Training Log Archive: jonnyq

Very dissapointed with this EYOC. I had a whole year to prepare and I managed to mess it up in the three days of competition. I need more high speed technical orienteering to cope with the relay and more fast orienteering in general to get better at long. Sprint can wait, the next year will be wholly dedicated to getting better in the forest. The EYOC long was the most enjoyable course I have ever run and I can't wait for competitions next year. A couple of weeks break now to enjoy JWOC and WOC at home and then preparations begin. Training next year should be sweet with a good group in Dublin so a lot more orienteering training to be expected. JWOC is the main aim for next year so all training concentrated on that. I can't wait for the challenges in the forest in the coming year and I will be prepared this time.

EYOC Relay. 5.6km 300m.
Jack set me out just before GBR. Ciaran Allen passed me on the run out track but I was just focused on doing the orienteering. Take the safe route to 1 and get there just ahead of Ciaran. Lead him to 2 but leave stupidly getting caught in some rocks. Stay too high to 3 and lose 30 seconds and contact with Ciaran. A small bit too low to 4 but correct quickly. Hit the wrong control to 5 but realise where I am and get the control. Hit 6, 7 and 8 well. Too far left and too low to 9 lose another 30 seconds. Good compass to 10 and spike it perfectly. Compass to 11 but come too high and miss it. Catch Ciaran back up but he sees his control and I'm still searching. Map was poor lots of bushes and big trees missed out. Hit the other three controls in the area before getting mine. Lost 4 minutes. Too far right to 12 but realise quickly. Easy controls to the spectator. Went really slowly around the last loop because it was so technical. Miss 16 by about 30 seconds because there were two indistinct tracks but only one was marked and ran up the wrong one. Too far right to 18 but get it fine. Had to walk to 19 the terrain was so bad. Too low still. Decide stupidly to follow a Russian to 20 I was so tired with trying to deal with the crap rocky terrain. Drop too low and take some time to relocate. 2 minutes lost. Too high to 21 but lots of people missed this control. 1 minute. Running to finish.
Crap race today, should have been around 42 at the worst but just got beaten by the terrain today. We mp'd on last leg, same with ten other teams.

On warm up map.

EYOC long. 6.4km 250m.
From the training and model maps I thought the terrain would be slow and grotty. Completely different when I started, the terrain was a joy to run in.
I didn't feel nervous before the start but I knew I could do well. Aim top 15. Very achievable but not with my race.
A long path to the start control but I missed the control without any compass. 1minute lost. Felt strong up the small path to 2 but didn't check my direction coming off the hill. Went through a small marsh higher than the one I thought I was in. Went up the slope, nothing fits, try to relocate, relocate wrong, decide to retrace my steps. Get the control decent from there. 5 minutes dropped. Good to 3. Long leg to 4, choose a good route. Miss maybe 20 seconds along the route getting stuck and hesitating but run with good speed. Beautiful orienteering 3-6 perfect, no mistakes. 7 Choose the right route but lose contact on the slope. Relocate off the track but think I'm higher than I am so miss the control again. Relocate off the clearing on the track and get it fine. 2 minutes gone. Good from 7-12 with small misses at 9 and 10 totalling 45 seconds. Contour perfectly to 13 and standing on top of crag. Control description was wrong though. Control was meant to be on north end of crag but it was at the foot. I run off thinking this isn't the control and come back 2 minutes later to see the control sitting at the foot. Pissed off. Go fast to 14, spectator. Have a bad reaction to taking my jellies and water at the same time. Have to spit them both out but it also clears my nose so that worked well. Drop to low to 15 by misreading the map and have to climb back up. 1 minute lost. Slow to 16 along the steep slope but get it well. Hesitancy to 17 in high ferns. Resort to track to 18 to get it without a mistake. Then stong running to the finish.
Finished 38th after a very bad race. Take out my three bigger mistakes at 2, 7 and 13 and I would have finished 12th. I didn't not finish within my aim of top 15 so again I cannot be satisfied at all with this race. But orienteering is all about performing on the day. I didn't and those ahead of me did, I just have to realise why.
A positive thing to take from today though was my physical fitness. I didn't feel particularly tired at any point today even tough it was quite a physical course. I just have to work on cutting out the big mistakes.

Warming up on pitch and drills.

EYOC sprint. 1.9km 55m.
This was the race I had been aiming for all year. All my training focused on it, I felt I was really able to compete for the podium in this race. My aim top 6, my competition, some fast guys.
I felt really good warming up and running to the start. Legs were a small bit heavy but knew they'd wake up after the start.
I grabbed my map and ran the thirty metres to the start control. I started running left(the wrong way). I realised quickly but lost 20seconds to 1. Not a good start. Then leaving for 2 I started running down the middle of two uncrossable fences. Read the map and went back losing five seconds. I had no more mistakes during the course just a few bad routes, most noticeably 6 and 10. I lost probably another 15 seconds with these routes.
I finished in 15th place. I cannot be satisfied with this position. Top 6 was my goal and I did not achieve this. I am dissapointed with the mistakes at 1 and 2 because without these my top 6 would have been achievable.

C • It's still a good result. 4

Cool down with Will.

Event: EYOC 2012
 

Modelling.

Sprint modelling.

Training spread over about 5hours. Grotty terrain, didn't like it.

Checking out mapping.

Sprint training in Eymoutiers. Lots of climb, good to see what the actual event might be like.