Training Log Archive: iansmith

A morning road run and river loop at 6:30 AM. I was initially reluctant to go for a run (I had been awake for over an hour), but after deciding to go, it only took me about five minutes to get dressed and leave.

My objective for the day was a long, low intensity run with target pace of 8:30/mile, which I improved upon. I held my breathing to a steady 4/4, and generally felt good and strong throughout the run.

It's interesting to note that elite runners could complete my run at full speed about 15-17 minutes faster than I did today. The olympic record set this year in the 10k was 27:01.

I encountered a large flock of about 100 geese along the river, munching on grass. They were directly in my path, and I briefly entertained charging the entire group at sprint pace to agitate them and seek vengeance for all the goose droppings they left on the docks when I rowed crew, but prudence prevailed, and I ran around with a margin of about 10 meters. A very few stopped eating to straighten and assess their surroundings in the typical goose manner.

I love it when conditions allow steaming after a run, when perspiration condenses in the air as it evaporates. I intended to calculate the maximum temperature for which such an effect is plausible, but I decided to do other things.

On Training:

As many of you have noticed, I have extraordinary goals and a rather mediocre training regimen. I need to become more disciplined, both as an orienteer and an individual, and I appreciate any encouragement and suggestion to help me attain that level of discipline needed to make an earnest shot at my goals. For those of you who have seen the movie Miracle, it would be wonderful to have a personal Coach Brooks to follow me around with a whistle, yelling at me to improve. However, orienteering (and running) are not hockey, so that mode of operation might not work.

I'm putting together my winter training schedule, so I can be prepared and in optimal condition to compete in the Spring orienteering season. This will likely consist of a mix of road running, mental exercises (route choice, etc), and forest running, e.g. in the Middlesex Fells Reservation. Please feel free to yell at me to prompt me to adhere to that schedule. Comments are always welcome.

In any case, please feel free to yell at me. I'll try not to let you all down.

Run to the Tufts track, 8 PM. I ran with a flashlight and the April 2008 Physics Today to practice reading details while moving quickly. I read about centrifuges in the context of nuclear proliferation.

2k warmup before a mile time trial.

800 meter warm down after the mile time trial.

Mile time trial. I didn't stop after my warmup, so I might have been able to push it a bit faster if I were completely rested. I'm not overly surprised by my result, though I had hoped to break six minutes.

400 meter splits:
94.57
95.12
94.37
90.10 (+ 10 meters)

2008 Year in review

I started orienteering, for all practical purposes, on September 16, 2007 at the behest of three of my friends. I had previously piggybacked on a Bubba Goat and run two CSU Park-Os. Since my ignoble beginning, I have orienteered on some 40 C, B, and A level courses in five states, Canada, and Estonia. I logged 108 hours of training this year.

In December 2007, I was an Orange level orienteer with some advanced orienteering experience. The competitor against whom I gauged my performance was Ben Parson, a perennial orange runner. Now, I'm an intermediate Blue runner, and I gauge my performance against Jeff Schapiro, Phil Bricker, JJ Cote, and - on particularly good runs - Brendan Shields and Gerald Yip. I use the ratio of the average of Ross Smith's and Brendan Shields' times on a course to my time as a gauge of the quality of my run; a typical result is around 1.6 (e.g. Heart and Troll).

I have posted significant improvement on my performance for all three distances. I'm best at sprint, which is unsurprising given my relatively weak training base and high muscle mass. My top three A-meet runs were all sprints, and were in the range of 73-74 points.

I struggled initially with Middle Distance - the technical navigation was a big weakness of mine - but I posted a 67 point run on my most recent Middle Distance course at the North American champs. It should be noted that this course was relatively easy, and I still struggle with the technical orienteering common on Middle Distance courses.

I have relatively little exposure to true classic courses, though the typical Blue C-meet NEOC course is most like a classic distance. At the A-level, my only classic distance experience is the NEOC Heart and Troll meet, on which I posted 60 point runs. The classic distance doesn't have a singular challenge analogous to the technicality and distance of the Middle and Long respectively, so it's hard to point to a general obstacle. If anything, the classic course is probably best indicative of my general orienteering progress.

The Long was a bane of mine from the beginning, entirely due to the distance. Initially, I ran times of about twice that of the winners on A level courses, and I lacked the endurance to be out running a long for three hours. My three US A meet forays on the Long met with DNF due to exhaustion, 45 minutes lost looking for my e-punch, and DNF due to catestrophic navigational error. Considering my other two A level runs - at the 2008 COCs and in Estonia - the Long distance course is unquestionably my worst course because I lack the endurance required to handle them at my level of navigational proficiency. However, there is some hope: my classic results and my performance at the 2008 Blue Hills Traverse both indicate improvement on distance courses. It is painfully clear that to be successful on the Long in the future, I must have a strong and regular training regimen.

I finished this year with a US ranking of 62.84 on 13 A-meet events, ranked 60th of 82 Blue orienteers. I did not have a ranking goal starting the year, but I'm not displeased with my result. My last six events were all above 60 (with one DNF), and there exists a strong positive trend in my results so far. My goal for next year is to be in the top 33% of blue runners - the seed currently held by Greg Balter. This is an overly ambitious goal, but I believe it is attainable if I earnestly apply myself.

My map reading, route choice, proficiency at staying in contact, running ability, and navigational execution have all improved this year. My training regimen has become much more consistent, I have made many friends through orienteering, and I have much friendly competition to look forward to. I have been coached and helped along by a large group of people, including Lori Huberman, Brendan Shields, Daddy-O, Ross Smith, Ian Finlayson, Mark and Pia Webb, Will Hawkins, Gerald Yip, Clem McGrath and Eric Bone.

I have a long way to go before I can consider myself a good orienteer, but I am optimistic. I orienteer to compete and for the challenge; while I enjoy the sport and I benefit organizationally, physically, and mentally, my objective is to compete at the highest level possible. Orienteering is a very interesting problem - much more so, in my judgment, than running or most sports. It is a singular combination of mental, physical, and organizational attributes that demands contest. I often ask people why they orienteer, not because I question their intent and ability to fulfill that objective, but because I want to understand all the varying perspectives people bring to a sport. My ambitious long term goal for now is to make the US National Orienteering team. It may be that this will never happen - I certainly do not meet the profile (especially physically) for a national level competitor, but I strive to attain that. If - as I hope - I do make the team in the next decade, I will come up with a new, excessively ambitious set of goals and aspirations.

C • Very nice assessment 1