Training Log Archive: Linear Ice

Event: MNOC - Murphy-Hanrehan
 

About 40 km outside of Zurich. Fairly big local meet put on by Bussola-OK. Very helpful people at registration. I am glad that everyone does things "mostly" the same because it makes it super easy just to show up and somewhat fit in. They even added Minnesota OC to the permanent database so I think some of us may be obliged to come back.

I was Way too early at the start, having been told it was a 45 minute walk and starting early then jogging. I cannot understand barely a word these Swiss people say... it does not sound like the German I learned so I watched for 30 minutes and some people would talk to me and I just smiled and said (probably) inane things back. As per usual in other words. I like practicing my German though, and they dont seem to switch to English all that often. I believe I may have a Dutch accent in German.

OK. Concentrate on the event.
Goals. Pay attention. No MP, no running wrong direction from controls. No skipping controls. Accomplished. Counter balance was that I ended up being slow. I am getting frustrated that I am slow when thoughtful and slow when I try to push it too. Wonder if I will EVER get the skill of running steady and also in the right direction. (Didnt feel bad during the event although I could sense that a lot of time had passed.)
With all the trails and route choices to avoid mud from the steady rain, or raspberry vines, the course became straightforward but i was still careful. I have tripped up on easy trails for sure. Slow going off trails except for some flat sections of open woods with big trees. yum zum zum.
It surprised me a bit how easy most of the controls were set ... onlz 50-100 m off trail for the most part. Now that I look at the map, most trails were only 100-200m apart from each other so I suppose that makes sense. I suppose that is also why they just compensate by having 18 controls on a 4.5 course. Maybe I should have approached it more like a sprint?

No training today, but maybe I'll get a chance to use the orienteering map in my hotel tonight:

From hotel, walked through town a bit then found river and ran up between mountain pass... beautiful biking/hiking trail, paved. Got call after 1.8 miles "we're all going out to eat in 40 minutes", so had to head back. =(
I hope I can explore a lot further tomorrow; but work also means lots of late dinners.

Regensburg, Germany nice run along river; turned on track at half way point to make sure I had enough battery power.
Fun to people watch; lots of pole walkers, dog bike riders, German strolling couples, etc.

Event: NK long distance 2012
 

ARGGH! mispunch, and actually I'm going to have to go back to my track and map when I have them at the same time, because it's one where I SWEAR I was there... but the track will tell!
So I was glad it wasn't our national championship and it really barely put a damper on the day which was awesome. But still!

Friend Henri did the recreational course and now she's planning on doing more (first success!)
I waited around at the start after she headed out, and got some advice on the map from the NLers.
1. If it's open, navigate by sand vs. not-sand on the map, and the marked trees.
2. The 2.5 contours are the most contours of any map in NL, but just run straight. Make sure compass bearing is correct.
3. If you hear German, you've gone too far.
OK! Simple enough definitely. And I really enjoyed running over the heather, which was almost blooming. Very strong rememberances of my youth; when my sisters and I would play in dunes in Vlieland, run down the sand, scramble up the heather, run ahead on the "red pole or blue pole" hikes with my family. What a blast; and Henri has been my adventurous friend since I was 8 and seemed ready for anything.

Course
(I am currently on train from AMS to Eindhoven, map packed away and hotspot on. Will add map when (if) I find it. But now I'll just see how good my course memory is. It used to be non-existent but seems to be improving.)
.
1. Took it cautious to 1, stayed mostly on trails so I could get an idea of what a "hill" looked like, rough open, etc. and the woods. There were some nice woods.
2. Ran off in the wrong direction (did this 3 times last meet and resolved to never do it again! Probably lost 5 minutes on way to 2
3 (or 4?). Slightly off on compass bearing and searched for control by wrong "hills". Re-located by the trail behind it and lost about 2 minutes.
4 (or 5?) Had to run across a wide expanse of heather (with dunes), then there was a large open area of sand to run through or around (picked around) and found control tucked away in slot re-entrant on the other side.
5 (or 6?). Easy, short
6 (or 7?). Long expanse back around the sandy area, then realized I could run through part of the sand without too much trouble. Love running down sand dunes.....
on the other side, not to hard to find six other than it was a bit further away from trees than I expected.
Just realized I'm off one.... which one did I miss?
8. Fairly long area; I went a lot by compass bearing and then ran into a trail and let it screw with my head. Checked a few spots (even saw a control from top of a tall hill and thought.... hmmmm! better check that out. Haven't done that! for a while. Finally bailed to the trail and easily relocated. BTW, this is the one that I supposedly Mispunched. It was very close to 9. Did I actually hit 9, see the number on my control sheet, and skip 8? How bad was it? Where is my map???!!!!!)
9. Short and easy to 9, or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.
10. This was a fun one; got to run a big re-entrant and then up and over to the water control.
11. Another fun run, these dunes are great. And by a tree I think.
12. First some long trails to follow, then contoured between two "hills" in woody area, then along some empty water-ways (hard to even notice, maybe 6" indentations) but nice to follow some contours.
13. Small pit, easy to find but fun to run to over a few quick loamy forested knolls.
14. Through some woods, short and with trails and therefore I made it more confusing than it had to be.
Streamered finish
Talked to a few people at the end, met some woman from Cascade who is now living in Den Haag.
My previous experience with Dutch Orienteers were that they were unfriendly. Henri wondered if it was because of my question "how do you orienteer in NL?"-- insulting them by calling them a contour-less country. But everyone we met today was so friendly and helpful to both of (i.e., normal orienteers) and weren't at all self-conscious about the lack of brown on the map.
We finished the day by stops along the way to enjoy some of the sweet towns, get drinks, etc.
It's always perfect when I orienteer, and when I'm w Henri and when I'm in Amsterdam. So this was maybe a trifecta.
Now I have to work for a week. Hope to get some running in but I'm at the mercy of my colleagues. Which is one of the reasons it's important to get a "fix" during a trip.