Training Log Archive: Jon X

Event: British Orienteering Championships
 

British Champs Long 2011, M40L, 3rd place.

I guess a championship race is ultimately about position. I thought before the race that I had an outside chance of a top 3 finish. And in the end I was indeed on the podium in 3rd, which I am delighted with.

It is a lot harder to be delighted with my performance though, nothing like the performance i thought would be needed for a top finish. Shaky at 1&2, felt like i was into it through 3&4 but got confused on the way to 5 (never got a grip on the path/ride mapping in the Greno section) and when i did relocate ran to #8 not #5 by mistake. Saw Ben punching and realised. More time gone at 7 and coming back to 8, all adding up to a terrible start losing more than 6 mins by control 8. Probably helped that i knew i was only a minute longer than Ben to 8 so didn't realise quite how much time i had lost. Improved briefly but problems at 13&14 cost another minute, then a miss at the end of the long leg to 15 (plus perhaps also my route?) meant another 2 mins or so gone. There were positives too though as from 15 I ran the final half hour really well and pushed hard with fastest splits on the two longest legs in that section. I was in 8th at #15 and more than 5 mins off a top 3, so the final section was good for me!

Bill won in just under 70mins, Rich Barrett was second in 72mins, then I sneaked into third at the head of a little group - me 78mins then Neil C, Ben and Andy M all on 79mins and Jase on 81mins.

Route: http://www.syo.routegadget.co.uk/cgi-bin/reitti.cg...

C • Route to 15? 2

Good warm-up to the start arriving in good time for drills and stretches. Feeling better than at any time in past two weeks and ready to race.

Decent warm down shuffle with Ben.

Course 7 - Splits

Legs really quite heavy and tight from yesterday's not-at-all strenuous session. Cold still lingering too dammit.

However, I do believe it is the National Championships tomorrow. Looking forward to feeling great when I wake up tomorrow....

C • More importantly.... 2

Round Leckie again. Cold almost gone now and hoping to feel quite bouncy but instead just felt totally lacking in rhythm. When I got to the top of the track did 2x45sec at a good pace with 45sec in between, and then did that twice more on the way back with 90sec between each pair. Running at a decent pace didn't feel much harder and felt a little more rhythmical, not sure the pace was quite what it should have been though....

Settled for the rest day rather than the 20 mile threshold run.....

Decided I was on the mend (helped by crying off the trip to London today) and gave the FVO evening event at Barr Wood a go. Just ran steady but feeling okay in the legs, glutes and ITBs v tight though. Felt better for going out, pretty hopeful now that I will be back fighting fit by Saturday.

Excellent planning tonight too....

Collected a few flags with an extra jaunt across to the open farmland as I remembered I still had the start cane from March's night race to pick up! Luckily it was still there and unscathed, obviously not to the taste of the cattle loitering nearby.

Still a bit bunged up and achey but getting there I think....I hope....

C • Take it easy... 5

Waited out all the nasty rain and headed out in the beautiful evening sunshine. Still feeling a bit lethargic and bunged up but much better.

For the first ten mins or so my legs and muscles felt like they had spent the last four or five days doing nothing but sit around and stiffen up.......improved a bit after that and running became a bit less of an effort.

Could tell I wasn't 100% but heart rate and perceived effort level both felt okay, just need to shift the rest of the stuff off my chest before next weekend now.

Could do with a forest session and some reps/strides before Saturday. Could do without planned London trip on Wednesday!