Training Log Archive: boyle

control set up and take down

This was not a good morning.

At 07h00 I was assigned 11 controls to set out. Cruising through the first three controls, I noted that the faded yellow tape matched many of the beautiful leaves on the ground and on the trees. I would eventually encounter bright orange streamers used for some other event so yellow tape was a good choice.

The fourth control to find (the most distant in the event) was trail side and I let my guard down. Eventually I realized that I'd gone right past the tape and doubled back. I still couldn't see the tape and decided to head back to the second batch of control gear that I had cached along the railway and then do the distant control right after. It took so long to get back to the cache, I then realized how very very far beyond that control feature I must have run.

Now I started to panic. I'm watching my watch. There's a 9h00 start for a serious Canada vs USA relay championship and I'm not going to make it. In hindsight I'd put enormous and unnecessary pressure on myself.

I grabbed the second batch of gear, in my hands (not wasting time loading my backpack). Of course, I would eventually stumble and scatter SI units across the forest floor. It's 8h15 and this middle-aged guy is in the forest cussing, bawling and shaking in complete frustration...and I know this forest well. So many times I have crossed this forest from Second Line to Huntmarch and back (geocaching, dog walking and orienteering) with map and without map but I'd lost confidence and couldn't see yellow tape anywhere.

I knew very well how long it would take to sprint to the start and above all else I couldn't let them start with controls not up. Suck it up. Admit it. You can't do this. I ran and ran and ran with all the control gear under my arms, heading for the arena. I saw Eric before he crossed the final swamp. He graciously took my gear back out to the features and I ran in to tell Jeff to hold up the meet.

At the arena, everyone was relaxed and low key and treated me much better than I should have been treated. In the end, it ended up being a great event.

At day's end, I went out to pick up those same 11 controls (and 6 others). In the morning I had actually been in all the target circles. I'd simply folded under the stress, failing to see the tape and lacking the confidence to stop at the control features.

All's well that ends well???

While the relays were on, Ziggy joined me in the woods. He was fine with whizzing mountain bikes and racing orienteers but made me unhappy with all the lunging at other dogs.

Bring on the Detroit Marathon.

Until the morning after, I hadn't considered how I'd feel after 3.5h of running with a pack on.

Event: Ontario Orienteering Championships
 

vetting
First car parked and last to leave

course 6

Aside from the major fourteen-minute mess on the first leg, I was satisfied with my run.

control p/u

I left the farm/arena when it was full of orienteers and their cars. When I returned with control flags and stuff, there was absolutely no evidence that anybody had been there today. At first glance, I thought they'd even taken my car.

Course 6 Middle - Splits

The other 1200m were slower.