Training Log Archive: BorisGr

Warmups for the two sprint races

NAOC Sprint

Because of my recent back problems, I have had trouble with two hard workouts in one day, so I decided to focus on the relay and take the individual sprint at a cruising pace. It was a fun course, and I was often tempted to run harder, but ended up saving my legs and sticking to a just-above-jogging pace most of the way.

NAOC Relay - USA Team 3 (Cristina-Boris-Sergei-Hannah)

This was really exciting! One of the most fun and spectator-friendly races that I can recall in North America. Nevin and Meghan's commentary helped create an awesome atmosphere, and the spectating opportunities were great.

My own race was underwhelming. Cristina did great on the first leg, and I went out just behind Erin and Damian, and just ahead of Ian. I was confused at the start triangle and took a weird looping route to #1. Erin did more or less the same thing. On the way to 2 Damian steadily pulled away, and I basically was by myself through the woods. I bobbled a couple of controls, which was unacceptable, and as a result, Robbie and Ian were in front of me when we came out of the woods. I hung on as best I could and finished with Ian, about 15 seconds behind Robbie. I certainly could have done better, but it was good enough for our team to finish 4th, behind only one Canadian team. A bonus was watching Hannah hold off Izzy on the anchor leg to keep us ahead of the top junior team!

It was very cool to watch Sam anchor USA1 to victory, and equally cool to watch Alison Campbell fight hard and lead USA2 to silver, setting the fastest women's time of anyone on leg 1 or 4 in the process.

So much fun to be part of Team USA for a third straight BK Cup win! Proud to be part of the team and to be able to contribute points, and also very impressed with our amazing women, who absolutely dominated this weekend!

And since I don't think it has been listed anywhere, here is everyone (I think) who contributed points or helped push down Canadian points: Ethan, Sergei, Eric, Ross, Boris, Ian, John HW, Erin, Will E., Will H., Sandra, Sam, Kseniya, Alex, Pia, Ali, Hannah, Alison, Tori, Cristina, Izzy, Katrina.
A real team effort!!

C • Very glad to see your list ... 2

Sprint - Course 5a - Splits

Long - Course 10 - Splits

Warmup

NAOC Middle Distance Race WRE
The course: http://www.powersoft.ca/files/results_centre/maps/...

What a disappointment!
This NAOC title was there for the taking for many runners from the US and Canada, and most of them blew their chances in a big way, myself included. I opened well, with a safe route to #1, and then had a complete disaster on 2. It was a very short leg. I attacked into the circle and saw a big boulder with a knoll behind it and thought for sure I was at the control. I saw no flag when I got to the control and I just panicked. I looked to my right and saw a bunch of small hills and decided that I must be to the left of the control, since the map showed a green nothingness to the right. I went right, and nothing made sense. I decided to go back to #1 and attack again. This time I came to the exact same boulder as before, but went further and saw the control sitting behind a much smaller boulder about 5 meters away. Mike Smith, who started 2 minutes later, punched the control just behind me, and I felt devastated.

I pushed hard after this and orienteered well for a couple of controls before messing up #5, where I just could not understand the vegetation. After a small bobble on 6, the race went better and I was clean the rest of the way, feeling good physically. I ended up 19th overall, 9th North American, 4th American, and about 2:40 from Brian May's NAOC-winning time.

Brian did a great job, and I am so happy to see him win the title and choose to go to WOC next year. I remember being inspired by him when he was my teammate, racing for Team USA at WOC 2003 and qualifying for the middle distance final.

I was so upset after this race. I went and talked to the course setter and the IOF controller, and went back out to look at the area around #2. I have never protested a course in my life, but this is the closest I have ever come. My second (third?) time around, I walked from 1 to 2 and again came to the same larger boulder that was not on the map. The control was in the right location, probably, but the mapping in the circle and to the east of it was terrible. There were many small hills to the east in reality in the featureless green area on the map. I asked the IOF controller about it, and he said "well, they told me that they did not fieldcheck anything to the east of the control circle and just left it green."

I find that unbelievable. I had such high hopes coming into NAOC this year, expecting it to set the standard for what a North American high level event should be like. They got a lot of things right - terrain, atmosphere, socializing, interaction with the host town, but unfortunately they got a very crucial thing wrong: the map. I don't understand why the organizers chose to do the map in-house for the continent's most high profile event in at least a decade.

I know that I sound like a sore loser, and I surely do not deserve to win anything since everyone had the same conditions and handled them far better than I did. Still, I am very disappointed by the quality of this map and the effect it had on my race.

C • Good write-up, Boris 1

Middle - Course 10 - Splits

Event: NAOC2014 (North American Champs/Ottawa O-Fest)
 

NAOC model event. I jogged around pretty slowly and got stuck in the green several times. Came out covered in burrs and not too impressed with the map. Glaring problems with vegetation mapping, and the contours were very sketchy. Hoping for a better map the coming days.

Morning run