Note
On the Sycamore Scramble:
Short term Preparation: While my training over the past month has been... adequate, during the week, I failed to effectively prepare for the meet. I was distracted - by the US Ski-O champs, by a busy work schedule, and by lack of sleep. I averaged about 5 hours of sleep this week, and I developed a cold during the week. I did have a restful Friday, the day before the races.
The Middle Distance: I warmed up well and felt good the morning of the race. My clothing was sufficient - tights, a short sleeved polypro shirt, and my CSU shirt. My mental readiness and concentration that morning were excellent. I started the race well, with good flow, planning, execution, and an aggressive pace. However, the physical demands of the terrain - the fast speed and climb - caught up to me, and I started making mistakes, including :30 errors at 3, 6 and 9, a 2:00 error at 11, and a 1:00 error at 13.
Had I executed my plans cleanly, I think I would have run sub 37, which is excellent for me. Even with the errors, I'm pleased with the race because of the promise I showed, but I must work on my fitness, my mental acuity during a race, and my navigation. I finished 10:20 behind Will and 5:45 behind Ken. I cooled down for about 20 minutes running with Ken back from the remote finish.
The Sprint Distance: My sprint, which I expected to be my best distance, was a categorical disaster. During the four hour interval between my middle and sprint, I ate the provided lunch, stretched a bit, and assisted in the setup of the extreme String-O WUOC team fundraiser. I ran the string-O twice; the demand from the warmup and the string-O may have adversely affected my sprint - I had already run one race and over an hour that morning. According to the analysis, I was slow - suggesting fatigue, and extremely error-prone, with :45 on control 2, 0:20 on 5, 2:00 on control 6, :30 on 9, and :20 on 10. Four minutes of errors and sluggishness on a sprint is inexcusable, and easily my worst recent result. I rolled my ankle twice during the race and once cooling down, though none were severe.
The Classic Distance: To my surprise, despite fatigue and a disappointing Saturday, I had an acceptable classic race, marred only by sluggishness. I slept poorly on Sunday, with a sore throat. That morning, I contemplated removing the coming race from my rankings, because I did not expect to perform well. However, because my present objective is not to optimize my ranking (as for Team Trials), but to grow as an orienteer, I elected to keep it. I felt reasonably good during my warmup, though I had many reservations about the 1:15k scale, since I have not extensively used that scale. My lack of practice with this scale did contribute to some hesitation on the course - notably at controls 3 and 7, my only notable error was a 2:00 error at control 11, where I drifted too high along a spur. I felt tired throughout the run, in particular after control 12, but I pushed on, finishing 20 minutes behind Will and 13 behind Ken. Had I not felt so fatigued and sick, I think I could have run 3-5 minutes faster, even with my error.
Current Status: It is clear that I am stronger now than I was in the fall; despite fatigue and illness, I had a classic performance consistent with my results from October at the US Champs. My physical quality on the middle distance course was excellent, and the race could have been stellar, save for my errors. I clearly struggle with multiple races in a single day; even at the ROC meet in September 2009, my second race (Middle Distance) was weaker than my first on Saturday (Sprint).
My flow was better this meet than it has been in the past, much of which I attribute to the mental conditioning from Catching Features. My navigation requires much attention, especially under race pressure.
Final Review and to do: This meet can be a clarion call; it was not the result I expected, though it may be the result I needed. My progress is undeniable, and my obstacles are evident. I will use this moment to motivate and inspire the work to become an elite orienteer.
Some lessons:
1. Prepare for a race, both in the months leading up to it and on the day. Every decision in the time leading up to a major race must be made in the context of optimizing race performance, both mentally and physically.
2. Train to run multiple sessions - multiple races - per day.
3. Improve my fitness; I lack the stamina necessary to compete.
4. Take care of my body; illness and fatigue are unacceptable initial conditions for a race.
5. Train hard, race hard.