Training Log Archive: Thraws

Event: British Middle Championships (UKOL)
 

Park Wood, Bradenham and Naphill. Loved walking past the old YH where I used to walk or cycle with my brothers and sister back in the mid-70s en route to the start. Then started well and got cocky? Anyway, couldn't find 6 after I tried to run straight to it, lost 2 mins and had to relocate. Did exactly the same for 7. Even so, I was probably only about two minutes down at the road crossing (16 mins) and feeling alright, although I was already being passed by the leaders. Faffed near 14 and ran to the wrong b****y flag at 15. (Started to do this a lot now, and my emitag picked them all up!) 17 was the second biggest error (90 secs) after I stopped way too early in the wrong unmapped clearing. Then got really sloppy once the forest opened up a bit and just ran-and-hoped for 19 to 23. Was miles out for 20 and had to relocate again. Really tricky nav throughout and pretty tough forest meant there were mistakes all over and I finished with a half-decent result even though time was rubbish. I reckon I made about 7 minutes of mistakes. A mostly frustrating experience as so much of it was spent bumbling, but maybe I can take lessons learnt to Charlton for the middle race next weekend?

Event: British Sprint Championships (UKOL)
 

Aldershot Garrison. Heat 1. As the extent of my ambition was making the A Final, this was in effect the main event. It needed to be clean, which meant keeping constant contact. I spotted on the blank maps at the start the only bit of 3-D on the map and knew that bridge would need care. First leg went near it and was long but I identified all the buildings. Controls were touch-free emit so you had to check the code and check the flash and get going. It was over the bridge to 2 then straightforward to 6. The detail in the circle was complicated but there was nearly always someone else punching. It was very busy. Under the bridge to 7 then some runnable legs through the open to 13 then back to 17. I was mistake-free to here but tiring now and likely to get distracted. Crossed the bridge to 18, took my own route to 20, and finished off ok. First at download but time in the end was nothing special. Finished 5th in the heat so made the A final, starting fourth.

A Final. Run was mostly mistake-free again, but different in character. In the northern part of the map were a lot of fences which weren't easy to see but which you had to plan routes through. I played safe so I'm not sure if I lost time going to 7, 10 and 11, where I can see better routes now I'm not rushing, but their complexity may have meant my simpler choice was better. I was pretty close to the leaders in the end, even though I was fourth from last, but I may have taken an illegal route to 16 and 18. I went between the building and the hedge because everyone else did. There was no tape such as they had everywhere else. Did everybody cheat? There was an hour delay getting the start times up for the final, but the racing had been great fun and I think I did about as well as I'm ever going to do at a major event.

Left ankle still weak, but zip and even bounce seem to have returned after Sunday's efforts.

Windy!