Thursday 31 July 2014

Scotland Training Camp- "Heather" and "Bracken"

     Most of team Canada was in Scotland for a twelve day training camp in preparation for next year’s world champs. We were training twice a day on maps which was not just good preparation for next year but also pretty good training in general. The terrain can vary from very fast to very slow depending on the density of the heather and bracken. Heather and bracken are two words that I got to know pretty well during the twelve days I was in Scotland. From hearing people describe the bracken and heather I was expecting it to be worse than it was but it was still pretty bad. The heather (small bushy shrubs about a half metre high) just drains your legs when you’re running through it because it slows down your stride and you have to work just to keep running at a reasonable speed. The bracken (basically tall closely spaced ferns) is a little worse since it is tall and thick so it is hard to see where you are running/trying to run since you literally have to fight to get through it. It also hides the contours which makes it harder to see them in the terrain and understand them. After the twelve days of training I was confident in the terrain and am happy we had this camp because I think we all will be more prepared for next year. This is the first time we have had a camp in WOC terrain that hasn’t been in the month of the actual championship. It is very expensive and hard for us to fly all the way from Canada to run in WOC terrain so I think it is a great idea to do this every year when we are all in Europe to prepare for the next WOC.

     Besides just orienteering we had the opportunity to run the Tom Na Bat Hill Race in the Tomintoul Highland Games. The hill race was an experience in itself but the whole highland games was quite the thing to see in person. From guys throwing hammers, tossing the caber, pillow fights, tug O’ wars, track races, sack races, dancers and of course bag pipers. I ended up winning the (5.6km, 340m) hill race in 28:20, just 6 seconds from the course record. It was also an experience to go swimming in the famous Loch Ness and no one got eaten by the Loch Ness monster this time.
After the Tom Na Bat Hill Race

Starting the final downhill
Highland Games Dancing Competition

After the Highland Games
Swimming in Loch Ness.
Here are a couple maps of the terrain I was running in:

On another note the Silesia Grand Prix started today: www.silesia.obopava.cz
Train on,
Damian







Thursday 10 July 2014

WOC 2014

    It was a great feeling to be back on the start line after missing last years world champs but a little nerve racking being my first time in the sprint qualification. I did not have the technical races that I was hoping to have in the sprint and sprint relay but it was good experience. The sprint qualification was alright for me but I made some stupid mistakes that cost me too much time. The men's qualifications are so packed with amazing orienteers that any small mistake will put you way down the results list. I ended up 26th/40 in Men-A but with a mistake free race I could have been 10 seconds from qualifying and 18th. In the future I think I can make the final with a clean race and a bit better physical shape, like I was in the spring before I got injured.
Heading to the last control in the Sprint Qualification.
Photo: Ken Walker
3rd last control
Photo
3rd last control
Photo
Sprint qualification route-right click open in new tab for better quality
     The sprint relay was really fun with so many spectators all throughout the course cheering loudly. My race was disappointing since I took a lot of slightly longer/slower route choices on the most important legs. Physically I also felt bad since I did virtually nothing since the sprint qualification because my foot was too sore to do anything after pushing as hard as I could have in the qualification. I am disappointed with my results since it was not what I was hoping for which is frustrating but hurting my foot did not help my confidence and physical shape. On the upside we managed to beat our North American rival :).
Just released from quarantine
Photo: Ken Walker
Just got the map from Will and I am heading to the start triangle
Photo: Ken Walker
Mixed sprint relay route-right click open in new tab for better quality
     My WOC 2014 racing is now over unless I get to race the relay as the reserve if someone gets injured. I will now try to get healthy before our WOC 2015 Team Canada training camp in Scotland and for WUOC in August.

Train on,
Damian

Wednesday 2 July 2014

WOC Bound 2014 or Am I?

     After being left off last year’s WOC team I have finally qualify for the sprint and the first ever sprint relay in Italy. The team was selected based on the results of the Alpe Adria Cup.  I am happy with just being selected for the sprints since I have been fighting to be on the sprint team for four years now. I put together a good sprint race in Conegliano but I did not have a great long race to say the least and my middle was not much better.  
Alpe Adria Sprint Finish
     The sprint was fun running through the historical streets of Conegliano. It was very flat which made the course fast and the streets were also closed to traffic which upped the intensity since you didn't have to worry about traffic. The M/W elite categories also got to test out the SportIdent Contact Less System + Air punching system that will be used for the WOC sprint relay. It is a touch-less punching system where you just have to run by the controls and your SportIdent stick will flash and beep indication you got the control. This also increased the intensity of the race as you didn't even have to break your stride if done properly. I really enjoyed using the new system for the first time but it did take me a few controls to get use to it.
Alpe Adria Sprint
Alpe Adria Sprint

     My time in the long did not show what I was really capable of. I made many bad mistakes that I should not of made. The pouring rain and very slippery conditions on the already dangerously rocky terrain did not help me to focus on the orienteering.
Alpe Adria Long
    The middle race started out bad for me as I ran by number one without seeing it but I managed to have a good run for the last three quarters but that was overshadowed when I re-injured my right big toe after it had just healed from injuring it earlier in the spring. The terrain was very technical with many rock features and tricky control locations that you had be a few meters away from to see the flag. My foot seems to be a little worse this time maybe just because it wasn't fully healed to begin with. It is very swollen and I cannot walk on it or bend it much. It has improved since injuring it on Sunday slightly but it seems it will take a while before I can run on it. I am hoping the swelling will go down by Saturday so I can race the sprint qualification that will be held on the island of Burano, just a short boat ride from Venice. I am continually icing it, putting my foot up and putting anti-inflammatory cream on it but it is still swollen and sore. All I can do is continue What i am already doing and rest it and hope for the best by Saturday. I will see Friday if I will attempt to run on Saturday after resting it for 5 days. It really sucks this happened but I will have to deal with it.

Just a little swollen
Alpe Adria Middle
All I have been doing for the past three days is lounging around planning courses on the Burano map that Okansas made of the island where the WOC sprint qualifier will be. If I am not fully ready physically, which I should be, I will definitely be very ready mentally.

Train on,
Damian