Race Evaluation
Hudson Highlander:
TimGood
| 1. | Went out easy and just followed the pack up the trail. Moved up a bit in the woods. Near Peter G, Brad W, and Peggy D. | ||||||
| 2. | +00:20 | Started to follow the pack when Jeff Saeger split left. Went with him to avoid the climb but cut back to soon then turned my ankle and lost any gains. Punched with Peggy. | |||||
| 3. | Pack split up and I was with a group of around 5 who went with Peter. Learned many years ago at Blue Hills to always keep track of where I am when following Peter because he could drop me at any time. Used one of Simon Becks Omanship techniques for following. Concentrate on the control location and take over the lead there. With Alan Young, Randy Hall, and Peter at the control. Others approaching as we left. | ||||||
| 4. | Straight line with Alan and Randy. Randy missed to right and went past it while Alan & I hit it. | ||||||
| 5. |
Bad route choice +01:00 | Alan seemed to drop down immediately while I tried to contour at first. Came out together at the trail. Went to the smaller trail thinking it would be a better attack point. Should have stayed on the large trail with better running. Had to stop and tie my shoes and fell behind Alan. No problem with control but the pack with Peter and Jeff got in just ahead of me. | |||||
| 6. | +01:00 | I grab a quick drink, punch and head out. Already looked over this leg while on the trail to 5. Climb is all at the end so I am content to follow Peter and rest up for a push at the end. We go to the right while others peel off on the straight line. Bernie and someone who I take to be a cadet (Paul Gates?) are also with us. Think that Paul has been dogging Peter since #2. I have also for a large part of it. Recall that JJ once recommended it as a good stategy for the Goat. We reach the small trail and pick up the pace. I am still waiting for the climb to make my move when I stumble and fall. Manage to dive between some rocks and a protruding stick while keeping my arms in and my wrists proctected. No broken wrist but I scrape everything along the left side, knee, hip and elbow. Bad bruise on the elbow is still sensitive 2 weeks later. The pack loses some time checking that I am ok, then runs away while I try to shake it off. I stumble on and nearly fall twice more, and eventually reach the top. Only Bernie is visible as he punches. | |||||
| 7. |
Bad route choice Read map too late Not thinking clearly +02:00 | Still a little dazed and get confused by the line to 1. Even though I saw Bernie run out I cannot determine which way to go. Jeff Saeger comes in as I head for the building. Thinking that the control is downhill I start running down the road. As I cut across the loop I realize that I am reading the contours wrong and should have stayed high. Seeing the cliffs I foolishly climb straight up then run out the spur. Barely catch a glimpse of Jeff up ahead. Should have stayed on road for good running then climbed at end. | |||||
| 8. | Made up some ground on Jeff as he did something wrong. | ||||||
| 9. | +00:30 | Drank some gatorade? then headed out at the same time as Jeff. He slowly pulled away as I decided it was better to go easy here and not die later. Also had trouble with the rocks on the trail. Stopped for a call of nature (30s). | |||||
| 10. | (Aid) Someone in red (Rick Dewitt?) cruised past me. I caught occasional glimpses of someone else ahead (Alan Young) | ||||||
| 11. |
Hesitated +06:00 | (10) Changed my shoes since I was worried about the heel counter of the pair I had on. Drank half bottle of Safeway sports drink and put on my bottle pack with ERG. Studied the map while changing etc. and tried to find a way to justify the long loop. Could not so grabbed a Powergel and headed out on the inner loop. Over 5 minutes at the control. Saw Brad, Peggy and Randy come in before I left. Went to eat my Gel on the road and could not find it. Must have put it away when I threw my shoes back in the bag. A little conservative in the indistinct trails and Brad and Randy caught me. | |||||
| 12. |
Hesitated +02:00 | (11) Randy has no fear in the rocky ground and leaves me and Brad behind. We stop a little short and spend some time relocating in the green. | |||||
| 13. | +00:30 | (12) I get ahead as Brad stops to tie his shoes. He makes most of it up with better speed in the green then gets ahead when I have to stop and tie my shoes. | |||||
| 14. | (13) Rick Dewitt and Doug Gosling join our group as we make our way uneventfully to 13-15. | ||||||
| 15. | (14) | ||||||
| 16. | (15) Brad and I do another exchange as each has to stop and retie our shoes. | ||||||
| 17. | (16) Brad makes better speed through the green and rocks while I do better in the good stuff. He has pulled away a bit by the marsh 1/2 way to 16, but I close it up as he stops briefly at the knoll 100m sw of the control. | ||||||
| 18. | (17) I stop to tie my shoes once more and Brad and Rick get away. Follow a bearing and after a bit of confusion at the unexpected very distinct trail, continue on to the control. Doug is right with me but I have lost sight of Brad and Rick. | ||||||
| 19. | (Aid) No Brad at the aid station. Swap in a new bottle of ERG from my stuff and waste time trying to get a cup of something from Gatorade jug. Flow is to slow. Find out after the race that Brad has missed 18 and I have gotten ahead of him. | ||||||
| 20. |
Did not follow plan Took a chance Underrated difficulty Tired Not thinking clearly +04:00 | (18) I am alone leaving the aid station. Seeing a big climb up rocky ground, and a long rocky sidehill traverse, I instead head up the trail used by the Sprint. I intend to use the trail to get around the hill and come in from the relatively good running to the NW of the control. See Mary Smith coming down on the Sprint leg. Quickly tire while running uphill and with memories of cramps from last year, slow down. Climb clouds my mind and I cut off just past the stream, contour a bit then cut into the green intending to use the marsh an attack point. Find the white near the marsh, key off the rocks and into the control with no trouble except that it took forever to get here. Should have stayed with my original plan, since cutting off early saved no climb and put me into some very slow green. | |||||
| 21. | (19) I see Misha up ahead but suspect that I have lost places and not moved up. Through the stone walls and out to the road, catching Ross Smith in the process. | ||||||
| 22. |
Did not check features en route Underrated difficulty +05:00 | (20) Start up the trail to NE. Pavline pops out of woods apparently on way to 19. Ross turns left up indistinct trail while I follow Misha on the wide trail. In spite of my efforts to run hard Misha pulls away and is soon out of sight. Think I should have cut in on small trail just after stream but continued up past the mtn top to get around the green. Missed the alley through the green and spend forever getting through it. Another 2 min for a pit stop. Do not know where I am when I emerge from the green and must relocate on some rocks, then run right by the control without seeing it. Know I have gone to far and am heading back toward it when Peggy and Charlie run in from the south. | |||||
| 23. | +01:00 | (21) Split is much slower than expected as I recal no difficulty except for a slight overshoot at the end. Pass Peggy and Charlie in the green (all that practice on the earlier legs came in handy). Between the marshes and up toward the control. Slightly E and past it allowing Peggy and Charlie to catch up. Alan Young also pops out from somewhere. | |||||
| 24. | (22) Four of us still together. | ||||||
| 25. | (23) Alan starts out SW, Peggy and Charlie SE. I waffle then eventually go SE also and catch the indistinct trail and catch Peggy and Charlie (who are paralleling it) They cut back high while I see some streamers to the SE and follow the trail they mark. Lose the trail and the streamers after the green but just crash out to the main trail. Running as hard as I can manage trying to put some distance between me and Peggy. Expect to see her pop out onto the trail at any moment. She does not, but Ross Smith does. We run together in to 23. Brad passes us on the trail as he heads for 24. | ||||||
| 26. |
Tired +01:05 | (24) I see a yukky green, rocky, swampy route to 24 and a nice road run. Go W to road. Ross follows. We run together for awhile then he slowly starts to pull away. Another shoe tying stop and he has a nice lead but I am still planning to close it up. JJ Cote comes out to the road between us and I quickly pass him while speeding up a bit to narrow the gap to Ross. This is where my road running ability should make the difference. Unfortunately I do not get the opportunity to put it to the test. A slight twinge in the thigh signals an impending cramp and my pace drops immediately. JJ passes me and it is all I can do to keep him in sight as we cut throught the clearing to 24. | |||||
| 27. |
Tired | (25) Once through the green and back to the trail I feel better but not enough to try and out kick JJ | |||||
| F. | (Fin) |
Total Time Lost - 00:24:25