Training Log Archive: TomN

NAOC Day 1 - Middle. On Green X, I had a pretty good run, but the competition was really tough. I was slow but reasonably accurate in the technical section. Unfortunately, a 2-min error on 5. I had intended to run along the big trail and pass through 6, but I overran the attackpoint and had to relocate off the little trail past 5. It would have been a good approach if I'd done it on purpose. I picked up speed on the trail runs, but got confused at the very end and had trouble with a couple of the easy controls in the ski slope above the finish.

Map reading was especially tough today. My glasses were totally fogged by #5 (I know, the solution is run faster!) so I took them off, but the forest was so dark it was hard to read even with good vision. I probably could have put them back on when I started running the trails.

Middle - Green X - Splits

Bartlett trail - Verrill Road - Woodman's Peak.

Florence and I went on a hike with Gary Bartlett to a summit with a small open ledge at the west end of the Howard Mountain ridge line. We hiked up from the back of his cabin and bushwacked along old overgrown skidder trails and logging roads, about an hour to the summit. Open views to the south and the pond to the northeast, but the view north over to the Newry mine was blocked by trees. On the way back, he tooks us along the back side of the ridge, over the top and back down, the tracks a little clearer, 2 hours.

The morning tour around the lake on the kayak. Dead calm, low clouds, high humidity, overnight rain, temperature around 70 -- it's been this way since we got here.

On the plus side, it makes for great sunsets (pic from last night).

Paddled around the lake this morning. It's down another couple of inches from the last time we were here, overall still 4 feet or so below the normal level. Crazy year here, no snow in the winter and very little rain in the spring or summer. Even the old-timers have never seen anything like it.

We drove to Boston to see Mei-An at Northeastern and drop off some stuff she wanted from home. Then on to the cabin in Maine, arriving about 9 p.m. Last occupied by some renters two weeks ago, and they left it in good condition. We're planning on closing up for the season before going on to the NAOCs.

Much better performance today, but there were a lot of runners bunched up in the 59-minute range, and I was 4th in M60. This time I ran as fast as I could navigate, and the navigation seemed a little easier. I was a little slow on the long leg 7-8. I went mostly in a straight line, but skirting the north side of the two hilltops, then around the tip of the marsh and across the little dry pond.I guess going even farther north would have avoided some climb. I crossed the first hill in the saddle between the two tops and got down the cliffs without much trouble. But it was slow on the uphills, and the downhills were cliffy, so overall maybe not optimal.

Also a little slow 9-10 along the bland hillside. I've never been very good at this kind of leg. I went slowly at first and aimed for the pair of boulders halfway across. Spotted them and sped up into the reentrants. I don't know how else to keep my position, or how to do it faster.

Sunday - Green X - Splits

Classic Champs Day 1, Green X. This is fine orienteering terrain, with open woods and plenty of features large and small. With the exception of one control I had a decent run, navigating well but traveling slower than necessary. The exception was #5, which was simply wretched. I had no clear plan leaving 4, just trying to avoid the green and stay to the west side of the marsh. When I hit a trail, I took it, figuring it for the one that ran down the west side of the green. But it wasn't, it was on the east side of the marsh. It didn't take long to figure out it was wrong, but it took forever to figure out where I was, because I never thought I was that far east. 15 minutes lost there, and it kind of sapped my enthusiasm.

Saturday - Green X - Splits