Running warm up/down 15:00 [1] 2.0 km (7:30 / km) shoes: 200811 NB MT800
Warmup before the canoe-O and foot-O races at the UNO Trifecta Score-O
Canoeing race 55:00*** 14c shoes: 200809 NB Absorb EX 12
I suffered greatly at the hands of Jeff Schapiro, who was nigh unstoppable. Keith and I went out in his canoe early in the day to compete in the canoe-O, and comfortably got all the controls. Conditions were windy (which made navigation difficult), and some of the control placement was sketchy, but we had a solid route and execution. In retrospect, we could have pulled a bit harder (perhaps saving a few minutes). We beat all the adventure racers, to our great satisfaction, but lost to Sean Morton and Jeff Schapiro by 3 minutes - who borrowed Keith's equipment. Sean is an experienced canoer, if not in the racing style, but Schapiro is a machine. On the plus side, I'm teaming up with him for the New England canoeing champs at the end of June, and I believe we can strongly contend with Keith and Vanessa.
Keith and I had an interesting route choice at the beginning; from the start, we portaged our canoe about two hundred meters to a different inlet and set out. Schapiro actually dispatched Sean in the canoe at the conventional start, then ran and swam to four controls before they rendezvoused.
Orienteering race 1:02:08*** 7.03 km (8:51 / km) spiked:15/17c shoes: 200811 NB MT800
The UNO Trifecta foot Score-O. I knew at the start that Jeff Schapiro and Tim Parson had each visited sixteen (of 20) controls, each worth 5 points, and returned within the time limit. We had to copy off the clock, so I planned a route that seemed attainable to me which would visit 17 controls. I also devised a route that would visit all the controls and also seemed possible (total distance of 8.2 km), but I'm not very good at judging how long an O-course would take me, so I elected the more conservative route.
I made three important errors:
- I lost about 3-4 minutes making navigational errors at controls 8 and 15 (for those of you who ran the course).
- While I copied it, I did not notice control 1 on my map, which would have added merely another 350 meters of trivial trail run to my route.
- I failed to note that the penalty for being overtime was 3 points per minute. I thought the bike-O penalty (1 point per minute) was in effect. This would have some effect on my strategy.
I was navigating fairly well; apart from a small and large bobble at 8 and 15 respectively, I basically spiked all the controls. A relatively short leg (16 to 18) across a stream turned out to be much gnarlier than it was at first glance; in retrospect, I would have taken 16-17-20-19-18. Also for those of you with maps, I skipped 1, 9, and 11 (I don't think anyone visited 9 or 11).
I left 15 with fifteen minutes to go, which was quite a stretch for the last five controls (1.9 km). I was especially concerned that I might make a navigational error at controls 19 and 20. So, I pushed my body as hard as I could go while maximizing my concentration; my navigation was solid, and that period was exhilarating.
I should have ended up with 76 points (17*5 - 3*3), but the guy at the finish was rounding down when I arrived, so I ended up with 79. Ernst Linder had a similar strategy to mine (get 17 controls), but he finished in 61 minutes, so he had 82 points; Jeff and Tim had 80. It's disappointing that had I saved 2:08 navigating, I would have won outright. Similarly, if I had noticed control 1, I'm confident I could have saved two minutes skipping 14, 15, or 20. It's a bit moot because I think Ross, Sam or Brendan could have run all 20 controls in the time limit; nevertheless, I'm pleased with my showing today. I'll have to exact my friendly revenge on Jeff Schapiro at another meet.
Running tempo 21:39 [4] 5.0 km (4:20 / km) slept:2.0 shoes: 200811 NB Absorb EX 12
I have contemplated running the Boston "Run to Remember" Half Marathon on 24 May, and a highly optimistic target pace I envisioned was 7 min/mile. I've never really systematically aimed for a pace, so I decided to run a tempo run on the track, where I could monitor my pace. My goal was to run 5 km in under 22 minutes with a moderate effort - ideally, such that I could continue for over an hour if I so chose.
So, I ran with a constant 3/3 breathing rate, trying to hold my 400 m splits to 1:45. My 400 splits were;
I was pleased with my effort; I found it feasible, but I doubt I could have continued for more than 10 km. That running at a 7 min/mi pace was itself challenging is discouraging; I really need to do more tempo runs. My calves afterward felt very tight. Conditions were basically optimal - 10 C, clear skies.
On my run home, I decided that running the half marathon would be foolish - I'm woefully undertrained, and any measure of my performance would gauge my latent reserves rather than my prepared potential. As much as I seek to accept that challenge (which I surely could achieve at a more leisurely 7:30/mi pace), I must focus on my training. I may attempt an informal 13.1 mi "time trial" on my own sometime later, perhaps at the beginning of July.