Training Log Archive: Gswede

An attempt at a long in Glen Affric but my mind was so out of it that I couldn't bring it together. A significant error on pretty much every control up to ten. I tried refocusing several times and it never happened. Decided to call it a day.

Warm up.

S6D - Day 5 Glen Affric - C41 - Splits

Day 4 of Scottish six day. No analysis yet.

15 minute warm up. 5 minute cool down.

Placeholder until I get the map.

15 minute warm up to tempo 5 minute cool down.

Easy jog exploring Inverness. Beautiful city.

O-intervals on the model map with EChilds. 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down. 3x2-3:00 minutes going from control to control. Good workout. Note to self: do not get sucked into bottomless streams.

Terrain running on one of the relay relevant maps.

WOC Sprint relay in Nairn

I had a pretty good race after number one. I started alone so I wasn't able to get competitive with anyone. Still a fun course.

Error time: 1:02

Errors:
-Overrunning number 1
-Picking the wrong alleyway and ultimately the longer route choice on 11-12

Causes:
-On number one I was looking for a black circle on my right. I saw a life preserver holder to my left and things didn't make sense. I was also not used to the scale.
-Ran faster than my map contact could take me and ended up picking the wrong alleyway.

Solutions :
-So in the notes they said black circles were statues. I forgot this out there. So I need to internalize better the information provided for big races like this.
-I got ahead of my visionary map contact for a split second. And that was enough to make a mistake. Stay in my flow and don't get beyond it.

15 minute warm up. 5 minute cool down.

Event: WOC 2015 & Scottish 6 days
 

Sprint Qualifier at WOC 2015 on Forres West map

First, I am overall happy with my first race at WOC. I was VERY nervous to start so I'm glad this didn't go worse. However I'm not satisfied. There will be a few things to work on for this coming year. But that's good. I know what to train for.

Mine is the first map.
http://www.woc2015.org/images/Sprint_Q_map_Men.jpg

Error time: 0:53

Errors:
-Running past two without punching it.
-Entering wrong alleyway at three
-Entering wrong alleyway at seven
-Poor route choice to nine
-Didn't read the exit from 12 correctly and ended up at the strip of grass with two trees directly to the west.

Causes:
-For two, perhaps the SI air influenced it, but really I think it was more that I was getting ahead of myself. I was reading the leg to three (I had already decided on my route) when I should have finished the leg to two and then done three. When I realized I didn't even stop and just continued running directly back around the building.

-Another reason for two. Immediately before entering the small alley I had to deal with a car pulling out. It got close to hitting me. So I wasn't orienteering. Considering it now, it most certainly took me out of my zone.

-For three and seven, I didn't choose strong reference features to alert me to which alley to enter. So I generally knew I was close but not close enough obviously.

-To nine: I left eight with a Portugeuse runner. I think I was influenced by him to the point of taking the wrong route choice. A bit of extreme compensation.

-Running quickly from 10 to 11 I didn't read the small turn in the alleyway correctly. I read it as I would be able to turn right and it would shoot me out in the parking lot and I would go slightly to the left into the control. Nevermind that while running I had a large open area on my left. I exited and went to the left as was the plan and found the grassy patch with trees and nothing made sense.

Solutions:
-For all of these errors: I was really nervous to start. I tried to redirect my nervous energy to my race processes as best as possible but I know they still influenced me negatively through distractions and taking me out of my flow. I feel much less nervous now. So really the solution: get used to surroundings where I'm competing with such high-level competition.

-Two: I was getting ahead of myself and a bit out of my flow. It's difficult to maintain a constant flow when navigation is done at this speed. I'm not sure how to train this. Perhaps more overspeed training.

-Three and seven: Strong reference points are as good on sprint maps as they are in the forest. Keep an eye out for them.

-Nine: It's ok to run the same route as others, even good if you get competitive with them and run faster because of it. It's not ok to let them navigate. I wanted to take a faster route to cut him off and ultimately it was slower. Now that is irony. Go with someone if it's the fastest route.

-Twelve: Looking at it I see it as a tricky area that I should have slowed down for to read properly. At least where my map-reading is at. The current solution. Slow down to read the tricky areas properly. The long-term solution. Continue to train to read the map at those speeds and in those areas.

15 minute warm up to tempo. 3x80 meter strides with hard turns. 5 minute cool down. I should probably go for a light jog tomorrow morning to loosen up the legs a bit.

Pre-meet run on the Model map in Nairn. Pretty easy run around the town getting used to the mapping and the surroundings. Did a three pick-ups between controls to test route choices. Each pick-up was between 35 and 42 seconds.

The conclusion? The same as always. The fastest route is often the simplest that lets you open up your legs the most and simplifies map-reading.