Training Log Archive: Craney

Event: NOL Round 3 / WOC Selection Trial - 'Coalfields Classic'
 

University of Newcastle. Didn't have that long to get ready once we'd found the place (travel directions were from the entrance of the uni to the car park!) and felt a bit under warmed-up on the first few controls. Wasn't sure about going left to #2, but seemed ok. It got really fiddly around #5 and I got on the wrong level and tried to open a door into a building - it was actually really fortunate it was locked as I could see the corridor through it and it looked like it fitted the map! Worked it out quickly though, so only dropped 10-15secs. Then missed the underpass to #6 costing a few more seconds. Fine through the next section of short legs. Maybe missed the best route on the long leg, but caught sight of Bryan at the end of it. Reeled him in over the final section of the course and really felt like my legs got going in this bit. Got past him only to mess up the penultimate control by 5secs letting him through. Did just enough to take the win from Simon :o)

A great sprint race with a bit of everything. On the face of it quite straightforward, but very difficult to have a perfect run so I was quite happy to only drop 30secs ish.

Routegadget

'The Environs of the Old Pelaw Main Colliery' (catchy). Felt fine after this morning warming up so was able to get straight into it. The area was cool - ok, lots of rubbish and burnt out cars, but loads of little fiddly details going on and really well-mapped vegetation. It all felt quite familiar to me, reminding me of areas in England like Wombwell near Sheffield. Nice and smooth through the first 9 short legs (banana-ed a bit on #2 and #7). Took the safe route to #10 which lost time but I'd do it again given half the chance. #11 was a real game-changer - I dropped 30secs through hesitations, although was never far off line and high-fived myself when I found it. Picked the pace up on the long leg, but lost time on #14 expecting it to be the spectator control (Grant was actually ahead of me here, but did go to the spectator control and mp-ed). Going well til #19 where I ran across the ride without seeing it and did more of a boomerang than a banana but somehow only lost 20secs. Got it back together again for the rest of the course, but got it really wrong on the last control - wrong route, then punched the wrong last control before realising dropping about 25secs. So, a slightly scrappy run, but mistakes probably only totalled about 2mins, which was ok for this but potentially punishable - good enough for the win again fortunately. Very fun course.

Routegadget

C • thats probably the biggest ... 1

NOL 1 - Splits

Middle NOL 1 - Splits

Driving up to Newcastle in the arvo.

Headtorchy run up Davidson Trig and Red Hill - felt pretty good all told.

6x3mins round Arthur Circuit (a road of about 2km in an exact circle) in Forrest. Quite a good loop actually as it's on a slope and each interval was about half a circuit, so if you start half way up you get some up and down on each one. Felt not unreasonable.

Jog there and back, and 1min recoveries. I've decided that if New York is 'the city that never sleeps', Canberra must be 'the city that is home from work by 6pm, curled up in front of the telly by 7pm, tucked up in bed by 9pm'.

At home studying today, so thought I'd make the most of a nice sunny day and head out to Blackie to re-run an old Twilight course of mine from 2007. Only problem was I simply couldn't be arsed. Got 20mins round, had a sit down, then ran back to the car. Not a trace of guilt so it's all good.

C • Studying? 2

Evening roady cruise into Civic, Braddon, Campbell and back. Felt alright. Baltic out there tonight.

Enjoyed this a lot. Lots of granite, contours, scrub and hardly any paths - nothing like this in the UK, maybe a few Spanish areas come close. It had overgrown a bit since the map was made, and the first few controls were like a real adventure crashing through thick scrub hoping to find a massive rock or two. I did badly here, dropping 5mins by #6 (3mins behind Gracie on a very similar course!). #1 was weird - I went in from my AP but nothing fitted, so I went back out to check I was right, and I was, so I went back in in the same place and it all fitted this time. 2mins dropped. #3 I lost contact and tried to wing it - fail. Another 2mins dropped. #5 and #6 were hesitant (and a bit lucky). Anyway, not in a boo as it wasn't a big race and I was just loving the adventurey feel of it. It actually got a lot more open from this point too, it turned out, so I was able to get into a bit more of a rhythm and hardly dropped any more time over the course. There was a really long leg with 4 totally different but equally valid route choices. Mine was ok, but Olle was a bit quicker on his. Pleased how I felt physically in general and my orienteering felt like it was starting to come back to me as the course went on - defo been suffering from the lack of practice. Great day out though, can see myself continuing to enjoy orienteering for a while longer yet.

C • O' in another country 2

Quite a long uphill jog to the start.