Training Log Archive: IanW

Lakes Training Tour - Nibthwaite. Peg Relay - took it relatively slowly to #1 and was the first not to get a tape - led a small pack through to #4 where next tapes were and picked up one of them. Coming down to #5, the packs who split at #1 and #4 rejoined. Picked up another tape at #8, then caught in bracken going up and took a poor route choice back down, losing everyone else and hence easing off considerably. But people were being particularly blind at #11 and I found one tape left there, did the obligatory route to 11a and back to the finish where it was established at least 4 people didn't bother checking the flag at #11 for that final tape. Technically was pretty sound, apart from the bad route choice and a parallel error at #12.

Line course on Nibthwaite - very good training, picking out exactly where you were amongst the maze of small hills, knolls and crags wasn't the easiest of things at times. Need to get better at this given what Scandi terrain is like! Got forced off the line by some windblown at one point and took a bit of time to find my way back on.

Just a 'standard' course on Nibthwaite - missed a good/better route on one long leg but otherwise pretty sound technically, reading the detail quite well and spiking all the controls.

To finish off a great day's training (primarily as it was pretty dry!) a "Headless Chicken" race. To make things more interesting it was done in pairs, finding one control at a time, with the more experienced orienteers going map-memory. This was good - the exact location of the flags had to be recalled (got one slightly wrong). Time an estimate, area was pretty flat and felt was moving quite well for the first time in the week - guess the two are related and that my hill fitness is far worse than I thought it was...