LIOM 2016: Catherine Taylor's Long Distance course analysis

[Control nº 1] I've not run on a 1:15,000 map in a long time, so I ran a bit extra and safer to get used to the map before attacking the control. Not quick but I think it was what I needed.

[Control nº 2] It seemed quite equal to take the road or the path on the other side of the fields. I chose the road, it looked simpler.

[Control nº 3] Straight! It was fast terrain so no need to use the path.

[Control nº 4] Good to leave the path earlier to avoid the darkest green.

[Controls nº 5 and nº 6] My big mistake! On a path. I thought I was taking the big path, turned left by some small hills and came to a control - and it was mine! So I ran on but soon found that the terrain didn't match 6-7 at all, and I'd been to control 6 instead of 5… oops. I really lost concentration here and took the wrong direction back to 6, too. But I had seen Galina ahead already at control 3 and made my aim to push really hard and try and "catch back" the big mistakes.

[Controls nº 7, nº 8, nº 9 and nº 10] Running straight, these were okay and a nice chance to refocus.

[Controls nº 11, 12 and 13] Sometimes hard to see the details in the circles and having to stop a lot on the way into the control, but routes were quite straight.

[Control nº 14] I took quite a low route, it felt quite fast to take this line.

[Control nº 15] No problems with orienteering in the open but the terrain was sandy and difficult to run in.

[Controls nº 16 and nº 17] Now I could see Galina again, which helped me push harder when the terrain was so sandy. 16 was quite difficult to find and here is where I caught the gap. But having extra company can mean extra pressure…

[Control nº 18] Path mistakes, again! It was difficult to see the paths and I found a "false trail" taking me too far left. I didn't check the compass enough and soon lost where I was. I kept going, now using my compass, to find a clear feature and mnaged to find myself again and carry on into the control. Some more extra distance.

[Control nº 19 to Finish ] The most fun part of the race, really fast terrain but it can still be easy to lose time by moving fast without checking the compass properly. I just wanted to hve a clean last loop and I managed that okay at least. I still paused to check I was in exactly the right place on the way into 23, it felt stupid to risk any more big mistakes. I was tired in the end because on this terrain you have to run really hard!

Joaquim Margarido

"Is Facebook killing Blogger?": Catherine Taylor's opinion

“Is Facebook killing Blogger?” During the last years, I've been worried about this subject and decided now to explore it with your help. Let my give you an example, a kind of starting point: We have in Portugal a webpage lodged in the Portuguese Orienteering Federation's site, which is called OriOasis. It's kind of a “mini-World of O” site, where 23 Portuguese Blogs and Sites are represented. More than a half of them are completely dead and only six blogs have articles published in 2015. Five of them have 25 articles overall published along this year. The other one, Orientovar –www.orientovar.blogspot.com –, has 390 articles published so far. Orientovar is my personal blog and I know what I'm talking about; but I also have to say that I have now around 80 visitors each day, while that number, three years ago, was higher than 400 visitors each day. At the same time, I can see that the “dead blogs” administrators, are still quite active on Facebook, which mean, probably, they moved their attentions from Blogger to Facebook in an almost definitive way. So, I tried to listen some top bloggers about this subject, having their feedback about five questions (the same for everyone). Emily Benham, Catherine Taylor, Mikhail Vinogradov, Lizzie Ingham, Hans Jörgen Kvale or Jan Kocbach are some of the bloggers that, during the next days, will leave here their opinions. Of course, you're also free to participate, leaving your contribution on the Portuguese Orienteering Blog's commentary corner. We'll certainly appreciate that!

Looking for the Portuguese example above, do you feel the same with your blog and blogs around you? Is this a problem for you?

Catherine Taylor (C. T.) - Of course you notice that some people post on their Facebook more than their blog or website or increasingly so. I think it's a natural thing to happen when there is a new resource available - people will adapt and use it! I think it's mostly a positive thing to use a variety of media to promote, discuss and share things to do with our great sport. It is a bit more difficult for those who do not have Facebook to follow, though I've noticed WorldOfO does also link to athletes' Facebook pages now.

Do you have an Orienteering Facebook page? Could you tell us about your experience in having both a Facebook page and Blog?

C. T. - I don't have a Facebook page as an athlete, I keep Facebook with just my personal page. But I can understand how it can suit other people to use Facebook as well as or instead of a blog or athlete site.

Is it clear that Facebook is a quick way to talk about Orienteering, but is it also the best way to promote our sport? Is the Blogger condemned to be extinguished?

C. T. - The best way to show the world instantly how beautiful and exciting orienteering can be, is with pictures and this is why Facebook can work really well - you get the pictures and then more story/explanation than you can fit onto Twitter. So it's great for that quick impression.

I don't think blogging is dying out at all! I think there is definitely still a place for reading longer texts that can tell a more complete story. Not everyone has the time or confidence to sit and write a full article but for those that do, there is still an audience - at least I really enjoy reading some nicely constructed writing. It feels like you can "know" the writer and their story a little better with longer posts.

Have you ever felt like stopping writing? Are you loosing the interest in writing and reading – and sharing! - about Orienteering?

C. T. - No, I enjoy writing and that's why I carry on! I haven't written in a while because I'm in the process of changing my small blog page to something a little better, but also because I'm not doing anything so exciting at the moment. I try not to force posts out of myself just because I haven't written in a while. In the new year, when I'm travelling more, I'll get going again!

Have you any general ideas about Communication in our sport that you would like to share?

C. T. - I'd say that if you're trying to reach more people than just a small audience of keen orienteers, it's always good to keep in mind that orienteering is full of complicated concepts that not everyone is familiar with. Think about how to explain things in a way more people might understand, or concentrate on the more universal aspects of sport rather than the technical elements. But it all depends who you want your audience to be! And some nice pictures reflecting your subject are never a bad idea :-)

Joaquim Margarido

Catherine Taylor: "It still feels like I can be better"

Everybody was expecting the gold but Catherine Taylor is more than pleased with the 5th place in the Middle Distance and the 6th place in the Long Distance at WOC 2015. With her, we return to Scotland for the balance of a week of strong emotions.

How anxious were you, running “at home” this year? What special motivation did it give you?

Catherine Taylor (C. T.) - I was really anxious in the months before WOC. It took a huge amount of energy to deal with others’ expectations that I was out for nothing less than gold (!!!). It was hard to stick to my own plans and aims without worrying about outside pressures. On the other hand, being somewhere where you understand the mapping style, forest vegetation, language, foods etc. gave me a lot of confidence and it was motivating to have an extra-excited British team to train with.

Did you feel well prepared? What goals did you have?

C. T. - I think the whole British team felt well prepared for WOC. It was great to have a less stressful preparation over a longer time than usual. My goal was to be on the podium for one of my own races and do a good job for the team in both relays.

Would you like to talk about your 5th place in the Middle Distance and the 6th place in the Long

Distance? Did the results leave you entirely satisfied? Which one has a special meaning for you?

C. T. - A lot of people offered commiserations that I missed a medal but I more than met my goal and I’m happy with that. I’m still surprised that my best result was in the Middle race, but the Long still feels more special – the pressure was off and I just enjoyed my run.

And in the Relay? In both races, you started from a very difficult position, but you knew how to deal with the pressure, achieving high level performances. How could you manage things, especially from a psychological point of view?

C. T. - I think it helped that our aims were based on the way we wanted to run, rather than the result. Both of the first leg runners in my teams had some real bad luck, but the job for me felt the same. It’s usually easier to take a chasing position in a relay, meaning it’s always possible to regain positions and never a good idea to “give up” on the team, and with that in mind I could have a good racing attitude.

What motivation do these results provide for the future?

C. T. - The performances in both individual races were okay but not great. It still feels like I can be better. And of course, we would like to run some great relays, and working towards that as a team will be fun.

And what about the British team and the promotion to the First Division? Overall, what results would you highlight?

C. T. - It was a great team effort and we were so happy to find out! It was great that all week, we had lots of great results in the top 10 and top 20, by a lot of different people and across all the races. We had six team members running their first WOC and all of them ran well. So it was a true team effort!

How do you rate WOC 2015 from a technical and organizational point of view?

C. T. - I thought the courses I ran were challenging and fun, and the forests offered some great terrain. The most difficult part of the week was trying not to worry about all the small problems, like with logistics on some days, because you want everyone to go away with a good impression of your country. Nothing can ever run perfectly but I think things went generally well. It was a huge effort to enable a competition so much bigger than anything we’ve seen before in the UK and I’m proud of everyone who gave so much of their time and effort to make it all happen.

If I asked you for a moment - the great achievement of the Championships - what would be your choice?

C. T. - With a little bit of a bias, I’d say Annika’s Middle distance title. It takes so much inner strength and control to produce the year’s best performance on the right day. Doing it two years in a row is remarkable, and when the spring hasn’t gone smoothly, too… nerves of steel!

The season is coming to an end. What are your goals for what remains of the season?

C. T. - Now WOC is finished, I’m more exhausted than any other time I remember. I also felt tired and overstressed at times earlier this year and knew I would need a break now. So there are no plans for the autumn until I have more energy and start training again, though I have thought a little about both championships next year, which distances I would like to run and how I can train effectively.

[Photo: Ethan Childs / facebook.com]

Joaquim Margarido

Catherine Taylor: "I'm trying not to aim too high, or want too much"

Catherine Taylor comes today to the Portuguese Orienteering Blog's tribune. With the World Championships taking place “at home” and the attention turned to herself, it's time to take a look at the preparation and to antecipate the big moments.

I would start by asking you about the recent JK and your victory in the Long Distance and the victory overall. Did you expect such results?

Catherine Taylor (C. T.) - No, I didn’t. I have been on many training camps recently and was feeling tired before the JK. I was lucky to spend the days before the races with my family at home - they’re good at looking after me and it gave me some energy back! But still looking through the start list I couldn’t expect to win, I thought it would be really tough to get on the podium. It was a great surprise to win.

Can you describe the most important feelings about the races?

C. T. - I think the most important thing was I felt quite relaxed for the forest races. It meant I didn’t panic when the Middle distance went badly, I just forgot about the mistakes and carried on fighting, and for the Long I didn’t rush. I think it helped a lot to know the forests and terrain type quite well, so I hope some of the same feelings will be there at WOC in summer. The forests for the JK are really beautiful and fun terrain, too, so I could relax and enjoy it!

We saw you in Portugal last February. What about the Portugal O' Meeting 2015?

C. T. - One of the reasons I chose to go there was because I know that the competition is organized professionally, things are smooth and efficient, and people are really friendly. It's the perfect combination. But I think the most important reason is to have an idea of how things are going, because I've been training a lot at home but we haven't done any races like this, so it’s good to have some ideas. Actually I'm quite surprised with how well it’s gone, which also gives me the confidence to race a little bit better, because sometimes, when I make a mistake, the bad feeling continues, and the whole race after that small mistake keeps going badly. But now I feel that, with the preparation I have, I can make a mistake and easily put it behind my back.

So you are also improving mentally...

C. T. - Yes, and that is the most important thing to improve for me. So, I'm really happy with that!

And you've found a super Minna Kauppi (!)... If it wasn't for her, you would have been the winner!

C. T. - Yes (laughs). Yes, I have.

How do you compare? What did Minna have that you didn't?

C. T. - Minna has more years of elite Orienteering than I have and I think that really makes the difference. I only have one medal, but when you've won so many, you can turn on your very top performances when you want... I feel that I don't have my best races when it’s most important. That's what makes a true champion. It's good, it's exciting she came to race at POM, we can have something to aim for and see what's possible.

I can remember that you were very happy in Portugal, last year. Was your podium in the European Championships the best experience in your orienteering career so far?

C. T. - Yes, maybe! But it was also such a surprise that it happened. I believe I enjoy it more now than I did at the time, because, when it happened, there were still many races left that year. At the time I actually gave the medal to my parents so I could try to keep my focus ahead, but when I look back now, I think it was a pretty good day.

We now have a new season, a particular one because the WOC will be in your home country and the big goals are in Scotland, of course. What do you have to say, when you think of the World Championships?

C. T. - Well, yes, my main goals are in Scotland and I think it would be really fun to win there, but it is also very easy to put a lot of pressure on yourself. In my opinion, I don't feel I'm ready to be as good as I could be this year. I think there are still some years to try and improve. So, I'm trying not to aim too high, or want too much. I think it will be different, it's kind of a sidestep, from everything else in my career.

Not only for you but also for the British team.

C. T. - Yes, but of course, it's really exciting. We've all been training quite well this winter.

You're becoming very popular but it gives you some responsibilities, too. Do you feel like an ambassador of our sport?

C. T. - That's hard to say. I also have people that I look up, too, who are an example to me. I'm talking about some of my teammates, in OK Linné, and also in my National Team.

So, they have more responsibilities than you... (laughs)

C. T. - I still feel like the younger sister to a lot of people. But I think that's one of our jobs, to be an ambassador for the sport. Orienteering needs it. I have my personal webpage and sometimes it feels like I'm doing that kind of job there, too. I think it's fun to share your story of how is to live when you’re focussing on this sport, how your life is, the places you go and the experiences you have.

How important can it be for youngsters?

C. T. - I believe that it can be very important for some of them, back in the UK. It's important to me to say that this is the world I've gone to and this is what you can do, too. I guess for younger people it gives them an idea about how much fun they can have.

What are your next steps towards WOC?

C. T. - Now it’s time to make my training more specific to the exact challenges I will find at WOC. So I have a training camp in Scotland just now and then I’ll try to train well for these demands in Uppsala. There’s also 10MILA, Jukola and the World Cups to think about, too. And I’ll also try and be smart to stay healthy, not keep wanting more and more all the time just because things have gone well so far.

In the beginning of a new season, I ask you to make a wish to all orienteers all over the world.

C. T. - I wish them an exciting adventure. Go and orienteer somewhere you've never been before. Go out of your comfort zone!

Joaquim Margarido

IOF's Athlete of June: Catherine Taylor aims for the best possible race

Catherine Taylor took a surprise bronze medal to Great Britain in the European Championships long distance race. She has been close to the top before, but this was her first international medal. How has she come here, from the seven-year-old junior orienteer who decides to become a World Champion, and what are her goals in the future?

Name: Catherine Taylor

Country: Great Britain

Discipline: Foot Orienteering

Career highlights: World Orienteering Championships 2013: relay 8th, long distance 10th, European Orienteering Championships 2014: long distance 3rd

IOF World Ranking position: 15th/orienteering, 37nd/sprint orienteering

One of the big surprises at the European Orienteering Championships in Portugal was the bronze medal of Catherine Taylor on long distance. Though the Brit has been near the top before, not many had dared to hope for a medal for Great Britain just yet.

Catherine, our IOF Athlete of June, says she has been dreaming of a World Championships medal since she was 7 years old. Now she is one step closer to that! We asked her how she has come here and where does she aim to go with her career from now on.

Living in Sweden

For three years, Catherine has lived in Sweden to train orienteering with Swedish orienteers. She has finished studying now and she has two smaller jobs besides training: ”The first job is translating from the Scandinavian languages into English, where I work by myself at home. The second is coaching orienteering at Uppsala Idrottscentrum, a programme to help the development of orienteers from high school age through to university. I work with the youngest group, aged around 12-15. I really enjoy training with them, helping them learn how to train smartly for orienteering and having fun along the way”, Catherine says.

Started early with big dreams

Catherine started orienteering at a young age. ”I didn’t have the choice (laughs). My mom and dad were orienteers before I was born so…. ” She also dreamt of becoming an elite orienteer from the start: ”My parents report that soon after I started running easy courses on tracks, I went on an orienteering training weekend led by Carol McNeill, a top international orienteer in the 1970’s and a great orienteering instructor. Here, we read contours and ran off the tracks and I must have been inspired as suddenly I was saying, “Mum, Dad, I want to be World Champion at orienteering.” My parents did a very good job of accepting and nurturing the unusual dream of their seven-year-old daughter without putting any pressure on me and keeping enjoyment as the most important thing.”

“I do some “normal” running in addition to orienteering, but it’s always been as training for orienteering. Maybe I would have done another sport in other circumstances but when I was little my mum and dad went orienteering at weekends, so me and my sister Lucy went too. We liked seeing friends and making dens in the forest so we were usually happy to go and it was natural to start orienteering ourselves. I stopped competing for a while when I was about 14. I’d put too much pressure on myself and it had stopped being fun. But I was really unhappy without it and I started again, knowing this time that it was definitely for me.”

Training and the other orienteering disciplines

We asked Catherine how she trains at the moment. ”Like just about everyone, my training varies according to the time of year. I don’t do any huge volume but I try to keep it consistent from week to week and nearly all my trainings are running or orienteering, though I do run quite much in the pool and try to remember to train some strength. A normal winter week in Uppsala would have 12-13 hours and three harder running or orienteering sessions; usually one running intervals, one progression run and one faster orienteering training. In competition season of course I rest more. I like the variation you can get in orienteering training; there’s so much to work on that you never get bored.”

”I did a bit of MTBO when I was young but I like how running is simple, without so much equipment. I also tried PreO once but I’m not patient enough to take the time to get it right – I just want to punch the control and run off! I’ve never tried SkiO but anyone who’s ever seen me ski can confirm that taking my eyes off the track to look at a map would not be a good idea. So I think I’m stuck with running for now.”

It’s all about the best possible race

When asked about her best races so far, she answers: ”Tough question! I’ve run so many races but I’m not often happy with a whole race. I’m quite happy with my WOC Long final from last year as I prepared well for the race and even though I know I can do better I don’t think I could have done much better on that day – it was my first forest final at WOC, a new experience. I feel the same about EOC Long this year; I hope I can run better another time but I got all I could from myself on that day.”

She admits having been surprised after the bronze medal: ”Yes, I was. I’ve been aiming to win medals but not this soon and from the feeling before and during the race I was really surprised that it came on that day. My aim had been a stable run and getting a top 10 result. It took a week or so for it to sink in, but luckily there’s so many other races to work towards and that helped me refocus.”

At the World Championships in Italy, Catherine’s goal is to run as the best race she can, bot in individual races and in the relays. ”I can’t have any pure results goal in this sport where everything is so different in each race. In Long, my individual race, of course it would be good to have my name further to the top of the list than last year but I will focus on running the best race I can. In the relays the aim is the same. In the Sprint Relay, we have a very strong team and would like to be in the fight for the win and for medals. I also think our forest relay team could do very well if we all run like we are capable of. As for my own part in those races, I would like in each case to get the feeling that I made the most of whatever the situation is on the day.”

She says she likes all the distances, but if only one is to be chosen, it is the long distance: ”I like the feeling of running fast and still being just in control and you can get that on any distance. So I like all of them! But I guess I’ll have to choose Long as my favourite. A good Long race is always a bit of an adventure. In that amount of time there’s always a battle against tiredness, a good patch and a bad patch to deal with and something unexpected, as well as the orienteering itself.”

Long-term ambitions

”I still have the same dream as when I was my seven year old; I would like to win a WOC gold medal one day! I’ve learnt to accept my best performance even if it’s not a win but I still have high ambitions. I’d also like to further improve my orienteering technique and mental resilience, so I can race well in all situations and all kinds of terrain. Just now I’m still inconsistent and can race both well and badly.

I’ve only run at WOC twice and have so much left that I want to do, both in terms of achievement and experience. I’ll continue as long as I enjoy competing and my body is happy for me to do so. I hope there will be many more years!”

Athletes’ questions

Athlete of May, mountain bike orienteer Susanna Laurila, had this message and question to Catherine: “Congratulations on your EOC medal! I hear that you live in Sweden and do mostly just orienteering. Coming from a country where orienteering is not that big a sport, how difficult was the decision to move to Sweden and start devoting your life to orienteering? Was it hard to justify to yourself/family/friends?”

“Thank you! It was also early that I decided I would like to move to Scandinavia, when I learnt that many of the top British runners trained with and competed for Scandinavian clubs. I thought it sounded exciting. I came to Sweden for the first time when I was 12, to O-Ringen, and found it amazing how much nice forest there was everywhere, and so many good orienteers and big clubs. So the dream stuck! My family are happy with my decisions, as long as I’m doing what I love, so they didn’t take much persuading. My non-orienteering friends maybe think it’s a strange choice but understand that it’s important for me. At least it’s quite easy to keep some contact with people in other countries now, easier than for people making the same move 20 years ago.”

[Photo: Joaquim Margarido]

[See the original article at http://orienteering.org/athlete-of-june-aims-for-the-best-possible-race/. Published with permission from the International Orienteering Federation]