Training Log Archive: ColmM

less time than I thought I'd have after getting ready. Got some warming up done, but a bit awkward as it was very hard to tell how your runner was doing once you entered the start-pen.

Jukola Leg 3 (Long night) for Dublin Mountain Club
+22:39 to leaders, but +27:18 on fastest leg time (Johan Hogstrand), who was 73.

Niall seemed to have started us off well, clawing us up 600 spots from our start position to handover leg 1 in 222nd (+13:30ish), and Conor had a stormer too to put us in 134th (+27ish).
So I went out there in a solid spot.

Routegadget - Course 3 - Colm Morenkov
Team Results
Splits

Moving grand out the run-out, trying to make a decision for #1, and kind of settled on a straight-ish / right of the line route, up the track up the hill, would negotiate my way through the main hill, cross the track, and navigate in from there.

Out of the start kite I got dragged a bit right by the elephant tracks and one or two other runners, and as after going the first little hill I got stuck in some light green which was much worse than I expected, and had been left fairly untouched. After a minute or so battling out of that, I hit the road and headed up the track. Got in with another runner, and stuck in with him for a while over the hill on a nice line, but when we got through the hashed green valley he started going right which I wasn't keen on, so I turned more left. A little unsure of my exact location I was quite surprised when I hit the big track because I thought I'd ended up higher, but I checked it on the compass, and it looked fine so I went on through the forest and up the hill. A little hesitant coming in because I'd expected it to be higher, but got it fine. Still, probably 2mins or so lost getting stuck in one or two spots, but it wasn't the simplest control, so I didn't worry too much.

To #2 I was with a few guys now, so tucked in, bu they split and went down the hill when we hit some rides. I faffed between groups, wanting to stay high, but not wanting to go solo. In the end one or two came and I got on an alright line, but probably another 30s-1min of faff. Came into it over the hill fairly fine, and on.

3 had huge elephant tracks so I kicked on, and moved ahead for 3 & 4, and got these fine. Stayed on the elephant tracks to 5, these started to disappear about halfway and I passed another control so figured this was gaffled, but mine was fine as I just went down the hill until the marsh and got it alright. Thought I could see another group a little ahead so worked pretty hard onto their backs on 6 & 7 not really wanting to do the long leg solo.

Was off the back but close enough leaving 7, but the group split on different routes, and I hadn't looked ahead enough to make a good informed decision, so I went with a couple of guys up the hill on a straight-ish line. Pretty quickly they started cutting down left which I didn't want to do, so took it on again and decided to just compass straight for ages and maybe take the road to the right into the control. But my elephant tracks were from earlier legs and the forest pulled me down left and a bit uncertain of where I was. So I re-evaluated and decided to stay on the compass going a little left of the line, thinking I would have to stay left of the lake anyway. I did this for a while, still very uncertain of location, but figured I'd have to hit the road. Eventually I ended up stuck in the green which wasn't ideal, but did bring me out on to the old vehicle track, and then the road, and I navigated in alright from there. Still, knew I'd lost 3-4mins at least on my route and faff, but ploughed on as there were some torches about and I was fairly certain this was the separate long night area so it'd all be my course.

Ran quick to #9 to catch a couple of guys, but they had missed it, and I spent 20s re-locating before getting it. Got 10 fine with one of them, and we were moving alright down the hill, but he followed a track right which disagreed with my compass, so I turned back and straightened up to find a flock of runners come from behind me in a big pack. Stuck in this to #11 grand.
We got a bit separated on different routes to #12, but we rejoined halfway and I tucked in near the back of the pack. I lost a bit of confidence coming into it and let them go on, but realised they were right, so worked hard the next little while to try get on, and was just about in contact through 13, 14, 15, and got the gaffle fine on 14, but as we crossed the road to 16 I tried to get back on the pack some more, and hit a wrong gaffle. Knew I was surely to far right, so headed back left and hit the elephant track coming out of it. Ran back to it and passed some poor soul 1m off the elephant track with his pants around his ankles and an awful stench. Got it, but 90sec lost again, dang. Ran back out of it and your man had quickly moved on.

Hit 17 fine, and got in another pack to 18, up the track and then kinda on the compass, I moved up the pack as we descended and ran away from the group with one or two others on 19 and 20. Got my gaffle fine on 21, and tucked in behind another fellow who was going strong on 22 and just made sure we kept going to the other side of the hill and all was well. Then just a run home.

I had gained places through the last section despite hitting the wrong gaffle on 16 so I guess it happened a few others in that train worse than me.

Good experience, felt relatively comfortable with the night nav at times, though it wasn't all that dark as well at times. But definitely a bit less confident and not quite as willing to push on and do some fine nav myself. Quite a few mins lost in total, which is a bit of a shame, but not a disaster, just slightly poor, mostly got around and did an alright job, but still clearly work to be done. Could do with more real night navigation if I was going to do this one again.

Team went on to have mixed runs on the remaining legs, but come in in the end for a solid 151st, and I think there's a lot of room for improvement with that as well.
Plan is to take up that number next year and do some damage with a better start spot.

Event: Jukola Venla 2019
 

Event: Rogaine Ireland 2019, Wicklow Mountains
 

Back out onto the model, rushing around to get some in before the venla mass start, and more focused on the map reading and trying to avoid the elephant tracks where possible.
However had some toilet troubles and that kind of ruined the session.

Easy run around camp with the boys.

Out for a bit of night-o with conor on the model map. Felt clunky through the terrain at night, struggling against it, and ankle taking a bit of work. I was able to navigate to all of the controls, but it was awkward and more reactive orienteering than proactive orienteering.
Still, helpful before the task ahead.

Easy pre-bridge with Corbett, good to be back, though much shorter than ideal.

commute

IMRA Scarr - 2nd

Started steady up the track, tucked in with Peter O'Farrell who moved a little ahead of me, and your man Barry in the DCU top was up ahead solo. I got past Peter on the flat / descent, and as we turned to start the big climb I just tried to settle into a consistent rhythm. Peter came past me after a short while, so I stuck on him, but he slowly started to gap me. Wasn't sure whether we were gaining on Barry, but we were running more than him which seemed like a good sign.
Turned right near the top to go to the summit and I felt like I'd closed a bit to Peter again, so when I hit the summit, Mahon was marshalling and he gave me a "they're catchable" shout.
got through the rolling stuff and probably caught Peter after a minute or two. I went through a particularly boggy patch and my shoe heel came off, tried to slip it back in, but it wasn't happening, so I just committed to it and sat down to put it back on, Peter went back by, but I started again not too far behind him, ~10-15sec lost.
Struggled to get by Peter again as we were moving well on the gorgeous boggy descent, but when it got a little steeper I could throw myself past again, and start to open up. I could see Barry was coming back slowly but he was a long way in front. Worked hard, and even when it flattened I was still gaining pretty quickly which gave me some hope. Pushed hard up the final rise, and threw myself down the final descent, it was trail, but I was gaining really quickly now, and by the time we hit the gate I was only 5sec down. The road section at the end though was probably only 600m or so and we were both going all out so I couldn't get back to him, and had to settle for 2nd.

I suspect he'd had a bit more in the tank, just didn't realise I was so close. Anyway nice outing all in all, a lovely route.

Had a 2:46 last km on the descent, so pretty happy with that. And ran this course in 2014 2.5mins slower, so that's definitely a good sign. Though Conor won it in 2014 and was 7sec quicker than my time today. What a shame, I'll blame that on the shoe.

Event: CNOC Summer Evening Series, Curragh (Lumville Crossroads)
 

CNOC summer series - Curragh

I wasn't overly motivated for it when I realised it wasn't sunnyhill, but I saw Kev then, and he said Josh was here too, so the competition had me a bit more hyped again. Knew Kev had started a couple of mins ahead of me, so was keen to work hard, though was pretty surprised to do 180 degree turn through the start boxes.
Fairly clean through all the early stuff, trying to find good lines in and out of the gorse and mostly succeeding. Saw kev on his way to 10 as I went to 9 cos of the dog leg, so worked hard up the hill and tried to keep pushing. Picking out the features nice & aggressively to 10, a little hesitancy on 11, but only 5sec or so.
Had seen Kev go right to 12, but I liked the look of left a little more, so went hard and tried to put some time back in, worked aight as it looks like that route was better. I pushed through some rough gorse on 13 that had a slight trail through it, but looks like nobody else did. Not sure if there was a path missing on 14, but I couldn't go the way I wanted and looped around a little which cost 15sec or so. Turned a little early on 15 too, but only 5sec or so.
Then gurning the last few, got sight of kev to 18 again, so gave it socks, and as I came to the 2nd one on the control pick he had messed up, so I was only 10-15sec back. Then slogged it out from there, and was fortunate to kev push me on those last few controls as I nipped Josh by 1 second!

Pretty sound technically, but it was easy, and good physically, worked hard. Hill race tomorrow could be tough.

Long - Splits

getting something in, and then ran into my cousin doing a session so ran alongside her for a bit

we did a good bit of lunge work which was quite tough, and balance work which felt good for the ankle

home slightly long way

ankle