Training Log Archive: briangardner

SA long distance champs at B'sorah. Was feeling good and keen to give it a good go today! I had a reasonable start apart from overshooting 2 and then messing around approaching 3. Number 8 was a shocker too, where I did some grid searching before stumbling upon it. The next few controls were great, and I was moving well over the terrain. My run towards 19 was going well, and then I have no idea what actually happened... My plan was to take a bearing off a bend in the jeep track into 19, but for some unknown reason I didn't do that, and blindly headed down the slope, with no real plan. Thinking about it afterwards, it was a complete rookie error and I have no idea what I was thinking at the time... I hit the foot-path below 19 and then tried to relocate. I found a weir in the river and though I knew exactly where I was (there was a weir on the map "downstream" of 19). I second guessed it, and second guessed it again, but decided to try relocate off it. Turns out I had run just off the map to the south, and was relocating off a weir which wasn't mapped.... Evan Howell was also in the area, which of course gave me some hope I was in the right place. After trying to relocate twice, I headed back up the hill to the jeep track (and when I popped out, that is when I finally realised I had been off the map). I found the bend in the road, and used a compass bearing straight into 19 first time. Complete idiot!!!! Turns out I probably lost a good 40-42 minutes. Didn't help that 19 was only 110m from the edge of the map... Pushed it to the finish and got a few fastest splits! Well done to Alex for dominating the race and winning by miles (1:17). Happy with 3rd place, but really should not have been in the medals with that mess....

C • There does need to be more ... 3

M21E - Splits

The annual "Racing Against Poaching" MTB event at van Gaalen, sponsored by Mutual Safes. So good seeing many MTB friends again, as I have been off my bike for what feels like ages!!! Great vibe at van Gaalen as usual, and about 15 Mutual Safes riders there. I went out hard to see how long I lasted, having not actually done any cycling in the last few months. Tiaan blazed past and took the lead about 5kms in, and eventually won in 1:48. I rode a lot with Hector Ross from Mutual Safes, in about 8th place. The tempo was high all the way, and I got a gap on Hector going up Nguni, and held on to the finish for 8th place. Very surprised how good my legs felt considering very little MTB'ing lately. I pushed so hard in the last river single-track section to get under 2 hours, but missed it by 3 seconds... Pretty much the same route as the past few years - railway, damsig, waverider, pomphuis, vulture restaurant, Nguni, half Greek church climb and river trails.

Times for previous years:
2013 - 2:05:32
2014 - 1:58:32
2015 - 1:56:45

What a great event! Over R35000 raised for Pilansberg anti-poaching efforts.

SA Middle distance champs at B'sorah Farm. I haven't done an orienteering event for almost a year! I was really looking forward to running here, as I know the tracks quite well having made the MTBO map, but this would be the first time doing anything off-road here though! Hesitant start into 1, trying to get into the map scale and rather rusty having not done this for so long. Strung together a few good controls before overshooting 14 and buggering around near 15 again. After 15 put the hammer down to the finish. Really happy to have taken the win, and my first ever SA title! :-) Really enjoyed the run overall, legs felt good, but I could feel the nav and hesitation into controls was due to serious rustiness...

M21E - Splits

M21E - Splits