Training Log Archive: ccsteve

Webster park, Red.

Apparently I was distracted in the morning and arrived late. Still able to go, and I was going to go on my own even if unable to get a conventional start.

As I've been away for a week, and not yet it great condition, I took the pace easy, and that seemed to work out.

1 - took perhaps a different route - stayed right in the park and had a very nice run down the slope, crossed the bridge and came back to the control. Good warmup.

2 - trail running where it was important to take the right turns and stay in control. Right on target.

3 - Had to tell myself not to get distracted by 11. Then decided the outside trails would work well. Went S on the border, W on the border, then crossed the swamp and continued in.

4 - Might have strayed a little on this border, somehow I convinced myself the chair might have been the X on the map. (in hind sight, it probably wasn't)

5 - 6 - both a slower pace, an in control approach, did just fine.

7 - interesting, I think I'm always coming into this are from the other side. Ran the trail and got off close for the approach.

8 - cut down, across the stream, up and out the trail. Headed into the terrain off the road properly, and then surprisingly realized the transition was into pine trees and was right into the control.

9 - cut east, trails down, crossed, and contoured around to this control.

10 - even more fun as I think I took the trail south from 9 for like the first time ever in this direction. Down the roads and trail on the left.

11 - when planning early, I think I was going to go back to the road and around, but in the moment, I decided to take the slower (and more restful) path through the light green - good choice as I popped out quickly. A good bearing into the other side and I was right there.

12 - oddly, I said "I don't want to go up that hill, I want the next one." And then I went up precisely the wrong hill... But - I did figure it out relatively quickly _and_ I pulled in two competitors that were trying to find 12, showed them where it was and asked them to go back to the start/finish. (and they said they were anyway)

Looking at the map - I see the place where I went off. There is a phantom meeting of the trails. They split, and come together, and that makes the competitor think they are further down the trail where they really come back together and split again. (other clues would help make sure one did not make that error, but this came at just the right fatigue juncture for me)

13 - this was a good trail run and planning leg. The actual control wasn't there, but I confidently stood at the end of the dry stream bed and said "this is the spot".

14 - down, across, around and up - hmmm - third time like that?-) No flag, but it looked exactly right.

15 - All the way down the hillside, Bob B had just picked this up.

16 - tried going NW along the stream to avoid the climb, but finally kicked up and over at the far left end of it. I think I avoided some climb, and re-oriented with the trail up the other bank on the other side, roots right there.

17 - around to the left and caught the end of the trail. Out and down the field - whew.

For an early season event, I felt really good about it.

Red - Splits