Training Log Archive: Focus

I did ok.

Event: Nordic Orienteering Championships 2009 (WCup 2009, 1&2)
 

15m warmup on the warm up map, 5m cooldown.

I did crap.

The map

Aimed for 25mins and just wanted to keep going. Today we ran on Mallisuunnistus, it was the model event for the races. I decided to run on the 1:10000 and just aimlessly run in the general direction of my control and get lost for 50-100meters whereby at such a distance i'd try to relocate while running. Good ground to map training and i think i fully understand this area. However, i have not orienteered here at speed. The plan for tomorrows long is to start slow for the first few controls and increase the speed slowly. I'd like a clean race tomorrow with a fast second half. I think its possible, but i wont know for sure until i hit the first control.
Hopefully ill get to bed early tonight instead of 3am last night.
Food is great here by the way. All you can eat buffet too.

Training for the long distance on a 1:15000 map. My speed was slow and I understood everything by the first control. I tested a route choice on one leg, and i tried to go straight on the line on another. Last two really short legs i needed my magnifying glass and could hardly run as it was pretty complex.

Middle distance race in Tampere with Ruairi and Colm. This race was really useful for getting competition practise in before the Nordic champs and world cup starting this Saturday.
I didnt miss much, i needed to just get back in touch with scandi maps. I missed one control by 4minutes, I even reran the same route in my cool down and couldnt get it to work. I also got the fastest split to the last control - wah hey!
Saved alot for Saturday. Sauna and beer with the lads and Tero afterwards helped the body to get relaxed.

Ran down to the Johnstown road bike shop to buy powerbars for Finland. Legs were tired.

Little 10minute warm up on the road at the start, and a 5minute cool down with Niall Ewen via the lake for the real cool down in the water.

Today was a decent race around Muckross. I remember very little of this area from my junior training camps back in the day. This was a race i wanted to open my legs up on and gain some bloody self confidance for Finland. I think i achieved that.

I dropped down to the track for number 5, stupid and was a nervous decision instead of going straight. Number 7 i veered a tiny bit right of the fenced area but didn't loss many seconds realising this. But i lost some seconds coming in from a new angle to the flag. Walked into a tree on the uphill to 8 while planning ahead, but saw Ruairi then and he was about 90seconds ahead. I would have liked to have gone along the fence to number 10 but witnessed Johan and Marcus earlier run through number 5 to get to 10 and felt compelled that i should choose it just cause the leaders went that way. I saw Andrew and Ruairi on leg 12 about 150 meters ahead after the tunnel. Time for powerbar! Although i had no saliva. Mank.

I only caught the tail of them just bearly by number 13 (1km later). Andrew went in to 14 first but missed it. Ruairi and I ran through together until he was a little slow getting into 16. I gave a little surge just to get some space between us and pretend to look strong in running when in fact i'd crumble if we had to sprint there and then. Just powered on leg 17 and 18 and looked back to see no sign of Ruairi. Legs were crumbling over the broken rock. When leaving 18 though i looked forward to a well earnt cruise to the finish when i saw Bill Edwards very far away! Damn..

So i tried to run but really had nothing much, and he was 250meters away. I had to just run as fast as i could and see how things went. I dove between the upper and lower strings of an electric fence only to be shocked in my calf which resulted in the fence whipping Frank Ryan in the arm for his troubles. If i knew it was on i think i wouldn't have dove head first through.. My shouting gave my position away to Bill. I downed the jelly babies before going in to 19, tried to get there to 20 with him but it just didn't work out for me. He crossed the line about 10 meters in front of me. Oh well.

I missed alot of optimal route choices in the beginning, but still was satisfied with most of my own routes. I missed 1minute on the course in total.

Recovery run down the N11 in the evening.