Race Evaluation
DVOA: Valley Forge: Red
Nadim
| 1. | Comments: I had a great week training and comming back from a knee problem that set me back a bunch 3 weeks ago. I did a lot of exploring of the trails in Columbia, MD last week and did a fast 6-mile run the morning of August 18. To cap the 52-mile week off, I had a nice time at Ted Good and Darcy's place. They hosted the QOC Summer Short Series event at their house, and fed many from QOC on evening of August 18. Peggy and I found out about the Valley Forge event at their house that evening. The next morning, morning of the race, we ended-up getting a late start leaving for Valley Forge. We got there about 12:45pm. I really would have liked to have found a bathroom... 0-1 - Peggy took off a couple minutes before me. Feeling tight, I jogged-up the hill on the trail, and followed the vegetation boundary on my right. Turning-in before the outcropping of the vegetation boundary, I saw the saddle-like terraing and followed it to spike the control. | ||||||
| 2. | +00:15 | 1-2 - Dashing along the grassy terrain I headed down to the trail. Other footsteps left a matted grassy trail that was easy to follow but I ended-up tripping on a fallen and obsured branch. I ran my compass into my hand a bit as I fell. I followed the trail around and to the parking lot, then up and to the vegetation boundary. | |||||
| 3. | 2-3 - Emerging into the field, I spot Peggy 3/4 of the way across. She seems too far right but I key-in on her and make-up ground quickly on the downhill. As she mad a decision and shifted left, I shifted too. She's was leaving as I got to the control. | ||||||
| 4. |
Did not check features en route Lacked confidence Followed by others +01:15 | 3-4 - Going out to the trail in the field and follwing the vegetation boundary, I pass and tell Peggy that I expect to see her again. I didn't see the trail intersection and ended-up following the trail straight which was to the right of where I should have been. Seeing the road and noticing that Peggy didn't follow, I know I'm too far north and adjust accordingly. I attack from the road intersection. The route attacks back with stinging Nettles but I get to the control. Peggy is finishing a drink on the way out. She explains why she loves this sport -- not having to be the fastest to be quicker. I take a drink. | |||||
| 5. | 4-5 - Back through the stinging Nettles. North along the road, then bearing left along the vegetation, I see Peggy leaving 5 as I cut-in to it. | ||||||
| 6. | 5-6 - I come back out of the wood and again follow Peggy's route. Down to the road, I follow, planning to attack from the end. Peggy cuts in earlier than I planned. Doubting myself, I cut-in too, down the hill and go left to the control. Peggy has just left as I get there. | ||||||
| 7. | +00:40 | 6-7 - How do you get out of here? Up. I'm glad I have spikes. Once to the top, I expect to see Peggy running across the field but she's nowhere to be seen. I lay-in a bearing and cross the field, scaring the deer. Still, no sight of Peggy. I'm about to the paved road, when I check my bearing and pause. It seems I'm too far south--leave it to me to track poorly across an open field. I adjust and cross the road headed to the parking lot. Tim Good is there. I ask and he informs me he hasn't seen Peggy. Just as I get in the wood, I pause and Tim points Peggy out behind me, approaching. The control is easy to hit. It's nice to see Tim cheering us on. | |||||
| 8. | +00:45 | 7-8 - Up the well worn path; I slow. It's hot and humid. I slow more going up the hill. I cross over the stone wall and the trail. On-track I hit the road and improve the pace. Setting a pace is still awkard for me in this sport. I'm looking for the trail on my right. I see something that looks like it could be a trail but it looks too indistinct so I go on. Rounding the bend, I see the sharp hairpin curve and realize that I passed the trail. Taking time to set a new bearing, I enter the woods and see that I'm looking right at the control. I should have just kept running into the woods since they are so clear and I can see so far. | |||||
| 9. | 8-9 - Angling to the trail, I hit the trail and run it. After passing the intersection on the left, I head for the reentrant planning to be high, then dropping down to the control. I pick-up the indistinct trail to cross the green area. A fallen tree makes me take a detour anyway. Finally in the reentrant, I'm surprised at how high the control is in the reentrant. I'm glad too. | ||||||
| 10. | 9-10 - Cruising-up the hill, and feeling more confident, I get to the road and see the trail intersections. I think I should have taken a drink at 9. I take a bearing from the top of the alley-like field. As soon as I re-enter the woods, the control is visible far away, but right on-my bearing. This helps my confidence more since I've been having trouble drifting earlier in the year. However, I'm sure my improved targeting has as much to do with the clean and clear course. | ||||||
| 11. | 10-11 - Another well worn path out of the woods takes me down to the road near the parking area. I adjust course to go to the right of the building and intersection; seeing the vegetation corner far ahead I just run, trying not to trip on something hidden in the grass. I think this is more like a orange course but I'm not complaining. | ||||||
| 12. | 11-12 - Going slower on the uphill-grade across the field, my bearing is good. I cross the roads head up the hill in the woods and find the control pretty easily. | ||||||
| 13. | +01:15 | 12-13 - I'm slow again going up the hill but I mostly jog it out. Again, there is an easy to orienteer trail to follow. Aproaching the road, I read the ridge contour and think I need to go more to the right. I see a reentrant on the other side but it's not correct and not very distinct. I correct myself and go west to the more distinct rocky reentrant with the control. I drink while looking at my total time and think I'm okay so far. I heard Randy finished under 60 minutes somewhere and think that's possible. | |||||
| 14. | +00:20 | 13-14 - Up to the ridge, I track so I can see the hill sloping down to my left, and also see the flater ground to my right. However, I almost pass the control, seeing it at the last moment well to my right near the fencing. | |||||
| 15. | 14-15 - Over to the road, I run and read. Attacking from the bend in the road, again the control is visible far ahead. I run smooth, trying not to go so fast as to fall on the many fallen branches. | ||||||
| 16. |
Did not read control code +02:30 | 15-16 - Okay, now I'm sure I can get in before 60 minutes. It's time to make a mistake. I drop to the road and bear left along the bike path for a litte way for the better footing, before angling again to the woods surrounding the stream. I aim for a slight bend in the woods, enter, and see a control ahead. Getting there, there's no water in the stream bed and there doesn't seem to be much of a bend as the control description says. Could there be another control? I'm about to punch when I read the number, check the control card and think it's the wrong number. It's not ahead (I can see the edge of the wood) so I turn back, get stuck in some briars, then emerge near the west end of the wood. I decide it must have been the right control after all. I 180 again, seeing my position by the green hump in the southwest end of the woods. I stay closer to the stream and reach the control, check all the numbers and realize that I had read #326 for #15 (short-term memory must be bad). I punch #327 and wonder if I still can get in in under 60 minutes. | |||||
| 17. | 16-17 - The grass is deep, I set a straight bearing and then can see the house in the distance. There's not a worn path this time. I run okay. Seeing the control in the open, I punch. | ||||||
| F. | 17-Finish - Should have run this leg quicker and not bothered to have checked the map. I run faster at the end. This course catered to my strengths (open running) and minimized my weakness (following a bearing through the woods). It was easier than what I've been doing but I'm not complaining! |
Total Time Lost - 00:07:00