Training Log: CleverSky

Another easy ride, a loop down to Shirley this time.

Loop to West Townsend. After successfully having the plumbers and the water department come to fix things (all happy and shiny now!), it was a beautiful day, so I went out to do something that involved fresh air but was easy on my ailing knee: a gentle bike ride. A little breezy, but that was fine.

To the post office and back, to pick up something that I had to sign for (a lot of things are closed today in Massachusetts, but not federal things).

I'm kind of a wreck, lots of things hurt, or are otherwise malfunctioning. Left foot, right ankle, left knee... at least my right shoulder, which was in rough shape yesterday, seems to have calmed down. I felt like I could barely walk, although I passed another old guy who commented that I was moving fast.

At least a quarter of the way up from the bus drop-off when I started my watch.

Lake Frederick, Red M35, 6.5 km, 200 m, 17th.
Another sloppy run. If you're sloppy on every control, the analysis makes it look like you were clean. Flipped over the map and immediately thought that I couldn't read the map and was darn sure glad I hadn't opted for the 1:15000 version. I got to the circle okay, but the control was just "cliff" and I think I count 21 cliffs i the circle. I spotted two controls that weren't mine first, and it wasn't on the cliff that appears to be in the center, but I think it's mathematically centered on another cliff that's tucked behind the back side of the bare rock knoll that the other cliff is on.
SA has me with a small time loss on #4, that was just a matter of going slowly, really. #5 is an actual miss, I went close enough to the control that I should have seen it but I was think it was up one more band of cliffs. Very surprised to have no time loss on #6, and quite a good placing on the leg, since I completely fumbled the last bit, checking two wrong places before I got to the right one. I guess my route choice must have been good, I angled up and over the big hill instead of taking the low route around to the right.
#7 I just overshot and had to hook around and climb back up, surprised I didn't lose more time that I did. On #8, I climbed the hill more directly than I thought, and initially turned the wrong way, until I spotted the distinctive cairn and turned around. #9 I think was slightly misplaced, actually about one contour lower in the slot reentrant than is shown.
#10 was good (and I had company), then I really screwed up #11, just having trouble forcing myself to read the map. After scratching my head for a while, I eventually realized that I had to be low, and found it with no further trouble. I'd say #13 was just slow, but I guess I also got kind of far off to the right and had to climb back up (also a bit of time drinking water). Lucky on #14, lots of people around on #15, and the rest was just bombing down the dirt road and then through the mud.

splits
results
Livelox

Walk to the start. I arrived a couple of minutes after I was called up, and they slotted me in four minutes after my assigned time. I would have made it if I hadn't stopped to say hi to a few people.

Camp Shea, Red M35, 7.0 km, 275 m, 15th.
I'm using a generous definition of "spike" here, because almost all legs were a little sloppy, though on some the time loss probably wasn't so bad. Much too high on #1. Started looking too soon on #6, still had another spur to go over. On #8 I first looked at another cliff that seemed right, but the control was still a ways ahead (I guess the first one wasn't mapped). #9 was a major disaster, I managed to get myself off the map, and spent a while almost making things out there match stuff that was where I was supposed to be. I finally realized that there was a big line of cliffs that I should be able to see, and realized I must be much too high, and recovered pretty well. Checked an extra control on the way to #10 that I didn't think was mine. Checked out an extra unmapped knoll near #11. Drifted pretty far right on #12. Went the dumb way around the green on #19.

Tough going. Steep course, and I just couldn't go up hill very fast. Or through the low vegetation or the rocks. I think I'm getting too old for this, and need to think about dropping down a course in the not too distant future. I also picked up a wad of mylar balloons shortly after #2, but they were too big to fit in my pocket, so I left them at the next control.

splits
Livelox

Headache in the morning, then getting some stuff done, then driving to the Hudson valley. Might have tried to get myself out for a walk in the morning if it hadn't been pouring rain. But it was, and I didn't.