2014/15 Season Thoughts

Obviously I've had a bit of time off of this, for various reasons that I can't really explain. However as it's nearing the end of the season, with only the 6 days to go until starting all over again. I'm going to attempt to do an overview of my year and season, beginning from the end of summer and season last year, moving to the present day, as I'm preparing to go on the talent camp in the Cairngorms and the the Scottish. I'm not sure if this will be brief or not, probably not, and I imagine that most people reading this won't get to the end or even be particularly bothered, but I feel like this is a good way to express how I'm feeling in greater detail than my Attackpoint entries.

I'll begin with the disaster that occurred at the end of last summer. Having been selected for the GB team for JEC in Belgium, I was ecstatic. It wasn't my main aim, of being selected for the EYOC team, but it was a chance to represent GB at an international competition, and prove that I can compete at that level, to myself and everyone else. Having gained my A-Level results on thursday the 13th I think, with the Stockholm tour leaving the following Sunday or Monday, I forget. Went for a wind down game of 5-a-side with the guys. I planted my foot having jumped over a keeper, and when my studs got planted, they stuck and my knee twisted horribly and I knew I was in trouble. Major thanks to Jonno who drove me to Leicester hospital where they couldn't work out what I'd done. To make matters worse, mum and dad were still in France so a very teary conversation ensued and they set off home. All I was asking the doctors was 'will I be ok for Belgium?' which I also realised I had to explain. Anyway, I went to see a specialist the next day and they said because of how fit I was, I'd saved my arse as it meant my ligaments didn't snap, but they'd been twisted internally. They didn't give me a recovery time, but I obviously didn't go to Stockholm (which I feel may also have impacted my season technically as I'll explain later) and began a long nervy wait with a lot of S&C and aqua jogging before JEC. Managed to begin some very light running mid September time and managed to find a knee support that worked.

GB JEC Team 2014

I got to JEC, happily for me, but looking back now, I was naive and perhaps a little selfish. I knew I wasn't fit, the coaches I think knew I wasn't and the other guys. Perhaps had I not gone and someone else in my place they would have gotten better results. I don't regret it, but was demoralised for a while after, coming dead last in the long and well down in the sprint, which was my preferred distance of the two. Slightly better in the relay but generally fairly poor. However, my technique was good at a slower pace and this opened my eyes a little for this season. I'd ran the Peter Palmers before this as my only competitive fixture but this was a little premature. So essentially, JEC was a write off, however, it did mean I'd competed for GB, got the T-shirt if you like.

Face of defeat

Finish of the relay

This then brought on a period of sporadic winter training, which until now I hadn't realised, but I've struggled with endurance all season really, at first I thought it was my asthma that has been recently diagnosed, but I'm now just realising quite how much time I spent on short runs where I should have been doing more. I won the Midlands champs, almost by default though as there was little competition, and I think I was only 4th on the course. Going to Dorest with school, I began to experiment with some more distance and climb, all pre breakfast, rising at 5 and getting out for on to 2 hours, with 700m+ climb. I found I was loving it and began to get a bit of passion back for rambling. Training was still quite partial, no solid blocks, a lot of rest days with my knee, not keeping up with my strength work or endurance and it's not actually really annoying. Helped out at Hawkshead, orienteering well but no pace or endurance. I should have had alarm bells but I was still licking my wounds with my knee. Basically this season, I've been drawn back by psychological factors, namely during the base phase, worrying about my knee and thinking I'm not good enough to run with these guys. Then following Pitlochry I was too conscious about my ankle. In both cases, hands up, I didn't do enough strength to get back in shape, but this is a very much live and learn lesson. From following my AP, training began to pick back up mid December, but this means I'd chucked 2 and a half months of base phase, where everyone else was working hard. I wasn't slacking, but I was cautious and didn't really push my boundaries, I was played it safe.

Summary of training

So training appeared solid for a month and a half, moving on the to first race with the Southern Champs. Looking at splits and reading back, I was on to challenge Tim had I not made mistakes, but we can all say that, however, it was encouraging fitness wise, or is now anyway. It seemed to me that I needed to smash some technical training and I tried to do this, but perhaps my physical training has dipped as a result.

The Huncote Hash, part of winter training

A week later, it was the Scotland camp. I was enjoying this, moving fairly well in the terrain, but still being cautious physically, knee wise. The weekend was very useful, and I listened carefully to everything the coaches were saying, especially with regards to planning and self management. However as is so often the case, it was short lived and I began to focus less when I got home, as pressure with course work, Oxford application and exams became a bit more real. On the second last day, I cocked my ankle on the middle training, putting me out for the rest of the camp. It didn't stop me training when I got home, I took 4 days off but was back training and ran at Harlow a week after. However now everything got a bit worse. If I went over on it even the smallest bit it was agony, meaning I had to stop and sort myself out, strapping only went so far. Kim was very helpful, offering exercises and advice and this helped to some extent. Training carried on until the JK but in the same fashion, everything being just too short and too sporadic. I should have realised, but didn't and then couldn't work out what happened.

So, the big on, the JK. The key in any prospective GB youth orienteers calendar. Despite injuries

JK Sprint Lancaster Uni

etc and other races, this had always been my aim, I knew it was the selections, and this ultimately became my downfall. My plan before hand, having spoken to Paul and Jackie was to focus on the sprint and middle, as a result of my physical preparation. This didn't help with EYOC as there is no middle, but I had little option. I began with the sprint, but I ran it, didn't orienteer. This is typical of what I do in big races. So I made too many mistakes and was too far down. The middle was far

JK Middle

better, I was winning at 12, about 3/5 of the way round, and moving well. Then I binned it on the easiest control and did well on the rest but who cares about the rest. Andrew caught me and I just sacked it in. That to me was selection over, but why?! I still had another race and arguably more important than the middle. My mental state this year has been dire, and before I even began the long I'd lost it. Threw time away early, died after about 4k and then crawled the rest.The worst run of my life and this has happened on 2 JK longs now so I have to sort this for next year. This is very short, if you want a full analysis it's here (http://www.attackpoint.org/viewlog.jsp/user_11224/period-7/enddate-2015-04-05). I'd thrown, selections, and I knew it.

So the rest of the season came on and I'm looking back at training and obviously I accept I had other commitments as getting the grades for uni was essential, and working at the same time, but I should have trained more. If I wanted to do as well as I want to now there's no way I would have trained as little. I was doing something every day, but it was short, almost half arsed and I'm kicking myself for it. It's pretty uninspiring to run around here, but others have made it work, GG being the prime example, but others like Ben Windsor, Pete H, even Harri. I have to stop making excuses for myself. The British long and Relay came and I just hadn't recovered psychologically from the disaster at the JK. To be honest, my heart just wasn't with it, I enjoyed the relay, but wasn't happy.

British Long Distance Champs

From the start of May, my training became better, more consistent, more focused and I was running better, evident with my 3rd at the British middle, but I still wasn't happy. I wasn't fast enough, I wanted to run further, faster, but couldn't and I didn't realise why, but now I do. My winter training was not a base phase, it was little more than maintaining fitness, it had to be building. But as I said, it got better, I was running average to long distances consistently and began to work a bit harder. However, mentally I was just in pieces, I had no confidence and was convinced I was falling further and further off the other guys, yet I had scant evidence of this.

I think exams were a bit of a savior, as odd as this sounds. Obviously I kept an eye on the O world, but I had to focus on studying, it was the prevalent hurdle and I had to get over it. So I had a break really, I kept reasonably fit, running most days, just 5-8k but kept ticking over, never really thinking about it, just doing it.

They finished and I started again, properly. I had a look at my year and I wasn't happy with any races and for good reason. I began to decide that I do want to do this, and if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it right. Hopefully moving to Sheffield and training with SHUOC next year will be a massive boost but I also feel like mentally I've gotten tougher. I've had a low this year, and I don't want that to happen again so I'm going to work hard to prevent that. I went on holiday with some mates which was awesome, but kept running when I was out there. Got back and did the YBT final, maybe not in

YBT final team

the best shape, but navigated well, no leg speed, but this was more of a shock to the system as oppose to actual fitness. Right now I've been  training well, with a lot of time on my hands and I'm enjoying it and I'm really ready to race in the next weeks and months to come. I'm going to keep the consistency and intensity/volume and just see how I am come September the 21st (hopefully). I'm hoping hills become easier next year and I learn to race and not just run.

This has been very brief, and I know that, but I can't write everything, there's bits I've forgotten and bits that aren't for the general interest. I've had a poor year, missing every selection I went for but this has motivated me and, if things go to plan next year hopefully it'll get better. Most certainly onwards and upwards, is there any other way?

Evidence of training