Urban Adventure Racing Tip of the Month
On this page over the next few months will appear
valuable
tips for Urban Navigators!
Tip#1: Join Your Local Orienteering Club
Orienteers are expert navigators! If you learn how to navigate on a highly detailed orienteering map, then urban street and park maps will be a breeze. What really matters is that you learn a navigation system that allows you to efficiently move quickly through a preset course. This means no stopping to look at your map, no second guessing your route choices, and full bore running with confidence to your next check point. You may ask how can you read a map if you don't stop ...well that is a skill that you will gradually acquire the more you practice it. First of all, orienteers learn to glance at their map about once every 10 seconds, each time gleaning a tiny bit of pertinent information that forms a simplified picture in their mind. Secondly, orienteers learn to read ahead, to plan the route to the checkpoint after the one they are currently going towards. Both of these map reading techniques mean that an expert orienteer is always moving in a deliberate manner towards their next destination.
In Calgary, the Foothills Wanderers meet every Wednesday evening at 6:30PM for informal park or street training events. If you are not in Calgary, contact the orienteering club in your city to find out when they are training next.
Tip#2: Join or Organize an Urban Navigation Training Group
While practicing orienteering will give you general map navigation skills, you will still need sport specific experience ...and unfortunately racing once per year in the City Chase just won't cut it. In Calgary, an informal group organizes monthly practice sessions from January through May, weather permiting. Dubbed the "Urban Hunt", these can be organized by the group (i.e. each team provides a set number of CPs of which 15 are randomly selected and photocopied to form the day's course) or by individuals for the benefit of the rest of the group. There is probably as much benefit to organizing than to actual participating as it allows you to better understand what goes on inside the head of a course setter. These sessions are excellent opportunities to work out the bugs and define the roles between you and your partner, and between your team and your support network.
Tip#3: Use a Bungee System
If there is a noticeable difference in speed or endurance between team members then this can be mitigated by having the stronger runner tow the slower runner with a simple bungee system. These systems have been used by top adventure racing teams for years for both the bicycle and treking sections. They can be made yourself using surgical tubing or elastic rope, or you may want to purchase a proven & thoroughly tested professional version (including the recommended light weight harness/belts) from WeGo Teamlink.
Tip#4: Train & Retain the Best Support Team
Headquarter support teams (HQ) can easily win or lose the race for you. Make sure you have a transit expert, if taking buses and trains are an integral part of the race. It is advisable that there are at least 2 support people available for the critical points of the race when new information is presented to the team (e.g. scavenger hunt list read out by announcer, CP list obtained). The team and the HQ should be working from the identical map(s) so that the same symbols can be referred to from both sides of the phone, and grid references can be used if necessary. Also, train your team to be experts at performing advanced searches on Google and using other online tools such as phone directories and transit route planning.
Tip#5: Create a Physical Training Plan Specific for this Race
Running on asphalt is by far the most important physical ability for these races. Depending on how much time you have until your race, you could conveniently follow one of the many 10K or half-marathon training programs available out there (e.g. from the Running Room in Canada). Marathon trainining is probably a bit of overkill for most time-strapped racers, but certainly would be helpful if you make it to the finals. Some other training sessions to consider are: intervals - to help you pour it on when you just have to catch the next train, or need to pass a large group of people heading from a train to the next CP; stair climbing - this is a CP feature of many races and often along route in some of our hillier cities; core strength - these exercises will increase your stamina while running and will help on physical challengs requiring upper body strength.
Tip#6: Exercise your Brain
There are many websites, computer/game system software, magazine/newspaper puzzles and parlour games that will help improve your memory, concentration, analytical ability, and spacial skills. Work on these mental exercises frequently to sharpen your brain and increase your confidence. For some articles on the topic, see Smart Brains below:
Tip#7: Confirm Critical Information 3 Times
People make mistakes, even people like bus and taxi drivers who should be authorities on the locations in their city. Keep asking different people until you have 3 independent confirmations of where someplace is at.
Tip#8: The Winning Strategy
If I could boil down the winning strategy for urban adventure races it would be this:
1. Be Prepared.
2. Minimize Mistakes.
3. Never Hesitate.