Training Log Archive: hkleafIn the 1 days ending Sep 17, 2006:
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Sunday Sep 17, 2006 #
Event: 2006 Sprint Series Finals
Orienteering race (Sprints) 13:14 [4] **** 2.56 km (5:10 / km) +40m 4:48 / km
spiked:14/14c slept:6.25 shoes: Silva O' Spikes (Rubber)
Sprint Finals, Heat 2 Round 1 - Hickory Run, Sand Spring Lake
Rather cool morning (low 60s?) but sunny.
Short Course: 2.4km, 14c, 40m
First sprint of the day. I was in the second start group with Patrick Shannon, Jeff Saeger, Phil Bricker, and Valeriy Doverof.
This was by far my best sprint race to-date (about as fast as I could run while navigating with map). Just like the Eaton sprint #2 earlier in August, I ran smoothly in and out of the controls, and was able to keep in contact with the map while also reading ahead slightly. A good portion of the course was in a park-like setting in and around an open field (disc-golf course), with plenty of features to aid my navigation. Of course, the head-to-head format also helped push my pace much faster than I would’ve run alone.
I started out slow, so others led me to #1. From there, I was playing catch-up with Patrick and Jeff, jockeying for the top 2 positions. My terrain running wasn’t as fast as the others, so I pushed the pace in the open field trying to make up grounds. Jeff and I traded positions on and off, while Patrick led most of the way. I stumbled going into #4 and bang my L knee on something hard, but managed to maintain my place somehow. Then going into #13, Patrick drifted left. I had already spotted the flag on a knoll to the right, so I seized the chance and took the lead for the first time. Jeff punched right behind me. From this point onwards, it was pretty much a foot race to the GO control and finish chute. I was fortunate enough to hold off both of them and clinch a spot to advance onto the A-bracket.
Later at the download table, I had learned that my run was good enough for 1st place among the Men in Heat 2, and was only 13 seconds behind Samantha who had the fastest time on the same course. A very satisfying accomplishment and a moment of glory perhaps, but only short-lived…
route | leg comments
Rather cool morning (low 60s?) but sunny.
Short Course: 2.4km, 14c, 40m
First sprint of the day. I was in the second start group with Patrick Shannon, Jeff Saeger, Phil Bricker, and Valeriy Doverof.
This was by far my best sprint race to-date (about as fast as I could run while navigating with map). Just like the Eaton sprint #2 earlier in August, I ran smoothly in and out of the controls, and was able to keep in contact with the map while also reading ahead slightly. A good portion of the course was in a park-like setting in and around an open field (disc-golf course), with plenty of features to aid my navigation. Of course, the head-to-head format also helped push my pace much faster than I would’ve run alone.
I started out slow, so others led me to #1. From there, I was playing catch-up with Patrick and Jeff, jockeying for the top 2 positions. My terrain running wasn’t as fast as the others, so I pushed the pace in the open field trying to make up grounds. Jeff and I traded positions on and off, while Patrick led most of the way. I stumbled going into #4 and bang my L knee on something hard, but managed to maintain my place somehow. Then going into #13, Patrick drifted left. I had already spotted the flag on a knoll to the right, so I seized the chance and took the lead for the first time. Jeff punched right behind me. From this point onwards, it was pretty much a foot race to the GO control and finish chute. I was fortunate enough to hold off both of them and clinch a spot to advance onto the A-bracket.
Later at the download table, I had learned that my run was good enough for 1st place among the Men in Heat 2, and was only 13 seconds behind Samantha who had the fastest time on the same course. A very satisfying accomplishment and a moment of glory perhaps, but only short-lived…
route | leg comments
Orienteering race (Sprint) 25:16 [4] ***** 3.88 km (6:31 / km) +85m 5:52 / km
spiked:11/14c shoes: Silva O' Spikes (Rubber)
Sprint Finals, Heat 2 Round 2 - Hickory Run, Sand Spring Lake
Still comfortable (mid 60s?) and sunny.
Short Course: 2.32km, 14c, 55m
Second sprint (A-Bracket, Section 1). This time my group mates include Greg Ahlswede, Michael Eglinski, Jeff and Patrick.
I was pretty tired already after the first sprint. My inexperience in strategizing for this type of race may have been the culprit for my downfall in this sprint. The good results from earlier gave my confidence a boost, but I didn’t really put in the time to think about my plan of attack for sprint #2. As a result, I made several dumb mistakes, failed to recover in time, and went from best to worst sprint race to-date.
The group started well together. We all had comparable speed so nobody was able to break away in the early going. Then things started falling apart at #5. Michael, Greg, and Jeff ran by the control while Patrick spotted it. I observed this peculiar development, checked the description (marsh, north edge), determined that said control wasn’t quite on the northern edge of the marsh, and decided to keep on running with the group rather than stop to check the code (stupid idea!). I suppose the “alarm bell” was dysfunctional at the time because I kept on rounding the marsh some 100m N of the control. Michael saw his catching feature and turned back for it while Greg, Jeff, and I continued on the wrong way (both fooled by me, no doubt). Eventually, we made the correction and located the control, but the damage was already done – Patrick was nowhere to be seen (en-route to #7 already) and Michael some 80s ahead. Internally, I was kicking myself for not running those extra 10 steps over to check the code. Back on the course, the chase for Michael began. This was perhaps my second big mistake (trying to speed up when I should have slowed down and be careful). Greg pushed the pace up ahead, leading me into #6 & #7, but then disaster struck once again on the way to #8. In my haste to catch up, the map-reading/navigation part of my brain went to shut-off mode. I saw Greg making a mistake of getting off the wrong side of the trail and way over-running #8, yet was slow to react and adjust. Consequently, I went from #7 to #9 via trail, confirmed where I was, and then headed to #8 on a bearing. Problem was, my bearing was way off to the L. I also got turned around a bit in the green, and unknowingly wandered over to #11 in the process. At this point, I crossed path with Michael (which he later admitted gave him a scare that I had somehow caught up to him), relocated, and ran the road back to #8. Then I met Jeff at #9, only to lose him quickly at #10. I wasn’t reading the map correctly and WAY overran the control, in fact all the way to #12!!! After this last mistake, my brain seemed to have woken up finally, as I finished the rest of the course without another glitch. I came in last in the group, of course.
It was very disappointing to have done so poorly. The L groin was hurting some during the run, but it wasn’t the reason I sucked. The course was more of a forest-sprint, with some long legs and more technically challenging compared to the first. I just didn’t make the adjustment well and lost my chance to advance onto the A-Final.
route | leg comments
Still comfortable (mid 60s?) and sunny.
Short Course: 2.32km, 14c, 55m
Second sprint (A-Bracket, Section 1). This time my group mates include Greg Ahlswede, Michael Eglinski, Jeff and Patrick.
I was pretty tired already after the first sprint. My inexperience in strategizing for this type of race may have been the culprit for my downfall in this sprint. The good results from earlier gave my confidence a boost, but I didn’t really put in the time to think about my plan of attack for sprint #2. As a result, I made several dumb mistakes, failed to recover in time, and went from best to worst sprint race to-date.
The group started well together. We all had comparable speed so nobody was able to break away in the early going. Then things started falling apart at #5. Michael, Greg, and Jeff ran by the control while Patrick spotted it. I observed this peculiar development, checked the description (marsh, north edge), determined that said control wasn’t quite on the northern edge of the marsh, and decided to keep on running with the group rather than stop to check the code (stupid idea!). I suppose the “alarm bell” was dysfunctional at the time because I kept on rounding the marsh some 100m N of the control. Michael saw his catching feature and turned back for it while Greg, Jeff, and I continued on the wrong way (both fooled by me, no doubt). Eventually, we made the correction and located the control, but the damage was already done – Patrick was nowhere to be seen (en-route to #7 already) and Michael some 80s ahead. Internally, I was kicking myself for not running those extra 10 steps over to check the code. Back on the course, the chase for Michael began. This was perhaps my second big mistake (trying to speed up when I should have slowed down and be careful). Greg pushed the pace up ahead, leading me into #6 & #7, but then disaster struck once again on the way to #8. In my haste to catch up, the map-reading/navigation part of my brain went to shut-off mode. I saw Greg making a mistake of getting off the wrong side of the trail and way over-running #8, yet was slow to react and adjust. Consequently, I went from #7 to #9 via trail, confirmed where I was, and then headed to #8 on a bearing. Problem was, my bearing was way off to the L. I also got turned around a bit in the green, and unknowingly wandered over to #11 in the process. At this point, I crossed path with Michael (which he later admitted gave him a scare that I had somehow caught up to him), relocated, and ran the road back to #8. Then I met Jeff at #9, only to lose him quickly at #10. I wasn’t reading the map correctly and WAY overran the control, in fact all the way to #12!!! After this last mistake, my brain seemed to have woken up finally, as I finished the rest of the course without another glitch. I came in last in the group, of course.
It was very disappointing to have done so poorly. The L groin was hurting some during the run, but it wasn’t the reason I sucked. The course was more of a forest-sprint, with some long legs and more technically challenging compared to the first. I just didn’t make the adjustment well and lost my chance to advance onto the A-Final.
route | leg comments
Orienteering race (Sprint) 20:02 [4] ***** 3.2 km (6:16 / km) +85m 5:32 / km
spiked:10/15c shoes: Silva O' Spikes (Rubber)
Sprint Finals, Heat 2 Round 3 - Hickory Run, Camp Daddy Allen
Very warm and sunny afternoon (mid 70s?)
Short Course: 2.55km, 15c, 80m (with map exchange after #6)
Final sprint (A-Consolation). Running again with Jeff and Greg, plus Rick Dewitt, Glen Tryson, and Wyatt Riley.
Legs seemed to have recovered a bit after the lunch break. The sprint also moved into the campground area where I have some familiarity from yesterday’s Night-O.
Not a clean race by any means (lots of small bobbles), but I managed to avoid the big blow ups and somehow come up victorious in my group. The race itself was interesting that the lead changed multiple times. The dense and complicated trail network in the campground naturally yielded many route choice decisions. This led to less following (I think) and more self navigating. It’s fun to see people split up after a control only to converge again at a later one.
Being somewhat more confident with the map, I went out blazing and maintained the lead into 4. A route choice error to 2 and hesitation en-route to 3 prevented me from creating a bigger gap with the rest of the group. Then another bad route to 5 cost me the lead and into 3rd as we headed in for the map exchange.
On the second loop, I pushed the pace in the open field to catch up to leader (Jeff) by 1, and actually led again to 2 & 3. But then, three straight mistakes in the middle of the course made the race much more interesting, not to mention killing my time. The errors at 4 & 5 were similar – neglected to read clue sheet carefully. At 4, I blindly ran to a Night-O control 25m SW of the correct one. At 5, I saw the Heat 1 men running in one direction and voluntarily followed along to a control (#3, loop 1) 50m E of mine (sorry Jeff and Greg!). The last mistake, en-route to 6, was a case of me compounding the problem by trying to make up for lost time. Luckily, this time it was a short leg, and I caught myself just in time. But by now, Rick had taken over the lead, and I had dropped back to 4th in the group. With some fast running on the road to 7, as well as a good route to 8, somehow I found myself alone heading to the go control. Since I wasn’t sure if I had the lead or not, I kept up the pace. I then sneaked past George Walker (who started 4’ ahead) at the finish line. Though I didn’t know at the time, it’s a good thing I gave it my all at the end there because WinSplits tells me I barely hung on to beat Greg!
Overall, this was the most fun of the 3 courses. The trail network and numerous cabins were hard to distinguish from the map at speed, but they also provided opportunities for some fast-pace running – just the perfect mixture for a sprint. Maybe because there’re 2 loops, or that the course crisscrossed itself a bit, there seemed to be runners everywhere. This added to the challenge as well as the excitement. Of course, getting to see the Finals Men and Women race against each other was something else. I was bummed to have missed the Saeger sisters battle to the finish chute as the men’s map exchange was happening simultaneously on opposite side of the field.
route | leg comments
Very warm and sunny afternoon (mid 70s?)
Short Course: 2.55km, 15c, 80m (with map exchange after #6)
Final sprint (A-Consolation). Running again with Jeff and Greg, plus Rick Dewitt, Glen Tryson, and Wyatt Riley.
Legs seemed to have recovered a bit after the lunch break. The sprint also moved into the campground area where I have some familiarity from yesterday’s Night-O.
Not a clean race by any means (lots of small bobbles), but I managed to avoid the big blow ups and somehow come up victorious in my group. The race itself was interesting that the lead changed multiple times. The dense and complicated trail network in the campground naturally yielded many route choice decisions. This led to less following (I think) and more self navigating. It’s fun to see people split up after a control only to converge again at a later one.
Being somewhat more confident with the map, I went out blazing and maintained the lead into 4. A route choice error to 2 and hesitation en-route to 3 prevented me from creating a bigger gap with the rest of the group. Then another bad route to 5 cost me the lead and into 3rd as we headed in for the map exchange.
On the second loop, I pushed the pace in the open field to catch up to leader (Jeff) by 1, and actually led again to 2 & 3. But then, three straight mistakes in the middle of the course made the race much more interesting, not to mention killing my time. The errors at 4 & 5 were similar – neglected to read clue sheet carefully. At 4, I blindly ran to a Night-O control 25m SW of the correct one. At 5, I saw the Heat 1 men running in one direction and voluntarily followed along to a control (#3, loop 1) 50m E of mine (sorry Jeff and Greg!). The last mistake, en-route to 6, was a case of me compounding the problem by trying to make up for lost time. Luckily, this time it was a short leg, and I caught myself just in time. But by now, Rick had taken over the lead, and I had dropped back to 4th in the group. With some fast running on the road to 7, as well as a good route to 8, somehow I found myself alone heading to the go control. Since I wasn’t sure if I had the lead or not, I kept up the pace. I then sneaked past George Walker (who started 4’ ahead) at the finish line. Though I didn’t know at the time, it’s a good thing I gave it my all at the end there because WinSplits tells me I barely hung on to beat Greg!
Overall, this was the most fun of the 3 courses. The trail network and numerous cabins were hard to distinguish from the map at speed, but they also provided opportunities for some fast-pace running – just the perfect mixture for a sprint. Maybe because there’re 2 loops, or that the course crisscrossed itself a bit, there seemed to be runners everywhere. This added to the challenge as well as the excitement. Of course, getting to see the Finals Men and Women race against each other was something else. I was bummed to have missed the Saeger sisters battle to the finish chute as the men’s map exchange was happening simultaneously on opposite side of the field.
route | leg comments
Running warm up/down (Mixed Trail/Grass/Terrain) 20:00 [2] 2.5 mi (8:00 / mi)
shoes: Silva O' Spikes (Rubber)
Warm up jogs for each sprint, distance is an estimate based on pace.
Stretching warm up/down 15:00 [1]
Biref stretches before and after each sprint. L groin a bit sore at times throughout the day, but not nearly as bad as expected given the amount of sprinting I'm putting it through.
Note
What a great weekend! Despite the long drive (9.5hrs each way), I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The event organization was first class. It's amazing how efficient and smooth everything went. I thought the courses were excellent with variety, and the competition was great. So thank you DVOA, Peter, and all those who put in the hard work in order to make this weekend happen!!!
The only thing I saw that could've been taken better advantage of was mixing the training and sprints together more. Maybe logistically it would be a nightmare or nearly impossible, but I just thought that sprints (short technical courses) could be an excellent way to introduce someone to orienteering. If nothing else, it would've been great for those training camp participants to spectate on such exciting competitions! As it was, most if not all campers had fled the park by the time the Finals came around.
Anyway, I had accomplished everything I set out to do for myself, and more - get in some technical training, try out night-o, and keep pace with the good orienteers in the sprints. Winning the A-Consolation was certainly icing on the cake. This should serve as a real confidence booster for me. Hopefully I can continue improving. Next big goal: compete well on an A-meet red course!
The only thing I saw that could've been taken better advantage of was mixing the training and sprints together more. Maybe logistically it would be a nightmare or nearly impossible, but I just thought that sprints (short technical courses) could be an excellent way to introduce someone to orienteering. If nothing else, it would've been great for those training camp participants to spectate on such exciting competitions! As it was, most if not all campers had fled the park by the time the Finals came around.
Anyway, I had accomplished everything I set out to do for myself, and more - get in some technical training, try out night-o, and keep pace with the good orienteers in the sprints. Winning the A-Consolation was certainly icing on the cake. This should serve as a real confidence booster for me. Hopefully I can continue improving. Next big goal: compete well on an A-meet red course!