Race Evaluation
US Team Trials: Day 3: Red
Nadim
| 1. | I was fortunate to get my originalg start time (11:27pm) moved-up slightly (11:13pm) since I had to catch a plane at 3:23pm. Straight down through the woods to the next trail, left, then right at the next intersection. I left this trail from the last bend part way up the ridge. | ||||||
| 2. | +04:00 | I navigated the first part of this perfectly. The only problem was that I navigated to #12 instead of #2. I realized it upon checking the code. My correction back to #12 was good but slow. | |||||
| 3. | I ran rough compass along the shores of marshes and just on bearing elsewhere. Mostly, I was looking for the easiest way through the green areas. One guy had caught me at one point but I got ahead again by using the middle trail to get a bit north; he also shouted out in pain at one point when he was behind. I looked back and he seemed okay so I went on. I hit the last trail right at the bend that I wanted and went slower from there. I read it well but started to get lost near the end. I anticipated the control one reentrant before the one it was in and fortunately realized it quickly. | ||||||
| 4. | I initially set a bad bearing but corrected within 20 seconds. I climbed the ridge along the reentrant. I originally planned to go around the deep depression on the right. I was wishy washy about it and ultimately went clockwise. I hit it pretty well. | ||||||
| 5. | I was a bit slow leaving this and didn't run very fast. Mostly going straight or using ridges, I got there without trouble. | ||||||
| 6. | +00:40 | I didn't think long enough about how to get to the road. I went left of straight and was slow getting through the green. After rounding the road bend, I decided not to take the trail. I ran up the road north a bit then cut in without a good attack point. I used the clearings to get close and emerged at a trail fork. I don't know now even, if the course line hid part of the trails. I couldn't tell exactly where it was. I followed the trail a bit trying to figure out where I was and noted two men cutting left. The trail doubled back in an odd direction so I turned around and went up the reentrant that the two men had gone up. Seeing them ahead, I looked north, to my right and saw a glimpse of something man made. Investigating, I saw some blue, then saw the control. It was tied up still but touching the ground. I punched. | |||||
| 7. | +00:35 | Out to the right (I left control #6 as it was, low hung). I hit the trail. I saw one of the men that I'd seen earlier attacking #6. I moved steadily if not very fast. I was tempted and actually started to cut the corner but upon going in 25m, I saw too much green ahead. I backed out and continued down the trail around the corner going north around the lake. I was tempted to cross the marsh to shorten the attack to #7 but before I knew it, I was at the intersection. I finished coming from the south. Another guy had gotten there just ahead of me. | |||||
| 8. | I ran out about 15 seconds behind the guy I'd seen leaving #7. He kept pausing at places and as I got there, I realized why just as he left, causing me to pause too. Mostly it was figuring out the trail intersections, and whether or not it was best to go straight our around left or right. I went left, chasing the other guy but cut off the trail to use the road before he did. As I reached the road, I could see that he changed his mind too--by then I was ahead. I kept to the road past the paved trail head on the right. I was looking for signs of a pit on my left but didn't see it from the road. Going in when I thought it was far enough, I passed a pit but it was much further off the road than anticipated. I kept to a good bearing but had trouble understanding the contours. It kept seeming that I should be going down across a depression but I was climbing instead. I walked a bit giving the other guy a chance to catch up. I kept to my bearing and reached the ridge while the other guy cut right a bit. I saw it on the other side of the ridge, a bit to my left and punched. | ||||||
| 9. | I left #8 after drinking but I forgot to eat my Gu. The other guy caught up. I left leading on a bearing and knew I was getting a bit to the right to use the best running. I saw it ahead, a bit deeper than expected and a bit more in the green than expected too. | ||||||
| 10. | I ran on a bearing and wasn't very careful. Fortunately it worked out. | ||||||
| 11. | +00:15 | I left in a hurry to keep the other guy behind but soon slowed to ge my Gu out and eat it. I got a bit left of the line and passed and older man on my right (Dennis Eagan?). As the ridge dropped away, I sensed being too far left because I hit more green than I otherwise would have. I also realized that no one was behind me any more. I corrected and got there just after the older man who had come at it more directly. | |||||
| 12. | Having encountered thorns on the way to #11, I decided not to go straight toward the campground. I left before the older man who got to #11 before me; I went SE, aiming for the trails. I was slow hitting the due to the vegetation but did so due south of the first campground loop. I took the intermittant trail to the clearing and eventually saw the older man who'd left #11 just after I had. I was probably moving faster than him so my way was probably slower. I stuck to the open ground rather than drop to the faster campground pavement. I connected to the trail south of the campgrounds and ran it (slowly) to the bend in the green. From there I curved across the reentrants to the SE, staying high mostly. This entailed some walking on the steep and greener than expected slopes. I lost track of exactly where I was but kept moving on bearing. I saw water far ahead as my route descended, and I recognized the last ridge before the trail. I ran right on the line past the cairn between the lakes. I was a bit unsure climbing at first but soon recognized the area south of #2. Since I'd already been to #12 by mistake earlier, I ran the reverse route on memory, back to #12. | ||||||
| 13. | +02:00 | Sensing the end ahead, I got a bit anxious and over confident. I crossed the ridge that I'd climbed on the way to #12 the first time, then decided to take the riskier but shorter route on the ridge between the two small marshes, rather than go the simpler route along the big ridge on the right side of the first small marsh. I read it pretty well until near the end and just lost confidence in what I was doing. I saw a control to my right and didn't think it'd be mine but went there to make sure. It wasn't mine so I doubled back and continued. I decided to go right around the last depression and ended-up too close to the big marsh south of #1. I corrected from there but was slow in doing it. I paused before the control without seeing it, took another step and did. | |||||
| 14. | +00:10 | I ran on bearing and paused right before the control when I did not see it. Once again, another step further and it was visible. | |||||
| 15. | I ran straight and got a little to the left as I stayed high. I heard someone approaching and went on. I saw the control to my right and below and got there quickly. | ||||||
| 16. | +01:15 | I left #15 quickly, looked back and cheered Jon Torrance along. He had started on the Blue course just before I had on this Red course. He took a more direct line as I aimed left for the trail bend. I rounded the bend and didn't read the first trail intersection. Rather than fight the nasty looking green. I went to the next and turned left. I stareted to pass the next trail intersection then cut left but the vegetation again looked bad. I doubled back a few steps and took the intermittant trail up the ridge. It got vague but I cut right in the correct area then finally plunged in and down to the control, glad to see it there. This was a very circuitous route. I hit it but lost time doing it this way. | |||||
| 17. | +02:15 | I ran up to the trail, then down the trail. Leaving the trail before the ridge and realizing that the stomped grass was the way to the control, I felt confident. When I got to the ridge, I went on the right side of the thicket and couldn't see the control. I couldn't read the thicket on the map and think it should have been shown larger. I rounded the thicket about 300 degrees before concluding it wasn't there. I ran on past it to the trail intersection, saw another control but despaired when I realized it wasn't mine. I saw Jon Torrance run through the area and disappear. I went back to the small thicket and rounded it on the correct side. I found it but thought it a bit poorly described as a reentrant when it was surrounded and hidden by green. | |||||
| 18. | I ran straightish and again recognized the elephant path showing the way. I was able to read the field boundaries to keep me confident. | ||||||
| 19. | I kept to the trail and was glad that it took me where I expected. | ||||||
| F. | I ran straight in, passing a woman who was walking. I ran this well but perhaps not all out. I knew I had to catch a plane and basically keep running to the car. I saw Max and Peggy at the end--yeah! Though I made some bad decisions at the beginning and near the end as I was tired, I felt this was a pretty good run for me in complex terrain. I think my efforts at mapping over the last year have paid off. |
Total Time Lost - 00:11:10