Race Evaluation
QOC: Great Falls, MD: Advanced
Nadim
| 1. | I was looking forward to running in Great Falls again, despite the cold. I hadn't run in the park since over a year ago. I started after two Adventure runners and before Eddie Bergeron and David Onkst. Straight up the trail I was going bit faster than I was reading. I hesitated a few times to validate where I was but should have looked ahead to see that all I had to do was run to the old trolley line. I passed one of the adventure racers there. I went on bearing next. I hadn't realized that I'd have to cross a reentrant to get there. On the map it looks more subtle. I saw it far enough away that I wasn't sure about it being mine. I came in behind the other adventure racer. | ||||||
| 2. | I left #1 pertty smoothly and headed straight. I hit the old trolley line where it's like a gully so I ran along it a short way for it to get to a smaller obstacle before crossing. I crested but dropped it a bit to the right, like I've done several times in other races. | ||||||
| 3. | +00:20 | I left too quickly and headed off on a bad bearing. I realized this as I started to descend so I stopped and corrected. | |||||
| 4. | I've done a similar leg on a short course that Francis Hogle once set. I partially contoured but kept good speed on the descent. I saw a glimpse of it far enough away that all I had to do was keep going in the same direction. | ||||||
| 5. | As I was leaving #4, Eddie passed to the left of me. I crossed his path and realized he was making an error. Perhaps I should have told him but if I had, his race with Jon Torrance (Eddie came in second by one second total time difference) would have been tainted. I crossed the trolley line near where I'd attacked #1. That was a bit to the left. I next recognized that I needed to round the next ridge on the right. After that, I ran with some confidence over the next ridge and right to the control. | ||||||
| 6. | I was hoping to stay ahead of Eddie. I ran a bit to the left early-on. Once across the first trail, I was a bit high on the ridge because I knew this would save me some up and downs. I cut distance on Dave Hauver who was below and dropped right into the control in the reentrant. | ||||||
| 7. | I was starting to feel the effects of running a bit faster than usual and knew I wasn't in shape for it. As I left #6, I had added incentive. I could see that Eddie had recovered from his error at #4 and was approching #6. I ran straightish, seeing the control from far off, while still on the ridge. I ran straight through the light green which seemed to be spread a bit further NW than mapped. | ||||||
| 8. | I was just ahead of Eddie when leaving #7 so I kept a quick but steady pace. Eddie passed me going over the ridge. I moved faster once over it and came in just behind him. | ||||||
| 9. | Eddie ran up the safer and less climbe route to the left in the reentrant. I figured the hill wasn't so bad and the attack not very risky so I went over. Eddie had opened up a gap on me but I closed it again taking the shorter route. | ||||||
| 10. | I was feeling tired from getting to #9 and needed to slow. I chased Eddie over the ridges but was careful to keep reading least Eddie suddenly burst away with his speed advantage. | ||||||
| 11. | I'd completely lost sight of Eddie when I took off. I slowed and navigated more carefully. After that, I suppose I was looking in the right direction again and saw him. After crossing the first trail, I felt it safer to be on the left side of the contoured ridge leading to the control. Some others were converging and I passed a few. | ||||||
| 12. | By this point, I was really feeling the effects of going out too fast but happy that it was all homeward now. My running lacked any luster and I set a bearing too much to the left starting out. I corrected and realized that some others were converging again. I passed them getting there. | ||||||
| 13. | I contoured to the right a bit but was sloppy in my reading. I ran to the control on the rocks that was somewhat in-line but about 100m too short on the wrong side of the ridge. I actually punched before checking the code. I just continued. | ||||||
| 14. | I ran a bit to the right to minimize climb but mostly straight. A few time I slowed or paused to read more carefully. I was slow going up the last reentrant to the ridge. I saw the control through the green about 100m ahead. | ||||||
| 15. | I thought to play it safe and use the ridge rather than the trail. I was worried about not having an attack point on the trail. A bit before reaching the control, I stopped in the earth bank area. The mapping has changed in this area. I felt I was descending an earth bank which was just shown as a contour. Things didn't make sense. I stopped and decided to just hug the large reentrant that the trail was in. | ||||||
| 16. | I descended with good speed but was worried about the strain and falling too. I didn't have a good fix on where the control was but I kept going. I saw Ted Answorth ahead cutting across the canal and didn't think it was correct. Staying on the trail and then realizing the control to be near the bridge, I got there a bit ahead of him. He later showed me the results of trying to cross. Though it looked dry from the muddy top being frozen over, it wasn't. | ||||||
| F. | I started to run normally then harder since I didn't want Ted A. to pass me. |
Total Time Lost - 00:00:20