Tuesday, November 21, 2006
The story so far...
Sorr yfor not updating. It has been a busy few weeks for me, clockin g the last crucial block of training and doing a few small events.
Firstly, i need to get this off my chest: DO NOT CHEAT IN ARs!!! My team did that last week, and we did not bother to ask questions as to whether we could visit CPs out of order... and we copped it. Without the 1 hour penalty, we would have come in 3rd in the Men's and 4th overall. So there.
I think there is a real need (in spite of the goal to come out as fast as possible) to pay attention to briefings - aka practise what i preach. It is not that straightforward when the race course doubles back on itself in a navigation-heavy event. In retrospect, paying complete attention to the Q&A session at the pre-race briefing would have helped lots, as would have been reading and understanding every single race rule, no matter how mundane or routine the procedure may appear to be. I guess the superior skills of rogainers and orienteers out there have still got a very firm hold on the top end of the aussie-style sprint ARs (proof: we were beaten by an all female-team again). It may seem alien to those used to linear, navigation-light courses - but make no mistake, the fact that the most skilled (and fair-playing) folks come up on top regularly is a testament.
We cannot afford to make mistakes like that anymore... penalties are not worth the effort saved. Take the moral high ground, delve not into trickery, and let it be known that top teams always play fair.
Firstly, i need to get this off my chest: DO NOT CHEAT IN ARs!!! My team did that last week, and we did not bother to ask questions as to whether we could visit CPs out of order... and we copped it. Without the 1 hour penalty, we would have come in 3rd in the Men's and 4th overall. So there.
I think there is a real need (in spite of the goal to come out as fast as possible) to pay attention to briefings - aka practise what i preach. It is not that straightforward when the race course doubles back on itself in a navigation-heavy event. In retrospect, paying complete attention to the Q&A session at the pre-race briefing would have helped lots, as would have been reading and understanding every single race rule, no matter how mundane or routine the procedure may appear to be. I guess the superior skills of rogainers and orienteers out there have still got a very firm hold on the top end of the aussie-style sprint ARs (proof: we were beaten by an all female-team again). It may seem alien to those used to linear, navigation-light courses - but make no mistake, the fact that the most skilled (and fair-playing) folks come up on top regularly is a testament.
We cannot afford to make mistakes like that anymore... penalties are not worth the effort saved. Take the moral high ground, delve not into trickery, and let it be known that top teams always play fair.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
SAC Advice
I've mentioned some of the below points previously in other topics on AR, but i think they are worth re-visiting nonetheless:
Get solid team mates - physically fitness can only get you so far - cohesiveness and ability to work as team is more important in my book, especially for anyone doing the event of the first time. You'll be toughing it out for 3 days (this event is essentially 3 sprint-length adventure races on back-to-back days), in addition to the logistics nightmares of the pre- and post-race period, so get someone you can trust to remain friends, with no matter what. People who are accommodating even when people fail or things go wrong, are willing to take on more than their fair share of the race effort, are innovative, and can camly make decisions and think outside the box under pressure are a great plus.
Navigation is key - get a good navigator to be part of your team, and go and practise often (even in Singapore, this is possible). Make sure you have reliable compasses, map cases, ziploc bags, and stationery. Take notes during all briefings the night before each stage. Share the workload of navigation much like you would share the weight distribution in your backpacks - the stronger one should take on more responsibility, but the other team mate should contribute as well, and act as a fail-safe when decisions become tricky. Adventure racing is about being able to go at 75% and remaining alert, rather than going at 100% and becoming a zombie and becoming careless with terrain/map changes, directions, or course instructions. A 'chionging' mentality will get you somewhere fast, but it may not be in the correct direction.
Nutrition - during the race, the same broad principles of triathlon nutrition should apply. The lower your heart rate, the more you can eat (or, the more varied your calorie intake can be). End of each stage, if logistically possible, high-quality carbs and proteins should theoretically be the first to be eaten. In actuality, AR energy demands are so high that one can pretty much down anything - my team and support crew whacked kampung hawker roti prata and mee soup; and cooked our own baked beans, instant noodles, and sardines for the first 2 nights, and KFC on the last night, back in KK!
Specific training - for the core disciplines of MTB and trail running: hills hills hills. Train for both technical (aka steep!) ascending and technical/high-speed descending on both the bike and on foot. That's all i have to say, really. Great chunks of time can be gained if you are competent in the other disciplines of kayaking, swimming, and rope work (disciplines SAC does not emphasize alot on, in order not to scare away too many MTB riders and runners), so make sure you are comfy in these aspects as well to avoid an unnecessarily long day out on the course. Train often with a loaded hydration pack. If there is any speed disparity at all between team members, get some towing practice in as well.
Support crews help - if you have someone who wants to tag along for a short holiday, share the fun of off-road adventure, and check out what stage AR competition is all about (but not actually race), rope them in to become your support crew! I did this in 2005 and it worked out very well. Give them fair and ample warning that they will likely have to become your butler/cook/porter/sports psychologist/physiotherapist at certain points during their trip with your team. They may want to volunteer as race officials as well (Avtar welcomes that very warmly!). Like your team mate, they should be trusted team players as well, in order to make the holiday as enjoyable as possible.
AR
Get solid team mates - physically fitness can only get you so far - cohesiveness and ability to work as team is more important in my book, especially for anyone doing the event of the first time. You'll be toughing it out for 3 days (this event is essentially 3 sprint-length adventure races on back-to-back days), in addition to the logistics nightmares of the pre- and post-race period, so get someone you can trust to remain friends, with no matter what. People who are accommodating even when people fail or things go wrong, are willing to take on more than their fair share of the race effort, are innovative, and can camly make decisions and think outside the box under pressure are a great plus.
Navigation is key - get a good navigator to be part of your team, and go and practise often (even in Singapore, this is possible). Make sure you have reliable compasses, map cases, ziploc bags, and stationery. Take notes during all briefings the night before each stage. Share the workload of navigation much like you would share the weight distribution in your backpacks - the stronger one should take on more responsibility, but the other team mate should contribute as well, and act as a fail-safe when decisions become tricky. Adventure racing is about being able to go at 75% and remaining alert, rather than going at 100% and becoming a zombie and becoming careless with terrain/map changes, directions, or course instructions. A 'chionging' mentality will get you somewhere fast, but it may not be in the correct direction.
Nutrition - during the race, the same broad principles of triathlon nutrition should apply. The lower your heart rate, the more you can eat (or, the more varied your calorie intake can be). End of each stage, if logistically possible, high-quality carbs and proteins should theoretically be the first to be eaten. In actuality, AR energy demands are so high that one can pretty much down anything - my team and support crew whacked kampung hawker roti prata and mee soup; and cooked our own baked beans, instant noodles, and sardines for the first 2 nights, and KFC on the last night, back in KK!
Specific training - for the core disciplines of MTB and trail running: hills hills hills. Train for both technical (aka steep!) ascending and technical/high-speed descending on both the bike and on foot. That's all i have to say, really. Great chunks of time can be gained if you are competent in the other disciplines of kayaking, swimming, and rope work (disciplines SAC does not emphasize alot on, in order not to scare away too many MTB riders and runners), so make sure you are comfy in these aspects as well to avoid an unnecessarily long day out on the course. Train often with a loaded hydration pack. If there is any speed disparity at all between team members, get some towing practice in as well.
Support crews help - if you have someone who wants to tag along for a short holiday, share the fun of off-road adventure, and check out what stage AR competition is all about (but not actually race), rope them in to become your support crew! I did this in 2005 and it worked out very well. Give them fair and ample warning that they will likely have to become your butler/cook/porter/sports psychologist/physiotherapist at certain points during their trip with your team. They may want to volunteer as race officials as well (Avtar welcomes that very warmly!). Like your team mate, they should be trusted team players as well, in order to make the holiday as enjoyable as possible.
AR
