Training Log Archive: MatejIn the 1 days ending Dec 7, 2013:
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Saturday Dec 7, 2013 #
9 AM
Orienteering race (Golden Gate Park) 20:00 [5] **** 3.62 km (5:31 / km) +67m 5:03 / km
19c shoes: Icebug Spirit2 OLX
(Note: I'm not sure of my exact time as I never got a split sheet and forgot to stop my watch. I'll update this post with my time as soon as it's available...)
Sprint the Golden Gate Stage 2: Golden Gate Park.
Thickets, thickets, thickets, and more thickets. Light green, medium green, dark green, and more dark green. The vegetation actually made the navigation and route choices very interesting, and there was more than one legitimate route to just about every single control.
Started out at the same time as Isabel and Michael, without looking much at the map. Michael and I missed the best route choice to #1 (north, along the fly-fishing ponds) and tried to attack the control from the south. However, the control was hung about twenty meters too low, the bag had fallen to the ground, and the map didn't show all of the trails through the dark green (excuses, excuses...), so we all thrashed around for some time before finding #1.
From then on, I was alone and had a decent, if unspectacular race. I misread the green several times and had some issues with another flag (#12) that had fallen down. After finishing, I went to guard a control (#11) that had been previously trashed by a homeless guy. Fun event...
Sprint the Golden Gate Stage 2: Golden Gate Park.
Thickets, thickets, thickets, and more thickets. Light green, medium green, dark green, and more dark green. The vegetation actually made the navigation and route choices very interesting, and there was more than one legitimate route to just about every single control.
Started out at the same time as Isabel and Michael, without looking much at the map. Michael and I missed the best route choice to #1 (north, along the fly-fishing ponds) and tried to attack the control from the south. However, the control was hung about twenty meters too low, the bag had fallen to the ground, and the map didn't show all of the trails through the dark green (excuses, excuses...), so we all thrashed around for some time before finding #1.
From then on, I was alone and had a decent, if unspectacular race. I misread the green several times and had some issues with another flag (#12) that had fallen down. After finishing, I went to guard a control (#11) that had been previously trashed by a homeless guy. Fun event...
11 AM
Orienteering race (Golden Gate Park) 16:21 [5] **** 3.27 km (5:00 / km) +40m 4:43 / km
19c shoes: Icebug Spirit2 OLX
(Again, the time is an estimate. Will update soon...)
Sprint the Golden Gate Stage 3: Golden Gate Park.
Traditional Sheep-O, follow-Eric style. The terrain was mostly open forest and would have been really technically challenging if the course hadn't been a five-man footrace. From the start, it was all about speed; I barely looked at the map for the first six controls. On a few technical controls (#7, #9), I was able to make up some lost time, but I got ruthlessly chased down. The lead pack never really broke up, and the finish sprint was a free-for-all. Exciting race; not quite typical orienteering, but fun nonetheless...
Sprint the Golden Gate Stage 3: Golden Gate Park.
Traditional Sheep-O, follow-Eric style. The terrain was mostly open forest and would have been really technically challenging if the course hadn't been a five-man footrace. From the start, it was all about speed; I barely looked at the map for the first six controls. On a few technical controls (#7, #9), I was able to make up some lost time, but I got ruthlessly chased down. The lead pack never really broke up, and the finish sprint was a free-for-all. Exciting race; not quite typical orienteering, but fun nonetheless...
3 PM
Orienteering race (McLaren Park) 17:20 [5] **** 3.11 km (5:34 / km) +118m 4:41 / km
20c shoes: Icebug Spirit2 OLX
(Again, estimated time...)
Sprint the Golden Gate Stage 4 (Final): McLaren Park.
More thickets, more route choice, and more sheep... Right at control #2, I made a major mistake, and all five runners passed me. It took me until control #11 to chase the lead pack down. I briefly took the lead, but Donatas then pulled away up the steep hill to #17 to win the heat.
I made a couple of silly micro-route-choices but chose pretty well on the major ones, taking the southern road option to #6 and then back to #8. Going south around the pond for #11 ended up helping me catch the leaders, who went north.
Takeaways: don't get cocky, focus on good route choice, do more hill sprints!
Sprint the Golden Gate Stage 4 (Final): McLaren Park.
More thickets, more route choice, and more sheep... Right at control #2, I made a major mistake, and all five runners passed me. It took me until control #11 to chase the lead pack down. I briefly took the lead, but Donatas then pulled away up the steep hill to #17 to win the heat.
I made a couple of silly micro-route-choices but chose pretty well on the major ones, taking the southern road option to #6 and then back to #8. Going south around the pond for #11 ended up helping me catch the leaders, who went north.
Takeaways: don't get cocky, focus on good route choice, do more hill sprints!