Training Log Archive: jtorranc

Event: QOC Occoquan
 

QOC season opener in Occoquan Regional Park - quite unfair victory on Blue given I was the sole fieldchecker for the current version of the map and made a few updates just the previous weekend. Still a good woods running workout and it's at least conceivable I could have made a big error running without a compass. Even so, my terrain familiarity is such that I got away with some quite sloppy practices when it came to map reading and thumbing - will have to do better at next few events leading up to the A meets of October.

Nice to see a park all abuzz with orienteering on a fine weather day (though it turned out a bit hotter and sunnier than the forecasters had managed to give the impression it would as the storms were passing through the previous evening).

From comments afterwards, would have been good if Sid, in view of the options on some of this long legs, had thought to add some OOB marking along the north edge of the map and in some woods north of the eastern part of the terrain that have never seen a field checker. In fairness to him, it was a rushed job of course setting for reasons beyond his control. Though he totally could have managed not to mishang one control I'm certain of (too high and far north on a spur and easily checkable by taking a bearing to a couple of reentrants to the southeast) and maybe another. It also would have helped if I had had time to survey and draft all the areas in the western quarter or so of the park that are passable woods in winter but seas of impassable or nearly impassable vegetation in summer.

Had mild delayed onset muscle soreness in calves this morning, not enough to hinder me orienteering, though they now feel somewhat worse in the aftermath of the O meet. Inner thighs weren't bothered at all this time, in marked contrast to after the 5K two weeks ago.

C • Nice run! 3

Blue - Splits

National Press Club Beat the Deadline 5K - no QOC team, just Tom Nolan and I, him second in his age group, me third. Field absolutely stacked compared to previous year - three at or under 15:00, all bettering the 2013 winner's time, next 6 runners all faster than 2013 second place. My time would have put me 5th last year. Flatter course than two weeks previously, weather conditions slightly less favourable. Regardless, very pleased at the improvement of 59 seconds in two weeks. Running fast in training helps you run fast in competition - who would have guessed?

Almost 3 hours of field checking in brutal heat/humidity, discounted for much standing still.

Most of my commute.

MBT time trial southbound, into a bit of a headwind.

Most of my commute.

MBT time trial southbound.

Warmup/cooldown.

Silly walks and uphill sprints.

Roosevelt loop again, sandwiched between the silly walks and the uphill sprints.

Warmup/cooldown.

Silly walks.

Roosevelt loop.

Most of my commute.

MBT time trial southward bound. Definitely downhill - I'll have to check Google Earth and see just how much so.

Trail run in Rock Creek Park. First with a headlamp of the season.

Most of my commute.

MBT time trial homeward bound again, into a noticeable headwind.

Another fieldwork session, this time doing some minor updates of Occoquan before the QOC season opener next weekend. Added a few rootstocks, drew the edges of some meadows more accurately, and decided what to do in areas where I had formlines on the previous 2.5m contour interval version of the map now that I'm converting it to a 5m contour interval (still with a lot of formlines that used to be regular contours but removing a lot of the ones that conveyed no added information, particularly in steeper parts of the terrain). Also, since we've only previously run here in winter, added one massive blob of dark green to the map in an area that's overrun with kudzu or an imitator at this time of year. A lot of the edges of forest areas were much, much thicker than in winter but fortunately the nice, white woods were still nice and white, just with somewhat lower visibility and scattered patches of stiltgrass, particularly near streams.