Training Log Archive: simmo

Event: Australian Middle Distance Championships
 

Aust. Middle Champs at Foxes Lair, GPS 5.0kms. Don't think my mind was up to this after yesterday. Ran down the watercourse from the start, then veered too far left at the bottom and into the wrong group of rocks. Panicking a little with Hoopy only 2 mins behind, I knew what I'd done, but couldn't resist checking out several boulders in this wrong location. Hoopy appeared just as I found the control, but he was looking too far to the East. 2 mins and a bit lost. Wasn't clean into 2 and 3 either, losing close to a minute on these. Hit 4 ok, but then disaster, running to 5 I crossed a road but then started looking before crossing a second road. Found a control after a minute or two, and thought I'd identified the feature (actually could have identified it as my no. 9 if I'd checked the code against my descriptions, but failed to do that), and kept searching. After another minute I realised that I needed to be on the other side of a road, saw it in the distance and ran over and crossed it. Unfortunately I hadn't looked at my compass or registerd the fact that a powerline should have been on the other side. More fruitless searching brought me to another control whose code I should have checked (I would have found that it was my no. 8). Eventually decided to do what I should have done in the first place - run to a road and relocate. Found that I was 400m N of the control, so ran up the road, along the powerline and in - 10.5 mins slower than the fastest and 63/64 on the leg.

The next few controls were ok (had been to two of them already), but I hadn't finished yet. At 11, I searched the wrong rocks again - probably the same ones I had been in at 1 because it was quite close, 2.5 mins lost, then I face-planted on the way out of the control. 7 short legs left, didn't lose any significant time, but wasn't fast.

C11 - Splits

Event: Australian Sprint Championships
 

Event: Wandoo Wander
 

Easy ride to Bassendean, a bit of a loosener after 3 races in 3 days. Cold morning, but nice for riding. River was like a mill pond.

Event: Australian 3 Days Championship - Day 3
 

Day 3 at Umuna. GPS 3.56km. Started 2mins behind Terry, didn't really expect to see him, especially when I made a meal of 2. Took the right line, but was concentrating on finding a patch of green before the control and failed to identify a knoll on the route. Then I got sidetracked by the wrong patch of green and went too low - 2 mins + down. Pretty average on the next 3 legs, taking it steady and carefully rather than trying to make up the lost time.

Surprised to see Terry at 5, where he had lost 4 mins. Led him through 5-8, then got away a bit to 9, though he probably was never far behind on the long leg to 10. Took a good line, but just dropped a bit too soon down to the first group of rocks. Terry soon joined me and we corrected quickly but probably lost a minute. The two leaders after day 2 lost 9 and 13 mins respectively on this leg, so we did pretty well really.

Terry went left up the slope, but I decided the fastest running to 11 was low in the paddock below the rock, and I gained half a minute, which Terry couldn't make up.

5th on the day, 2 mins down, and 5th overall.

M70A - Splits

Event: Australian 3 Days Championship - Day 2
 

Day 2 at Hill Park Dale. GPS 5.29kms. Up hill to the triangle, and then more up hill to 1. With Hoopy 2 mins behind, took a safe route around the rocks to 1, worried that he would be able to watch me all the way. Scooted out and around the rocky hill then downhill to the fence as fast as I could, with a Swiss guy ahead. Crossed the fence then decided to run below the rock and past the dam as it looked faster and safer, while Swiss guy headed into the rocks. I got the fastest split on this leg, while Hoopy made a 2 min error. Beat Swiss guy into 3, but then couldn't convince myself that I had to go back up hill to 4. Wandered along the contour and eventually realised I had gone out to the big spur at the far NW corner of the map. Corrected my direction - but not enough and subsequently got caught up in green and forced low. Finally spotted the control way above and climbed slowly up just in time to punch ahead of Swiss guy, but saw Hoopy about 50m behind. Lost 5 mins over the fastest on the leg.

Joined a bit of a train from 4-6 (must have been on other courses too), but got away up hill (again!) to 7. Fast away towards 8, but went astray on the last 1/3 of the leg, and saw Hoopy run in just in front. Lost 2.5 mins on the leg. He gained 30 secs to 9, but I got them back at 10, then promptly took a big fall trying to negotiate my way down a steep rock surface. 30 seconds later I did a face-plant, so a bit groggy after those two. Still, picked a fast route down a paddock, avoiding what looked like a mass of green and black on the direct route to 11. Despite having a good attack point, I couldn't find the prominent cliff - turns out I was standing above it but though it was the wrong one. Then Hoopy and Swiss guy turned up and we eventually found it. Another 4 mins lost.

From there to the finish was too easy. 8th on the day, but a solid 12 mins down.

M70A - Splits