Training Log Archive: JanetT

Travel day. Sad to leave sunny 60s but Tucson's weather report was going to change later this week. Drove home from airport in rain, sleet, snow, and sometimes all three at once. ;-) Driveway is a bit icy now but barely any accumulation. Much of the yard-snow is gone too leaving plowed piles and place in shadow with remnant snow.

One exciting bump during the flight's descent into Hartford but I was already holding on for dear life during some turbulence so didn't move much (arms and legs wrapped around seat as much as possible). Mostly just jolting everyone awake. :-)

Yay--a decent race finally. Straight line distance was 2.6 km. ...Okay, part of it was yellow level controls and we only had 7 total, but there were some good advanced legs too. 1st on F-Brown today because Diana had a mental wander to number 3, taking 41 minutes on a leg that took me 10:32. She won 6 of 8 splits (incl run-in), and with a clean #3 and no other changes would have been 4+ minutes ahead of me. :-) Oh, to have been jogging....

EDIT: Added FR track. I had Sue Dekany ahead of me and mostly in sight from 3 to the finish, which helped on the distinct tree control (6). She didn't run much either.

Brown Classic map:

From Track jpg files

After we were both back from our courses, I took Glen's green course map and went out to do the first three controls (his #3 was my #2, but from a different direction) for practice in the detailed area of the course. He took my brown map and did the whole thing (14 minutes faster than I did). I was able to switch scales from 1:7500 to 1:10000 without any problem.

I started shortly after Mike Lyons' group and they were going about my speed and on the same course, so I stopped my watch on the way to 1 and sat down on a rock for a few minutes to let them get ahead. This was supposed to be orienteering practice, not following practice. :-)

Visited the Romero ruins which were the out of bounds area my course circled from 3-5 (map later). Indian (Hohokan) settlement from about 500-1200 AD or beyond; ranched in the 1800s. Didn't see much beyond some walls and descriptive signs. And two giant saguaros plus a bunch of smaller cacti.

Straight line distance today per the map 2.3km. Yesterday's was 2.7km. Both maps have been 1:7500.

Brown Middle map:

From Track jpg files

At Catalina, temps in 60sF. Much better today, maybe because 2/3rds of the course was white/yellow level. :-) Because there wasn't much climb I tried to push speed (as much as one can when not jogging/running). Drifted a bit left on the few (advanced) controls in the hillier part of the map but otherwise happy about the course. Now to incorporate all I've learned the past two days to have a successful "classic" course tomorrow. 2nd on F-Br and behind 2 or 3 of the men. Diana Hocking of GVOC VICO ([edited club] who was first, a minute ahead) sought me out and we chatted a bit afterwards. O.Kearney tried to introduce me to ClareD (smittyO). ;-) Talked a bit too with MelissaT. No wildlife today. I don't think I'm going to have a roadrunner sighting this trip either.

Sure is nice to soak up the warm sun! I hope spring comes soon around home.

EDIT: Added FR track, which showed less climb than advertised.

Results

After "lunch" of granola bars, bananas and pretzels, we drove to the end of the road and took a hike on the canyon loop and up to Montrose Pools on the Romero Canyon trail. Lots of other folks enjoying this part of the park. Lots of sun. Stopped for frappuccinos afterward.

EDIT: Added FR track.

We had dinner at Noble Hops again but I didn't have as much food. The cheddar-beer soup is fabulous (we split a bowl today) and I tried their Rosemary Fromage artisan flat (very flat pizza-like dish; with two types of cheese and basil with crispy ham (bacon-like)) and rosemary-infused oil. Delicious!

Event: Southwest Spring B-Meet in the Sun
 

Catalina SP north of Tucson, 60s and beautifully sunny. But I forgot how to orienteer! Not running so I should have done this perfectly. Good to 1&2, but I missed 3 high & to the right (a short leg, should have been 2-3 minutes took over 5). Fine to 4. Then choice was contour thru desert veg to reentrant or drop down a bunch of contours to go around then climb back up. I contoured, hit what I thought was my trail and then attacked from a bend. No control; too many nondescript boulders. Kept trying; someone on Green (their 2) also there. Eventually decided to skip and go on. Probably too high on the hill and probably off my 1:7500 map; eventually ran into a baffled Deb Humiston (on Green) who helped me decide how to relocate.

Relocated far from where I thought I was, found #6; decided not to go cross-country 300m back to #5 and continued from there with no trouble. Saw a jackrabbit(!) and got jumped by a cholla near my 8, but nothing else of note. :-)

Tomorrow is another day.

EDIT: Uploaded FR track, and quickrouted it on a photo of the map. Track shows I hit the trail after 4 JUST (mere meters) north of #5 but didn't confirm where I was on the trail (should have headed south to see...) and thought I was farther west. I actually hit it AT my planned AP, but never realized it at the time. Stupid. I may post the QR map after we get home, or I may not. :-)

Results

Brown Long course:

From Track jpg files

Strolled on U of Arizona campus with an O map Cristina sent us a while back. Explored some neat staircases and underpasses and thought it would be great for a sprint... Good to keep track of where we were.

Time and distance estimated, but we were going so slowly I listed it with 0 intensity.

Saguaro Natl Park-West hike on Hugh Norris trail onto the ridge and then back. Lots and lots of stairs made with chunks of cut granite (some approximately 12"x8"x2' or thereabouts). Lots of stairs. No, I didn't count. Warmer; 58-63 and quite sunny.

Valentine's dinner at Noble Hops in Oro Valley north of Tucson. :-) Too much food (including a chocolate mousse for dessert), but the beer was excellent (they don't brew any there, just have an extensive list of drafts (28 this month)).

EDIT: added FR track

C • Too much food 1

Signal Hill at Saguaro Park West to see the petroglyphs.

Hiked up Fay Canyon in West Sedona (AZ). One booklet we'd seen talked about an arch visible once you go up a side trail; we missed it on the way in but found it on the way out of the canyon. Went up-canyon about as far as we could go. Not as much scrambling as yesterday, but still some ups and downs to manage. Beautiful weather; upper 40s to mid 50s and clear blue skies.

Climbs both yesterday and today are probably bogus, as the satellite signal seems to bounce around a lot in the canyons and around big rock features. :-) But there were some climbs both days.

Afterward we headed up Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff, where we stopped for a few minutes at the train station/visitor center, before heading back south and finding our way to Tucson. Had dinner at a Wildflower Bread cafe, a chain which appears to be the Panera alternative in these parts.

One of the things I've noticed here in Arizona is the setting moon is a crescent of the "bottom" of the moon. In NY I think the crescents are usually cupped to the upper left or upper right instead of straight up.

C • Crescent 5