MTB Oh-so-fabulous

This morning was the second of the MTB orienteering events this year - totally fun and enjoyable. This time the event went a bit urban, using roads to link Albert's Farm and Emmarentia.

Yesterday I attended my second Parkour session; my first was 18-months ago. Despite my interest in and enjoyment of the sport it seems to have been a matter of waiting for a gap and the right time to go again. Dane Grant, the guy who heads up Parkour in South Africa, has been in the UK for the last six years. Now that he is back momentum is gathering, powered by structured month-end training sessions.

After the session we were chatting and I asked Dane whether he had a mountain bike. His answer was affirmative so I invited him to join me at MTB O. He was totally keen. How cool! I'd landed myself a buddy for this morning's event.

I woke up with shoulders a little stiff from yesterday's Parkour session and feeling my quads a little from 'precision jumps'. Many parkour moves are explosive, like plyometrics - and they demand balance and control. Fortunately I wasn't stiff like 18-months ago when I couldn't sit up in bed the next morning - I had to roll to get up! So the signs were good.

This morning we were blessed with a beautiful clear blue sky and an icy wind - typical highveld winter's day. We registered and I gave Dane the low-down on how orienteering works, about the maps etc. And then we started. The early part of the route involved LOTS of hill climbing and going to #4 I requested a quick walk - arrggghhh... Parkour jumps and hill climbing don't go well together. My quads felt better later on after warming up completely.

We met up with Heidi and Craig (riding solo) at a piece of open ground where there 'should' have been a control. I thought the open land had come up a little too soon after the bend, but wasn't overly concerned. We thought the control may have been swiped so we took a photo of the four of us. Craig spotted two riders popping out on to the road just below us - there was another strip of open land! The first one wasn't on the map. Doh!

Fortunately the second half of the route was on flatter territory around Emmarentia dam and the suburb.

Zip-zip-zip we were back to the finish after a super morning (2hrs) on our bikes. Piers won the long course in about 1h14. MTB O navigation is easier than foot O, especially when roads are also used. This makes for a nice, smooth course.

Dane was a super O buddy, with natural navigation ability. Over terrain, on foot, where we have to scramble over rocks and logs and low fences he would roast most of us; we'd clamber ungainly and he'd fly over the obstacles Parkour-style. The sports have good synergy. Well done Dane.

Alex, Dylan and Nathan presented a really lovely event this morning - thank you guys.

The third (of five) MTB O events will be on Sunday, 4 October in the Hennops Valley area, presented by Adventure Racing Club.

O Champs - a few lessons from post-race analysis

I've been mulling over the errors I made at Gauteng O Champs last weekend for a week. Something I realised is that even where you're not sure where you are; you actually do know where you are. I'll explain below.

Gauteng O Champs Short Course at Hennops
This is where I made the biggest error of the weekend - going to #3.

My route from #1 to #2 was spot-on. As I approached the control - I was just inside the circle - I saw another control to my right. Yes, I knew it wasn't mine but some little gremlin in my mind, knowing that I'd made bloopses the last two months, toldme to check it anyway, which I did. It wasn't mine. The line that I originally had was so spot-on and if I'd gone just 5-10m more I would have dropped on to the control. Instead I got into the dry ditch and followed it to hit the control.

Coming out of the ditch I was distracted by another orienteer nearby. I took a bearing to #3 - it actually had my original course going more in the direction of #4. I 'felt' that something was off so I crossed the road and headed up hill. I don't remember crossing the ditch (thin brow dotted line) and I evidently wasn't paying much attention to the vegetation. What I was doing was asking myself why I'd been so stupid to even bother checking that previous control that I knew wasn't mine. "What, you been doin' this for a few months instead of 10-years?" I asked the gremlin. Elementary error that, while not serious, does cost time. And I shouldn't be making these errors!

Ok so I headed up the hill and was feeling that something was very off - and I don't think I've even contemplated the distance I'd covered either. So I got to the road and thinking it was the path (yes, yes, I know... silly, silly, silly) I turned left. The picture wasn't fitting but I could see a ditch. I did think it weird that not enough vegetation was around the ditch...

I got to the ditch and really thought something was weird but as my brain had temporarily left me all I could do was stand around for a while. I did see #7 AND I knew it wasn't the right one. What I didn't do was check my list of controls for the control number because that would have told me I was at #7. In terms of spatial orientation I knew that I was near the fence and even more bizarre I read the map perfectly from this postion "where I didn't know where I was" all the way through to #3. So, inherently, I must have known where I was.

To correct, I headed up on to the grassy slope, out of the ditch. I moved downhill, parallel to the ditch with the fence on my right. Hit the road, found the path, found the control. Easy-peasy. I knew exactly how to correct, which means I must have known where I was...?

It should have taken me little over one minute to reach #3 from #2; I think it took me just under six minutes.

Some errors are hard to explain because how they happen is so... so...inexplicable.

Lessons are:

• Pay attention to the vegetation - if the control should be under trees then you won't find it on a grassy hill...
• Don't shout at yourself; if you make a mistake, move on because scoldig yourself usually means that you'll mess up the next control
• If the picture on the map isn't fitting the reality, don't make it fit
• Even if you feel 'lost', chances are good that you actually do know where you are - trust these instincts.

Gauteng Orienteering Champs Long course at Protea Ridge
So now it is the next morning and the long course - my favourite - is at Protea Ridge in the Krugersdorp-ish area. Nic told me the previous day (he was the planner) that the terrain would be more friendly and runnable - not as rocky and grassy as Saturday's short course.

Overall I had a MUCH better run and I focused on making sure my navigation was clean. With the exception of the two controls below, I did not hunt - not even looking over my shoulder and all around. I walked/ran onto every other control spot-on. Navigationally I was happy; run-wise I didn't push it so I did lose time between controls purely on speed.

OK, clear route coming up the road; and would you believe that I actually was paying attention to choosing the correct path... yes, I got on to the wrong one! The bends weren't exactly matching (problem #1) but I kept going figuring that I'd get to where the path loops. When I started feeling that I'd gone too far I saw a control to my right. It didn't match the description either so I realised i was wrong, without even having to check the control number. I also bumped into Karin there; I think she had done the same thing and was also in the wrong place. Easy to correct and I ran straight to #3.

Leaving #3 I had a good sighting on the ridge. I like hitting junctions instead of just crossing roads so I was very happy with my route.

From the rocky ridge I could see the road below - see where my pink arrow is pointing. OK, OK, OK... this is where I erred. I was mis-reading the contours and although I'd crossed the ridge I thought up was down and down was up. I stopped at the place where the arrow is pointing. I think I thought I'd overshot... and I couldn't figure out why the 'excavations' (for 4x4 driving) weren't on the map. I stayed exactly where I was and realised that I was near the solid black lines (to my left) and that the control was dead-ahead. I'd approached it from a perfect line. Doh!

It was steep down and then up so I opted to take the nearby road.

I really don't know why I was so confused there for a while - enjoying the day and the runnable terrain too much perhaps? After this I got my mind back in its place and had a lovely navigational run.

Even after 10 years of orienteering I still make errors - as do others who have been orienteering for even longer. The object, when you make mistakes - because you always will - is to recognise as soon as possible (like within a few metres) that you've gone wrong. And then to correct there and then without missing a beat.

In orienteering there's no time to think "Man, this is easy" because on the next leg - or event - you'll be knocked down to size again. And because the challenge is always there - against yourself - you'll be back for more. Works for me.

Next event is at Bushtrails next Sunday, 5 July. Focus Lisa. Focus.

Gauteng Orienteering Champs

This weekend was the occasion for the annual Gauteng Orienteering Champs. The usual format is a sort/middle distance event on the Saturday afternoon and a long distance course on the Sunday morning.

Garry Morrison and Michele Botha (AR Club) presented the short course event at Hennops Pride, having created a new map for the event. The terrain is very grassy and rocky and the afternoon saw a number of casualties. Our own Jeremy Green was one of these, sporting lots of blood on this right forearm and an impressive roastie across this chest as the result of a wipe-out on the second last leg. He also suspects a cracked rib.

My run was not great at all. I made one stupid mistake going to Control 3 and generally felt like a child ambling over the rocky ground - never my favourite especially when I can see the rocks through the grass. So, I did very little running. Nonetheless, the course was decent and Garry and Michele did a good job with the mapping.

The long distance course this morning, planned and mapped by Nicholas Mulder (ROC) was set on far more runable terrain. The Paardeplats 4x4 venue is situated on the southern slope of the ridge that overlooks the Walter Sisulu Botanical Gardens in the Krugersdorp area. As the area burned recently the ground is great for running, albeit a little tough on your feet and ankles. As I prefer the longer distances, I thoroughly enjoyed today's course. My objective was simply to have good, clean navigation with no hunting or grid searching - the latter being a technique Piers favours *grin*

Aside from a slight bloops (wrong path; not quite parallel) going to #3 and a bit of distance misjudgement and ridge confusion approaching #4, I had an absolutely spot-on navigational event. OK, so I walked too much (lots of hills) when I probably should have been running... but overall I was very happy with my run.

My placings over the two days were not great - definitely slower than my competitors; but in many cases I'm not making as many mistakes - just taking a bit longer between controls.

Last year I probably only did two of the colour-coded events and this year I did one short course (the first one!) and I've done two of the three colour-coded events. This lack in regular orienteering shows in the mistakes that I've made at these recent events; they're mistakes I really shouldn't be making. The next two months should get my mind more into it and I'll get more comfortable over this rough highveld terrain.

Navigation, like running and biking, is something that needs regular practise and maintenance, even if you've been doing the sport for years. I think that's what I really appreciate about this sport. With navigation you can never get too high on your horse because it will cut you down and teach lessons again and again to ground you. And that's what keeps orienteers coming back - each event presents and opportunity to navigate more accurately and minimise mistakes.

In the next day or two I'll post sections from my runs.

33 years and more to come!

Today I turn the very fine age of 33. I'm also celebrating because I start a new adventure today. I wrapped up my work at PenQuin yesterday and today I am officially working for myself again. So what motivated this move if PenQuin was such a funky company?

There have been a number of factors, the most important being that I have to follow my heart and to do what motivates and inspires me to get up in the morning. Through PenQuin I've discovered that I am most motivated by working with individuals and small companies with their publicity, media and comunications - especially where they've reached a point where they just need h.e.l.p. I'm able to make a meaningful difference to what they do. This works for me. And I'm also a softie for getting involved with social responsibility initiatives.

I don't have a specific job title because I'm certainly not one to be defined by titles and I've got too many mixed experiences in various media and other elements - writing, reporting, scripting, tv, websites (building and editing), event media, event organising... I like to think of myself as a 'problem solver'. You got a communications/media/fun problem? I'll solve it; or I'll know someone who can.

Oh yes, it is scary going out on my own again, but it is something that I have to do - for me.

One very important discipline that I learned at PenQuin is the importance of having a separation of home and work, which I never had before. At PenQuin I had a work computer and I had my laptop at home for AR stuff and fun and games. When I previously freelanced I would work over weekends and every night and if client emails came in any time of day or night and I was online, I'd respond to them. This is something I will aim to avoid. Sure, I know that I'll be putting in more hours working for myself, but I need to maintain that elusive essential - b.a.l.a.n.c.e.

And there's another thing... 3 years ago I did 3 months of Spanish lessons at the Spanish Academy (Slade is an amazing teacher; I learned more in one lesson than in 3 months at Alliance Francais!). I love South America and I'd like to spend more time traveling there. I decided back then that I'd like to spend a month in Buenos Aires doing intensive Spanish lessons so that I can get to a reasonable level of fluency. Well, 3 years have passed and I don't want another 3 years to slip by! The internet allows one to work from anywhere in the world and as much of my work is communications based and can be handled online, working for myself allows me the freedom to do something like spend a month in Buenos Aires learning Spanish. So, I'm looking at March 2010... In the intervening months I aim to build my vocabulary in preparation for total immersion!

And, of course this move to freelance is also motivated by lifestyle, job satisfaction, training, community involvements...

To celebrate my birthday - and new adventures - I'm going for a late-afternoon run to take advantage of Jo'burg's beautiful winter days.

So, hip-hip-hoorah and here's to an exciting and challenging year ahead.