WIOL#6 – 2022 – Camp River Ranch – Training Opportunities
January 10, 2023 by John Brady
WIOL#6 Offered Training Package
Race Prep
Preview previous South Seattle College Races on COC’s RouteGadget
Play the video game Running Wild
Each of these links will take you to a computer simulation video game. The simple object is to click on the screen the route you would take to get to each checkpoint. However, if used as a visualization and route tool, you will see it can be much more useful. I challenge you to consider this as you do each of these levels. Do not click just to get it over with quickly, but rather ensure that each thing you click on is a fundamental stepping stone you want to see on or near your path. Don’t be so focused on shortest path either. Get the most out of your training. Do it twice: once with urgency and once with specificity. Then compare! Password for each course is COC
Camp River Ranch Thoughts:
- This place is very hilly. Be prepared for lots of climbing.
- The forest is not fast, but navigable. In a green forest, the trails will almost always be the fastest route to cross any significant section of forest. However, if you are forced to find a checkpoint that is off of a trail, how you get there will usually be a deciding factor in your race. Some tips:
- Avoid dark green the same way you would avoid out of bounds. The map maker believes it may not even be possible to get through. You should accept this as truth.
- Find fast paths to get near the control, then navigate specifically from a known point. Many people make the following mistakes:
- Do not start their journey off-trail from a known position. Always have a stepping stone you can trust.
- Use intuition rather than a navigation tool to determine exactly which direction and how far to go. Using a compass is super handy anytime you are going somewhere without certain features to find along the way.
- Do not use hilly terrain to help provide a certainty of position. All you have to do is be aware of the contours to figure out the shape of the terrain. Changes in shape can be seen on your map and used to give you that warm-fuzzy feeling that you are on the right path. Should you be going uphill, downhill, or side-hill? Does it flatten out 50m before your control? Questions like this should be running perpetually in your head in hilly terrain.
- Do not go long enough. Always go longer than you think. Add 20% to however far you’ve travelled before you panic. Most people stop short then start a random search.
- Are not even cognizant of how far they want to go off trail. Be “distance-aware”. How far are you going from one stepping stone to the next?
- Wear appropriate clothing. Leg covering is a must. Shoes with spikes or good traction are a must. Loose shoes or shoes with a high heel height are recipes for a rolled ankle. Orienteering shoes typically have a very low heel so you can feel the ground better. Most serious ankle rolls come from shoes that have a high heel and wide base. When these shoes roll, you have a much larger lever acting on your foot, it acts as a cam, and you can not feel it rolling until it is too late and your full body weight is “over the edge” and can not be arrested. Use shoes you can feel the ground.
- Route choice to controls will involve 3 dimensions (elevation is a consideration now). Consider this when deciding a path. Remember, every 5 contours (index to index) is as high as a 7 story building. That will wear you out if you do it unnecessarily.
*NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO 1PM RE-RUNS. THESE ARE BEING DISCONTINUED DUE TO LACK OF POPULARITY. TO DO AN EXTRA COURSE, CONTACT KATHY THE REGISTRAR LIKE USUAL.
Pre-Race: Day of Meet
There will only be a warmup area and blank maps at scale for you to warmup on at this race. Since I am course designing, I do not believe I will have time to set up training also. Come by coaches corner (Training Sign) to get a copy of the warmup area map.
Post-Race: Analysis
Join ABOUT THE ROUTE. A social event for COC members and runners meant to discuss and learn from each other. Often the course designer will join in and folks can discuss all of the things that went wrong!