Training Log Archive: cporter

NAOC Sprint Day - Totally got thrown on the whole what looks like brown paved roads are actually paths, that are also fairly indistinct when you're trying to cross them perpendicularly. I lost around a minute with that confusion on my way to #5. No other major issues navigating, besides getting confused when I came up on a control which wasn't mine - it wasn't even on the same feature, so it was totally stupid of me to let that give me pause, but it was on my bearing and within sight of my control, so once I locked eyes on it (I think it was my #10) my mind stopped working.

RedY - Sprint - Splits

NAOC Long Day - Since I am by no means in long distance orienteering shape, I wasn't sure what to expect from this race. I really just wanted to repeat what I did in the middle and navigate well, and just pace myself so that I didn't turn into an aimlessly, rambling mess in the woods tripping over every other log! By that metric, I have to say the race was a success.

Overall, I felt pretty good navigating again today. There were no controls that I really bombed, however I do think I had a couple less-than-optimal routes, or could've-executed-that-better routes. Again, like yesterday, especially towards the "overrun by oak sapling" end of the map, I felt myself hesitating some-what, only to be frustrated when I hit the control bang on.

Again, my need for speed was an issue, but considering how not in shape I am, I felt like I moved through the woods pretty well for the majority of the course. Now, I just have to do it faster! Oh, I also have to get more used to spectator controls with cameras (both the still and motion picture kind) surrounding it. That kind of threw me at #14, and I probably lost close to a minute worrying if I'd overrun my control and was nearing the arena.

RedY Long - Splits

NAOC Middle Day - Really fun race! OK, well it got off to a rough start - it was raining, and I totally blew #1 and had to bail out to the trail, and then on #3 I also was on the wrong side of the thicket from my control, but from then on through most of the course I was really delightfully smooth in my navigation. I maintained contact with the map, had no trouble reading it or navigating right to my controls. In fact, for at least the first 3/4's of the course (until I started to really get tired) I felt that I could navigate much faster than I could run. Even when the bottom dropped out and it began to pour out there I still was able to maintain focus.

After the spectator control on our course, I could feel myself starting to tire physically and mentally and I started to hesitate and move without the same purpose I had earlier in the course, but fortunately I still managed to hang on OK, without totally blowing any of my remaining controls.

Middle - RedY - Splits

Event: 2012 North American Orienteering Championships