Now that I am back in New Zealand, I figure it is time to update and record how it all went. I can get more out of my racing by analysing it now for future improvements. I did make notes while I was away but I didnt get to a computer to type them up. So I'll put up a few thoughts over the next few weeks.
I am also thinking more about doing serious "paper" technical exercises. It would be great if us NZers could make a few each then circulate a few each week to share ideas on. Let me know if you want to join in. (-:
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Angela at the Junior World Orienteering Championships 2011 slideshow
Here is a short video of my time at JWOC 2011 in Poland. It was the time-of-my-life. Open fast terrain, technical well organised races and an awesome team to share it with. Thank you to those who donated photos.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
To Sweden
Now the time has come to leave beautiful Finland and go by ferry to another beautiful country, Sweden. Ran a course in forest behind Jyvaskyla yesterday, between the thunderstorms. Was really nice forest in places and also big ski and forestry paths. Would be good for running training just like Whaka in Rotorua (:
Very excited for racing at Oringen with 10,000 competitors!! The terrain will be tough I am sure. The courses are all quite long so it will be fun. 115 girls in my grade. I am just aiming for tidy races and minimal losses. Compass and confidence are two things I will need to use. I will also focus on accurate entry and exit from control sites, this is where I figured my mistakes began in Fin5. Yay lets keep going (=
Finland!!
Fin 5 was a really fun week of orienteering. I had 2 training's in the forest with a local before the first race. This was very helpful. I was suprised by how rocky the forest was. Maybe a bit like Australia. Broken rock on the ground made it hard to run. Navigation was not too bad as there were big hills and cliffs to use. I learnt the Finnish technique of going straight no matter what. (= This worked pretty well although I think I was still not as fast as it as the top girls. This requires confidence that just comes with experience. I came fifth overall for the week of racing in D20E.
I was lucky enough to get a start in the elite sprintrace. One of the best sprints ever. So many controls and a mixture of forest and town. There were a few tricky walls. I had a fairly clean run also so I was happy. Lost time on one leg (13-14) near the end when I had a plan but did not stick to it definately enough.
After Fin 5 I had a day in Helsinki to see the city. A quick visit to Suomenlina was interesting. A very historic fortress on an island in the harbour. I then had a few days staying with Petteri Mukkonnen in Kangasala. The terrain there was even trickier than Fin 5. We trained on the Ponsa map twice. It was much flatter and less definate features than around Lohja so you really need to use your compass. The forest was so nice for running though. Petteri made a contour only map for one training at Ponsa. I was okfor the first 3 controls on this map but once I was slightly off the bearing on a leg and it was very hard to relocate. Continued with the normal map. We also trained at a map on edge of Tampere city which was off depression terrain type. The terrain is definately quite heavy running so you get tired faster. I see now why you need to dointervals up an overgrown hillside.
I am now staying in Jyvaskyla for a few days with Hanna Raitenen. We will do a few trainings before heading to Oringen on Friday. We did a small sprint race today in the town of Multia. It was a ´typical´Finnish sprint race with lots of vegetation and not so many buildings. I lost 30sec getting stuck in some shrubs. I was 2nd junior girl.
It is Thursday now. I was about to go out for morning training on map behind Hannas apartment. However the sky got darker this morning and now there is a massive downpour and thunderstorm! Lightning too! crazy! Hopefully it clears up soon. The forest map is of a hilly area with many paths and a downhill ski jump.
I will take rest on Friday and maybe easy jog on Saturday to prepare for Oringen. It will be a tough week of long races (-: Very exciting
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Podium finish in the JWOC Sprint!
It was really amazing to get up on the podium along with the best in the world. I felt so proud of New Zealand and the teams abilities. We are totally able to make it when we stay in control.
We had a model event in Lebork on Saturday which was a good chance to check out the mapping style and get a feeling for the terrain. The model allowed us to see both forested and urban areas. I was excited for the race and tried to stay confident.
On the morning of the race we were all quarantined within a 500msq area until our respective start times. The warm up map was basic and we tried to stay relaxed as we watched others warming up around the sand track. My start was in the middle of the field so not too long to wait thankfully. It was a good temperature and not too hot.
The sprint in Lebork town started with a challenging mixture of park/forestland and then finished with fast legs through the town centre. I started cautiously to allow myself to get into the map. There were a number of impassable hedges to read your way around and the route choice to control 4 caught me for a few seconds but I chose to run hard up the 15m of uneven cobbled stairs as opposed to contouring up through the forest. I had caught the Polish girl who started 1minute ahead of me by about number 6. This was a good boost but I tried to maintain my own focus.
After passing under the bridge the next few controls in the buildings were tucked in corners of little alleyways. I felt I was slowing down each time to check them. It was exciting coming through the spectator control with so many people shouting. I made sure to keep focused on the next leg. About this time I saw Laura Robertson (NZ) who had started a few minutes ahead of me. In hindsight I took wrong route choice to number 17. I didnt take time to notice the covered alleyway south out of the control which would have provided a more direct entry into number 17. Instead I ran back out the way I came in and zigzagged all the way around to 17. Control 21 was a neat site tucked right at the bottom of the stairs. It was great to sprint down the finish chute with so many people and New Zealanders cheering.
At the finish I was suprised and very happy to be in a good position. I knew other good girls were still to finish so it was a nervous wait but I am very glad that I could make it onto the podium. It was a special moment for New Zealand and the team.
I would like to say thank you very much to all our suppporters, coaches and team sponsors, Vitasport, Leppin, Compasspoint, Puma, USL, Inov8, University of Waikato.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Almost JWOC time
Very excited to race now. The training is over and I have a feeling for the terrain. The opening ceremony is tomorrow evening and the first race is on Sunday. Today we went for a short 30min easy jog around the middle/long/relay map. Very similar to other training areas we have been on. The distinct features were pits, of which there were heaps and only those over 1m deep marked. Also many small 2x2m fenced areas in the forest shown as black crosses.
Tomorrow we will go to Lebork for a model of the sprint area. This will be a good chance to see exactly the mapmakers style. I am planning to do another short jog and a few strides/short sprints. The official opening ceremony is at 8pm in the town center of Wejherowo.
Internet access is limited here so you can follow the team progress on the New Zealand Junior World Orienteering Championships team blog page. We will update this regularly to keep you informed. (-:
All going well. Thanks
Monday, June 27, 2011
Meeting the terrain for JWOC in Wejherowo
It is nice that the team is here now. They had a bit of hectic travel but are mostly recovered from the flight now I think.
It was great having Simon to take Nick, Krystal and Jim out training the first few days in Wejherowo (veyherovo). Jim had a bit of advice too. Utilising the ridgetops. The Bliza hotel was comfy, looks old on outside but was nice inside. It was close to town and there were even fridges in the rooms which we dont have here at Hotel Victoria. We ate out at different places each night. The local dishes are interesting and food is quite cheap. We had pizza one night too. The Victoria is nice though. I am sharing with Kate and Laura. The food here is classy restaurant style. Cooked lunches and various soups and mains for dinner. All quite fine. We are buying water now as it the water in this hotel is a bit odd. Got a 6litre bottle pretty cheap.
We had the most summery day so far today. The forest is so nice. I feel like I am getting quite used to the terrain style now after almost a week training here. I have been to heaps of the training maps now. Most of the terrain is hilly spur gully style but you still have to be very accurate with compass to get exact direction. There are other training areas we have been to which are much more vague and flat. These maps give you a chance to make sure your navigation is on spot without tiring yourself out. I have been happy with my training so far.
A new bulletin was released today which is interesting. No spectator control for you guys in the forest events which is boring. The butterfly loop may be fun, girls have never had that before at JWOC. The idea is that we all have to be in a quarantine from 8.45am on the race days. This means a very long wait outside for the later starters. /-:
It was great having Simon to take Nick, Krystal and Jim out training the first few days in Wejherowo (veyherovo). Jim had a bit of advice too. Utilising the ridgetops. The Bliza hotel was comfy, looks old on outside but was nice inside. It was close to town and there were even fridges in the rooms which we dont have here at Hotel Victoria. We ate out at different places each night. The local dishes are interesting and food is quite cheap. We had pizza one night too. The Victoria is nice though. I am sharing with Kate and Laura. The food here is classy restaurant style. Cooked lunches and various soups and mains for dinner. All quite fine. We are buying water now as it the water in this hotel is a bit odd. Got a 6litre bottle pretty cheap.
We had the most summery day so far today. The forest is so nice. I feel like I am getting quite used to the terrain style now after almost a week training here. I have been to heaps of the training maps now. Most of the terrain is hilly spur gully style but you still have to be very accurate with compass to get exact direction. There are other training areas we have been to which are much more vague and flat. These maps give you a chance to make sure your navigation is on spot without tiring yourself out. I have been happy with my training so far.
A new bulletin was released today which is interesting. No spectator control for you guys in the forest events which is boring. The butterfly loop may be fun, girls have never had that before at JWOC. The idea is that we all have to be in a quarantine from 8.45am on the race days. This means a very long wait outside for the later starters. /-:
We tried out the hotel swimming pool this afternoon which was fun. Slide was soo slow. There is a steam room with ice and a sauna so we enjoyed swapping between the pool and hot rooms. (-: Even a cold shower afterwards which was nice.
The Australian and Japanese team are also at the Hotel Victoria now (-: Toby and Laura did their exams this afternoon with James watching. Bit strange. The permethrin works well I think. Havent had any ticks on me yet.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
In Gdansk
Yay! Finally made it to Poland. Long wait in Munich airport then a short flight to Gdansk.
Flying in to Gdansk the region is typical european and looks quite similar to Denmark last year. Lots of fields for crops with patches of forest in between. I was lucky enough to sit next to mayor of Gydnia on the plane and he gave be a bit of info about the citys. The 3 cities have population of about 1million all together. And Gydnia is 50% forest which makes it nice for living. You can easily go in the forests after work etc, perfect. I found the bus to the main Gdansk station. We drove about 40min through suburbs with huge housing blocks and through some really open forest areas. Looks super open just like those photos we have seen. Didnt really believe it until I got here. Cant wait to run in it. Smooth rolling gullys and only leaf litter on the ground. Already identified what would be green, leafy srubs like in Denmark. Should be ok to run through just make sure to keep direction as lower vis.
From the station it was about 15min walk to Hostel Zappio. The buildings are really old and some amazing carvings and paintings. Also neat park areas in between. Amazing location for the hostel. Next door to a very old church, so much so that it is on a lean in one end! The hostel is a tall skinny building with spiral staircase and 5 levels! 50m from river and 200m from the Old Street where all the historic builings and archways are.
Went for a short 35min run through the town along the river, people fishing. Good quick way to see the place (-: on the other side of train tracks I found a patch on forested road to run up which was nice. Not so open here but it was nice. Good to run again after such long time travelling.
Tried traditional bogart? and potatoes for dinner in a cafe on the street with rugs for you to keep warm. Reasonable temp for shorts this morning but wasnt very warm in evening and very windy in places.
Off to find a train to Wejherowo (said Veherovo). Hopefully its not too hard. It is difficult in shops because I cant really communicate. Some places speak a little English but not much. Yay will be great to get to Wejherowo now.
Flying in to Gdansk the region is typical european and looks quite similar to Denmark last year. Lots of fields for crops with patches of forest in between. I was lucky enough to sit next to mayor of Gydnia on the plane and he gave be a bit of info about the citys. The 3 cities have population of about 1million all together. And Gydnia is 50% forest which makes it nice for living. You can easily go in the forests after work etc, perfect. I found the bus to the main Gdansk station. We drove about 40min through suburbs with huge housing blocks and through some really open forest areas. Looks super open just like those photos we have seen. Didnt really believe it until I got here. Cant wait to run in it. Smooth rolling gullys and only leaf litter on the ground. Already identified what would be green, leafy srubs like in Denmark. Should be ok to run through just make sure to keep direction as lower vis.
From the station it was about 15min walk to Hostel Zappio. The buildings are really old and some amazing carvings and paintings. Also neat park areas in between. Amazing location for the hostel. Next door to a very old church, so much so that it is on a lean in one end! The hostel is a tall skinny building with spiral staircase and 5 levels! 50m from river and 200m from the Old Street where all the historic builings and archways are.
Went for a short 35min run through the town along the river, people fishing. Good quick way to see the place (-: on the other side of train tracks I found a patch on forested road to run up which was nice. Not so open here but it was nice. Good to run again after such long time travelling.
Tried traditional bogart? and potatoes for dinner in a cafe on the street with rugs for you to keep warm. Reasonable temp for shorts this morning but wasnt very warm in evening and very windy in places.
Off to find a train to Wejherowo (said Veherovo). Hopefully its not too hard. It is difficult in shops because I cant really communicate. Some places speak a little English but not much. Yay will be great to get to Wejherowo now.
Saturday, June 18, 2011
On the way!
Exams all done. What a great feeling. All went pretty well although plenty of last minute study was used. Hopefully it will pay off though as I was pretty happy with them in general. Very similar to the previous years papers I had studied. Biochem and ecology were best. Didnt really like the management one. And soils was ok as well.
Finished Biochem at 5.30pm and then grabbed my gear and headed off to Auckland. Sad to say
goodbye to everyone but will see some of you soon. (-:
A long night on the plane but I managed to get maybe 5hrs of sleep, in short sections. Why do they try to serve dinner at 1am? Haha everyone just wanted to sleep.
Now I have 12 hours to wait in Hong Kong airport. Such a long time. But I have a shower and massage so its all good. Kankles building up! watch out everyone (-: 2XU tights and plane soxs supposed to help but they cant stop it. Looks nice outside here today. Not too hot even which is great. I have walked right around the airport terminal and it did actually take me most
of an hour which was great (-: (and not even
stopping at shops). Maybe Ill do another loop later. Would they think Im mad if I run (-: haha So it is a huge airport. Lots different planes too. Amazing location for a city. Huge apartment blocks like 40 stories high right below steep mountains, quite a contrast.
Really looking forward to getting to the forest in Poland. Half way there!
Can watch Jukola videos now. Such a cool race to do one day.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Closer and closer!
Heading to Poland this Saturday! I am ready to see what the terrain is really like now. Planning to spend the first few days in Wejherowo checking out the different types of green vegetation and comparing route choice options. Three more exams and then I can go! (-:
Friday, June 10, 2011
Australia NZ test match and SuperSeries finale, Queens Birthday Weekend
The Queens Birthday events provided an excellent opportunity for a intense technical final orienteering practise before leaving for Poland next week. The pressure was on running five events in three days in a large elite field including the team of Australians. Woodhill forest proved that it is always a challenge deserving respect.
Day 1 am. Telephone track.
Took a bit to get used to Woodhill again. Started off hesitantly, on compass bearing to #1. Almost ran too far north but distance judgement proved I was near so stopped an
d found it. This shaky start taught me to have more definate plan for following legs. Up till #5 I was quite smooth with good compass direction and super fast open pine forest to run through. I lost almost 6minutes on leg #6 by not being confident enough with compass. So when at 'attack point' I was not sure which way to go. Would have been helpful to go out to road and come back in. #7 was good but I lost confidence and focus when I saw the Australian who had passed me on leg 6, lost 3min here and was caught by Kate (NZ). !! What a shocker with 4min start intervals no one should be being caught. Ran with Kate, alternating the lead, for legs until spectator control. I made bad mistake with compass and misinterpretting detail near #19 and she got away. Frustrating! Suprised to catch her again at #22 by a few fast clean final legs. The top places were taken by Kate Belinda and Imogene. I came 4th. See http://www.obasen.nu/winsplits/online/en/default.asp?page=table&databaseId=17404&categoryId=0
pm. The Auckland JWOCers organised an awesome sprint race around Massey Uni campus in Albany. An A5 double sided map ensured tight navigation was required
for the short legs. I made this extra challenging for myself by forgetting my compass! The wooden walkways were also super slippery due to the drizzly rain. Never raced sprint without one. But it made me focus more and worked ok, care needed to make sure the regular square buildings correctly lined up. I won womens race in 15min closely followed by Belinda.
Day 2 am. Whites Line
I was aiming for a cleaner run today. There were 5 long legs for fast running. These were good for me. However again I was distracted by an Australian runner, this time one I had caught. I lost focus and was too hurried leaving #4. With lack of definate plan and only compass bearing I found myself confused and too far west for the control. Wasted too much time again thinking I was right, should have gone out to road to check earlier. http://www.obasen.nu/winsplits/online/en/default.asp?page=table&databaseId=17416&categoryId=0
pm.
The Auckland JWOCers organised another special event, a 2 man relay on the most technical section of Mushroom Road map. Mass stert straight up 40m hill was a mission then a long way along hill tops to first control, split the starters up a little, but it was not until #4 that we really split up. I focused on maintaining close map contact and compass direction for the short legs rather than too much speed. This worked well. It required stoping often to check direction then firing over one or two ridges into control. (-: While it can feel like you are taking a long time to check nd you can sense others catching you it is actually only 2-3 seconds to check and this time is invested. You do not loose time checking and then doing it right, you loose time by not checking, running hard then being confused and just hoping to be near enough. I was suprised as it seemed to get quiet. I expected the others must be on separate splits, however when I reached the spectator control I was ahead! Contined this careful method for the next half and managed to stay ahead. Tagged on to Northerners and Pinestars team mate Tom for second leg Ross and came in a clos 2nd place.
Day 3.
Much better navigation today. Got speed control sorted. Recognising the detailed areas and stopping to invest time to be accurate when in these areas. Fast running on solid compass in between was possible. Leppin at half way may have helped me to maintain focus for the detailed final controls. I did not win all legs but no major mistakes means you can achieve much better. First womens elite in 57min.
http://www.obasen.nu/winsplits/online/en/default.asp?page=table&databaseId=17434&categoryId=0
The points for the weekend were accumulated and NZ won over Australia. Look forward to the rematch in NSW, in October. Will be interesting to see who is in the teams as many of the NZers may be financially unavailable and have to stay in NZ for Uni study.
I also managed to retain the Super Series title for 2011. Well done to everyone for such a close season.
Day 1 am. Telephone track.
Took a bit to get used to Woodhill again. Started off hesitantly, on compass bearing to #1. Almost ran too far north but distance judgement proved I was near so stopped an
d found it. This shaky start taught me to have more definate plan for following legs. Up till #5 I was quite smooth with good compass direction and super fast open pine forest to run through. I lost almost 6minutes on leg #6 by not being confident enough with compass. So when at 'attack point' I was not sure which way to go. Would have been helpful to go out to road and come back in. #7 was good but I lost confidence and focus when I saw the Australian who had passed me on leg 6, lost 3min here and was caught by Kate (NZ). !! What a shocker with 4min start intervals no one should be being caught. Ran with Kate, alternating the lead, for legs until spectator control. I made bad mistake with compass and misinterpretting detail near #19 and she got away. Frustrating! Suprised to catch her again at #22 by a few fast clean final legs. The top places were taken by Kate Belinda and Imogene. I came 4th. See http://www.obasen.nu/winsplits/online/en/default.asp?page=table&databaseId=17404&categoryId=0pm. The Auckland JWOCers organised an awesome sprint race around Massey Uni campus in Albany. An A5 double sided map ensured tight navigation was required
for the short legs. I made this extra challenging for myself by forgetting my compass! The wooden walkways were also super slippery due to the drizzly rain. Never raced sprint without one. But it made me focus more and worked ok, care needed to make sure the regular square buildings correctly lined up. I won womens race in 15min closely followed by Belinda.Day 2 am. Whites Line
I was aiming for a cleaner run today. There were 5 long legs for fast running. These were good for me. However again I was distracted by an Australian runner, this time one I had caught. I lost focus and was too hurried leaving #4. With lack of definate plan and only compass bearing I found myself confused and too far west for the control. Wasted too much time again thinking I was right, should have gone out to road to check earlier. http://www.obasen.nu/winsplits/online/en/default.asp?page=table&databaseId=17416&categoryId=0
pm.
The Auckland JWOCers organised another special event, a 2 man relay on the most technical section of Mushroom Road map. Mass stert straight up 40m hill was a mission then a long way along hill tops to first control, split the starters up a little, but it was not until #4 that we really split up. I focused on maintaining close map contact and compass direction for the short legs rather than too much speed. This worked well. It required stoping often to check direction then firing over one or two ridges into control. (-: While it can feel like you are taking a long time to check nd you can sense others catching you it is actually only 2-3 seconds to check and this time is invested. You do not loose time checking and then doing it right, you loose time by not checking, running hard then being confused and just hoping to be near enough. I was suprised as it seemed to get quiet. I expected the others must be on separate splits, however when I reached the spectator control I was ahead! Contined this careful method for the next half and managed to stay ahead. Tagged on to Northerners and Pinestars team mate Tom for second leg Ross and came in a clos 2nd place.
Day 3.
Much better navigation today. Got speed control sorted. Recognising the detailed areas and stopping to invest time to be accurate when in these areas. Fast running on solid compass in between was possible. Leppin at half way may have helped me to maintain focus for the detailed final controls. I did not win all legs but no major mistakes means you can achieve much better. First womens elite in 57min.
http://www.obasen.nu/winsplits/online/en/default.asp?page=table&databaseId=17434&categoryId=0
The points for the weekend were accumulated and NZ won over Australia. Look forward to the rematch in NSW, in October. Will be interesting to see who is in the teams as many of the NZers may be financially unavailable and have to stay in NZ for Uni study.
I also managed to retain the Super Series title for 2011. Well done to everyone for such a close season.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Pinestars test match QB day weekend
The NZ team for Queens Birthday test match vs Australia has now been announced. NZ team will be strong and battle the Aussies on the fast open Woodhill forests. Event website: http://www.qbday2011.co.nz/
Men:
Michael Adams PP
Darren Ashmore BP
Ross Morrison HB
Matthew Ogden NW
Thomas Reynolds NW
Toby Scott AK
Women:
Amber Morrison HB
Kate Morrison HB
Laura Robertson HV
Angela Simpson BP
Rebecca Smith BP
Georgia Whitla PP
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Plantation Farm
Amazing open pine forest with needle carpet on hilly spur gully terrain = perfect orienteering area. Well mapped clearings too. Was very happy with my run today. Navigated exactly from 9-11 then realised Id missed 10! least it wasn't far away.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Getting set up
Hello
This is a bit new to me so it might take a while to get sorted but the aim is to keep all my supporters informed of my travels and competitions. There are less than 40 days until I leave NZ for Poland and Junior World Orienteering Championships 2011. The terrain will be fast and hilly. I am preparing well, with many threshold type runs. Off to training at Plantation farm, south of Auckland today. I think this is one of the most relevant maps in NZ so it could be very useful.
This is a bit new to me so it might take a while to get sorted but the aim is to keep all my supporters informed of my travels and competitions. There are less than 40 days until I leave NZ for Poland and Junior World Orienteering Championships 2011. The terrain will be fast and hilly. I am preparing well, with many threshold type runs. Off to training at Plantation farm, south of Auckland today. I think this is one of the most relevant maps in NZ so it could be very useful.
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