Training Log Archive: markg

NOL and WOC trial long distance race. Not a terrible run technically but fairly slow and then the whole thing fell apart when I bonked in the final loop, lost all ability to navigate and had to pull out. I started okay running pretty steadily through to #5, with just a little hesitation on #4. Took a while to look at the map for #6 and eventually decided on straight, attacking from the track north of the control. This went swimmingly until I made the same error as at the Easter long race and started navigating to a different control! In this case it was #12 and on the way to #6 so it wasn't a complete failure but I reckon it was worth a couple of minutes. Got to #6 at the same time as Brian and Matt Parton. We all took slightly different routes but got to #7 (1st gel) about the same time and then they took off and I dropped off behind them. Unfortunately, I then mucked up #8 (2min) and #9 (1min) and robw caught up. He proceeded to drop me up the next hill, then we were together again at #11, and then he dropped me for good. I dropped a little time on #13 (2nd gel) and #14 but I was pretty steady from here through to the spectator. Physically I was feeling good except that my hamstrings had been threatening to cramp and this was slowing me down a lot in thicker forest. Unfortunately, shortly after the spectator things went south. I started to get light headed and hungry, and my comprehension of the map and terrain started to fade. I lost 1min on #25 and never found #26. In the end it was a nutrition plan failure that got me and right at the end which was frustrating. More gels and few more kms in training and I would have done okay.

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.