Training Log Archive: jtorranc

Back to commuting and grocery shopping.

Some crunches, etc. while watching Lost and Alias. Had considered doing some running in the evening but felt tired and put upon by allergies.

Middle race at Leith Hill - meltdown in the rain. The course was within my abilities through the first 9 controls but I was in over my head after that and had to slow down to deal with the combination of extreme contour detail, thick undergrowth and messy trails, many of which weren't considered distinct enough to map. Though my worst screwups were on easier legs (to 17 and 21) on which I relaxed, made parallel errors and had to relocate on major trails. Probably should have run a couple of minutes slower than Mike Smith. Totally awestruck at the remaining difference to the people who actually mattered in this race. Must go over routes and any commentary from medallists in the relatively near future.

Sprint B final in Battersea Park - inexcusably overshot 6 going straight through the woods rather than to the trail to the south first, also let another runner pull me off course towards a women's course control on 13. Otherwise a respectable effort but that's a big otherwise and the competition was quite dauntingly fast and competent. Was amazed whilst spectating in the arena how many people, confronted with the leg from 17 to 18, aimed for the feature off the center of the circle to the NNE. Though I'll concede the circle isn't perfectly centered on the correct feature on the clean copy of the map the organisers gave me.

World Cup long race on a warm, sunny day. Navigated well (not that the navigation was all that demanding except in a few detailed control circles) with what I regard as normal hesitations and consistent effort. Okay, a little inconsistent since I ran slightly harder after the map exchange when I fell in with a group. The only race of the weekend I'm definitely happy with.

Proving that the WADA athlete selection procedures are truly random, I got drug tested after finishing. Couldn't quite produce enough urine on the first attempt but two litres of water intake and perhaps half an hour later was able to satisfy their needs. Amazing how much fluid one uses up in a long race - I had started hydrated and drank at all but one opportunity out on course.

First leg of the relay. Was able to stay in sight of the leaders on my forking through five controls, then in sight of others closer to my speed until the 11th control, but saw pretty much no one but a Japanese runner or two thereafter. Nice to know I have the raw speed to just about keep up while still reading the map (in that terrain at any rate), just need to develop the aerobic capacity to do so for much longer. Small navigational infelicities in a respectable race for me. Also a much-needed warmup and shakedown for the long race the next day.

Event: World Cup round 1
 

World Cup model event on a small map called The Chantries in Guildford.

Sprint Qualification at the University of Surrey. Much more complicated than any non-woods sprint I'd done before. I think more complicated than any wooded sprint I've done - very difficult reading a good route through all the narrow passages between buildings, hedges, walls and fences at high speed. I was in heat 1. I almost overran my first control during the phase of figuring out where it was. I did overrun my second control, cutting through an opening in the hedge just past the one I wanted and consequently looking at the corner of the wrong building and taking much too long to figure it out. Even more embarassingly, I managed to run past a control (5?) placed at a bend in a path I was following (I must have been reading the map at that moment which I should have done in the 300 preceding meters of trivial navigation). Less boneheadedness thereafter but that was enough damage. Quite an intoxicating experience.

After arriving at Heathrow and meeting up with Mike and Sandy, we headed south to Guildford to check in at the event center and find our accomodations. Mike and I went to one of the training areas, Star Posts North, and each did a map run to get acquainted with the local terrain and mapping.