Discussion: Course Setter Splits
Apr 29, 2008 2:08 AM
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First, let me say that I appreciated working closely with Jon Torrance (as mapper) and Greg Lennon (as Meet Director) on this event--Jon was mapping and taking my comments at the same time. I set early versions of courses using the incomplete maps and made some early decisions based on what I knew at the time. Things changed as we went. For instance on the first leg, the gully in the first big reentrant going straight wasn't mapped and the LIDAR contours were not extended as needed to indicate steepness. Before running it the first time, just going off the map at the time, I expected people to be able run across it without any problem. I almost changed my mind on the leg but after Jon improved the map I decided to keep it.
When course setting for this race, I vetted the Blue course. I did this on March 22, before worsening my injury to my knee but perhaps more importantly for those who ran, my run was before the leaves were out. To my disadvantage, I only had streamers in place. I knew the course almost well enough to do it without a map so I didn't lose any real time making decisions. The course was slightly different too. I thought that since I finished it too quickly that I should add some more distance. There were some things changed due to the mapping having not been finished too. Here are my splits as they match-up with what was the final course:
S-1 - 4:06 - No warm-up. I went to the right around the reentrant and across the fields to the trails and the top of the reentrant. Watching everyone during the race, I was surprised to see almost everyone going straight.
1-2 - 2:31 - Up the hill and on the trail until the top of the gully.
2-3 - 2:33 - Up to the road and on the grassy ride.
3-4 - 2:32 - I went through the gap in the first row of trees to avoid a dog and owner who were practicing scent tracking, then through the trees at the reentrant--the trail cut through wasn't mapped at this time. I also came to the control after swinging below it.
4-5 - 4:45 - Just to test the time, I went completely around to the powerlines then down the field trail.
5-6 - 0:54 - I stayed low and crossed the bridge before turning right up along the gully
6-7 - 7:53 - Back down along the gully, then continuing straight across the creek. Up the reentrant to trails and the power lines (saving 3 contours), then down to and over the next small ridge before turning right on the trail. Attacking from the trail bend SE of the control.
7-8 - 4:10 - Straight the whole way. The green hadn't been put on the map--I ran the whole way and didn't think it was fight at the beginning.
8-9 - 3:01 - South a bit to use the trail and cross at the gap. I contoured across from south of the saddle.
9-10 - 5:34 - Almost straight until on the trail across the creek; from there I turned right on the curving trail and jumped back in so as to pass #7 before crossing the saddle to the control.
10-11 - The version of the Blue course back in March went NW to a spur (like Green did). I had expected the boundary to the south to be enough to make it be out of bounds but accept blame for not telling this to Jon or Greg so it could be shown on the map. Since it wasn't marked, I can accept the the road as a legal route. My combined time for the two legs that didn't make it on the final Blue course was 7:03 (3:35, 3:28).
11-12 - 4:52 - West to the road at the gate, up the hill to near the top of the reentrant, then in.
12-13 - 3:32 - Straight -
13-14 - 1:00 - Around the green to the right a bit. I stopped my watch here briefly to takes some pictures for the web preview video.
14-15 - This leg was slightly different before, due to the movement on the map of several rootstocks. When I ran this the control was supposed to be on the next rootstock to the NE. Leaving #14, I went a little to the right but mostly ran straight through the green after that. It was easier in March. I stopped off-clock briefly at the first trail crossing because the mapping didn't then reflect the trail being in a ditch--I took a picture for Jon and went on, emerging in between the one that the final course had, and the one to the NE of it. This took me 3:32.
15-16 - For me, this leg was a bit shorter (see the explanation for 14-15 above) I paused leaving on this leg to bring out the camera again. I took a digital video of most of it. I started straight but felt it better to go more around the hill. Following the creek was probably as fast. I did my shorter version of the leg in 2:20.
16-17 - 3:28 - I ran straight but cut left in the first broad reentrant. I cut right a bit late and the got too far right--it would have been better had I stayed on trails since I hit one well south and slightly east of the control. I may have lost around 15-20 seconds.
At the time of this vetting session, from #17, the Blue course went like the Red course ended up doing. It skipped the dot knoll (Blue #18) and went on to the pines--what ended up as being Blue control #22. None of the remaining legs for what I ran matched-up. The course I did finished at 9.9K and went from what ened up as Blue #17 to Blue #22 to Blue #19, to Red #17, to Blue #20 to Red #19, to the finish. My end time was 1:17:15 or 7:48/K.
When course setting for this race, I vetted the Blue course. I did this on March 22, before worsening my injury to my knee but perhaps more importantly for those who ran, my run was before the leaves were out. To my disadvantage, I only had streamers in place. I knew the course almost well enough to do it without a map so I didn't lose any real time making decisions. The course was slightly different too. I thought that since I finished it too quickly that I should add some more distance. There were some things changed due to the mapping having not been finished too. Here are my splits as they match-up with what was the final course:
S-1 - 4:06 - No warm-up. I went to the right around the reentrant and across the fields to the trails and the top of the reentrant. Watching everyone during the race, I was surprised to see almost everyone going straight.
1-2 - 2:31 - Up the hill and on the trail until the top of the gully.
2-3 - 2:33 - Up to the road and on the grassy ride.
3-4 - 2:32 - I went through the gap in the first row of trees to avoid a dog and owner who were practicing scent tracking, then through the trees at the reentrant--the trail cut through wasn't mapped at this time. I also came to the control after swinging below it.
4-5 - 4:45 - Just to test the time, I went completely around to the powerlines then down the field trail.
5-6 - 0:54 - I stayed low and crossed the bridge before turning right up along the gully
6-7 - 7:53 - Back down along the gully, then continuing straight across the creek. Up the reentrant to trails and the power lines (saving 3 contours), then down to and over the next small ridge before turning right on the trail. Attacking from the trail bend SE of the control.
7-8 - 4:10 - Straight the whole way. The green hadn't been put on the map--I ran the whole way and didn't think it was fight at the beginning.
8-9 - 3:01 - South a bit to use the trail and cross at the gap. I contoured across from south of the saddle.
9-10 - 5:34 - Almost straight until on the trail across the creek; from there I turned right on the curving trail and jumped back in so as to pass #7 before crossing the saddle to the control.
10-11 - The version of the Blue course back in March went NW to a spur (like Green did). I had expected the boundary to the south to be enough to make it be out of bounds but accept blame for not telling this to Jon or Greg so it could be shown on the map. Since it wasn't marked, I can accept the the road as a legal route. My combined time for the two legs that didn't make it on the final Blue course was 7:03 (3:35, 3:28).
11-12 - 4:52 - West to the road at the gate, up the hill to near the top of the reentrant, then in.
12-13 - 3:32 - Straight -
13-14 - 1:00 - Around the green to the right a bit. I stopped my watch here briefly to takes some pictures for the web preview video.
14-15 - This leg was slightly different before, due to the movement on the map of several rootstocks. When I ran this the control was supposed to be on the next rootstock to the NE. Leaving #14, I went a little to the right but mostly ran straight through the green after that. It was easier in March. I stopped off-clock briefly at the first trail crossing because the mapping didn't then reflect the trail being in a ditch--I took a picture for Jon and went on, emerging in between the one that the final course had, and the one to the NE of it. This took me 3:32.
15-16 - For me, this leg was a bit shorter (see the explanation for 14-15 above) I paused leaving on this leg to bring out the camera again. I took a digital video of most of it. I started straight but felt it better to go more around the hill. Following the creek was probably as fast. I did my shorter version of the leg in 2:20.
16-17 - 3:28 - I ran straight but cut left in the first broad reentrant. I cut right a bit late and the got too far right--it would have been better had I stayed on trails since I hit one well south and slightly east of the control. I may have lost around 15-20 seconds.
At the time of this vetting session, from #17, the Blue course went like the Red course ended up doing. It skipped the dot knoll (Blue #18) and went on to the pines--what ended up as being Blue control #22. None of the remaining legs for what I ran matched-up. The course I did finished at 9.9K and went from what ened up as Blue #17 to Blue #22 to Blue #19, to Red #17, to Blue #20 to Red #19, to the finish. My end time was 1:17:15 or 7:48/K.
This discussion thread is closed.