Training Log Archive: slow-twitch

Coming out of W6 I knew one of 2 things were going to happen: this would turn unto a huge blow-out, possibly including me lying on the ground crying at the 3km mark, or I would get that sub-23 new PB that I've been targeting for a little while. I guess technically the latter happened, but this goes just a little beyond my expectations....

C • Smashed it 3

Race 5, Mt Vic/Wellington College. Would rate this both the best course of the weekend (with 2 contrasting halves) and my best run. First part was hard work physically but managed to keep just in control technically - apart from ending up on the wrong track climbing out of #4, but saved that from becoming a blow-out when I recognised the 1st control while I was unexpectedly running past it. Then from 9 (last control before dropping into the school) got caught 2 mins by Greg and we had a great little battle from there to nearly the finish, mostly splitting on route choice but then meeting at the controls... given he still has the speed advantage I like what that says about my choices and execution, ...apart from that small moment I led him into a blind alley.... Could have done without the collision with a meter box that knocked off my feet however! 2nd, and this time I feel it has as much to do with things working for me as things not working for John.

Race 6, Massey etc (Mt Cook). So... Greg had taken the series as his 5 counting results were all going to be wins, but if I won this race and John was no better than 3rd I think I could have taken 2nd place for the series. However, John monstered it and I apparently only had 5 races in the legs... Not helped by successfully navigating to 5 metres underneath the 3rd control... (I've been lazy about getting anything more than the control code off the descriptions this weekend so I suppose that had to bite me eventually)... and I could have done without my few seconds of utter confusion regarding the last control... I seem to have lost my map but can't think of any other issues on the way around. Anyway I'm more than happy with 3rd overall for the weekend, especially as I kept to a pretty consistent level all the way through

See yesterday's WU/WD entry, with a bonus 5 minutes added in honour of the nice uphill trot to the morning race start-line

Race 3, Whitireia Polytech. Cautious-slow through the first 3 controls (but still bagged one of those splits) then the gas went on on the long leg to 4 and from there on I think I was mostly at maximum-possible orienteering speed. A small oops on that leg 4 almost missing the tunnel through a big building, and probably by the time I corrected I'd lost the advantage of using it, while all my other mistakes were in the latter half of leg 18. But would have been 3rd regardless - Greg and John in a different class, but it was becoming apparent by now that I was consistently a class above the rest of the field too.

Race 4, Raumati. This was the one that I really felt the new leg-speed working, with less maze-solving and more pick-a-route-and-GO! compared to the previous races. But while running at close to maximum, felt in control of the nav until a couple of silly things happened at 2 controls right near the end. However found a few shortcuts on the map afterwards that I didn't see on the run - most of them I think the time it would have taken to see them would not have been worth the time-savings from using them, but 6-7 there was definitely a better route choice available than the one I used. Greg well ahead again, but close enough to John to wonder... he was already just ahead of me at #13 (just before things fell apart a little for me) but throw in that #7 route choice as well, and maybe, just maybe...

See yesterday's WU/WD entry.

Event: W6 (Waitangi Wellington Sprints)
 

W6 race 1, Karori. Scratchy at first, culminating in a comedy of errors for #4, but then got into it, and only had a couple of minor glitches in the latter (Samuel Marsden) part of the course. 3rd - the minute lost on #4 would not have brought me close to Greg and John though.

Race 2, VUW. Very sketchy start with the first two controls in the Wai-te-ata maze, but while I was slow to 1, only lost time on 2. Then pretty good, could really feel the speed I've gained this summer through the more open legs, picked the right routes for the 2 big climbing legs, but dropped a bit of time in the last super-detailed area before the run back to the finish. 2nd, a long way behind Greg but John had one of those John R moments somewhere along the way....

There were warms-up and -down, I really don't know how much so this will do as a close-enough

Supposed to be a nice gentle pace run on the riverbank, but the pace kept creeping up... need to reinlist my 'recovery run buddies'!

Also I may be coming down with a cold, which would be absolutely typical timing.

Reread 'KEY THOUGHTS' from 24/1/16 training session before Waitangi!

Hamilton Gardens. A little sluggish out of the start, but think I found my legs on the downhill after the cemetery, and kept them right up to the hell-climb to the last control (let Bozzy get past here dammit). Lost at least half a minute on 13 as the only thing I'd read on the map leaving 12 was the direction the red line went - and in correcting went back to the route I would have taken if I had been paying attention when by that stage I might have been better of going straight through some light green or round the paths to the right. A little more time lost not checking the direction I climbed out of 10 but as I had the wrong shoes for that kind of thing my direction was probably more the way I could keep my footing rather than the way I wanted to go!