Training Log Archive: SpikeIn the 7 days ending Dec 2, 2018:
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Sunday Dec 2, 2018 #
cycling 1:00:00 [1]
Easy bike ride on the bike paths. I went out/back to Clinton. There was a little bit of a cold headwind for the trips out. Having the tailwind pushing me home felt good.
Snow - very light - fell throughout the ride. Nothing was sticking.
I felt ok, but I can tell my body is a bit tired.
1
Snow - very light - fell throughout the ride. Nothing was sticking.
I felt ok, but I can tell my body is a bit tired.
1
Saturday Dec 1, 2018 #
orienteering race 3:50:00 [3]
Castlewood 8-hour Adventure Race. I ran/biked/canoed as part of a 4-man team with John, Johnny and Nate. It was fun. For me the event was physically tough - mainly because I'm not as strong at my teammates (all a good bit younger: 35, 42 and 43). I'm also not in shape for paddling a canoe.
We got the maps on Friday night. So we had time to plot the points. They give you coordinates instead of marked maps. That seems silly, but I guess it is normal for adventure races. It also meant we had plenty of time to decide on the routes. For each section (foot, bike, bike, foot) you could take a group of controls in whatever order you wanted. The canoe section had only one control at the pull out point.
Without trying, I memorized the course except for one small section in a little state park next to the canoe. When we started, John asked if I wanted to navigate. I told him he should, but I'd memorized the course, so I'd point out if he started going off track. I also said I'd like to navigate the final section.
The map was USGS with a few features added. The additions were a few new roads, paved bike paths, and the paths around the ski area. That's the background...now on to the race:
We started on foot. It was a mass start with 100 teams and roughly 300 people. We started at the base of a ski hill and the first control was the top of the ski hill. We had a course of about 6 controls. The climb spread out the group into a long-ish line by about the 2nd control. There were a few route options and that spread things out a little bit. But there wasn't really much navigating if you weren't in the front (as we weren't).
Next up was biking. The bike leg started out with a tough climb. The pavement was still wet from the rain overnight. The navigation was simple. The bike section ended at the Route 66 State Park (formerly known as Times Beach, MO, and well known for dioxin contamination). That was the one section I hadn't memorized. But, the navigation was straightforward and John got us through reasonably cleanly.
We then got on the Meramec River for a couple of miles of paddling. But, first we had to haul the canoes and strap our bikes on. It is actually a bit hard to get two 29er MTBs on a canoe and have enough room for both paddlers to be comfortable. I'm not strong but did my best to paddle steadily. I think we probably passed a few teams. And then we had another chore of hauling canoes and unloading bikes.
The race was designed to include some MTB single track after the canoe leg. But the rain made the trails too soft to ride without causing lots of damage. The organizers eliminated that section.
Another bike leg with simple navigation but a long climb (a good steady mile). Nate had one of those A.R. tow straps and we hooked it up to my bike. It helped, but wasn't really necessary. The biking ended with a bit of downhill back to the ski area. I'm a wimp and not very competent on a bike, but I was passing people on the downhill. That surprised me.
Finally, a last loop on foot. This time I navigated (John carried the other map, which included the same area and would keep an eye out for any times I was going off). That navigation was easy, but we were all getting tired. The first two legs involved a climb about 2/3rds of the way up a ski hill, then dropping back down, then climbing another ski hill. To add some perspective, the 2nd ski hill was about 70 meters of climb over a distance of about 270 meters. We made it around without any problems other than moving slowly.
We finished 30th which seems reasonable. All in all, it was a lot of fun.
A few notes:
I didn't really know my teammates beforehand (John was the only one I'd met and I wouldn't say I knew him). So I was a bit apprehensive about how it would all work out. It worked out fine. I still prefer solo racing.
Adventure races should drop the control plotting.
We weren't allowed to carry GPS watches. Banning GPS watches seems unnecessary.
The navigation was easy. That's probably the right thing for the organizers, but I'd have liked a bit more navigation.
I would have preferred pre-printed maps handed out just before the start (or maybe give the teams 30 minutes or something to plan).
Adventure racing would be more fun with better maps. This morning I spend less than 50 minutes seeing what I could come up with. I found lidar data and recent air photos. I ran KP (the processing time isn't included in the less than 50 minutes). I added a few features from the photo. Here's a comparison of the race map and my less-than-an-hour map:
I chatted with Space Monkey at the finish. He'd done some of the organizing (which is why he missed the sprint race the day before the Possum Trot).
I chatted with Dave Frei, too. That was fun. I hadn't seen him in years. It was fun to reminisce about the Possum Trot at Weston Bend where we ran head to head at the very end. He said he misses orienteering.
5
We got the maps on Friday night. So we had time to plot the points. They give you coordinates instead of marked maps. That seems silly, but I guess it is normal for adventure races. It also meant we had plenty of time to decide on the routes. For each section (foot, bike, bike, foot) you could take a group of controls in whatever order you wanted. The canoe section had only one control at the pull out point.
Without trying, I memorized the course except for one small section in a little state park next to the canoe. When we started, John asked if I wanted to navigate. I told him he should, but I'd memorized the course, so I'd point out if he started going off track. I also said I'd like to navigate the final section.
The map was USGS with a few features added. The additions were a few new roads, paved bike paths, and the paths around the ski area. That's the background...now on to the race:
We started on foot. It was a mass start with 100 teams and roughly 300 people. We started at the base of a ski hill and the first control was the top of the ski hill. We had a course of about 6 controls. The climb spread out the group into a long-ish line by about the 2nd control. There were a few route options and that spread things out a little bit. But there wasn't really much navigating if you weren't in the front (as we weren't).
Next up was biking. The bike leg started out with a tough climb. The pavement was still wet from the rain overnight. The navigation was simple. The bike section ended at the Route 66 State Park (formerly known as Times Beach, MO, and well known for dioxin contamination). That was the one section I hadn't memorized. But, the navigation was straightforward and John got us through reasonably cleanly.
We then got on the Meramec River for a couple of miles of paddling. But, first we had to haul the canoes and strap our bikes on. It is actually a bit hard to get two 29er MTBs on a canoe and have enough room for both paddlers to be comfortable. I'm not strong but did my best to paddle steadily. I think we probably passed a few teams. And then we had another chore of hauling canoes and unloading bikes.
The race was designed to include some MTB single track after the canoe leg. But the rain made the trails too soft to ride without causing lots of damage. The organizers eliminated that section.
Another bike leg with simple navigation but a long climb (a good steady mile). Nate had one of those A.R. tow straps and we hooked it up to my bike. It helped, but wasn't really necessary. The biking ended with a bit of downhill back to the ski area. I'm a wimp and not very competent on a bike, but I was passing people on the downhill. That surprised me.
Finally, a last loop on foot. This time I navigated (John carried the other map, which included the same area and would keep an eye out for any times I was going off). That navigation was easy, but we were all getting tired. The first two legs involved a climb about 2/3rds of the way up a ski hill, then dropping back down, then climbing another ski hill. To add some perspective, the 2nd ski hill was about 70 meters of climb over a distance of about 270 meters. We made it around without any problems other than moving slowly.
We finished 30th which seems reasonable. All in all, it was a lot of fun.
A few notes:
I didn't really know my teammates beforehand (John was the only one I'd met and I wouldn't say I knew him). So I was a bit apprehensive about how it would all work out. It worked out fine. I still prefer solo racing.
Adventure races should drop the control plotting.
We weren't allowed to carry GPS watches. Banning GPS watches seems unnecessary.
The navigation was easy. That's probably the right thing for the organizers, but I'd have liked a bit more navigation.
I would have preferred pre-printed maps handed out just before the start (or maybe give the teams 30 minutes or something to plan).
Adventure racing would be more fun with better maps. This morning I spend less than 50 minutes seeing what I could come up with. I found lidar data and recent air photos. I ran KP (the processing time isn't included in the less than 50 minutes). I added a few features from the photo. Here's a comparison of the race map and my less-than-an-hour map:
Comparing adventure race map with map I made this morning (less than an hour of work). pic.twitter.com/scXmqnoNmF
— okansas (@okansas) December 2, 2018
I chatted with Space Monkey at the finish. He'd done some of the organizing (which is why he missed the sprint race the day before the Possum Trot).
I chatted with Dave Frei, too. That was fun. I hadn't seen him in years. It was fun to reminisce about the Possum Trot at Weston Bend where we ran head to head at the very end. He said he misses orienteering.
5
Wednesday Nov 28, 2018 #
Note
I took another day off. Cristina isn't training enough to keep me motivated!
Tuesday Nov 27, 2018 #
Note
Skipped a run tonight because I need to devote some time to getting organized for the Castlewood Adventure Race on Saturday. John Clausen asked if I'd be interested in being on a team. He reached me at just the right time and I decided it'd be fun. The team isn't too serious, the goal is to have fun and get around the course. I've done a few local adventure races as a solo (which I think I prefer) and the Sunflower Games with Fletcher and Sandy.
I think it'll be fun. They're using USGS maps from MyTopo (or something like that). That's what I'd expected, but it is a shame to be using USGS when there's good lidar all around St Louis.
I think it'll be fun. They're using USGS maps from MyTopo (or something like that). That's what I'd expected, but it is a shame to be using USGS when there's good lidar all around St Louis.