Perfect Flow

This month we hear from top Christchurch junior, Felix Hunt about recent races and training, discuss the value of training programs, managing risk in technical areas, and avoiding routes on extremely steep slopes.

This month we hear from Marquita Gelderman on the challenges of MTB orienteering, discuss how to manage fatigue from training, and share some ideas around the difficulty of cancelling orienteering races in bad weather.

This month we hear from Heidi Stolberger and Scott Smith about their experiences at WUOC in Switzerland, discuss the many difficulties at the World Cup in Estonia and suggest how best to use online GPS tracking to improve your orienteering.

This month we hear from Nick Hann about his approach to mapping and dive deeper into JWOC, route planning in advance, and specificity in training.

This month we hear from Tim Robertson on his WOC races and dive deeper into some of the GPS tracking. We look at a lot of maps including Queens Birthday, EYOC and 5 Days of Italy.

This month Tom and I hear from Malcolm Ingham about knock-out sprint orienteering and check out the exciting sprint racing happening in Europe. We discuss some training ideas targeting knock-out sprints and take a look at many of the maps from the recent World Cup, where Tim Robertson received 2 silver medals.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with Oskar Spets Storhov, one of the orienteers in the OK Linné team that recently won Tio Mila, the 10-person through-the-night relay in Sweden. There is a video of this recording on YouTube.

is month Tom and I hear from Will Tidswell on his unexpected NZ Champs in isolation and thoughts on his final JWOC in Portugal this in July. We also flesh out the interplay between navigation and concentration, hear about some analysis Gene did on routes that deviate from the straight line, and discuss preparation for major races.

This month Tom and I hear from Penelope Salmon on her fantastic track times, how she handles sprint orienteering and her move the USA. We also flesh out admin mistakes, hear about GODZone, look at World Ski-O Champs, and take a look at recent and upcoming events.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with the adventure racing team The Secret Billionaires on their epic battle to 5th place in GODZone Chapter 10: Traverse. This episode is a blow by blow account of their 7 days on course packed with tips for adventure racers wanting to improve their preparation and performance for future expeditions. There is a video for this episode available on genebeveridge.nz and YouTube.

This month Tom and I hear from Dougal Sheppard on the trail running series he's organising in Christchurch. We also flesh out what makes good and bad stepping stones and handrails, discuss changes to women's race distances, and take a look at ski orienteering. And as always, we share news from around the country.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with adventure racer and joint-operator of NZ Adventure Retreats, Kym Skerman. Kym is on the front line helping new and developing female adventure racers find their feet in this mentally and physically challenging pursuit.

This month Tom and I hear from Ronan Lee on his transition from the junior elite to senior elite grade and his speedy track times. We also discuss some of Gene's take home points from the Not Oceania races and take a look at World of O's top courses from 2021. And as always, we share news from around the country.

This month Tom and I hear from Joe Lynch on the recent Under 23 and Wellington Junior Camps that he attended as an athlete and coach respectively. We also discuss mental models and heuristics, and how training should be structured given how we learn and think. Additionally, we geek out on some of what World of O has to offer at this time of year. And as always, we share news from around the country.

This month I hear from Lizzie Ingham on her experience of the past 2 years which have been very disruptive for sporting communities. I also discuss tips on breaking the rustiness we often feel after periods without orienteering. And as always, I share news from around the country.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with sports optometrist Jeremy Wong about how our eyes fail us, how to improve our vision for sports, and how to protect our vision.

Welcome to Nav Chat. The show for the New Zealand orienteering and navigation sports community. This month Tom and I hear from Briana Steven on the rise of the University of Canterbury Orienteering Club (UCOC). We also discuss tips on conveniently coaching beginners, NZ’s recent MTBO success and some student job offers! And as always,… Read More »Nav Chat #12: October 2021

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with runner and adventurer Tim Sutton about his antics in the Tararua Ranges and other ranges near Wellington. I get the full story on what an S-K is, and what makes it so tough.

This month Tom and I hear from Val Robinson on what orienteering was like in the '70s including the first NZ team to compete at WOC. We also discuss the JWOC terrain and some of the techniques that would have been useful, and where to train these in NZ. And as always, we share news from around the country.

This month Tom and I focus on difficulty, where it comes from and how to spot it before you make a mistake. We hear from Toby Scott after some very challenging World Cup races in Sweden and discuss the surprisingly hard controls that caused some big mistakes. We also look at the some training ideas to help prepare you for different kinds of difficulty.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with photographer and pole vaulter Alisha Lovrich about her work at the Tokyo Olympics and photography more broadly. I also get my first good explanation of pole vaulting from the athletes' perspective. In the second half of the episode we take a look at some of her recent photos and stories from the Olympics and I'd recommend the video feed for that.

This month Tom and I focus on sprint distance. We hear from Tim Robertson after his bronze medal in the WOC sprint and look at some ways to improve the skills required for terrain like the fortress used the challenging race. We also look at the other WOC terrain. And as always, we share news from around the country.

This month Tom and I focus on middle distance. We hear from NZ Champs 2020 course setter Yvette Baker about her approach to planning middle distance courses and we suggest some easy ways to get started doing middle distance training with a quick example using Purple Pen. And as always, we share news from around the country.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with elite marathon runner Dan Jones about his training and racing. Dan has years of experience and many useful thoughts on all areas of the sport.

This month Tom and I focus on OrienteeringNZ's coaching framework, a project I've been involved in. We take a look at this online resource that anyone can use at www.orienteering.org.nz/coaching-framework and hear from Jean Cory-Wright who had a major influence on how the project came together. And as always, we share news from around the country

This month Tom and I focus on the technology used to help make orienteering more spectator friendly with guests Daniel Monckton and Jan Jager of North West Orienteering Club. They were behind the scenes at NZ Orienteering Champs earlier in the month running the SPORTident and O-Lynx systems for live results at the finish and live splits from radio controls mid-course. We glean some tips and tricks on how to set up these systems in different environments. We also take a look at spectator run-throughs and consider some useful mental strategies for dealing with them and we even have a training course idea to help you cope with mental pressure and distractions. And as always, we share news from around the country.

This month Tom and I focus on adventure racing with guest Scott McDonald of Team Motueka who were the top team to pull out of the GODzone adventure earlier this month. We focus on the navigation required for adventure racing and compare the use of handrails on topo maps verses on detailed orienteering maps. As always we share news from around the country.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with adventure racers Simone Maier and Theo Wordsworth about their recent exploits at Godzone. In this year's edition of the prestigious expedition adventure race iSport (the team including Dougal Allan and Richie McCaw) finished 2nd place to Avaya after a long tussle with Tiki Tour. 

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with therapist William Pullen about existential psychotherapy for mental health and his concept of empathy runs, where the therapy takes place outdoors and involves movement. William has a depth of knowledge and experience about the theory behind psychotherapy and practical experience from years working with clients.

This month Tom and I focus on sprint orienteering with guest Renee Beveridge, prolific course setter for the Auckland Secondary Schools Sprint Series, and some examples of how to approach course setting for training exercises. As always we share news from around the country including some of the best maps and courses we've seen recently.

This month Tom and I focus on rogaining with guest Tim Farrant after his win at NZ Rogaine Champs, and some analysis using the concept of points per minute including advice on how to apply this method. Tom also plans a surprise rogaine live! As always we share news from around the country including some tricky mapping of tunnels with the new sprint orienteering symbols.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with former World Orienteering Champion Pasi Ikonen about his career as an elite orienteer and what he sees as the true difficulty of this multifaceted sport. Pasi lives in Finland and competed for Finland at numerous World Championships, receiving a number of medals including a gold in the middle distance in 2001 at the age of 21. Pasi is drawn to the life-long pursuit of the perfect race.

This month Tom and I discuss my training routine while I'm injured, we go deep on Cameron de Lisle's project putting LIDAR maps onto omap.nz, we take a straight up look at how to use contours the smart way in hilly terrain and share news from around the country.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with elite runner and exercise physiologist Andrius Ramonas about his training for ultramarathons and his work testing the effect of glycogen depletion and low carb high fat diets on performance.

This month Tom and I discuss our fitness going into NZ Champs, have a close look at some of the techniques required for success at this Champs from Palmy local Kyle Higham and share news from around the country.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with World Orienteering and European Cross-country Champion Carsten Jorgenson. Carsten grew up and competed at the elite level in the Denmark before moving to New Zealand where he continued to compete at the elite level and coach representative teams.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with Orienteer Jean Cory-Wright. Jean grew up and competed at the elite level in the UK before moving to New Zealand where she has been one of our most influential coaches. Jean has a passion for teaching and has a lot to offer on psychology, much of which is going into her new book.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with ultra runner Vajin Armstrong about his experience of long races. Vajin is well know in the trail running community and has been a top performer at the elite level for many years, on top of performing well as a road runner earlier in his career. Vajin speaks beautifully on how running provides an answer to life's bigger questions of satisfaction and purpose and we find ourselves very much on the same wavelength.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with ultra runner Shaun Collins about his experience of long races. Shaun is well know in the trail running community as a race director through Lactic Turkey, for stunts such as the Trillary (3 times over the Hillary Trail in succession), and recently for being the first to complete the Revenant 

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with massage therapist Luke McCallum. This was recorded 1 week into New Zealand's lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Luke has previously featured on the podcast in early 2019 where we discussed pain, stress and fascia.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow podcast I talk with my friend and well-known Kiwi adventurer Alastair McDowell about running, adventure sports and climbing. Alastair has spent the past few years hopping around the world and has brought back a wealth of experience and some great stories from climbs up frozen waterfalls in the Canadian winter to multi day missions on Yosemite National Park's El Capitan.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow Podcast I talk with nutritionist Tom Shand about the basics of fuelling for exercise. Tom has had a number of different professional roles including Trialblazer and works with a mix of athletes and non-athletes.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow Podcast I talk to Swiss National Orienteering Team athlete, Martin Hubmann, about his pathway to world class orienteer in the wake of his older brother, multiple World Champion, Daniel Hubmann

In this episode of the Perfect Flow Podcast I talk to acclaimed multisporter and adventure racer Sia Svendsen. From battles with mental health to world class athlete, this is a real underdog story that instantly rids me of complacency and gets me out the door. There was simply too much for me to take in during this conversation to have any hope of summarising it for you - anyone who knows Sia will understand!

In this episode of the Perfect Flow Podcast I talk with adventure racer and race doctor Tom Reynolds. Tom’s experiences on both sides of endurance and adventure sports gives him a complete perspective on the risks and rewards of pushing our bodies to the limit. Tom has raced multiple Godzones for the team Ataraxia (formally University of Auckland and Cloud Base Nine) and doctors with Ascent Medical, while also practicing as an ED doctor at Whangarei Hospital.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow Podcast I talk with elite orienteer Ivar Lundanes about his experiences training, competing and coaching orienteering. Ivar is the younger brother of World Champion Olav Lundanes, and has been fully immersed in the orienteering community his whole life.

In this episode of the Perfect Flow Podcast I talk with Hazel Boot of Mind in Movement about the relationships between exercise, movement and lifestyle. Hazel studied exercise physiology and aligns closely with thought leaders like Katy Bowman in her interpretation of modernity's problems

I first met Ralph at JWOC in Denmark in 2010 thanks to close relationships between the New Zealand and Great Britain orienteering teams. I've had the pleasure of seeing him progress, along with the wider Great British squad, to challenge the top nations at WOC and run for top clubs at races like Jukola and 10Mila (Tiomila). Ralph has spent much of his elite career living in Sweden and Norway and loves getting into the technical side of this complex sport.