I have had an absolutely blazing week.
OK, so I haven't been able to run (still resting knee after really bad whack this past Saturday) so I've turned my energies to a bunch of projects that I've needed to get on to for more weeks than I care to mention.
It's always easy to deal with tasks that can be done relatively quickly. Those that I know will take hours and hours - and ideally uninterrupted hours... I put them off.
With an open week, I made good use of blocks of unbroken hours to made some headway.
On Monday afternoon I did some 'cleansing'. The problem I have with organising events is the packing away. I'll pack some stuff away and then I 'dump' other bits. On the floor. Any available space. Crates, maps, droppers, boards, flags... Between this and that I put them away. It can take a few days to get clarity again. On Monday I wrapped up the results from Metrogaine, sent them out and cleared away the bundle of clue sheets and other stuff lying around.
Cleansing is contagious so with that done I got into some cupboards... and other crates... and piles of paper.
A big project on Tuesday was to set up a Facebook page for our AR Gaiters. We receive lovely emails and sometimes photos from people around the World who are using our AR Gaiters, especially the AR Desert Gaiters. But the AR Gaiter page on www.AR.co.za isn't really the best place to store the photos and stories. Facebook, on the other hand, is a fabulous platform.
So, I set up the page, updated the content on AR for the AR Mini, Desert and Adventure Gaiters and had everything up on Wednesday morning.
That afternoon (and finished it at night) I wrote up a media release for K-Way on trail runner Lucky Miya. He's in France to run in the Skyrunning World Champs on Sunday. I met Lucky earlier this year when he came through to some of our AR Club Summer Series events at Delta. He also took part in the April Metrogaine with orienteer Michael Crone, who is currently in Italy for the World Orienteering Champs. They won the Metrogaine and I really hope that they both have superb runs in their respective international events.
Having had such fun with the AR Gaiter Facebook page, I decided to create a Facebook page for my Metrogaine events. Again, Facebook has its merits and it is a great platform to share event info, photos and runner routes. It's content that is Likeable, Shareable and social.
And then on Thursday I jumped into website modifications on the FEAT website. I wanted to tweak images, backgrounds, colours and some structural elements. It isn't rocket science but it just takes time. Inevitably when you change one colour you need to change a dozen others to make it all look nice - like when you buy a new duvet cover and end up repainting your room and putting up new curtains.
There's one piece of code that I just haven't been able to find. I've been through almost every .php page and every .css page to look for it. I spent two hours yesterday chasing this one issue... I bet it is in the two or three .php pages that I haven't searched!
There are a few other tweaks that I want to make... but it is fine for now.
I've done well to get these big chunks done between regular smaller tasks.
I like new. I like change. It has been a satisfying week.
Friday, 27 June 2014
Monday, 23 June 2014
38 Days of Running: Almost there...
I've had a bit of a whirlwind week. Although I started my annual running game 38 days before my 38th birthday, it went a bit like this... 13 days of running [one week of Expedition Africa] and then the rest of the days. My current count - as of yesterday - was Day 32. Today I broke the consecutive-day chain by missing an run (or walk) following an impact injury incurred yesterday.
Yesterday afternoon I headed out with a running friend to Suikerbosrand. I haven't been there for ages - it is such an awesome location.
It must have been about six kilometres in that I bashed my knee on a rock. Quite silly really because I was working through a rocky section - chatting away - and I was maybe turned a bit to my right (talking over my shoulder) when I stepped down a rock and bent my knee right into a big rock on the side. I whacked the inside edge of my right patella (knee cap) - a seriously hard knock. I couldn't move for a moment and then it felt ok and I ran the rest of the way feeling nothing more than the effects of the impact on the bone.
The drive home takes little over 30 mins and by the time I got home I could barely bend my knee it was so sore - and a bit swollen too. I couldn't bend it to walk up or down stairs either.
I started on hot and cold therapies and an Arnica oil rub and two anti-inflams. If these don't work then I know the problem is a bigger deal than a regular bash. I didn't expect anything serious as I hadn't slipped, fallen nor twisted - just a good 'ol bashing.
I'm delighted to say that I awoke with no pain and could do stairs with relatively little discomfort. After spending the day on my feet it is a bit inflammed now but nothing that hot, cold and Arnica shouldn't solve. It may take a few days to recover fully.
After such a hard bash I'm reluctant to mess with my knee so I may need a few days before I complete the final five days.
This year's '38 Days of Running' has been a bit disjointed but satisfying overall.
 |
| Part of a Da Vinci drawing - a lovely knee. |
It must have been about six kilometres in that I bashed my knee on a rock. Quite silly really because I was working through a rocky section - chatting away - and I was maybe turned a bit to my right (talking over my shoulder) when I stepped down a rock and bent my knee right into a big rock on the side. I whacked the inside edge of my right patella (knee cap) - a seriously hard knock. I couldn't move for a moment and then it felt ok and I ran the rest of the way feeling nothing more than the effects of the impact on the bone.
The drive home takes little over 30 mins and by the time I got home I could barely bend my knee it was so sore - and a bit swollen too. I couldn't bend it to walk up or down stairs either.
I started on hot and cold therapies and an Arnica oil rub and two anti-inflams. If these don't work then I know the problem is a bigger deal than a regular bash. I didn't expect anything serious as I hadn't slipped, fallen nor twisted - just a good 'ol bashing.
I'm delighted to say that I awoke with no pain and could do stairs with relatively little discomfort. After spending the day on my feet it is a bit inflammed now but nothing that hot, cold and Arnica shouldn't solve. It may take a few days to recover fully.
After such a hard bash I'm reluctant to mess with my knee so I may need a few days before I complete the final five days.
This year's '38 Days of Running' has been a bit disjointed but satisfying overall.
Monday, 16 June 2014
Gauteng O Champs: Long fun
Today's long course events at the Gauteng Orienteering Champs ended up as a 'training run' after six controls were stolen. As some of them really were not visible from the trails, I can only figure that some malicious individual was watching Cindy putting out the controls and then went behind her and stole them. So, some idiot has six orienteering control flags and six EMIT (electronic timing) blocks. EMIT is, of course, totally useless to them. They look like orange, plastic blocks. The flags... well, they do make nice lampshades; if orange-and-white is your interior-decor scheme.
The individual did leave behind the metal droppers, which had the control number tags still attached. We found the droppers - but there were no flags to be seen.
I'm quite delighted to announce that I made a few mess-ups today. I'm delighted for various reasons...
I've had very smooth orienteering runs for ages. Few problems, very minor errors and clean runs. I haven't been stretched navigationally. And the best way to be stretched is when you make a mess and need to problem solve to get out of it. I do get a very special kind of satisfaction from this.
Of course it is nice to have smooth runs, especially when you're running for time and points and results. But as our courses would be voided, making the mess-ups here, today, was just plain good fun.
I'll let you in on the sneaky-sneaky controls where I had the most fun.
CP4 to CP5
This wasn't exactly a mess-up. Take a look and I'll explain what happened.
Coming from CP4, I headed into the bushes and was aiming to, cross the path, continue into the trees and hit the next path, near the bend, run down the path and then head into the clearing. But, not far from from the first path crossing I walked on to a CP. I didn't expect it to be mine.
Where I did make an error was in looking at my control descriptions and I saw the number for the next control (105 I think it was). This control was 150. So I felt quite happy that I was correct and that this wasn't my control because it wasn't where I expected it to be. So, I continued with my plan, hit the path, ran along it and headed back into the bushes where I thought the correct clearing was. But there was no control. Mmm... So then I wondered whether I'd made an error with the control number. I re-checked my control descriptions, realised my error and then had to try to find the control again. Fortunately I didn't have to look around too much. I found it, punched and was a bit puzzled but I continued.
Apparently the control was not in the right place - so that confirms my unease. It really had just been chance that I'd walked on to it. If I'd taken a more direct line to the control location I would have missed it.
CP13 to CP14
11, 12 and 13 were missing controls. I was here with another orienteer so we verified the problem and just touched the metal stakes in lieu of punching in at the control.
Now in the mood to play, I had a plan in mind for CP13 to 14.. I had my eye on the fence (southern boundary of the map) and hoped to be able to follow the fence and hook around from the South to the CP. I hoped that even though the vegetation was shown as green with undergrowth (the darker green stripes) that it wouldn't be too bad. It was worse! Really, really not a great route. Slow going, lots of blackjacks and pushing through vegetation. I actually couldn't get near the fence, which is why my route curves away from it.
Once I got out I could see where I wanted to go - I even saw mountain bikers on the trail. You see that brown embankment to the West of the control... I'm a bit confused but I think there was more happening with the trails than meet the eye. I shot up the embankment expecting to see the control. Nothing. And then I realised I must have gone up not where I thought I was. I'd crossed a path to get up the embankment... but the picture didn't fit. I ran around a bit to take a look and saw the big 'square quarry'. Aaaahhh... I retraced my steps, crossed the path, headed into the bushes and found the control. Mmm...
And now for the big puzzle of the day!
CP20 to CP21
The map looks a lot more obvious scanned and blown up. It's a lot harder to read this small detail when you're running and in reality the total length of the distance on the map between 20 and 21 is 2.2cm.
There are other paths in the area other than the ones indicated here. The main paths are mapped but there are minor tracks too. To put them on the map would really have turned this section into a more of a mess.
So, leaving 20 I was on track and I saw the big mess of boulders ahead. I found an unmarked track and used this to run around the boulders. But then, I wasn't exactly sure where the path had dumped me but I was fairly ok with the direction I needed to go.
The terrain here was a mess! Loads of knolls - probably created from dumped building rubble and long grass and rocks... It was horrible going. But, I popped out on a trail eventually and was looking down an embankment. OK, so where was I on the map? There were lots of trails around. I was also trying to get my position from the cultivated lands (yellow with black dots) I could see.
Looking at this big image now, it seems quite obvious - but it wasn't when I was standing there. I ran to my right hoping to see just a bit more. I could see the river, I checked my map orientation and then knew almost exactly where I was. I've checked my GPS track and it verifies this.
Once I had my fix, I ran back along the path. I made another little bloops because I then spotted a control next to a path (which is where this one was indicated on my control descriptions). I didn't expect my control to be there but then I didn't 100% trust that I was correct about where I was. I did check the control and saw it wasn't mine - so I returned to where I was and made my way - about 30m on - to my control.
And from there I was fine again.
But this was a nasty that took me a total of 10:27 from CP20 to CP21. Should have taken less than half of this.
Nonetheless, I was pretty chuffed with this puzzle. I haven't been foxed like this for a while. I was quite satisfying to fix the problem.
There were a few other places where I skirted around vegetation - but probably should have gone straight through. No big time losses but not great lines.
My total distance was 9.7km.
The Polokwane students and adults seemed to do pretty well today - again a good number of clean courses despite the missing controls.
One of the adults (I think he's the taxi driver - very, very keen and enthusiastic)... I'd pulled him off the sprint on Saturday afternoon and yesterday he messed up on the middle course at the 3rd control and had then given up. Yesterday afternoon we spent some time chatting through his course and I created 'stories' for him - examples of what he should be thinking of when looking at the map. The controls on his course were mostly all right on paths.
Like... "Follow the road for about 50 metres. Look for a path on the right. Go straight. There will be another path that crossed from the left and right. Keep straight. The next path will come in on the left. Take this one. Go up this path and at the first junction you'll see the control."
"So, it's not that bad, is it?" I'd announced.
"Mmm..." he'd responded.
I'd suggested that he focus maybe on finding the first six controls for today's event and that if those went well then he could choose to continue... but to really try to find at least the first six.
After finishing today he found me and was looking totally chuffed. He'd completed the whole course with few problems and no incorrect controls. Yippeee!
If he is, as I presume, the taxi driver, I do hope the school and club will keep him and get him involved with their orienteering activities. I have a feeling that he is the father of a child at the school? And he's based from the settlement just near Mary and Mpachue Secondary school. He's great to keep on board to bring this group to other events and to participate too. After today's successful run he is far more confident and he leaves this three day event knowing that he can do it and eager for more. Just lovely.
My thanks to the organising clubs and helpers and mappers and planners and controllers for these three fabulous days of orienteering. I thoroughly enjoyed the courses.
The individual did leave behind the metal droppers, which had the control number tags still attached. We found the droppers - but there were no flags to be seen.
I'm quite delighted to announce that I made a few mess-ups today. I'm delighted for various reasons...
I've had very smooth orienteering runs for ages. Few problems, very minor errors and clean runs. I haven't been stretched navigationally. And the best way to be stretched is when you make a mess and need to problem solve to get out of it. I do get a very special kind of satisfaction from this.
Of course it is nice to have smooth runs, especially when you're running for time and points and results. But as our courses would be voided, making the mess-ups here, today, was just plain good fun.
I'll let you in on the sneaky-sneaky controls where I had the most fun.
CP4 to CP5
This wasn't exactly a mess-up. Take a look and I'll explain what happened.
 |
| Orange 'x' marks about where the control was located. I'm not exactly sure where. |
Where I did make an error was in looking at my control descriptions and I saw the number for the next control (105 I think it was). This control was 150. So I felt quite happy that I was correct and that this wasn't my control because it wasn't where I expected it to be. So, I continued with my plan, hit the path, ran along it and headed back into the bushes where I thought the correct clearing was. But there was no control. Mmm... So then I wondered whether I'd made an error with the control number. I re-checked my control descriptions, realised my error and then had to try to find the control again. Fortunately I didn't have to look around too much. I found it, punched and was a bit puzzled but I continued.
Apparently the control was not in the right place - so that confirms my unease. It really had just been chance that I'd walked on to it. If I'd taken a more direct line to the control location I would have missed it.
CP13 to CP14
 |
| Pink shows what I did. Green shows what I should have done. |
Now in the mood to play, I had a plan in mind for CP13 to 14.. I had my eye on the fence (southern boundary of the map) and hoped to be able to follow the fence and hook around from the South to the CP. I hoped that even though the vegetation was shown as green with undergrowth (the darker green stripes) that it wouldn't be too bad. It was worse! Really, really not a great route. Slow going, lots of blackjacks and pushing through vegetation. I actually couldn't get near the fence, which is why my route curves away from it.
Once I got out I could see where I wanted to go - I even saw mountain bikers on the trail. You see that brown embankment to the West of the control... I'm a bit confused but I think there was more happening with the trails than meet the eye. I shot up the embankment expecting to see the control. Nothing. And then I realised I must have gone up not where I thought I was. I'd crossed a path to get up the embankment... but the picture didn't fit. I ran around a bit to take a look and saw the big 'square quarry'. Aaaahhh... I retraced my steps, crossed the path, headed into the bushes and found the control. Mmm...
And now for the big puzzle of the day!
CP20 to CP21
 |
| Pink shows what I did; green shows what I should have done... yellow circle shows where I popped out from the gnarly stuff. |
There are other paths in the area other than the ones indicated here. The main paths are mapped but there are minor tracks too. To put them on the map would really have turned this section into a more of a mess.
So, leaving 20 I was on track and I saw the big mess of boulders ahead. I found an unmarked track and used this to run around the boulders. But then, I wasn't exactly sure where the path had dumped me but I was fairly ok with the direction I needed to go.
The terrain here was a mess! Loads of knolls - probably created from dumped building rubble and long grass and rocks... It was horrible going. But, I popped out on a trail eventually and was looking down an embankment. OK, so where was I on the map? There were lots of trails around. I was also trying to get my position from the cultivated lands (yellow with black dots) I could see.
Looking at this big image now, it seems quite obvious - but it wasn't when I was standing there. I ran to my right hoping to see just a bit more. I could see the river, I checked my map orientation and then knew almost exactly where I was. I've checked my GPS track and it verifies this.
Once I had my fix, I ran back along the path. I made another little bloops because I then spotted a control next to a path (which is where this one was indicated on my control descriptions). I didn't expect my control to be there but then I didn't 100% trust that I was correct about where I was. I did check the control and saw it wasn't mine - so I returned to where I was and made my way - about 30m on - to my control.
And from there I was fine again.
But this was a nasty that took me a total of 10:27 from CP20 to CP21. Should have taken less than half of this.
Nonetheless, I was pretty chuffed with this puzzle. I haven't been foxed like this for a while. I was quite satisfying to fix the problem.
There were a few other places where I skirted around vegetation - but probably should have gone straight through. No big time losses but not great lines.
My total distance was 9.7km.
The Polokwane students and adults seemed to do pretty well today - again a good number of clean courses despite the missing controls.
One of the adults (I think he's the taxi driver - very, very keen and enthusiastic)... I'd pulled him off the sprint on Saturday afternoon and yesterday he messed up on the middle course at the 3rd control and had then given up. Yesterday afternoon we spent some time chatting through his course and I created 'stories' for him - examples of what he should be thinking of when looking at the map. The controls on his course were mostly all right on paths.
Like... "Follow the road for about 50 metres. Look for a path on the right. Go straight. There will be another path that crossed from the left and right. Keep straight. The next path will come in on the left. Take this one. Go up this path and at the first junction you'll see the control."
"So, it's not that bad, is it?" I'd announced.
"Mmm..." he'd responded.
I'd suggested that he focus maybe on finding the first six controls for today's event and that if those went well then he could choose to continue... but to really try to find at least the first six.
After finishing today he found me and was looking totally chuffed. He'd completed the whole course with few problems and no incorrect controls. Yippeee!
If he is, as I presume, the taxi driver, I do hope the school and club will keep him and get him involved with their orienteering activities. I have a feeling that he is the father of a child at the school? And he's based from the settlement just near Mary and Mpachue Secondary school. He's great to keep on board to bring this group to other events and to participate too. After today's successful run he is far more confident and he leaves this three day event knowing that he can do it and eager for more. Just lovely.
My thanks to the organising clubs and helpers and mappers and planners and controllers for these three fabulous days of orienteering. I thoroughly enjoyed the courses.
Sunday, 15 June 2014
Gauteng O Champs: Middle
Today's Middle Distance event was thoroughly enjoyable. As-the-crow-flies distance was 4.8km. I ran 5.5km. The map for today's event (and tomorrow's) was drawn by my club mates, Cindy and Cobus van Zyl. They did well. It's a good area with a mix of vegetation and generally very good runnability. Even some of the light green areas (slow, vegetated terrain) was actually not as bad underfoot as it looks at first glance.
I had a great navigation outing - running onto the controls and not looking around at all. There was only one control that I definitely could have taken a better option. Here it is below - my route from CP16 to CP17 (CP 16 not shown).
The route that I too is marked in purple. I started on the track and was aiming to make route decisions based on what the vegetation looked like. Very pleasant - so I left the track and cut straight across.
The mistake I made was to take the road. The 'story' I had going in my mind was to leave the road where the vegetation on my right changed to open ground. And I did just this. But the light green in this area... blackjacks! Not as nice as earlier light green. I headed into the green a few metres down from the control (didn't see it from there) and popped out on the road. So I ran up the rad and back into the bush - got it.
What I should have done...
Was to run from where I'd popped out on the first big road (thick black line) and then kept going through the shorter distance of green to get onto the trail.
Although I had a pleasant run, I didn't fare very well in the rankings... I think I ended up about 9th.
My problem is definitely that I'm coming back to the finish warmed up and ready for another 10km! I'm having a good navigation experience but for the rest I'm probably enjoying the terrain and breezy running and trip-trapping through the forests and grass just a bit too much. Clearly I'm not running nearly hard enough!
Cindy tells me that tomorrow's Long distance event, which is marked as 8km as-the-crow-flies will be one that I'll enjoy. I'm certain to run more than 8km, which will be great. We're at the same venue but using a much larger area of land.
As for the Polokwane bunch...
Overall MUCH BETTER results today! By the time I left there were still a few runners out. Maybe five or six still to return. Only one disqualification (by an adult) and not one disqualification from the teens! Clean courses by all of them. We had a winner on the Open Short course and dominated in the Open Medium. Ephraim fared ok on the M21 course and both Tebatso and Lesedi rocked the M20 course.
Yesterday Tseke had only done half the course, giving up after being unable to find a control. He promised me yesterday that he wouldn't give up today and that he would really try. A beautiful, clean course for him today with only one control where he lost a bit of time. I'm really pleased with all of them.
Now that they've had a taste of this terrain, they should be even better equipped to deal with tomorrow's courses.
I had a great navigation outing - running onto the controls and not looking around at all. There was only one control that I definitely could have taken a better option. Here it is below - my route from CP16 to CP17 (CP 16 not shown).
The route that I too is marked in purple. I started on the track and was aiming to make route decisions based on what the vegetation looked like. Very pleasant - so I left the track and cut straight across.
The mistake I made was to take the road. The 'story' I had going in my mind was to leave the road where the vegetation on my right changed to open ground. And I did just this. But the light green in this area... blackjacks! Not as nice as earlier light green. I headed into the green a few metres down from the control (didn't see it from there) and popped out on the road. So I ran up the rad and back into the bush - got it.
What I should have done...
Was to run from where I'd popped out on the first big road (thick black line) and then kept going through the shorter distance of green to get onto the trail.
Although I had a pleasant run, I didn't fare very well in the rankings... I think I ended up about 9th.
My problem is definitely that I'm coming back to the finish warmed up and ready for another 10km! I'm having a good navigation experience but for the rest I'm probably enjoying the terrain and breezy running and trip-trapping through the forests and grass just a bit too much. Clearly I'm not running nearly hard enough!
Cindy tells me that tomorrow's Long distance event, which is marked as 8km as-the-crow-flies will be one that I'll enjoy. I'm certain to run more than 8km, which will be great. We're at the same venue but using a much larger area of land.
As for the Polokwane bunch...
Overall MUCH BETTER results today! By the time I left there were still a few runners out. Maybe five or six still to return. Only one disqualification (by an adult) and not one disqualification from the teens! Clean courses by all of them. We had a winner on the Open Short course and dominated in the Open Medium. Ephraim fared ok on the M21 course and both Tebatso and Lesedi rocked the M20 course.
Yesterday Tseke had only done half the course, giving up after being unable to find a control. He promised me yesterday that he wouldn't give up today and that he would really try. A beautiful, clean course for him today with only one control where he lost a bit of time. I'm really pleased with all of them.
Now that they've had a taste of this terrain, they should be even better equipped to deal with tomorrow's courses.
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