Training Log Archive: Charlie

Had a very nice, if brief, conversation with Katia after the day 2 race yesterday and before we headed out to Kent. Katia had some books to recommend to me and some other tips for my quest to learn Italian. She also confirmed my suspicion that anyone in Italy who orienteers would know Giovanni.

Just me and Rhonda this morning, out in the gym, abbreviated class.

Posted the weekend's maps.

Saturday after the race I couldn't get my contact lens out, probably too dehydrated. Pinched at it several times, and then it came off the center of my eye and I couldn't track it down. Sunday I had to do something, so I put in another one. Seems to work ok, but on the way home I had left it in to use at Pond Mtn, and suddenly it flipped off the center, and I couldn't find that one either. Dug at it off and on, getting my eye more irritated. In the morning I went in to see the eye doc, Dr. Dan. Nice guy, and more or less a neighbor. He got me under all his bright lights and fancy magnification, peered and poked for 10 or so minutes, said maybe it had just come out. I said I didn't think so, because it sure felt like something was in there. So then he put some dye in my eye, looked around again, and eventually found it lurking way up under my upper eyelid. And then it took another 10 minutes or so more to coax it out. Finally it was at the edge and I could grab it with my fingers. He offered to look for the other one, but I told him not to bother. In my hand I had both of them, writhing together like a couple of snakes in heat. Interesting. He pronounced it the most well-hidden contact lens he has come across. I assume that at some point lens 1 drifted close enough to lens 2 and grabbed it. Lucky it didn't happen when I was on the course.

C • autocorrect 5

Not a lot of time, but good to get out on this absolutely perfect day, one lap around the river from Pleasant Valley with Rhonda.

Brown X Day 2 at West Point. Not quite as knackered by the course as yesterday, but pretty uncomfortable. Back held up more or less ok through about halfway to 7, then much slower and more labored after that. Turns out I mispunched at 6. Maybe the only code I wouldn't have checked in the two days, as I almost always do. Apparently I punched in at #38, whichever one that is, instead of at the correct #80. Otherwise several smallish errors, one bigger one.

To 1, around most of the laurel, a bit low on the slope, climbed to the cliffs just E of the right ones, but could see where to go from there. Some nasty stuff on the way to 2, lots of saplings, had it pretty well figured out all the way, though. Really thick saplings leaving 2, and then got stuck climbing down some nasty cliffs and rocks. Across to the right cliff at 3, but didn't see the flag tucked around the corner, so up a line or two to the top, stop to read the clue, and back down and got it. Probably 2 minutes loss.

Long slog over to 4, pretty darned straight, I think. Picked up a bit of trail crossing the reentrant, then under the steep stuff, skirted to the left to keep out of barberry, saw the upper stonewall and the hemlocks, let them lead me in. It was a bit further than I thought. I had a fastest split on this leg. Doesn't happen often. Then a clunker. Attempted to go S to the road, thinking I would take it to the bend and attack from there, looking for the fenced in area on the way. Instead I apparently headed more SW, picked up the road past the sharp bend, and started running downhill with it. Not sure how far I got, so headed back up a bit, then up looking for the rocks, trying to look around a lot. Found some other likely looking ones, and wasn't too far off. Lucky. Probably another 2 minutes of error.

6 seemed like a really good leg, felt confident, but saw a flag way too quickly and somehow appear not to have checked the code. QR reveals where the flag was and how far off I was. Bummer.

Headed generally W/SW, picked up the trail, thinking I would then find the marsh N of the control, but there were a lot of trails there, and I got on an unmapped one that took me W of the cliffs W of the control, and I really wasn't at all sure where I was. So I backtracked, got back to were the trail was near the hill 6 was on, and was a little more careful. Got it fine that time. Probably 5 or 6 minutes, not unrelated to my error at 6.

Going ok to 8, thought I had gone far enough and stopped to look around, saw another flag, went to look at it, etc. Lost about 2 minutes.

Back around under the cliffs, but lost track of how far I had gone and climbed too soon. A lot of pretty scary sidehill through the rocks, then almost stepped on the control, thinking it ought to be right here, and there it was. 10 - Down part of the way, then up the slot after the big cliffs stopped and over, pretty easy.

Went to the road for 11, not sure if that was best, since I couldn't really run the road, and had to climb at the end. Back and across above the big rocky knoll L of the line, picked up the trail for a while, then could see the flag at 12 from a distance. Down the hill, not finding the trail along the lake in the laurel, but pushing on through whatever places seemed the most open to the bridge and in.

Map and route (click map for DOMA view):

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C • Knoll #6 7

With Rhonda in Kent, checking the rest of the control locations, moving a few flags a bit. Nice to be done with this.

Brown X day 2 - Splits

Event: West Point A-Meet
 

Brown X at West Point. Physically very difficult. Also emotionally, off and on. A prompt 180 out of the start for about 30 seconds, until I saw Bog Meadow Pond in front of me and unfolded the map enough to see what was going on. Then fine to the control from there, despite dropping 1:15 going right back through the the start. 2 was ok, a bit careful to be in the correct reentrant. Flag was on the ground. Couldn't punch it into the ground, so I propped it up in the branches of a fallen tree.

Then up and over, checking off some theoretically useful features on top, but wandering in the wrong direction and checking a lot of rocks and doing a lot of wandering, 10 minutes worth, before going back up to the top and walking to it on compass. 4 was uneventful, around the marsh to the left, angling up the hill, a little low, but saw the big cliffs.

5 was reasonably well negotiated, out to the trail going by the yellow control, right of the big cliffs across the road, then counting to the third spur and climbing over the eastern part of the knoll for the SE foot - no flag. I was stunned. If not there, where. But I set off for a tour of other, smaller knolls in the area, before ending up at the same knoll. Darn. So I did a tour out to the N, knowing I was too far, but looking for something reliable. Found the trail and the bend, and then the boulder 100 m N of my control, walked in on compass and came to the same damned place! By now I am about ready to declare it missing and move on, but I see someone bending over on the ore side, so I go over to look. There it is on the W side of the knoll. Huh? I am just too literal-minded for success in this sport. Others seem to have found it just fine without being too dismayed by the difference from the control description. QR reveals 8 minutes lost.

Around to the right, below the big cliffs, and up the reentrant, through the small marsh and right into 6. Long leg to 7, half along or in the marshes, then picked up a trail. My back seized a bit when I got to the trail and difficult to jog from there. PG came by, a nice chat. Didn't have to worry about distracting him. He has plenty of bandwidth. Bob Lux near the control.

Fighting through a lot of laurel before picking up the trail, taking it the rest of the way to 8. Walking. Very nice cadet.

9 and 10 pretty easy, along the top, going left to 9, a bit R to 10.

PG and I both thought that #11 might have been in the wrong place, but QR makes it look ok. Difficult downhill through the rocks to 12, but no problem finding it, then trail the rest of the way, but just barely shuffling.

Back at the finish, I was spent.

Map and route (Click map for DOMA view):

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Brown X Day 1 - Splits

Rhonda's morning class, Jackie and Marj

dog loop with R & S. Cool morning, a little damp feel to it, exactly the conditions in which I seem to have the occasional ocular migraine, and I had one today, for about 5-10 minutes in the middle of the walk. Not really a problem, and doesn't hurt in any way. Just weird pinwheel flickering in the center of my vision, or my perception perhaps. And then it goes away as suddenly as it comes.

C • Maybe you should quit... 9

Not very fast, but seemed hard to me today. End of the Concept II season, going out with a whimper rather than a bang, but on to next season.

C • End of rowing season 6

Full limber set, plus some of the therapy exercises. In general, they seem a bit too hard for me, and I am very stiff.

This was hard. Stiff, sore and tired. 3 minutes slower than last week. Hmm.

Pleasant excursion with a couple of guys from DEEP, talking about a potential project to clear some land to create new england cottontail habitat - early successional forest. Bill D came along. Nice day to be out.

Kind of beat up from PT yesterday. Did a few of the exercises today, but not many, and had a lot to do, anyway, so a good day to take off