seconds behind world class Ukrainian Ushkvarok. The Aussie girls weren't so happy - except for Vanessa who finished 4th despite forgetting her control descriptions. However, in the overall standing it was different - Jo took out the title, as did Julian. Shep narrowly missed 3rd place and a beer, Jo and Jules both took home three large bottles of the local brew (second place got, yep, two bottles of beer). They also presented the prizes (Kit Kats and signed pics of Mattias Merz) to the juniors.


What! These beers are warm!


Jules got Banach and Muchdinov, "the Ukraine is weak".


Kit Kats and congratulations for the kids.

The trip home surprisingly didn't involve a stop at Tesco or Interspar, instead we stopped at the markets in the village Suchdol. Mostly fake t-shirts and lollies, the biggest temptation was the BB guns...


Suchdol Sunday markets. We found donut telescopes, it doesn't get much better than that.


We stopped for a dip in Suchdol pool. Since the birds were walking on it, we stayed out.

C • WOC Log 1