Training Log Archive: jmillar

JWOC Relay
I was running in a mixed relay with a French guy on 1st leg, me on 2nd and Josh on 3rd leg.
It was the hottest day out of the competitions, which was a nice end to the week but not so nice to run in.
The French guy handed over to me but there weren't really anybody else that was going to be with me which could be seen as good and bad, but I was taking it as good after my middle. I was going out hard trying to make up for the middle.
1- Took the ride as I seen a turkish guy struggling through the light green.
2- Was in the rentrant to the right of the control but lost maybe 20 - 30s
3- Over the ridge and around the next hill seen a path it looked pretty big so thought I must have went past the control. So went up the re entrant to find the control but not there. Then it all went down hill.. Couldn't relocate for ages then realised what I was doing but not after I had lost 7min did I find the control.
4- Angry sprint
5- Angry sprint
6- Angry Sprint
7- Long leg and now tired hit the path went up what I thought was the veg change realised what was going on. Got into control circle couldn't find it. Bit of swearing then found the control. Lost 2min
8- I'll be honest I had pretty much gave up at this stage... But spike
9- Up the hill ran past the control got it lost 20s
10- 180 degrees error out of 9 everything was matchingup until I was going down a hill with no big open area. Then a lot more swearing and turn around and run back up the hill now I had really gave up. After a bit of angry sprinting I returned to a run just quicker than a jog. Lost 4min
11- Ran through the spectator looking depressed. Overshot my control but realised immediately.
12- Hit this control fine.
13- Spike
14- Saw a Japanese guy on the way to this one but he was going in a strange direction but it gave me the urge to pick the pace up.
15- On a very steep descent just asking for people to run past it, but I didn't.
16- Spike
17- Spike
18- Bit hesitant and slowing down again
19- Spike
20- Spike
21- Crappy route choice...

Felt like the worst run I have had ever. I have never wanted to give up on a course before. My head was fried just not thinking at all. So I won't let that happen again... Total loss - 14min Yea I wasn't very happy with this race

Middle C final.
We had a 280m run to the start control once are time had started yet I still managed to make a bad route choice to 1. Lost 40s already. 1min start intervals. My minute man was the american guy that I started with yeaterday.
2- Could hear him coming so bombed it to 2
3- Spiked. I knew this guy was fast but I thought I would be able to lose him in the more technical areas, but he could end up following me...
4- Retarded route choice. 30s gone
5- Retarded route, but bombed it, american guy was right on me. Ran into the re entrant american guy leaves the re entrant while I have a smile on my face until I realise he was right... 1min 30 gone
6- Pushing hard up the hill bit off to the right but didn't lose too much.
7- Spectator
8- Spectator
9- Ran past my spur but realised pretty soon, caught the american again. 10s lost
10- Punched 10 at the same time as the american he took low route and I took high route. Caught a portugese guy here.
11- Down the track flat out, american took a strange route and I lost him.
12- Took the path out pushing hard. Probably not best route choice. 10 or 20s maybe.
13- Spike
14- Bit to the left of the pit but maybe 3m or so
15- Couldn't sus this bit of the map got the control but was hesitant. 20s lost.
16- Slog up the hill to the last control.

Felt better than yesterday but looking at it now I don't think it was. The American was putting me off when he was with me but once I had lost him it was fine... Mustn't get distracted! Lost 3min 40 in total

Middle qualification. Wasn't anywhere near as nervous as the long. But I wanted to have a good, clean run, one that I might be satisfied with. Having 2 other people start at the same time was weird, even though they were doing different courses I knew that they would be similar.

The first section was in a white area, that I did well in wasn't moving as quick as I would have like but I was doing alright.
1-7 I had lost about a minute
As soon as I got back into the crappy stuff it went bad.
8- Started going along the wrong hill and ended up doing a 90 degree error Lost another 45s
9- Got really disorientated in the green area. Another 45s
10- Drifted off into an open area and had no idea what was going on, this stage my mind had just blown up and wasn't thinking. Couldn't make any sense of it. When I did I went off like crazy trying to make up for it, had an impressive fall in the forest too which didin't help my head but its pretty funny now.Lost 2 mis
11- Easy
12- Run along the path, now running with the american guy I started with. ( So he must have made a mess too)
13- Last control, crossing point into the arena. I assumed I would see the crossing point but apparently it was a lot smaller than I thought and I proceeded to run alongside the arena.Lost 1min 20 or so

Lost nearly 5mins :( So would have been a B final. Angry man...

Resting up for the middle qualies :)

JWOC Long distance, during quarantine and pre start I was fine but when actually putting on my O- kit I started to get really nervous. Training hadn't went well for me and I knew I was going to find it tough. I had jelly babies with me the first time I have taken food with me on a course.

In the start box and just going through in my head - take it easy at the start, just get it right, always have a plan. Just saying it over and over.
1- Took to the path no risk.
2- Went straight this time, still spiking.
3- Keeping it simple up the reentrant, along the spur. Spike
4- Thinking - Here I can do this - then run along the spur see my boulder then run on past my re entrant because it looked too shallow and into the next one. Lost 1min 30s
5- Long leg, couldn't see a route really but I knew I was going to head for the middle drink station so took a bearing to there and on my way made a plan. Bit hesitant at one point and did a bit of unnecessary climb but found it easy in the control circle. Lost about 45s to best Irish.
6- Seen some italian guy that looked lost coming out of 5 and decided I must have caught him for some reason. Could hear movement behind me and there was my 2min man behing me a swiss guy. Punched 6 just before him.
7- Contoured to 7 and the swiss guy dropped beat him there :)
8- No attackpoint or anything on this took a bearing got into the area and found it wasn't a spike.
9- Saw the Swiss guy drop down the hill but didn't understand why. Continued my way and then stopped was pretty confused to what had happened, loss of concentration. Saw the Italian guy again and e was looking lost again andran off in a strange direction. Relocated and realised I had made a bad routechoice and I was going to have to go through a good stretch of green. The green was like running through a hedge couldn't see anything but managed to stay on my bearing as I fought through it, to it the control. Lost 3mins to Colm here
10- Another long leg spotted a route choice that followed mainly paths and bombed it after the hash I had made of 9. At the drink station and popped a couple of jelly babies in before the butterfly. Coming up onto the plateau for the butterfly and I saw Jonny Crickmore doing his first loop he started 6min after me. :(
11- On way to 11 and Jonny was coming up behind me so picked up the pace.
12- Spike.
13- Spike, thought I was going well on this loop but not as well as some of the Irish.
14- Back to the centre control. Just as I punched Cillin was right behind me. His 1st loop being the same as my 2nd loop. So picked up the pace again
15- Spike
16- Maybe ran a bit too far off the line, for the length of the control.
17- Back to centre again
18- Longish leg. Such a crappy route choice and I was hesitating along the way because of it. Was on both sides of the line. Lost about 1min maybe more
19- Spike
20- Was running along the hill for about 20m then decided to drop to the path think the path was better option.
21- Another stupid route choice. Dropped way down just to have to come back up. Lost a minute here.
22- Seen the Italian guy again at 21 ( Don't know what he was doing on this course...) following a Latvian guy. On the way to 22 ran down the hill hit the path and the Latvian guy turned right (doing a 180) and I turned left, the Italian guy just stopped in the middle and decided not to trust the Irish. Soon realised he should :P
23- Probably not ideal route.

I think I definately need to work on long legs and looking for the other route choices and just try to keep concentrating throughout the whole course. Avoiding unnecessary climb is something I need to work on to. I think my fitness was good for this race, could have been better but it was good.
Lost 7min 30 to 8min on the course, 1hour 30 would have been nice...

JWOC Sprint at Lebork. Was pretty excited for this but wasn't really expecting much, sprint isn't really my thing.
1 and 2 were grand.
3- route choice error here cost me about 20s
4- Seeen the other option started going that way then started to doubt myself and turned, lost another 20s. Running up the steps and decided to go left around the uncrossable fence, think right might have been better. Good path and didn't have to think.
5- Bit further to the left than i thought I would be.
6- Running down the hill and went past my path thinking that it was further down caught on pretty quick at the sight of the playground. Lost another 30s.
7- On the way there looked over my shoulder only to see my Thor my 2min man already so pciked up a bit more speed.
8 and 9- spiked.
10- Hesitated slightly at the possibility of olive green punched just ahead of Thor.
11- Went to go down an alley with an uncrossable fence stopped pretty quick but Thor was away.
13- Running past all the spectators, lot more than I thought there would be. Scary
14- Tiring now and Thor was now gone.
17- Longer leg that let me pick the pace up a bit.
18- Spike but hesitant about the gap in the hedge and the marshall standing beside it. Went through it on way to 19.
20-23- Hit these all well but my control flow sucked and my speed sucked.

Overall I thik more training on sprint maps is needed for me, neeed to be more decisive about route choices and I need to speed up.

Lucas Basset did it in 15:07. Thor in 15:59 finishing 12th.

Running on the long model area, didn't have my compass with me but hit all the controls pretty well. Back onto the 1:15000.

Headed out to Lebork in the afternoon for a walk on the sprint model map.

Event: JWOC 2011 RUMIA-WEJHEROWO - POLAND
 

Running on Rezydencja 1:10000 map. Apparently similar to middle and relay. Real nice area, and had the chance to run in some Polish rain. Decided I would chech out the marshes and I wont be doing that again. Thought I was going to drown in it :o Was doing better technically here.

East side of Biala Rzeka in a greener area. Weren't doing great.

Back to the west side of Biala Rzeka, bit better this time. Doing some star exercises. Messed it up on the way back to the bags, couple of parallel errors throughout this session.