Training Log Archive: Bashman

JK Relay - Men's Trophy 1st Leg - 5.7km - 255m climb - 12th?
Slightly shattered for this but it's always a bit of fun for Team Gramp One (only 2 of us were actually GRAMP). Probably the last time I will run this relay for the club. The start was pretty brutal through the marsh. Got into the front pack but then split left with a small number on what would seem to be the faster, straighter route. We went round the next group of hills and the pack went straight through the next marsh. This is where my rebellions began.
I hugged the hill thinking the marsh would be awful. This worked and I was sort of leading on the track with Murray close behind. Cut in at the junction but then hesitated in the circle. Allowed people to lead me in to the control after this.
Up to 2 and 3, no problems and no real space for a mistake.... Then as we were climbing the track to 4, I had another, less bright idea to head over the hill. A lot of extra climb but thankfully not much of a loss if not a gain. Looking at the map I wanted to head straight to 5. Rich had the same idea but then abandoned the re-entrant half way so I led Nick up the Moon rocks to the control, a good route I think. 6 should have been easy but a group of us wasted a minute looking too low.... This is where any chance of a good result was over. However, I clawed a bit back when I took a more direct route to 7 and went around the right to 8 (see the map).
Running with Adam into 8 and then leading him through the next few running legs to 12. Somehow dropped him a bit heading round to 13 but by here I was dead. Slightly longer after the spectator than I thought it would be... Took in too many down/ups to cope to 14 and 15. I was shattered. Slowly gaining on Daniel but I was just pulled around the last few by Nick B who was on some sort of PED...
Finished happy and felt like I learnt a lot. In a real competitive relay (I mean in a competitive team) I wouldn't have done half those risks but I'm pleased to have had an almost solo race on Leg 1 of the JK Trophy, at least in decision making terms.

http://www.scottish-orienteering.org/doma/show_map...

JK Long - M18E - 11.2km - 5th, 7 mins behind Simon.
The most extreme orienteering I have done. Compulsory cagoules, hats and whistles (for those who weren't there). Me and Oleg opted for rolling our cagoule into a sausage, taping it since we were never going to put it on, and tying it round our waists as belts. Slightly uncomfortable but it was compulsory. Buff as an emergency had around my wrist. A crack of lightning exploded above the assembly just as I left the tent. Something was telling me it wasn't going to be a good race.
Not sure why everyone swerved left at the start. I went straight and turned out fine. Absolutely nailed number 1. Then ticking off features well to 2 and 3. By here I was cheesing at how well it was going, which is probably why my mistake to 4 happened. Straight into the wind, and my compass looking like it was blowing in every direction. So it took me up the re-entrant, and it wasn't until I spotted the cairn that I realised I had done a 90 degree error. Gutted, I headed through 7 and got 4 spot on after that. Amazingly only lost me a minute but I was convinced that the Swede would be catching the 3 minutes on me for this mistake alone.
Legged it to 5 and hit it perfectly. Poor plan to 6, and I lost 3 minutes looking for that bingo pit, which I was almost on top of 3 minutes before I found it. This had blown it for sure. I slogged up to 7 considering calling it a day, but I looked at what was coming up and it looked fun. Hit 7 and Samuel the Swede was catching fast. He stuck to me going to 8, and again, I was right on top of it but couldn't see it. The (rude word) behind me spotted it, punched it, and ran off before I noticed. I spent 2 minutes chasing him, realising he had got it, and heading back..... We later made amends though.
I got some new motivation going to 10, kept almost perfectly on line and nailed it. Caught 2 others who I couldn't recognise at all but happy with that. The control pick in the quarry was mostly good, except I lost 30s on 13 going the wrong way round. 17 and 18 looked like traps waiting to happen so I took extra care and got them both. Across the road with Dane and Jackie shouting me on which was helpful for this last bit. Hit 20 bang on, just slowly, whilst so many others failed and overtook Nathan. Spotted Aidan chasing me down though and pushed hard through the last few to the finish with him. He may have beaten me by 12 minutes, but I hadn't done as badly as I thought.
On a day without a cold I'd like to think I could have run much better. Simon's time was definitely withing reach for me if I had only concentrated a little bit more. Thankfully everyone found today pretty tricky, and I ended up being 2nd Brit, 4th Brit u20 behind Alistair who had a solid run. Selection races done, now a long wait.
http://obasen.orientering.se/winsplits/online/en/d...
http://www.jk.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#49

Big WU

WU/D

JK Middle - M18E - 6.5km - 4th, 4 mins behind Simon
Won't go too much into this because it's a race that I don't really enjoy remembering. There was a lot of bingo going on and I agree with Adam when he says the start intervals were way too short for an area like this. Anyway hopped aboard the Chris Galloway train at 1. Saying that I did all my own navigation and until right before the end where he sprinted off, I was mostly leading. It was nice of him too push the pace though, and I feel really sorry for his mess up at 1. Feel even worse for causing so many misses after it too. In terms of how I felt, we were running way too fast for me to make any fine navigation and my HR was probably life-threateningly high.
http://obasen.orientering.se/winsplits/online/en/d...
http://www.jk.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#48

Event: JK 2014
 

JK Sprint - M18E - 3.0km, 65m climb - 2nd, 34s behind Simon
Waking up still feeling ill on the morning of the sprint gave me a clear picture of how the JK was going to be. A fight for some good spots but not going in to compare with Simon or such like.
Preparation was good though, and right until the WU I was feeling really explosive. But then I had an awful stitch and running around doing the breathing technique trying to get rid of it wasn't helping. Had to just ignore it and step up to the start line.
Most of us had already cunningly deduced where the first control was and what the best route was, thanks to the organisers who gave us a pretty much clear view. From looking at the map at the start, I could also pretty much figure out where number 2 was going to be, and what the best route would be. Right. I was hesitant with the hedges but battled through when I remembered the details. Spiked it but then a bit of a banana to 3. Got delirious going to 4, pushing hard, and tried to punch the traffic cone just before it (good training through). Also panicked upon exiting and was about to go the open way but then quickly corrected myself and took a short cut back. Straight still would have been quicker.
Straight to 6, but hesitant in the circle when I thought it was on a tree. Spectator, straightforward but exit was poor and route choice was poor when I saw the optimum route as being blocked by a high wall... Probably the wrong way round to 9 too.. Round the right to 10, just looking ahead, and nailed the next few short legs. However this left me dead climbing the hill to 15. Here my cold really hit my hard and I thought it was all over for me, literally felt like I was running half my normal speed. Round the right to 16 although upon analysis left could have been just as good. Glad to see Aidan and Dane leaving 17, gave me a bit of a boost.
So far in oxygen debt that I can't even remember going to 18. But chasing down Dane now and got it ok. Took a good route to 19 but then went round the gardens which were actually crossable losing time. Long route to 20 just not really thinking. Smashed out the hedge to 21, and picked up some final speed. Poor route to 21 though, and finished through the last few running legs feeling like I had blown it.
Very surprised to be 2nd behind Simon, and to beat all the 20s too. I was sure this would be the toughest race with my cold but it definitely wasn't. Splits looked normal but as I told everyone, the cold made today's race feel twice as hard.
http://obasen.orientering.se/winsplits/online/en/d...
http://www.jk.routegadget.co.uk/rg2/#47
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WU/D

Warm Up
Easy pre-breakfast run with Alfie. Slow through the slope and up the hill but moving well on the flat.

Feeling a good bit better today, went for a walk with Alfie, and ate a good spicy curry so hopefully on the mend.