Training Log Archive: Anvil

Transylvania Open Day 2
I'm starting to think I have a jinx on World Ranking Events....
Started off slowly, wasn't sure what to expect with the climb and didn't want to die in the arse. Overshot #1, why we were running on a 7500 scale map I'll never know when yesterday was 1:10000. Was OK through the early controls, most of the course was on open farmland with lots of shitty green on the slopes (of which there were many), real shitty green, spiky, overgrown, viney, muddy etc. Started to feel a bit tired on the long uphill section from 6 to 12, but I think I caught my 3 minute man at 10.
Had lots of water at the drink stop, but it wasn't enough, suddenly hit the wall at 16 - just over an hour in. It all went to shit there, missing controls in the circle and taking stupid routes, walking any slope, you know - general softness.
Not much more to report, the route choice leg towards the end was bollocks - going straight had the least climb and was almost all track running. Totally knackered now.
I will never go out without gels on a long course again.

C • slightly less nerdism 3

Just saw the results for the past 2 days and have come 13th both days! One pretty good one and one shocker! One bloke took 4 hours today - that's dedication!

Transylvania Open, Day 1 (also Romania Middle Dist Champs)
Pretty decent race - not a hard area, steep spur gully in beech forest with some erosion detail in the gullies (in some cases very deep/steep edges, respect the earthbanks).
Very minor hesitiation/slightly off line in the circle on 4, 8 and 15 - would be less than a minute total. Very annoyed with 7, it was sneaky leg over a spur but was actually net downhill, but I managed to add 25m of climb to it - I imagine it was a sub 2min leg and I took 3:15.
Also went out waaay too hard and paid for it on the steep/long climbs in the middle part of the course - can blame this on the forest being so amazingly open and fast, there was nothing underfoot in the white.
Happy I spiked the 2 controls in the light green.
Good fun, 12km tomorrow will be tough if it's as hot as today. 13th/29, and a frustrating 10.5 minutes behind the leader. (Though he is a local and did come 9th in the middle in a little event a week ago, so I'll cut myself some slack)

C • nerd time 3

This was meant to be a day of nothing, but I was feeling fairly perky at 6 and knew I wouldn't get any sleep if I didn't hit the pavement, so headed west. Gout out of the main city and into the concrete apartment block jungle, then headed north till I hit the river and then came back through Central Park.
Nice enough, but lots of exhaust - looking at the map I got quite close to the edge of town, if I'd gone a bit further it would have got a but rural which would have been interesting.

Event: Romanina Orienteering Championships
 

Romania Sprint Champs - Baia Mare.
On the map it looked like there was a tiny medieval centre, a tiny university and a big chunk of open parkland - add to that a 13 control sprint course and I wasn't expecting much.
Turns out the map was in none of that part of the town (bar the Uni) and instead in a large apartment complex - the main streets were a normal grid system, but within that was a jumble of apartment blocks and interconnecting walkways flanked by hedges.
Pretty decent run, no mistakes larger than 10s - I'm still unsure which route to #2 was best, probably 10s going into 6, got caught by some hedges which I thought were mapped as impassable but now I see were not, 2 slight hesitations on the way to 11 - one losing contact along a road and not being sure when to turn off, the other expecting a canopy and getting a shed - didn't affect my route just caused me to stop momentarily to check the map.
Started off running quite quickly, did sub 4 min/ks for the first 2km, but dropped to 4:20 for the final 2.5km. Not sure if this is bad pacing or if the heat got to me - it was above 30.
The course was good, but could have been better - it was primarily a route choice exercise, though there were a number of micro routes within each leg that required constant concentration. I'd have preferred to stay out of the area around 8 and 9 and stayed in the complex stuff. There were some areas that could have had some short technical legs, but I suspect it was a small club organising the event, and as it seemed each control needed someone watching it, they were trying to keep controls at a minimum.
But probably the worst thing about the area, being that it was all residential and it was a hot, hot day, were big, big rubbish bins all over the place. In a sprint you don't have the option of holding your breath - I don't know what was going in some of those bins, but I reckon it'd be the first place you'd look if there'd been a murder in Baia Mare.

C • map 3

Just warm up, warm down was the walk to the bus station.
Witnesses the biggest tanty and the start and afterwards at the finish from the same guy. His problem at the start and half the results were a minute out and his issues stemmed from this (I was told afterwards). I dunno what he was saying, but I've never seen such constant aggressive abuse of the organisers at an orienteering event before (though I didn't see the punch up in the finish chute in the UK last year).

C • punch up? 2

Turning the legs over after a longish travel day. Was full of chocolate, chocolate milk, chocolate donuts and those sugary doughy tube things, but didn't feel sluggish.
Went out to the bus station to check the timetable when the information on the internet conflicted with Lonely Planet, then back on some other streets and got very lost. Luckily the communist need to build massive buildings provided some good landmarks.
Why is it in Europe, it's pretty easy to decipher timetables and platforms, but bus stations on a whole are a mess of companies, numbered parking spots and conflicting timetable schedules. A little frustrating - hopefully I'll make tomorrows race and it'll be worth the 6 hr return journey.

Had a douchbag with Sleep Apnoea on the bunk below me last night that ear plugs wouldn't block. Not feeling it today, though was almost motivated after drooling over the cobbled, twisting covered alleys and stairways of Sighisoara.
This country has sprint areas up the whim-wham.
Also saw a tourist wearing 3/4 Trimtex pants in the old town, so it must be a sign.