Training Log Archive: markg

Event: NOL Round 3 / WOC Selection Trial - 'Coalfields Classic'
 

NOL Sprint at Uni of Newcastle. Finished in 7th which I'm pretty sure is my best NOL result (previous best is perhaps 8th on day 1 of Easter 2010), and only 3s of 5th place too. Really pleased with my race , I felt like I was nice and smooth through the technical stuff and never let it get away from me. There were a few little errors but I was happy that I didn't lose my focus after them and finished strongly.

NOL Middle. Not a good run for various reasons. I ended up well down the field and even had I eliminated my big mistakes I would have had a poor time. I tried to start steadily but couldn't make sense of the terrain in the circle. It turned out I was practically standing on top of it. Similar story on the second but also wasn't reading the map well so had a few hesitations. Ditto for #3. #4-8 were good legs and started to get some rhythm but I was surprisingly slow compared to the rest of the field. I made a couple of stupid directional errors on 9 and 10 dropping at least 1min and then had a bit of trouble on 11. Caught sight of Simon behind me at 12 and he was on me by 14. I stuck with him until 19, we'd caught Oliver Crosato but I got bit confused and dropped off the back. Ran just behind Oliver for a few controls but wasn't orienteering well, executing 22 really badly and then making a real mess of 24, dropping about 3min for no good reason. I definitely found the early terrain a challenge, I need to practise stop-light orienteering, starting a leg slower to read the map and plan better, execute fast, then slow down into the control for reading the control circle detail. I'm also lacking some confidence and not attacking controls with aggression. Oh and fitness is lacking somewhat too.

NOL 1 - Splits

Middle NOL 1 - Splits

This was meant to be a moderate session with a bit of threshold and a few quick bits but had a resurgence of Anna's Ankle Curse (not to the extent of making me cry like a baby, thankfully) and ended up plodding around. Some combination of massage, stretching and slowing down seemed to make it happier and I got around. I hope it goes away before the weekend ...

Recovery jog around KG. Calves pretty tight but I think my achilles is ok.

Either a 5k race requires more specific preparation then I would have guessed or I've come down with something. I'm sore practically all over including a ripper headache and just want to go back to bed.

Nice long easy warmup out to the national park and back to the race start. Ran into Geoff Stacey who'd just run the half.

Noosa News 5k at the Noosa Winter Festival. I'd never run a 5k before so was pretty sure it was going to be a PB - as long as I finished, which I've had problems with lately ;) My hope was to do around 18min. Sub-18 was the dream but more realistically I was thinking of 18.

I arrived at the start 10min early and discovered that wasn't nearly early enough to get a good start position! I managed to jump the fence and get about 5m from the front along with a bunch of 10 year olds, mums and dads so the start was understandably chaotic! I nearly cleaned up a woman when the gap I was running through turned into a small child. I started to clear the pack after 300m — I was well off the lead already — and started reeling people in. I went through the first k in 3:25 which was on target and then 2km in 3:33 and still feeling pretty good and had been steadily gaining places. I passed Megan and Ewan just before 2km which gave me a little boost and then again (it was an uninspiring out and back course) just after 3km. It's nice to have a cheer squad :)

Started to struggle after this and was just trying to hold on but I was in a small pack with people surging and then dropping off again. As we neared 500m to go, the group had thinned and I was a few metres behind a guy with facial hair and a teenage kid and didn't feel like I had anything left to challenge them. After cresting the final bridge, with about 150m to go, I was closing in a little and enthused by this managed to lift my pace a little more. I reeled in both of them but facial hair guy got a second wind and came back over me in the last few metres.

I was really happy with nearly cracking 18min and started wondering where I'd come in my age group. I had no idea how many had finished in front or how old they were but figured a place was possible. Pat Caroll was doing the presentations and when he didn't say my name for 2nd or 3rd I figured I was further back but to my surprise I'd won! Nice to win something even if it feels a bit silly to 'win' a 5k in 18min :) I got a swish medal that Ewan wore proudly and a $100 shoe voucher from Mizuno and Allez Sport in Mooloolaba. Turned out I was 5th overall and I actually beat facial hair guy on net time. Great day all up :)

C • nice win 3

Slow jog back to our accommodation.