Training Log Archive: carolineheloise

travel day.

ugh.
Aus Relays at Hill End. Running first leg for 2nd Aus team.
So this run started off really well. Then I lost control and it went to shit.
All was well until #8. I had been thinking well, and orienteering well in general whilst keeping a good pace and looking at winsplits had a lead over the others. #8 would've been fine had I seen it when I went past it. I couldn't figure out where I could be, because I was sure I was in the right spot but just couldn't see then control. My gps track shows this. I then went to the solid features either side, both confirming that I was in the right spot and eventually saw the control on my was back in to where I was originally. I don't think that the map here is an accurate representation of what is in the terrain, especially from that angle, but hey what can you do about that one. Jo caught me for the first here.
After getting #9 fine, I then proceeded to not think at all and fully cook #10 by going to #11 first. twice. I should've just read the bloody map aarrgghh!!!! By the time I had gotten #10 and #11 in the right order, Jo and Marisol had caught me and overtaken me. Caught them back half way to #12 which was fine but we then mucked up #13 (in the circle, again). Because we had come from above, we had had to detour around a gully and some green, which then put us too high and off the line and as a consequence didn't see the control. It would've been a lot better to come from beneath it and up the erosion gully into the control.
There were good parts to this run and quite a few awful bits. I definitely can learn a lot from this race (and this entire week) and build from this.

Aus Long at Hill End.
A bit of a rough start and I knew I had to pick it up a bit after going through the spectator, though in hindsight I think I definitely should've pushed harder on the long legs where I could just run.
Got confused in the circle of #2 because I couldn't understand how the map and control descriptions matched to terrain. Lost about a minute and a half here. Bad entry into #3 because I didn't read the detail enough (at all) cost me another minute. Lost another minute and a half on #4 from rushing and not reading the detail enough. Ran #5 properly which was good. Cooked #6 though, needed to check compass better and not be lazy and let myself be pushed around. Another minute and a half here. Started sorting myself out from here onwards. Lost a little bit on #8, I think I was a bit unsure on exiting the control. Lost a bit over a minute on #9, some of this would've been along the way from being extra cautious and a bit indecisive but most of it would be in or close to the circle. Definitely could've run faster and more aggressively to #10, but overall this leg was alright I think. Similarly for #11, I was running a bit conservatively but overall happy with this leg. Got the fastest split for #12 but I know I definitely could've been running faster here, or at least looking ahead more. Happy with this leg otherwise though. Lost 45s on #13, again close to and in the circle, my entry into it from off the track was not solid/reliable and I ended up a bit off. Another 15s gone on #14, I stopped too early and checked the two knoll/pillars before it. Should've known better. Made sure I didn't make the same mistake on #15 as on #6 which was good, but I still lost around 15s over the last 2 legs purely from running speed.
Lost easily 10mins in total, not good.
So overall sticking with the messy runs which seem to be a recurring pattern this week. I definitely have a lot of work to do on my navigation.
A really fun race though, I've ben absolutely loving this terrain!!

Aus Long Course 4 - Splits

super tired.

Public run at Macquarie Woods.
Super nice map!!
Took it really easy and only did half the course, was fun.

Bathurst 3 Day - Day 3 Middle - C3 H3 MenC WomenB - Splits

Public sprint.
Started off quite slow as intended but got into it more at the end and started pushing a bit. Legs felt quite tired when warming down so tomorrow is definitely going to be taken very easy again.
Hot but heaps of fun. Happy with how I was orienteering for most of this.

Bathurst 3Day - Day2 Sprint C3 H3 MenC WomenB - Splits

Public race at Roseberg.
Took it super duper easy. Cooked it a bit, something weird was going on with my compass work.
Was so hungry the whole time too so not pushing at all.

Bathurst 3day - Day1 C3 H3 MenC WomenB - Splits

Felt a lot better after this.

Aus Middle at Hill end.
Really cool terrain, though I don't really think that the course made the most of the technical bits in some parts. Even so, my run was still pretty scrappy and messy navigationally.
Slow start, I think going to the right would've been better as it was so easily visible from miles away on that side. A bit off on #2 but realised quickly fixed it up. I think I let myself get pushed around too much by the green patch and other vegetation. Made sure to double check #3 and #4 so that they would be fine. Lost a bit on #5, I think mainly from not pushing enough on the track part but also should've been more careful with my exit out of #4. Was a bit off on exit again out of #5 but luckily checked myself. Went way too far around for #7, should've maybe chosen the left option in the creek but I was just worried about not being able to get out of it if the earth walls were too steep. Could've pushed more on the hill up to #8 because even though I was second guessing myself, I did know that I was right where I wanted to be and then the other boulder was able to confirm that. #9 was right next to a taped pit which was visible from miles away so a pretty boring running leg, but useful for planning ahead. #10 was fine, chose to detour slightly to stay high because I was a bit knackered from the climb up to the top and didn't want to drop just to have to climb again. #11 wasn't good. I should've checked my exit direction properly and gone down the slope in stead of across it. Though it kind of did work a bit in my favour because I had a good entry into the control following off the track bend and straight down the gully to it, so luckily didn't end up loosing too much time. Lost a little bit of time on #13 because I hadn't looked ahead this far yet and didn't know which was I was going before I got there, meaning that I could've had a better exit. This got me again for #15 where I was also pulled away from the creek into the open because I let myself get distracted by other runners. Stupid, and all I had to do was follow the creek. #16 would've been alright, but I stayed up high for too long, causing me to miss the creek junction which I wanted to be in, putting me in a bit of the terrain where the map from this side was less clear in how it was interpreted.
Overall, another not clean run, and I was just lucky to not lose more time, especially at the end when my brain was cooked. I lost at least 5 mins, a lot of which is just from being careless.
Such awesome terrain though, this was heaps of fun.

Middle Dist Champs Course 4 - Splits

Event: Australian Orienteering Carnival 2017
 

pre brekky.

Aus Sprint Champs at Charles Sturt University.
Quite hot and was feeling pretty yuck in the stomach during the warm up.
Alright run, just felt like chucking up the whole time and as a consequence couldn't run fast.
Navigation was alright, I think most of my routes were fine, I just wasted a whole lotta time hesitating, especially over tiny stupid decisions. Around the colleges in the first part trying to figure out the walls and then the undercover areas near #15 and #16 were where I think I lost the most time from hesitations. I think that sometimes I just need to pick a route and stick to it more, I was hesitating a bit when I suddenly saw another option when I got to it.
Also lost time being extra careful around olive green and fences but I would rather be safe than sorry.
It got a bit better towards the end and pace improved slightly but still not great.
I think I should've been at least one or two minutes faster in total.
Was a fun course though and a nice map.

Aus Sprint Champs Course 2 - Splits