Back and better than ever!!!

Well after popular demand (Ok really was just a email from Jamie) I thought I would start to write a bit more in the build up to World champs. So whats been going on in the UK for me, Well I got made redundant, then got asked to come back temporally, Got interview for a Gateline job (at train station checking tickets), got that job then had week doing that then got another interview for another job on the station and then got that too so was rather crazy month. So current job is still at train station but now I get to do far more exciting things like blowing a whistle at trains and watching them leave the station hmm ok well not that exciting but least I get paid a heap more than what I was on!!

So to the world of Orienteering, well after getting selected for Woc I decided I really needed to step up and do some good training so luckily Michael Adams came to the rescue and has written me up a programme which will take me through to WOC. I have never had a programme made for me so has been fun trying to follow it but I think im doing ok if only I could learn how to Orienteer aswell then would be alot better.



I have had quite a few races since I last posted but nothing really went very well. One run wasn’t too bad but it was all too little to late really. The UK Sprint champs which were being held at Nottingham Uni there was a qual and then a final a few hrs later, the Qual I blew out big time just so messy the whole course which then meant I was in B final. In the final the two courses were the same just meant we had to wait ages to start. I seemed to handle the final much better im not really sure why but just seemed to click, I won B final by over a min but my result would have put me 6th equal in A final only 2 sec behind 4th so was rather happy with that just would have been nice making the A final but still not to bad.



Anyway not much else to talk about since then except from two weekends ago we had the UK selection races which were around the same area as the UK champs. I knew the long was going to be rather hard but didn’t expect the others to be so steep but then again it was trying to be similar to Hungry so should have known better. My week leading up to it I was doing quite a bit of training as to me these events were all just training so didn’t really need to peak like the others so I didn’t feel completely fresh heading into the races. The sprint was in a forest and from warming up looked rather green so was getting a bit worried luckily once I started it was nice and open, the first one I got nice and clean I was taking it rather easy to start as I’m never really good a forest sprints. Once I decided on my Route to number to I tried speeding up but once I hit the hill my legs didn’t really want to move as fast as I was wanting them to but at least that was the main climb gone. As I got half way up hill I caught the guy a minute in front by control 5 I had then caught the next two guys. From 6 it was rather fast as it was all downhill which meant you had to keep in contact with the map the whole time. Number 10 I ended up going a bit to the right but relocated in time to only loose a few seconds. The rest I did ok but really seemed to slow up over the last 3 controls and then the finish sprint I lost 3 sec to Rob who I was 3rd equal with which was rather annoying considering it was only 40m so yeah think I really need to sort that out!!! The other stupid thing is I was 3rd Equal with the same person as the UK sprint champs so seems like I just cant beat him!!! Overall I was pretty happy with result but can see a bit of room for improvement but still good to finally have one good race. Talking with others after the race they all seemed to think thats going to be very similar to WOC sprint so that was good news.

The Map Below Is Pirets Final


The other races over the weekend didn’t go so well I just seemed to have nothing left in the tank at all and then just kept making so many stupid mistakes. I think the reason as to why I felt like I had nothing in the tank is because im now sick so could be the reason but who knows. I just hope if goes away soon so I can start to train again.

This weekend Piret and I did a event here in Sheffield called Cliffhanger which is an Ultra sprint, there were a number of top Orienteer’s there as the night before was Matt Crane and Grace Elson’s wedding so was a good field. We had 3 heats in which I miss-punched once and P miss-punched twice luckily we both went fast enough to still make it through to Semi (you got a 1min penalty for each miss-punched) In the semi I decided to miss-punched again so that instantly put me out but didn’t really matter as I had already lost so much time trying to figure out the map(I couldn’t find control 6 on the map). Piret made it through as 3rd fastest (4 go through) In the final she was involved in a sprint finish which there was alot of pushing and shoving but luckily P had the better of the two. So that was rather sweet considering she won a new Garmin 405 so yeah don’t know what we will do with it as she already has a flash Polar and I already have a Garmin but then again I can always upgrade to a nice new shiny one!!



This Wednesday im hoping to do a local Fell race which should be rather fun as Andy Mccarthy is over here so will be cool to run against him again. But will have to see how this cold goes as I think it wasn’t the best idea to run fast on the weekend as im now sooo tired from it all so will have to see if im still feeling crap as its over 1000ft in 4.5miles so it should be rather painful

Well hopefully this will be the first of many posts
There are also some new pics if u follow the link on the side bar

Maps from Portugal and all my mistakes

Thought i would upload some of my maps from Portugal with my route on. You can see all my lovely mistakes!!!

Whats been going on??

Well that is a very good question!! I have moved flat, im loosing my job, canceled a wedding and done a few random orienteering races!!! All in about a month. So first thing first, the wedding is off! Not cos I do not like Piret but more because of the lack of funds!!! This is from two reasons, one im loosing my job and then the other is because of the economy, it seems like UK is falling apart all these big business are just using this economic climate as a excuse to fire people and yeah im going to be one of them. I loose my job 1st May so still have a bit of time to find another one but yeah all a bit shit. But can’t really do much but hope to get another one soon!! Also another reason as to why we have decided to can it is because the exchange rate isn’t the best, Estonia is no longer cheap!!! No more 5-cent custard slices!!! The cheapest accommodation I have found is still around 80nz a night, so we have put the whole thing on hold until further notice. We are rather gutted not to have been having it as we have already sorted so many things out Pirets dress is getting made so that’s going to have to go into storage, but luckily that’s the only thing we will have to pay for as the rest of the places never asked for any money.

Anyway on a brighter side we have moved!! Finally we are back to having a place just for ourselves which is bloody good, so I can now walk around in my undies again oohhh baby yeah!!! Its just above Pirets work so it means that it only takes her 2min to get there, its also much better for me (well while im am working at the station) as it is a 15min walk so all up we are saving like 120pounds a month on not having to go on busses so its rather nice. The place is brand new and was furnished so we just had to get the basics like a toaster and a jug it did cost a bit to set up but we are sooooo much happier now!!! We also have an airbed so if anyone wants to come and stay feel free!!!



We went to Leeds the other day for a 5km running race which was quite fun we were only there for a few hours as I had to get back for work but was nice to get out of Sheffield, The 5km race was around some park which ended up to be a bit steeper than I thought it was going to be so meant our times were a little bit slower, I still did 16.42 which isn’t to far off a PB but if it was flat im sure I would have been low 16 so that is good news. Im entering the Sheffield half marathon on April 26th so that will be another good test hopefully can do something fast there.

We had an orienteering event on the weekend which was in Sherwood forest I didn’t see Robin hood so that was rather disappointing. It was a qualifier for the club champs which we won last year, but most of our best runners were in Denmark for a race over there so there was a bit of pressure on the B team (the likes of me). I didn’t do to bad, the map was really just a runners course so it suited me but I had a few small mistakes which cost me the win. My running speed was not to bad even thou I felt like throwing up before I started so I think my training must be starting to pay off. I was fourth 30sec down on 2nd and then 4min behind winner I can easily see that time if I was clean but its one of these things I guess. The club got through to the next round, which was good too. I have found a new program to play with so I can now have more fun with my GPS watch. It lets me plot my run onto the map so can see my change in speed as I go, would be a bit better if I could scan the map but yeah cant afford a scanner so will just have to get taking photos.
You can see where I lost my time, a few of my mistakes were really stupid but I also wonder how good the mapping was in a few areas as it really just didn’t make any sense when I was there and lost time cos of that. I should point out that most of the white really wasnt white and thats preaty much why i never went into it!!



In few weeks I have my last trail race for the World champs team, Its the JK which is being held in UK up in Newcastle so should be interesting to go and do some oing there, will also be fun as Ross is coming over so will be good to compare with him as to how fit I am. He is arriving a few days before so have a day off work so we can have a good catch up. After that weekend we are going and helping at the first adventure race of the year, that’s also in Newcastle well kind of close to it, so we are heading there on Friday morning and then come back on Sunday night, have to tent so that could be interesting might be a bit cold I think!!!

I have also put a few photos up on the net not many but a couple.