Friday 20 July 2012

Swiss 5 Days

Today I ran the elite course for the last stage of the Swiss 5 Days on the long distance final terrain JORAT 10. It was a tough course which was 13.8 km with 310m of climb. There are a lot of paths, roads and trails on this map which called for a lot of trail running which often didn’t take you in a straight line so I ended up running 18.93 km according to my gps. I made very few mistakes and am really happy with my race; I just lacked some speed and endurance. My foot has been acting up again which was a bit of a pain but I could deal with it. The WOC relay should be exciting tomorrow to wrap up WOC 2012!
Today's map

Train on,
Damian

Wednesday 18 July 2012

WOC Middle Qualification

I would have done this sooner but the internet at the accommodation the team is staying at has been terrible lately. The middle didn’t go as planned with too many mistakes; I estimate I lost 6.5 minutes. It was tough to find the controls in the dark green because the visibility was limited to about 3 meters. It’s nice to be the top Canadian after being selected last for the team behind all the other guys and proving once again that I can perform to a certain degree at the major competitions. Some highlights were being 10th on two splits, 2nd on one split and 1st on one split! Also I did improve by one place from last year’s 30th place in the long distance at WOC in France. The relay team has been decided and I am not a part of the team as I expected back at the beginning of June. I was expecting there to be a selection race like last year for the relay team so that the guys on the team can prove they deserve to be a part of the team in this Swiss terrain because not all the guys raced each other head to head which seems to make the decision a little controversial. I ended up racing the 3rd stage of the Swiss 5 days on the day of the middle final because it was free. I did some training on the model map for the relay today (haha) instead of the 4th stage because it was a long distance race and I was feeling a bit tired so decided it was not a great idea to race again. I will take a rest day tomorrow and race the final stage on Friday.

Crashing into the 13th control


My route from the Middle Qualification
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Stage 3 of the Swiss 5 Day's

Relay model map

                                                        Finishing hard on the long uphill finish shute        Photo: Adrian Zissos


                                                                                       Last few meters                          Photo: Adrian Zissos


Train on,
Damian

Sunday 15 July 2012

WOC Middle Qualification Tomorrow

Yesterday between the sprint qualification and final I ran on the LA PALUD middle qualification model map. The map was very run able in sections and slow in others where it was green or rocky. The quality of the map wasn't great because there were some old logging trails that were not on the map and thought there should be some more clearings as well. The vegetation was also not that great in places but I’m sure the actual map will be perfect. Easy/rest day today and then the big race tomorrow afternoon. I have a start within the last block so I will be starting later which can be quite good with some fast runners near the end and a bit of tracking but it also can be bad if I get drawn to start last! Hopefully I can qualify for the final tomorrow but it will be extremely tough. My training partner Patrick Goeres had a fantastic result in the sprint final yesterday and finished in 36th place for a new PB result in the sprint at WOC!! Way to go Patrick!!

Middle Qualification Model from Yesterday

Patrick Goeres Cruising in the Sprint Qualification

Patrick flying in the Sprint Final
                                                                 Patrick giving it everything in the finish                       Photo Adrian Zissos

The "MEGASTAR" after a new PB in the Sprint Final 36th!!!

Train on,
Damian

Thursday 12 July 2012

Middle Final Model

Today I ran on the middle final model map where the Swiss selection race was also held. There are many spots where the running can be quite slow due to the rocky terrain but there are also sections that are rocket fast. About half of the map is more technical than the other half which was basically a series of big hills. Also I found that not all the trails were mapped but there were enough out there that you could make good use out of them. The middle qualification seems to be on simpler terrain that looks like it will have faster running in the woods because of less rocky ground.  I will take a rest day tomorrow and run on the middle qualification model map Saturday and have an easy training Sunday before the middle qualification on Monday. My foot is almost feeling 100% now but I slightly rolled my ankle today on some rocks but it should be fine by Saturday.
Today's map

Train on,
Damian

Wednesday 11 July 2012

More Middle Preparation

Today I went to run on the LES PRALIES map which is very close to the Switzerland/France border. The terrain today was more technical than the other days but the ground was rockier with a lot of old logged areas which made the running slow in places. Some more open cattle fields and some very nice run able white forest in certain sections. The middle qualification is suppose to be more like the fist training I did on the MONT BALLY map which was faster running and more open with some green sections. I also found this map to be the most enjoyable so it is a good thing the middle qualification will be similar to this. I will be the running part of the men’s middle course from the Swiss WOC selection races tomorrow which will be a nice test at race pace!


Today's map

Train on,
Damian

Tuesday 10 July 2012

WOC Training

Did another middle training at GRAND JORAT 10 today. It was thicker than yesterdays training but there were more trails. I tried to use the trails as much as possible because there much faster than the woods and you can feel confident in exactly where you are. There were lots of stinging nettles which sucked.  I had a few hooks here and there but nothing major. I am feeling technically strong which is a confidence boost but I wasn’t running quite at race pace.  I will have to try a training session at race pace or at least part of a training to make sure the technique is still there at a slightly higher pace.

Today's map

Train on,
Damian

Monday 9 July 2012

WOC Preparation

Today was the first training I have done in Switzerland in preparation for the World Champs which start next week. The team did a nice middle training on the Mont Bally map. I was expecting the terrain to be different from last year but strangely it was similar. The ground was rocky and moss covered but not as much as in France but of course it was not as technical. Went at a pace just below race pace and it was fine but found that I could get within 10 meters and then hesitate before getting the control because the visibility is not perfect in places. Feeling pretty good in this terrain and hopefully will be fully comfortable by the end of the week. Special shout out to Emily Kemp who won BRONZE today in the JWOC Long Distance in Kosice Slovakia!!!! I feel really proud to be Canadian right now. Way to go Emily on winning North America's first ever medal at JWOC!! Hopefully more to follow internationally for Canada in the future!!
Today's map

Train on,
Damian

Friday 6 July 2012

WUOC Relay

Today was far from great for the Canadian relay team. Will, Robbie and I had far from great runs, each with at least one major mistake. It was very tricky out there today. I was pretty tired today from the week of racing and my foot was feeling it too. I had a great start to my race but was trying to push too hard and blew up. I could navigate fine to the control circle but had a hard time finding the control today. WUOC is now over and I am heading over to Lausanne Switzerland tomorrow night to prepare for WOC and my middle distance race and possibly the relay if all goes according to the plan in the middle.

Relay Map Leg 3

Mens Mass Start

Train on,
Damian

Thursday 5 July 2012

WUOC Middle Distance

I chose to start early to beat the heat and was the 8th starter and the temperature was cooler (around 23C) than starting later which was nice. I lost 1 minute on #2 and 15sec on #3 but the second to last control #18 was killer where I lost 4 minutes. My plan was to be aggressive and hope to have a perfect race. I thought there is no point in running controlled and place between 60-70 but rather push my limits to have a great result. I was having a very good race up until #17 where I think it got to my head a little bit. I thought to myself I’ve done it and that’s when disaster strikes! Did not end up going far enough and after thinking I was close (and I was) I ran around and then decided to go to #19 and then go back which worked out great but I should have just done it sooner and I would have limited the damage to probably 2 minutes not 4! I am still happy with my performance despite the mistakes. Tomorrow is the relay and I will be anchoring Canada 1 team. Will C. will be starting and Robbie A. will run second.

Middle Distance map


37th Place

Train on,
Damian

Wednesday 4 July 2012

WUOC Sprint

The sprint this afternoon was in the city of Alicante starting on the top of the Castillo de Santa Barbara. The course was tough with 135m of climb but there was also a lot of fast downhill running too. Another warm day 28C but it was not that bad for a sprint. I made a few bad mistakes and ended up in 79th place which is far from ideal. Lots of narrow streets and stair cases made it very tricky. Middle distance tomorrow, I start at 8:44am, better get to bed… One more chance for a decent race!

Punching the last control

Sprint map




Train on,
Damian

Tuesday 3 July 2012

WUOC Long Distance

The 27C heat combined with 9.8km and 690m climb made today’s long distance the toughest race I have ever competed in. The race was far from perfect for me but I have already tried to forget about it and focus on recovering for the sprint tomorrow. The insane amount of climb combined with the blazing Spanish sun drained my brain and legs very early on and my legs felt like lead by the 4th control which was disastrous for me. This made the last 2/3 of the course very tough. There were some good route choice options and I think I chose the best ones but did not see one wide route choice on a long leg on a trail that avoided a lot of climb which would have been a lot quicker and less demanding! I truly think I could have had a much better race if I had an early start time near 8:30am when it was only 20C. I think the starts should have been from 12:00pm onwards so everyone would have had the same heat and sun conditions and early runners would not have had an advantage over the later ones. Looking forward to the sprint tomorrow and hoping for a much better run!


Long Distance Map
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78th Place (side # is wrong), I guess I have to take it...

Train on,
Damian

Monday 2 July 2012

WUOC Model Event


The WUOC model event was right next to the Mediterranean Sea on the Caravasi map. It was warm again but not as warm as yesterday only 25C. Some of the terrain was similar to the Carcross Desert map in the Yukon which apparently is not relevant for any of the races but the steep re-entrants, cliffs and scrubby vegetation will be very relevant. The footing was very uneven again and I expect there to be some sprained ankles throughout the week. The team went for a swim in the Mediterranean Sea afterward to cool down which was refreshing. The opening ceremony is tonight at 7:30 pm which will parade through the streets of a suburb of Alicante. The long distance (9.85km 690m) is tomorrow and the first start is actually at 8:30am, I ended up being in the late start block so I won’t be racing until around noon which will be a major disadvantage with the heat and the sun! Hopefully I can crack the top fifty with a clean run. Stay tuned…


Model event map

Myself after the model with the Mediterranean Sea.

Train on,
Damian

Sunday 1 July 2012

WUOC Preparation




Today part of the Canadian team decided to race an Alicante Provincial League race on EL MOLI just outside Santa Polo which happened to be adjacent to the Middle and Relay map that will be used for WUOC. My navigation was pretty good today with 3, 1 minute bobbles that can be fixed easily with a bit more concentration. Since I arrived yesterday I am still a bit tired and with the long distance in 2 days I decided to take it easy out there and not run super fast and mostly walk the hills. I am not use to the heat here in Spain; it was 34C (at 11:00am) and roasting in the sun since there are not may spots with tall enough trees to get out of the sun. Since it was just a local meet there was no water on the course which sucked because you could have used some by #1! The terrain is very rocky and uneven with lots of small cliffs and scrubby vegetation. The run ability is fairly good but you have to pay close attention not to roll your ankle on the uneven rocky ground. Hopefully it cools down before the long distance on Tuesday which is very unlikely. It should be a bit cooler in the morning because starts are from 8:30am onwards; hopefully I get an early start! Tomorrow is the official model event at carabasi. Stay tuned for daily news.

Map from today 6.6km 285m

 Myself after the race


Train on,
Damian