Training Log Archive: O-ing

Happy with 3rd at Easter. However I need to come up with something to break the K/L/V stranglehold. Since Easter 2013 I've finished next runner up to these 3 in 12 straight starts except for one where Paul Pacque dropped me to 4th. I've only managed to edge Rob Vincent out of a place in 3 of those, with no places above either K/L.
Call of the card:
Name, Starts, First, Second, Third, Fourth
W Key 7 6 1 0 0
Lawford 13 7 5 1 0
Vincent 6 1 2 3 0
R*thery 12 0 5 4 3

Head to Head since Easter 2013
ER 0-11 GL
ER 0-7 WK
ER 2-1 PP
ER 4-3 RV
ER 12-0 anyone else
WK 6-1 GL
WK 3-0 RV
GL 6-2 RV

C • break the stranglehold? 6

Mulga Valley, Easter Day 3, M55, 5th. Not the usual Day 3 fade-out, but did make an actual map reading mistake. This came at 5. Had been a bit slow at 4 (should have kept further left (-10 secs), but thought I should keep the same height out of the saddle to the pit at 5. No, I had to climb a contour. Overshot and lost about 1:40. Bad direction then to 6 and went into the wrong gully (-10 secs, the one with the boulder thankfully, to the west). 7 was needlessly slow through the creek detail.
8 deserves its own paragraph. A small feature in flat terrain - needs a good compass bearing. Took one I thought from 7. When I crossed the creek at halfway I was so far left that I took a while to actually locate myself - I couldn't believe I had drifted 120m off line on a 250m "accurate" bearing. So abandoned the compass and went in the vague direction of the big creek and ran straight to it. Could have been very ugly had I continued on the "accurate" bearing. GPS shows a very straight line for the early section, and it looks like the right angle (in True Grid - magnetic declination +7.9 degrees, so maybe 8 degrees out).
Slow once back in the creek; climbed up and down needlessly at 13 (-30 secs) and ran around too far at 15 (-30 secs) where fatigue definitely set in. So around about 3:30 again lost. Still way behind K/L (39, 41).

Shadowing Aoife on the VE.

Keeping warm in the ice cold wind.

Day 3 Course 9 - Splits

Tundarri, Bri Glen. Day 2, M55, 5th.
A good start with the fastest split (2:23 on around a 500m leg). However, slow through the creek after that, with a definite wobble on 2 (-15 secs), losing about a minute on Key/Lawford over the next 6 controls. Then the first major route choice and I chose wrong by going straight line. I think right was faster - 10 contours up and 7 down less, but 300m extra. Lost 1:30 on K/L here so maybe 1 minute error? Slow on 8 and then the next route choice; straight again, wrong again. Could have avoided 5 contours up/down by going left an extra 100m (-30 secs). Went up the creek to 11, losing a bit more time (maybe 10 secs). Wayward to 12, hit the flag on the creek bend to the south (-15 secs). Wayward again on 14, had mistakenly thought the last control was different for several courses, when in fact it was the same and hung high (-10 secs).
So 2 route choices and 3 wobbles cost about 3:20 - still way off K/L who did 38.

Day 2 Course 9 - Splits

Easter Day 1, Wonna Creek, Bri Glen, M55, 3rd. Bad preparation - no GPS, no gaiters, no tape for laces, no description holder (safety pinned to front imstead).
Slow start up hill. Should have avoided rocky ridge to 4 - either left or right would have been quicker. Bad route choices to 5 and 6 - should have used the big, blue highway. Pretty clean through the last few and set up my podium finish overall.

Day 1 Course 9 - Splits

Event: 2015 Australian Three Days
 

Nyngan with Aoife