Training Log Archive: BorisGr

My routes from the Trials:

Middle
Sprint
Long Part 1
Long Part 2

Results:

Middle
Sprint
Long

TT Scoring List: http://www.petergagarin.org/misc/teamtrials-men.jp...

Made the team.
Just for amusement, here are my trials scores from the last four times I ran the trials (made the team each time). Could not find anything prior to 2005.

2010 - 291.76
2009 - 293.29
2006 - 300.48
2005 - 277.31

Not getting any better... Overall, this was a mediocre set of Team Trials races for me, with the middle and sprint races below expectations and long race at expectations for my current form. Still, I think I am running better this spring than I have since spring 2008, so that's encouraging. If I can keep training without huge setbacks for the next twelve months (a big if!), then a return to the WOC team for a middle distance race in France is not unthinkable.

On a more general note, it was great to see how competitive women's trials were. It's definitely the most competitive that I can recall. The men's is another story entirely. The 80's seem to be a lost decade for US men's orienteering, as only three people born in the 80's have run WOC for the US. We did not add any this year, with rookies Nikolay and Matt being 32 and 36, respectively. We currently have a great generation of talented and enthusiastic juniors (Andrew C, Carl U, Ethan C, Nate L, John HW, John G, Gabe S, Keith A, Jaxon R, Greg A) and young(ish) seniors (Jordan L, Erin S, Brendan S, Leif A, Ian S). While everyone around is talking about USOF (OUSA, whatever, i don't give a damn what we call it or what the logo is) recruiting new people and growing participation, what I want to know is, how do we keep these guys (who we already have) in orienteering and help them get better? We have the talent, we have the enthusiasm to have a great new generation of orienteers. How do we take the next step and not have another lost generation once they go off to college or real life?

C • ask the lost generation 4

Team Trials Long

Probably my best long race so far this season, which is not saying much, since it's only my fourth. The best thing about it was that I didn't totally fall apart in the second half and managed to maintain ok speed to the end. I still had a section in the middle when my brain wasn't there (#15, #16), and I lost over a minute on #7, but ok otherwise.
Highlight (lowlight?) was the half-dozen snakes that I startled when taking the trail route from 9 to 10. One was quite fat and slow to slither away - probably a rattler.

Blue B Long - Splits

M-21+ TT Only Long - Splits

Event: 2010 US Team Trials for WOC
 

Warm-ups and cool-downs

US Team Trials Middle Distance

Fun course, disappointing race. I'd been racing with a chip on my shoulder the last two weekends that somehow fueled my racing and gave me an extra gear that was just missing today. I felt like I sleepwalked through the course, never pushing to the limits and yet still managing to make a couple of mistakes (15 sec on 4, 30 sec on 11, 45 sec on 15). Ended up 2 minutes behind Eric. Nate Lyons had a great race and finished 2nd.

US Team Trials Sprint
Another really fun course by Greg and Sergei, though the map had a couple of imperfections, one of which cost me. I felt surprisingly good physically and was running well through 14 controls (3rd overall, 0:13 behind Ross) when I lost 44 seconds on #15 - I ran through an unmapped passage through the green and thought the control I saw had to be women's, since it was not where I expected it to be. Made a loop through the next patch of green and came back to check that control, which turned out to be mine. Argh. Then also overran #18 by a few steps - another 10 seconds gone.
Great race by Patrick - that's how sprints should be run!

Blue Sprint - Splits

Easy run at West Rock with Becky and Marie in the beginning. Felt pretty tired, so didn't do the long run I considered doing. Will probably take tomorrow off.

We saw an opossum outside our building last night. It was cute. I wonder if there is some rivalry between the gangs of raccoons and opossums for the nighttime supremacy of our parking lot.

Went out to Osbornedale to do some exploring for my upcoming local event there. The girls came along - Kat, Becky, and Anais.
It was cold and wet, and the map wasn't exactly perfect, but at least now I know which areas to avoid for the courses.

Intervals at the track. Much nicer with company, in the form of Marie and Siobhan. Did the same eight 400's and two 200's as last week, with 1 minute rest.

76
76
76
77
75
74
75
74
33
33

- Splits