Training Log Archive: ColmM

M21E - 5th.
Without Darren or Nick here, I can make that 7th.
Marcus was 98mins, after a 6min mistake. And then the other 4 were just in front of me, Conor and Neil 103 and Ruairí also 105, but nonetheless in front.
Had to head home early so unfortunately I didn't get to talk to any of the others about their races, really.

QuckRoute

But here's most of mine: (by the way, the course starts and finishes where my QR started and that, so the start triangle on the map is actually number 1, and there were actually 2 more controls after that finish).

1) I started fine, easy, I knew this was going to be long, and number 1 wasn't hard, just off the really obvious marsh.

2) It was this leg where I made a decision for the whole course that I would open up a little on flats and downhills. Pretty quick to the crossing point, then it was just bearing, passing the lake and reading a bit. A little cautious over the 2nd half of this leg, but nailed it.

3) Trivial control really.

4) Was a little too high for the crossing point, but realised so wouldn't have lost much. Planned on going up the lower re-entrant but I found a nice runnable section and decided I'd stay above the re-entrant, meant anice entry to the control - orienteering really well at this stage.

5) of course it's when you're orienteering well that you slip up, not a big miss, 20-30s by going too low.

6) I felt quite strong on the hill, I lost confidence a little early and stopped about 50m short for about 20s trying to make sense, but again realised quickly enough.

8) 7 was straight forward. On my way to 8 I got the chance to open up a little again, compass most of the way, hit the hill halfway then the stream, confident, but I found the area around 8 very strange and hard to understand, again lost confidence and spent 20s just stopped before 8.

9) In hindsight, the left side of the hill might have been better than the right, as it got a little vague and I lost confidence again stopping short (recurring theme, losing 30s)

10-11) 10 was nice, and fun, and felt good reading the map. 11 was easy.

12) Lost control trying to fix a pin that was sticking into my stomach, but regained near the end of the leg, having climbed an extra hill.

13) Stupid mistake here, just lost control, realised as there was a lack of contours where I was going (30s)

14-16) All easy, running fine too, decent enough.

17) Picked this out as a trickier leg, and I think I was right. Went straight and a little low, hit the stream, then marsh, then re-entrant and finally the boulder on the flat just before the control. Was really nice orienteering.

18) Where I first started to tire... Really felt the uphill, and knew I was struggling. Originally planned on going right, but chose left as running looked a little nicer.

19-21) okay orienteering, doing fine, reading map well, but slowing a little.

22-23) Slowing more, but fine navigation.

24) This uphill is where it really hit me. I was in 2nd, reasonably comfortably, but the distance had hit me and I was tired. Struggled through, trying to run, but veered a lot left, not concentrating on map, took me some time to re-locate (~ 1:40 missed)

25) stopped for quick water break in the lake, and died up the last hill. Once I hit the top, it was easy, massive re-entrant, obvious fence corner.

26) the downhill had spurred me on and I pushed on the last real control, realised I was a bit low at the crags, but saw some marsh so I thought I was still right. Ended up too low and had a horrible climb back up. (1:40)

Overall, my race was good for a long time. I was up there for quite a long time, but the last few controls I dropped my places due to tiredness, and tiredness induced mistakes. Haven't been training much, so I can't be disappointed. I feel confident that I can improve a lot on that race, and some of my orienteering felt much better than it has been recently. Looking forward to Shamrock and Scotland, hopefully I'll get some good training in in time for the latter.
Confidence issues were the main other thing, I'll try work on that because it shouldn't be an issue if I'm orienteering well.

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1 - Splits

Event: Irish Orienteering Championships
 

M21E - 6th
Nick and Darren aren't here, so it's a bit of a disappointing result.

Started well enough. Got 1 well.
Made a mistake to 2, lack of a bearing meant I was a bit left and made a parallel error, copped it fast enough to only lose ~20s though.
3 went well enough, 4 was decent too. Running alright and navigation decent enough. At 6 I struggle up the hill, my legs felt weak. 7 I stopped very early, thought it would be about that distance, but when I looked up I could see the spur, again ~30s.
8 was where it all went downhill. Came off the rocky area a bit right, made a parallel error again. hitting stuff that kind of lined up, but not quite, took ages to relocate, and was helped by Conor coming down and nailing it. 4mins lost, and 4mins caught by Conor. Race over, woop!
To 9 though I ran hard because I wanted to, nailed my route and the control, Conor and I worked hard, and were pretty far ahead of the rest on this leg. I felt it on the uphill to 10 again though, just very weak. Conor caught away, and I was hanging on over the next section. He was running well, and I could move fine through the terrain, but he was navigating well too. I had to do hardly any work, and there's no denying that.
Unfortunately I threw Conor a bit on the way down to 16(?), he was just beginning to overshoot when I told him he should be going faster (woops, my b.)
We corrected after a while, but it was 45s lost. I thought I'd just lost him the race...

My pace was good through most of the race, but it was helped a lot by Conor. Most of the others weren't running as fast, but running together definitely helped. Still, it's a positive nonetheless. Shame about 8 as I was slightly ahead of Conor at 7, and it would have been nice to have challenged, or to have run the last bit alone.
Need more training.

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Course 1 - Splits

Was gonna run but then Ben mangan and Torben dragged me up to three rock. Cool.

Results are up. Woop. Splits too.