COACHING

Preparing for WOC2006 – The Need for Speed

Sue Neve

DENMARK will be fast and so at a Squad meeting I decided to speak to the elite runners on speed as this will be the deciding factor in the selection races at Easter and highly relevant to Denmark. It occurred to me afterwards that all orienteers may be interested in what elites are discussing. It was basically thoughts on how to run a race fast or faster using the talent or ability you have. It is ways an orienteer may utilize more effectively the speed they have but are not using during the race. I am referring to a refined level of technique - race technique - once fitness and orienteering technique have been looked at.

First of all, I must say that fitness is always the basic criteria. This will go a long way in improving your running speed and improve race results. It is all too obvious - improve your fitness and your speed will naturally improve for the duration of the race. Take note though that once you have a good base fitness level you can improve the running speed by doing lots of faster work. Examples of this include interval work (all sorts), fun runs, track work, athletic clubs, street orienteering, sprint orienteering. The more precise you are with this the better the results however any speed work will improve your running pace which usually will transfer across to the terrain. If you feel you are naturally a slower runner compared to the rest do more speed work. If you are slow in the terrain do more in the terrain.

The next level for improvement in speed is technique. Speed is not much use, in fact detrimental to you, without the technique to match as many can relate to. We are so often in a hurry to run without the ability to know where. Work on your technique to match your running speed. Concentration levels need to improve to match the new speed and this can be done with practice. Poor technique is the major reason why we are not fast enough. This is the nature of orienteering. Mistakes are costly and need to be avoided.

Now, after all that getting the basics right, these are simple thoughts on ways in which to improve your time. It involves training and the styles I am familiar with to utilise speed are: 1. To run hard right from the start. To make the extra effort required especially for this important race by giving it your all. It may work for some on a good day. Beware - the risk factor is quite high. It is good to be pumped but you may go over the max here. My argument is that this is not what you normally do and you will experience difficulty eventually at a new tempo. One of the legs will catch you out. 2. Alternate legs with every second leg at an increased speed. It is one way of making you aware of not wasting time and to make a conscious effort to try harder for the fast legs. To gain momentum during a race I have found this quite effective as you work hard with the fast legs but the normal legs stabilize you. The added bonus is that by the end of the race I find myself not slowing down for the normal legs. You can make any variations on this to suit you. One example is to select certain control numbers as triggers and they are the fast legs, if appropriate of course. Gaining 10 to 30 seconds faster per leg here can add up noticeably and will refine your technique. This technique not only applies to consciously running faster but also not wasting time. The emphasis being to do what you were going to do but just do it more quickly. 3. Coming home fast is another variation on this to improve your race speed. I can remember world champions who have won the race in the last part of the course. Of course this could be because of better fitness but it also may be a conscious effort to enhance their speed. The idea is to trigger when to come home fast. This may be 4 or 5 legs out. I like this also because by this stage you are comfortable with the map and the terrain. Sometimes the legs get easier in this part of the course. For most people however, the danger is being tired and you may stop concentrating or the terrain/legs may change. I personally find it increases my focus when for many it may start to lag. It’s up to you to judge how far out but it is a good feeling heading for home and hanging on whilst utilizing the fitness you have. Once again, an awareness of speed has upped the tempo in a sector of the race. 4. An easy way to increase speed is to run parts of leg fast. Some legs stand out as technically less difficult as they may have a track on them or a catching feature or a saddle or anywhere you can see a long way ahead. Train yourself to automatically pick up the tempo for that safe part of the leg. It can add up to a significant percentage of the course. The hard part however in this is knowing when to slow down. It has less risks for orienteers who can relocate readily. It is also useful to develop a skill where you are able to look at the course and ascertain the difficult legs. The skill here is to develop more parts of the course that you can use speed safely. 5. Looking at the map less. Certainly, reading a map takes time and the less you need to look the faster you will be. However, there are risks involved. The skill here is to find the balance between looking enough times and looking too much. This also applies to reading too much or just keeping it basic. At times, the control can still be found on only the basic information, the art lies in sensing it. Push it too far and you will get caught out. A thorough technique is invaluable but at times it can be time consuming. Speed is only one aspect of race preparation, although a very important one. If you have trained in speed you will be able to apply it as the race indicates. Another factor with speed is rhythm. Something world champions speak of. A consistent pace and technique under control is experienced as flow. From my experience this is excellent for concentration. A high consistency of rhythm throughout the race will make for a fast race, even though it will not feel fast at the time. Speed is fraught with dangers, of course, as it all becomes so much harder and therein lies the skill for those who do it well. A highly trained athlete will learn to respond well and have an automatic trained response for speed. A refined orienteer will also run the race utilizing a selection of refined techniques. These orienteers transfer across to international level more readily. The true champion comes from those who can produce rhythm and speed. It is then that the race becomes effortless, which is what Cathy Freeman refers to when she speaks of running like the wind and Ian Thorpe who feels the water splitting in front of him. Work on speed and then let it go!

George Reeves (M65 - Tintookies, SA) takes the plunge in Littlechild Creek at the 2005 AUS Championships. Photo courtesy The Launceston Examiner.

Bayside Kangaroos present The Winter Classic

Monday 12th June 2005 at Barambogie For information contact Greg Tamblyn (03) 9803 9082

Advertise your event in this space

You can have a 5 x 8 cm event ad for just $50. In colour, if we have room, otherwise black and white. Send artwork to The Editor:

mikehubbert@ozemail.com.au

Xmas 5-Days Day 1 map, Mt Gladstone (near Cooma) Scale 1:10 000