PACING IN ORIENTEERING Joe Scarborough + Revised 4/1/98 Pacing is a method of measuring distance by counting steps, usually in twos (paces) or more. It can be a useful tool, perhaps necessary in some situations, but is by no means a substitute for map reading. Like the compass, pacing should be thought of as an aid to map reading. Almost everyone has a need to pace to some degree though there are some individuals with a sense of distance that tells them how far they have traveled without consciously measuring distance. James Scarborough rarely counts his steps. At the other extreme are those that are always pacing. This is similar to the sense of distance to the extent that it can be so automatic that it does not distract from navigation. Peter Gagarin is such a person. He has an odometer constantly running in the background that will tie him to a known point whenever it is needed. When to use pacing? Pacing may be called upon when the competitor is uncertain about the conditions ahead or knows from the map that it will be needed. I try to remember to make an accurate pace count from a strong attack point when taking all controls, no matter how easy they look. Pacing is useful in very bland areas with little detail on the map, in areas of low visibility and in cases of complex detail. James may use pacing when running along a trail or road where runnability is very different to the norm. It is not always easy to anticipate some of these situations, which makes the odometer method very handy. Remember that poor runnability and steep slopes make pacing less reliable. Like compass and map reading, pacing can be rough or precise. There may be no need for pacing during the green light portion of the leg or when you expect catching features, etc. However, for finding that 1m boulder in a complex area with no line features, you want precision. Pacing where the terrain offers reasonable visibility and good check points may need be only within 20% or so. I have poor short term map memory so try to do this on longer legs, especially where there is a potential for parallel error. In the Bay Area where steep, open and simple terrain patterns are the norm, pacing is less useful and consequently, some training may be in order before an important trip TECHNIQUE * Calibrate your pace. (See below.) * Begin your pace count from a known point. Decide on a two or three step pace. * TIP-> Put the count in sync with your breathing. I use every third step and count on the exhale. If you have a foot or leg injury, try to emphasize the opposite foot in counting. * Determine a unit of measure best for you. I use paces/100m. Another method is to mark off a scale on your compass in increments of, say, 10 or 25 paces. * A tachometer (clicker) helps if you have a poor short term memory like mine. Silva used to make one that attached to the baseplate. Click every 10 paces or 50 meters, for example. * Keep track of your count early in a race and make adjustments as you go. This is especially a good technique when running in unfamiliar territory. * Restart your pace count when passing a prominent feature. Occaisionally remesure after pacing if you want to check your rate. ADJUSTING You can adjust for varying conditions as discussed below by adding or subtracting from a standard personal rate. A standard rate might be 35p/100m in open fairly flat forest. An open forest with a moderate upslope might be 45p/100m for you. You can learn pacing rates for different combinations of conditions through rough approximation, experience or exercises such as suggested below. You can find examples of ratios for different conditions in some technique manuals but with the variability between individuals and terrains, you will still have to develop your own. A simpler method that I use is to adjust as I go adding or subtracting from the standard rate as conditions are encountered. TIP-> Note your count when you are near half way to a control. That will help you adjust for the second half of the leg. If you reach a feature that eyeballs half way, you may not even need to measure. Just repeat the count for the second half. OTHER METHODS In open terrain you can eyeball distances ahead. I like to take things in 50 meter chunks but find this works best for me in combination with pacing and picking out mapped features that far ahead. If you lose contact with the map and do not have a pace count but do remember looking at your watch, you can sometimes get a rough idea of the distance if you know your speed. TIP-> Head heighting can give amazingly good measurement of climb in some situations, hence distance. If you are going up a steep slope, pick out a spot ahead level with your eyes and repeat when you reach that spot. Three of these will approximate a 5m contour. By applying your count to the map, you should get an idea of the distance traveled. TRAINING TIP-> Make it a habit to pace count during daily training runs. Practice making it automatic by thinking of something else a the same time. IDEAS FOR SETTING UP A TRAINING SESSION * Select an area with varying conditions of slope and runnability. Layout a short cross country course with short legs designed especially to emphasize the varying effects on the stride. * Each leg should be as consistent as possible for the whole distance to give the runner a chance to get a good idea of the pace count. * Optimum route should be as straight as possible. * Provide combinations of footing/slope/vegetation/speed Slope: Flat/steep/moderate; up/down Footing: Pavement/trails/short grass/mud/slash Vegetation: Run/slow run/walk/fight Effort: Fast/moderate/slow/walk * Allow for doing the course backwards with an out and back or loop configuration to get a second reading, varying speeds and to reverse the slopes. * Make it short enough to encourage doing it twice. * Provide each participant with a control card with space for recording the distance, paces, effort (% of max. competition speed) etc. * Measure each leg accurately, on O-cad or on the ground if possible, but do not announce this in advance. This gives the runner a chance to check the accuracy of his or her map measurements. * Schedule a post mortem for comparing notes and discussing and sharing the results. Prepare a large spread sheet to record and compare all of the data from the exercise. + TIP-> for event organizers. Beginners and others may appreciate a pacing course at events. This can consist of a few stakes, labeled and attached to pre-measured string kept with the meet equipment. It can be laid out in the warm-up area and take in 50-100m stretches of typical runnability. * * * * *