Training Log Archive: davelevine

Event: QOC Morven Park
 

Morven Park
Cowboy Relay Long (29 controls, 8.2 km, 165 m)

Actual Distance Traveled: 11.9 km

Actual Climb: 250 m

On the whole I'm not real happy with my time but I made mistakes which cost me quite a bit of time, two mistakes in particular.

First, I misread the map for the 4th control on map B. Because of where the number 4 was placed on the map I thought that it was near control 1. The lines on the map connecting the controls were one clue that I misread the map, but I thought that the circle for control 4 was the fifth control, which was actually higher up on map. If I had stopped to study the map I might have seen the mistake I was making but I didn't feel as if I had the time to do that so I kept running around in circles. In the end it took me 17 minutes to the 4th control on the B loop, and that was only after the course designer pointed me in the right direction. Even then I didn't realize what I had done wrong.

Second, I didn't do a good job searching for the 2nd control on the long course. I just took a guess as to where to leave the trail. In retrospect, based on my Garmin track I can see that I left the trail a little too early. What I found after I left the trail was that the terrain north and east of the trail was much varied than the contours led me to believe it would be. I probably should have headed back to the trail and found a good point from which to navigate to find the control. Instead I wandered around for quite a while not sure where I was. Based on my Garmin track it looks like I walked right past the control during this phase of the search.

Eventually I headed up to the trail near or at the top of the ridge line. At that point I thought I knew where I was and followed the trail until I thought I found the right place to leave it. I headed down along a dry stream bed in what was the right direction but I didn't find the control. Based on my Garmin track I passed very close to the control (for the second time) without seeing it. I wandered around some more before heading back up to the trail at the top of the ridge. I followed that trail some more looking for a kink in the trail but I did not find it.

Finding something that looked like it I tried heading southwest, which I thought might take me to the control I was looking for. It didn't and I decided to head south for the other trail and try another approach. I hadn't gone very far when I spotted the 3rd control. From there I headed east and without too much more trouble finally found the 2nd control, 47 minutes after I found the 1st one. After that I didn't have any problems.

Loop analysis: It took me 50 minutes to finish the 3 loops. 17 of those minutes were spent looking for the 4th control on the 2nd (B) loop. Under better circumstances I probably could have finished the 3 loops in 35 minutes.

Long course analysis. It took me 1:54 to finish the long course, 0:47 of which was spent looking for the 2nd control. Under better circumstances I should have been able to find the 2nd control in under 10 minutes, so in better circumstances I should have finished the long course in 1:17.

Final analysis: I lost about 0:52 due to mistakes. I'm glad I was able to find all the controls and finish the course. At one point when I was looking for the 2nd control on the long I thought I would end up with a DNF.

There are sections of this park that could be mapped better, especially with regards to contour lines. It reminds me a bit of the map we used for Meadowwood the first time I orienteered there several years ago.

C • Circles 2

Cowboy Long - Splits

BP: 111 / 70

Crystal City Metro to Office

Office to Crystal City Metro

Takoma Metro to Home

BP: 102 / 67

Home to Takoma Metro

Crystal CIty Metro to Office

Walk along Crystal Drive

Office to Crystal City Metro

Takoma Metro to Home

BP: 98 / 66

Home to Takoma Metro

Crystal City Metro to Office

Office to Crystal City Metro

Takoma Metro to Home

BP: 105 / 66

Home to Takoma Metro

Crystal City Metro to Office

Office to Crystal City Metro

Columbia Heights Metro to Purple Patch

Purple Patch to Columbia Heights Metro

Takoma Metro to Home

BP: 104 / 74

Home to Takoma Metro with a pit stop at CVS towards the end

Crystal City Metro to Office

Office to Crystal City Metro (via the tunnels because it was raining which also meant no walk from Takoma Metro to Home)