Training Log Archive: Canadian

So what went wrong?

An overview:
I was quite prepared enough for what this race involved. I knew in theory what I had to do but didn't have it ingrained in my head what I had to do and was to focused on being fast and not focused enough on actually orienteering. The first three controls were fine but that was partially due to luck. I didn't really have a really solid plan and executed only partially well. Then I badly messed up controls 4 and 5 (5 minutes on each of them!). I then orienteered poorly to 6 and that's really what broke me. Couldn't get my head back into it and orienteer after that. Made my way somewhat haphazardly around the rest of the course.

So what really went wrong?
Prep... Most of my focus leading up to WOC was spent on yesterday's long race. I had drawn several courses on the old middle quali map which were generally similar in feel to what the actual race was but I hadn't spent any time really thinking about how I would go about racing any of them. In training last week I did work a bunch on using my compass but it's still not enough of a habit - that's where many of my issues today originated. Last night at the team meeting Magnus really pushed that compass bearings would play the defining role in this course - true. From the model map I was worried about the quality of the map - there were cuts and small trails that weren't shown on the map. The warm up map was similar in quality which had me worried far to close to the start. Talking to Magnus after that helped with his advice that I need to really rely on my compass and distance judgment and shape of the land. Ok I can work with that. I wish I had more practice with it though. Basically I had a rough idea of what I needed to do but didn't feel comfortable with my ability to actually do it. Not a good way to go into a race.

The first three controls
The first leg was 250 meters through vague flat stuff. Heavy on the compass. The other two starters dragged me left a bit and so I corrected right but over did it a tad and could see the field to my right most of the way along the leg. I was able to correct from there without any problem and found the control fine.
The second leg was great albeit not particularly fast - ie. according to plan. I followed my compass bearing well and knew where I was crossing each of features I was supposed to cross. I could see the field and control I was looking for from a little ways away so was smooth in and out of the control.
The third leg was a route choice leg. I chose the lower, left, route which avoid climb early and provided a very strong attackpoint that led me right into the control.
So far so good... I had found all of the controls without problems. Unfortunately only the first left was actually technical and I got lucky on that one. I was feeling over confident going to the fourth control and that's when the trouble started.

The fourth control was a tricky one in splotchy vegetation, down a steep hillside across a trail and then on the other side of a large flat area. It was impossible to stay on a compass bearing diagonally down the steep hillside with thick veg. I didn't make sure to know where I was leaving the trail at the bottom of it and I didn't have an attackpoint to the control. Basically I was relying on a compass bearing for a longish leg where a compass bearing was near impossible. I didn't have a real plan because I was thinking to much about Magnus' compass advice and not thinking for myself about what the best way to approach the leg actually was. 5 minutes blown trying to correct once I hit the ridge just behind the control. I was too far left but went left before realising that.

I was frustrated and flustered when I finally found the control and left for 5 in fairly the wrong direction and had to correct to hit the big trail I was aiming for. I attacked off of a trail junction a little over 100 m from the control on the other side of some light green. Even the light green was quite thick though and I spent more mental effort on getting through it then on going in the right direction. A rookie mistake that I've known for a while now I have issues with. Old habits die hard. I should have known this would happen and picked an attackpoint that wasn't so dangerous for me. I then struggled to relocate and lost another 5 minutes.

At this point I was becoming very disheartened but hadn't given up. The 6th leg was a long leg across a bland hillside with some obvious distinct points to check off at while running on a compass bearing. Exactly the technique Magnus had discussed with us. I knew this and tried to do just that but my mind was still way to flustered from the previous to controls that I drifted to fat left, below the ends of the cliffs I wanted to see, hit the flat area below the control, saw some clearings and made my way to the control, though not smoothly.

It's that third poor control in a row that broke me. From then on my mind was all over the map and I felt like I could not orienteer worth a dime. Super frustrating!!

So to summarize:
1. Poor plan going into race
2. Listened too much to Magnus’ advice and not enough to my own experience and instincts
3. I didn’t look ahead and get a feel for the entire race but instead took it one leg at a time as advised. I generally like to get a glance at the entire course earlyish so I can get a feel for where I should push and where I should pull back but others suggested otherwise so I didn’t. Again, I need to trust myself and my own experience. I think this would have helped me realise that the first controls were easy and not get over confident – thus botching the 4th control.
4. Always have a proper plan for each control! CAR!!
5. Compass bearings through green have long been a problem for me. This was a huge source of grief this morning.
6. After a few huge disasters I was mentally broken. I need to figure out how I can mentally get back into the race after something like this.
7. The rest of the race was a crap shoot and I was extremely frustrated – obviously this didn’t help matters.

Positives:
1. I recovered well from the long yesterday which destroyed my legs and felt good physically after a pretty good warm up, something I was worried about when planning for WOC.
2. I felt comfortable at the start line and was generally relaxed despite some misgivings about my race plan.

Solutions:
1. Trust myself more
2. Stick to plans that I know I can execute
3. Take a chance early on to look at the entire course and get a feel for how I need to run the race and see if there are any legs I need to watch out for

Action Items:
1. Work on bashing through green
2. Work on compass bearings, especially through green
3. Work on getting my head back in the race after a disaster (is there something I can do for this without hiring a sports psychologist?)

Ok, I can move on now. To next year!

I’ve got a year of pretty solid training under my belt now and another year where training will definitely be my primary focus so it can only get better.
O-Ringen, then COCs are my immediate goals though and now that my WOC races are over I can think about those.

C • Nice 4

Pretty pleased with my race. 2 problems out there. One was a stupid decision to try and pick my way straight through a section of yellow and dark green on a short leg and the the only way I could get through took my 60 degrees in the wrong direction. I figure I lost about 2 minutes on that. The second was where I tried to keep up / follow a Russian runner on a compass bearing but he was going different ways around clearings than I was and I ended up not where I wanted to be on a trail. I lost another couple of minutes there.

Otherwise I just need more speed!

Anyway, recovery time now... I'll write more after the middle quali tomorrow.

Event: WOC 2012 - Lausanne SWITZERLAND