Training Log Archive: ccsteve

Ouch this feels slow... checking out the Harris Hill XC course

C • km? 2

Took some time to run around Genesee Valley Park and the UofR campus while at the day long county XC champs.

Event: ROC - Rotary Sunshine Camp
 

Nice race at new(ish) Rotary camp. I had asked WH to shadow me, and his insights were interesting and helpful. Some I "knew", but others he looked at from a different viewpoint.

Also had a look at the GPS (and on Routegadget for the club).

In all it was a very good run for me even if I lost things for a bit on the second control. On the first I overran a turn - because I hadn't noticed the slightly less prominent side path (and wasn't looking at other features).

Second had me losing my good path part way through and getting thrown by the mapping of the fields. I then found a good path, but still didn't figure out where I was until I ran further (and then backtracked)... And perhaps there was some nervousness with the company...

To three I was right of line and distracted by another control (also on same feature type, but not in circle) relocated to find it ok.

Four was ok, but I allowed the vegetation to steer me away from the control.

Finally by five I settled in and it was good and reasonably on line.

Six and Seven both nice legs for me.

Eight was a bit erratic, though I didn't think so at the time. GPS shows me a bit left and right. I navigated with the big hill and closed well.

Nine was awkward, I allowed the vegetation to push me off line and had to recover a bit.

On ten I was opportunistic with the openings in the vegetation to start and then made some good decisions about what trails were in front of me and did well. Perhaps a bit of luck involved...

Eleven was a great navigation effort until I took a 50m side tour to look at another control. This is a compulsion I will have to kill off - I "knew" it wasn't my control, but I didn't have the confidence to ignore it. My line was right at the control before I went 90degrees sideways to the incorrect one.

Twelve was no-nonsense.

Thirteen was longer and well navigated. I was on line and veered slightly left picking up the path at just the right spot to set me up to get into the control well.

On fourteen, I thought I was ok until I reached the end of the plateau, and thought I was seeing the cliffs from control one - and then attempted to turn right to correct... Unfortunately for me, I didn't really turn that far to the right and headed into the swamp and finally did pull out at the camp building on the hill. (And fortunately for me, I was just a little left of line and mistook the descent for the cliffs... ooch) Once there it was ok running except for losing the trail once.

Fifteen was around the building to the left and I was a bit tired but pushed through to the finish.

Red - Splits

Couldn't get out this morning, but wanted a run in, nice night to be out. 8:35 / 8:34 / 8:46 / 8:09

Shake out run, felt good for a couple days after the race. Ankle that got banged is ok, knees held up ok.

Day 2, still in good shape, and I felt better throughout. Apparently I started the GPS at my usual 1 minute before the start and then hit the stop button instead of the lap button before punching into the course... I turned it on around 6 though I don't know why I looked at it...

1) Good leg, felt comfortable, split 21.

2) Even better to 2, split 19. Passed Rob S - what the heck - must have been a bad start, he left well before me!?

3) Great 95%, bad end to this leg. I could not find the bag - it was in a re-entrant going up the next hill, not in one going down this hill. Lost a few minutes here, split 35.

4) back on track - remember feeling good about this the whole way - split 17.

5) short, quick, and still feeling good. split 19.

6) Good long portion, bad end again. Though it appears I lost more time than I thought while doing it. Never off track, but a lot of checking and hesitating. When I got to the bag portion, that at least went well. split 35.

7) & 8) straight & straight, splits 24 & 27.

9) thought I had a better leg than times indicate - split 31. I paused at the top of the ridge and realized I had to go further out to get the bag. perhaps getting tired.

10) great leg for me this late in the rave - scrambled down the hill, took the trail left and that allowed me to run a bit. Cut off when it went too wide, but picked up the other trail and right into the control. split 17.

11) ugh! Great line out of 10, and well on my way - hey, there's a control, but it's not mine. It's like an easy control on the path - oh, I've gone too far down the hill and hit the path, better correct... Leading to a 7 minute around the block tour when I was 100m away form the control if I had just stayed on track. This bothers me a bit... split 37

12) Reasonable except for passing by the control in the reentrant before my reentrant... split 33

13) angry flying down the hill. split 16, 18 sec behind #1...

F) they really put them that close?-)

Overall a bit of an improvement from the first day. I really felt more comfortable in the terrain and still fit to get around.

Climb to the start / warmup.

Day 2 Red X - Splits

Event: US Two-day Classic O Championships
 

Finally getting a chance to review the weekend - really enjoyed it.

Bus to the start was interesting - I was trying to get a feel for this area, and checking the terrain. Climb to the start was different. We were there way well ahead of the start, but I didn't see any reason for hanging around at the shelter either...

1) stayed on the left trail until crossing the second stream, around the hill and then was a bit short of the control. GPS shows a straightish path, split 28th.

2) perhaps my best leg of the race - and a killer for others. Worked a little North of the line the whole way with a slight curl to the right at the end. GPS path is straight, split 16th.

3) straight over, split 24th, no real time loss.

4) straight down, and cut at right time to drop into the tiny re-entrant "must be over this ridge" - and it was;-) split 33.

5) ooch... first error. GPS shows I was 100m E of the location - I can see now that I missed the gap between swamps and passed through a different gap - East of where I should have been. Went 200m too far, and came back the 200m to the control. That I could do that and only lose 5min is good. split 39.

6) recovered well - with exceptions for obstacles, 6 is a beeline. split 15th.

7) apparently I paid for it the next leg though... I passed Rob H after the marsh South of 5, but then I floated left one ridge, passing within 30m of 8, went South to the next swamp and button hooked back to 7. Good recovery, but I was not happy. split 39.

8) straight to 8. split 33, but no real time loss on the short leg.

9) Great decision to go right of the large marsh as I floated East (right) a bit, but corrected, and came back and knew exactly where I was when I crossed the stream to the NE side of the marsh. then I went on a reasonable path - but 30m from the control I panicked, saw a different control and went for it - out and then back to where I was and then to my control. split 31, should have been better.

10) straight path on this short leg, split 30 but no real time loss.

11) I had a straight path, but slightly off line and I stayed too high. That caused me to see the upper hill as the lower hill, I mistook the other control for mine, descended too far, and came back up for my flag. Please at least with the recovery. split 38.

12) Angrier about this one. Allowed myself to get pulled down the hill this time and then snookered for another wrong control. My line was higher and longer than I followed. split 37.

13) right line, 30m from flag, and I spot a flag down and across the open - hey - let's go check it out... It's in that re-entrant.. 2 minutes later on the right one... split 37, should have been 26...

14) No time loss on this reasonably straight and short, but not fast leg. split 34.

15) This is just comical... right line, 30m from flag, and I spot a flag down and across the open - hey - let's go check it out... Maybe I'm misreading this re-entrant and it faces the other direction from that side of the valley... split 39...

16) allowed myself to go down the re-entrant when the control was not down there, ugh.

So - some really good legs in the beginning, and some not-so good legs at the end. My only other comparison for this level of difficulty is Surebridge, and that scared the heck out of me for a while - at least I feel good about the effort, even if I'd prefer better results.

Climb to start.

Day 1 Red X - Splits

Event: ROC - Stop-By-Rochester-On-Your-Way
 

Beautiful chilly morning to be out. Downside - I had to run as I can't make it over to Webster park for today's fun, just too much going on and I'll be gone the weekend...-(

C • pace 3

More in the yard...

End of year yardwork...

Event: ROC - Mendon Ponds Park
 

Enjoyed the Red course at Mendon East.

Several nice legs, but too many with an error.

On the nice side: 2, 7, 14, 17 - very clean, direct and fast.

On the not so nice side...
1 - thought I was going one re-entrant too far, and I was...-(
3 - had a good line for 2/3rds and then inexplicably decided I should be heading off in another direction - loss of confidence.
8 - the plan was to take the trail to the southern tip of the bend and head south... I took it too far and went SW! (And I think I've done this before too!)
9 - great line all the way past the stony area and then I head off the wrong direction - must have been 40m from the bag before that 6 minute romp...

On the very plus side - I felt strong in the leg department even to the end.