Training Log Archive: DWildfogel

Post-COW. Preparing for trip to Orcas Islands.

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Deer Creek Hills (SE of Sacramento). COW Day 7.
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Brown Middle, 3.6 km, 90 m climb. Start 10:24. Mostly sunny, cool; wet ground.

1st overall in 2648
2. Steve Tarry (M65) 2657
4. Geraint Edmunds 2911
7. Dave Enger (M65) 2946
8. Greg Yarkie 3024
9. John Harbuck 3056
10. Glen Tryson (M65) 3120
11. Penny DeMoss (F65) 3121


Finally put together a complete race. In the morning, had decided to go for it, and ran hard all the way, picked it up after #10 and was amazingly strong over the last two legs, much to my own surprise. A really fun and satisfying race.

Hardly anything worth calling a mistake, but my direction was a little off in the early parts of #11 and #14, but corrected quickly and on the fly; some hesitations on #6, 8 and especially 10 (mentally fatigued for a bit), and an unnecessary non-direct route to #5.

Route
WinSplits

[Orienteering race]

Warm up, mostly near the start. It was quite chilly in just a short sleeved O-top.

Cool down.

Really needed to catch my breath!

Middle - Brown - Splits

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Deer Creek Hills. COW Stage 6. Start at 12:04. Sunny, very chilly (around 40).
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Long Brown (though clearly not long enough) 4.5km, 95m climb, 14 controls.

2nd of 51 on Brown (Steve Tarry 3518; 3rd was Glen T, 3646), 1st of 10 in M70 (2nd Greg Yarkie 3837).

First orienteering meet at this venue. (There had been a mini-rogaine on a rough version of the map.)

Ground was very wet with big puddles. Speedcrosses were a great choice. Ran through any water without hesitation or deviation.

Slated for 12:02 start, switched with Gary (registration) at the last second so I could get more warm up and he was ready to go.

Lots of fun. Fast running. One significant error, about 40 seconds at #4, chasing Gary K and not reading the map carefully enough. A few small bobbles (12) and hesitations (7, 10). Probably should have pushed my running speed more, but held back a little because, never having been on this map, needed to gain confidence, plus, since it was a Long, didn't want to be dead before the end (in case I had to run for 50+ minutes).

Only split ranks outside the top 6 were 8 on #3 and 10 on #7 - plus 11 on the run to the Finish.

WinSplits

[Orienteering race]

Long - Brown - Splits

Event: GCO: California Orienteering Week (COW), Part 2
 

Weekly accumulation of morning stretching (nothing else this week because of COW).

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Sierra College, Rocklin. COW Stage 5.
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Start at 14:23, last starter, plus people ahead of me all moved up. Also, very involved in the logistics of the meet, and didn't really get focused in the race until the last few controls. Also, saw Glen's time before I started, and I think I that as a result, I was too focused on trying to run faster than usual, which might have contributed to the uncharacteristically high number of errors.

Before the week started this figured to be my best race, and it turned out to be my worst. You just never know. Still managed 3rd overall on Brown out of 36 and 1st in M70, out of 8. Glen T was 1st on Brown in 12:39, Steve Tarry 2nd in 13:15. Two errors totaling a minute on #8 was the killer. Also three route choice errors (#3, 5, 10) cost about 35 seconds.

#3. Leaving #2, foolish eschewed the short stairway and instead got stuck in a windy ramp. Lost about 5.

#5. Didn't see the optimal route. Instead, went halfway back to #3 before turning left. Lost about 12.

#8. This was the disaster. (i) didn't see the optimal route, which was to go back out the way I came in and then around to the E. Lost about 15; (b) went a couple of steps too far when heading W and had to backtrack due to vegetation. Lost just a few secs; (c) about to make the correct right turn, and inexplicably suddenly thought it was one turn too soon. How in the world could I have thought that?? Had to go all the way around the tennis courts. Lost about 40.

#10. Didn't see until much too late that the only way into the courtyard was from the N, so the best route was the northly one. Geraint did that and beat my 153 by 20 secs. Glenn and Steve T, tied for 2nd, were only 5 ahead of me.

Did the last 3 extremely well, all ranked #1. At #7, despite the bobbles on 3 and 5, was only 7 behind Steve, 24 behind Glen.

WinSplits
RouteGadget


[Orienteering race]

Sprint - Brown - Splits

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Mills College, Oakland. COW Stage 4.
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Brown 2.9km, 70m climb, 25 controls. 2nd over all on Brown out of 30 (Glen Tryson 1st in 28:37), 1st in M70 out of 7. Next three (on Brown and in M70): Harbuck 31:37, Edmunds 32:08, Spalding 33:38). Tarry skipped 17; he had the fastest total time if 17 and 18 were eliminated.

Start at 11:38. Damp and cool, had rained over night and even on the drive up, but just a little drizzle sometimes while running.

Took a hard fall on a wooden bridge leading to #16. Got up quickly and limped to the control, completing the leg from memory. Thought I might have to drop out, but was cautious of the bruised right hip for a bit, and then I seemed to be more or less OK - but that might have distracted me going to #17, where I turned too soon and thus made a 45 second error.

It was harder than I thought it would be. (I think it was Glen, or if not then Geraint, who said that he thought the navigation was harder today than at Pt. Pinole). I made two 45 sec errors (#5, partly because I thought I knew that one from before, and #17, which was right after I fell, so maybe I was a little distracted) and two 15 - 20 sec errors (#12, because the woods looked a little thick and I looked too long for an easy way in, and #13, because I went right instead of left [seemed shorter] but the vegetation was thicker [and very wet] than I expected and that forced me to swing wide and go through the little amphitheater). Also, on #11 and #18, there were routes I missed that could have avoided a little climb, and though they might not have been faster, might have left me with a little more energy for other legs. The other 19 controls I did extremely well, and it's always a good day if you can do 19 controls extremely well. :) It was really great fun, even though I'm rather disappointed in myself for those two sizable errors.

Had 8 number 1 ranked splits, more than anyone else. 7 number 2's and 4 number 3's (the two with possibly better route choices mentioned above were in the later two categories). Besides the four errors, only two other splits were outside the top 3: #6, fifth, but only 4 seconds from the best (perhaps because it was uphill), and #16, where I fell, or that probably would have been a number 1. Still, way too many mistakes. Rather surprising that I was still 2nd, with over 2 mins of errors.

#1. Easy. 3rd in :29, 3 secs behind Steve T (impressive start by him), 2 behind Glen, even with Harbuck.

#2. N through the courtyard. Had to go around a little construction at the end. 2nd in 1:02, 3 behind Glen, 2 ahead of Steve.

#3. East, then N through the main entrance, nailed it. 1st in 101, 3 ahead of Steve, 5 ahead of Glen.

Tied with Glen for first at this point (2:32), 3 ahead of Steve. 4th (Harbuck) was already 23 seconds behind. Familiarity helped me find the start triangle quickly, know that there was a passageway into the courtyard going to #2, and know how to get to the main entrance going to #3 (though it looks like it might have been just a tad shorter to take the passageway directly S of #3).

#4. Unfamiliar territory. Went around the left of the building that control was behind, got passed by Jon Campbell. 1st in 36, 2 ahead of Sari Jetsonen. Picked up 5 on Steve, 10 on Glen, who took (a longer) route around the right side.

#5. Familiarity hurt on this one! Through the parking areas, across the bridge, turned left. Over confident because we had a control here last night, though coming from the other side. Suddenly found myself in a courtyard heading S, with a retaining wall on my left. Took a few seconds to figure out I was well too far S. Backtracked a little so I could go up the hill, but the vegetation was much more extensive and thicker than mapped, and visibility was poor. Thrashed around some, in a bit of a panic, but did get there. 8th in 245, a minute behind Steve, 49 behind Glen. Very disappointed in myself.

#6-#7-#8. Did these just about perfectly. 5th in 40 (4 behind S.Haas, 2 behind Chuck; Glen was off to the right and was 21 behind me), 2nd in 52 (3 behind Geraint), 2nd in 56 (8 behind Glen). Have to wonder if some of the people ahead of me cut across olive green areas (though there was some uphill on 6 and 8 and that probably slowed me down).

#9. Went through the courtyard; familiarity helped. Otherwise, might have gone around the W side of the building (which is what Glen did). 1st, 2 ahead of Geraint, 6 ahead of Glen.

#10. Scoped this out on the way to #9. 2 in 31, 2 behind Geraint, tied with Chuck. Glen and Steve each lost a few seconds.

#11. Great course design, having a long leg with lots of route choice right after a very short leg. I had scoped it out a bit while going to #9, so quickly got on the pavement heading W and worked out the rest of the route. Turned left on the road, went to the path heading SSW just past #16, and almost immediately turned uphill through the clearing. Tough climb, had to walk some. Went to the second path and nailed the intersection. Had planned to take the street around the S flank of the hill, but after starting to do that, saw that the top of the hill didn't look all that much further up, so cut up, then through the parking lot. Lone tree was easy to pick out a little to my right, so knew exactly what to do at the other side of the parking lot, and soon saw the bag downhill, dead ahead. 3rd, 14 behind Steve, 7 behind Glen who took a routeI didn't see, N of the hill, saving some climb).

#12. Contour, dropping a little, get on the road, and take that around, past the black X's (easy to pick out). Headed for the indistinct path going straight down, but there was no sign of it, and the vegetation was too think to fight through, so doubled back to the last black X, where I could get through. A sizeable clearing was dead ahead, confusing because it's not on the map. But knew I had to go a bit left, so went diagonally and soon saw the bag. 6th in 201, 18 behind Glen and Geraint, who were 2 ahead of Steve, mostly because I had to double back. Lost 15 - 20.

#13. Went right instead of left (seemed shorter) but the vegetation was thicker (and very wet) than I expected and that forced me to swing wide and go through the little amphitheater. 13th in 53, 30 behind Steve, 24 behind Chuck, so lost at least 20, maybe more. Glen was 5 behind me.

#14.Around the left side of the building. Bag placement seemed a little too easy, though. 2nd in 101, 5 behind Glen, 1 ahead of Steve.

#15. Ran fairly hard, straight across the bridge, right turn, directly to the control. Didn't see the slightly shorter route through 16, but that would have required more navigating, so probably not faster. In any case, I was 1st in 134, 4 ahead of Sari, 6 ahead of Glen, even though I had to run around a van that was parked blocking the path to the bridge.

#16. S, turned right onto the bridge, and my foot didn't hold on the wet, slick wood. Landed hard on my hip. Got up quickly, limped the rest of the way. Still 6th in 47, only 6 behind Glen.

#17. Thought I might have to drop out, but tried to run on it and soon was able to. But I guess I lost my concentration while worrying about the hip, and turned up before the first diagonal path instead of waiting for the second. Not seeing a control, stopped, noticed there was no building to my left, figured out what happened, and angled back down. Went to the SW corner of the parking cut out, and nailed it from there. 19th, 48 behind Glen, 38 behind Geraint and Chuck. Yuck. Steve T accidentally skipped this one.

#18. Went to the right of the building, contoured to the path, went up the stairs. Didn't see that I could have saved climb and a few seconds (and I was slow on the stairs) by continuing to contour. Down the road, right turn around the S edge of the wall, up into the courtyard, to the back right corner. 2nd in 154, 9 behind Glen, 6 ahead of Hilary Anderson (GVOC).

#19. Back out the way I came in, angled down and to the left to the second road, right to the end of the fence. Stopped for a moment to double check, then down through the gate and nailed it. Some people (including Glen) went around to the S (definitely suboptimal); didn't even consider that choice. 3rd in 121, 3 behind Chuck, 1 behind Steve. Glen was 15 behind me.

#21 - #25. Fun, short legs, and I was moving fast. Familiarity helped in knowing there was a passageway a little to the S going to #21, but otherwise it was just good map reading and looking ahead. I was first on the first 4 of those (47, 5 ahead of Glen; 30, tied with Geraint; 18, 2 ahead of Geraint; 104, 2 ahead of Glen), 1 behind Gemma Fa-Kaji and Sue Kuestner on #25, in 14 and tied with Glen, Geraint and Harbuck.

F. Only 10th, despite feeling pretty good. 21 seconds, an astounding 7 behind young Anna Campbell, 4 behind Gemma and Sue. There really are a number of people who can run faster than me.


WinSplits
RouteGadget


[Orienteering race]

Warm up. Felt quite ready, legs surprisingly OK.

Jogged a little for a cool down, but mostly walked. And then stretched, indoors.

Urban Middle - Brown - Splits