Training Log Archive: Linear Ice

I was trying to make up the 10 minutes on either Eileen or Trisha, but that was kind of hard to do after taking 35 minutes on the first leg!! Yeah... this race, not so good. I must've run pretty close to the control on 1. I simplified the leg and just ran.... it looked pretty straightforward. Somehow I missed the control and ended up a looooooong way away (not in one jaunt, but after concerted effort to spiral away). I heard someone say "well, at least now we know what green on the map looks like" Huh? Green was at least a couple hundred meters South of where I wanted to be!
For the rest of the course, I varied between trying very hard to use my best orienteering techniques at the appropriate time, while staying smooth and clean, and just walking and picking up details as I went along.
What a MAP! I did like it, but I also hated it.
I had a few good tumbles. I slid down a steep muddy embankment. How long? Long enough to think , "Oh, poor maprunner, now I know how scared she must've felt yesterday when she took her MUCH worse head over heels tumble on rocks", and then I thought, "It looked like more fun sliding down a gully when Indiana Jones did it", and then I thought "wow, all my stuff is getting really dirty and this soil sure looks fertile" and then I thought "good think I wore my O-pants instead of shorts, although I didn't need them for the underbrush- except they sure are slippery" and then I thought "I hope I don't break my compass and ooops there goes my map". That's how long it was. About 30 feet.
Oddly, it kind of relaxed and focused me. At least for a short while.
I had some good legs, but a good leg can not possibly make up for a bad bad leg, and had several of those too. Even after the Control 1 Explosion.
So, this was a very bad race, timewise.
I know I could not have completed this a year ago and that feels good, but mostly it was a bit depressing to be hoping for a decent time and to end up near the bottom.
Still-- Really, really good orienteering.

I just put my maps away, and glanced at the local maps too. Suddenly the local maps (except Ripley) look much easier to read. Hope that's true when I need to run with them again!

200 m climb hike to start, then jog back and forth in terrain a bit to get warmed up and head ready

Day 2 Green Y - Splits

Event: US Two-day Classic O Championships
 

I had a fairly decent race, was able to pick my way through the awesome and complex map and even plan my routes a bit, keep track of where I was, etc. In fact, things felt like they were beginning to come together a bit. Had a pretty bad route planned (very bad, in fact) from 2-3 and paid for it. Other than that.. pretty good.
And, I'm also enjoying seeing the people that I've met over the course of the last year, knowing a little more what to expect when coming to these A meets.
Definitely, it was fun a year ago to be so fresh and learning things about how things are done, and feeling nervous not just from the race but even wondering if i knew how to get through the start procedure... Or the download, for that matter! Not to mention all the stuff in between (the orienteering). But, seeing some progress is of course way better.
I think I came out in 4th place for my class, 35-40 out of first, but 10 or so out of 2nd/3rd. So the goal of course was to try to make up some of that time on day two......

To start, around start area, from Finish back

Day 1 Green Y - Splits

Event: US Team Sprint Series Final
 

Nice sprint in the cool rain at Saratoga Spring State Park.
I hadn't signed up initially, but was able to get in and am glad cause it was good to get my head into a map again. I made a few good route choices, one really poor one that gave me a heck of lot of extra climb, and some slow moments looking at the map scratching my head.....
but mostly, I planned, ran okay, found what I needed to and was able to look ahead a little. Little by little, the pieces feel like they are coming together, and the more they do... the more fun this sport becomes!
Terrain was lots of fun, with creeks, steep sections, trails, open and good course with route choices. Nice sprint.
Loved wearing my Icebugs in the mud. They feel so good.

Was sitting in Charlie's car, still on Central Time, and he said... well I gotta go in 16 minutes, and since I was a few minutes ahead of him... oh crap! Got dressed, shoes on quick warm-up, and to the start in time just a bit fluttered.

I've been running so slow through terrain lately, with all the green stuff, or tall lumpy summer grasses. Last Sunday I thought I'd just try to relax a bit through a white area while I was placing controls, got a good pace and rhythm going down a hill -- felt so natural, relaxed. For about 20 paces and then I snagged my toe on downed barbed wire fence and face-planted. It was a gentle face-plant. But I guess you could say it ruined the moment.
With a few meets coming up, I think I'll need to do better than that so I went to my familiar, now de-itchweeded back woods and ran the 3/4 mile section twice, to the point where I was feeling it a bit again.