Race Evaluation
QOC Oregon Ridge: Blue
Nadim
| 1. | I angled up the steep hill at the start and got to the trail intersection. I ran the trail around the curve and went up a reentrant to the flat part of the large spur. Reaching the final reentrant, I could see the control over 100m away. I lost sight of it as I dipped down to cross the reentrant. Another person was headed there too and I got there just after him. | ||||||
| 2. | +00:35 | I debated in my head going back near the start but figured Francis had set it so that this wouldn't be advantageous--I'm not sure if I was right or not. I crossed the reentrant that I'd been over getting to #1, then climbed through a saddle. I dropped down from there to save distance and use the lower trails. I suppose that the trail I was headed toward was covered in leaves because I didn't see it as I came up against some green. My GPS track shows I stopped progress just short of it. I curved back across the stream and climbed in the reentrant eventually coming out at an intersection that I had been heading toward. I got around a reentrant still staying short of using a trail--the woods seemed just as fast and were shorter in distance. I did however descend on a trail in the direction of the control. I must have stayed on the trail too long. I thought I saw the intermittant trail leading off but am unsure. Expecting to see a small knoll before the last reentrant, I only saw a spur. I also expected the control to be lower and within the reentrant. I paused at the end of the spur expecting to see the control below while some Orange course runners converged toward it higher up. I got there just after them, and after Sandy Filibrown who had come from a different direction. | |||||
| 3. | I was a little sloppy coming through the fields. A prominent pavillion just didn't seem in the right place as I ran across. When I got through the first tree break, I wasn't sure of my position but after a pause, I settled on crossing through a light green reentrant where Dan Barker was going. I didn't realize that he was running Blue at this time. My GPS track shows that I went through more green woods but actually I was running in the grassy field just north of them. | ||||||
| 4. | +01:00 | Back out of #3 the way I came, I settled on running up the long ride to get to #4. I wasn't happy about having to climb this hill again since I was just up on the way to #1 and #2. I kept moving for all but the steepest portion before the top. Seeing a reetrant on my right, I angled across and converged with the main NW/SE trail. My GPS track is off here. I ran on the trail a bit and was careful to see that I'd passed the two large reentrants on my left before cutting over. As I crossed the next reentrant, I expected to be able to finde the control lower on the other side at more of a curve in the contour. I saw the contours curving lower so I adjusted my attack only to not find it when I reached the curve. I came up from there a little bit before seeing it. | |||||
| 5. | As I ran toward #5, I thought I was being careful but I must have drifted a bit more left than going straight. I had been surprised to find myself so close to a house. I corrected a bit and ran down the reentrant and up the other side so as not to have to climb at the end. I had to go higher than intended for better footing and faster woods. | ||||||
| 6. | I climbed along an arcing route. I expected to see #7 below before #8 and as soon as I reached a point where I could see the bottom of the reentrant, I did see #7. Marit Davis was approaching it. I kept on arcing over to #6. | ||||||
| 7. | It was funny how I had lost sight of the control briefly on this short leg. | ||||||
| 8. | I angled back wanting to stay a bit high as I crossed the next reentrant but the bottom was flat. I went a straighter route and crossed near a derilict car (perhaps due to the hills my GPS watch must have lost satellite reception a few times in the #5, #6, #7, #8 sequence). I was lower than expected when crossing the trail and knew this from the orientation of the trail--the bend was much higher than expected. I kept a good bearing and converged on it with another runner who was ahead but coming from below. I tried to use the green hash marks on the map and made up most of the distance on the other runner who had paused just before the fallen trees. I think I got there right before the other runner. | ||||||
| 9. | My first thought was to look for a better way than the intial steep climb toward the trail but I settled on using the trail to the SW. I walked much of this but did leave the other runner behind. Along the way I curved left a bit and didn't worry about hitting the trail. The woods along the long reentrant were very fast with less climb so I just kept running. I did start to doubt my position but kept to a bearing before and after the major yellow ride. It seemed like I was hitting the next major reentrant system more than I wanted to so I adjusted going left to run around it. My GPS track doesn't really reflect the change I thought I was making. I crossed a side reentrant, aimed for and got to a saddle. At the ridge trail there, I adjusted my plan to use the trail instead of going across the next reentrant and through the green. The trail route was farther but I reasoned it would be easier both technically and physically. It also gave me a chance to eat on the run. I'd run out of Gu so I had brought along a piece of Cliff Bar--it wasn't as good and didn't seem to have the same effect. Maybe the effect is just slower. I was surprisingly tired as I angled up off trail toward the last reentrant and to the control. I may have walked a bit. | ||||||
| 10. | +02:45 | I drank at least twice before leaving. It seemed like something was wrong at first. I expected to be climbing more steeply on my bearing. After the first hill, I thought I was hitting the reentrant at the flatter part near a bend. My Route Gadget GPS track has been edited and was way off here. I adjusted bearing to take out some of the steepness of the next hill but apparently at the top I never adjusted again. I was looking for a flatter area. I didn't check the trail orientation well when crossing it. I expected to see the control across the reentrant where I descended and when I didn't, I cut right looking for the right contours and a big tree. Finding no control but seeing the houses so close by clued me in that I was too low. I climbed back and found the small holly tree. | |||||
| 11. | I was tired climbing out of #10. I matched-up the green hash on the map with the fallen trees but I think the deadfall is more extensive. I was partly in it along the edge and it wasn't bad. I reached the ride at the trail crossing and only used the trail for 2 or 3 steps. Cutting the corner, I angled over to the giant saddle and ran on the trail. I debated a few routes in my head and took a middle one. I didn't like the idea of descending a spur then crossing a reentrant so I made another adjustment along the route that I used on the way to #2. I hit the major yellow ride perfectly at the trail intersection and ran faster down the trail. After the sharp trail bend, I ran along the edge of the green. The green seemed to me to go lower than the map showed it. I ran the edge of it until I could see it open slightly. Running through the green I crossed the ditches and hit the next trail just at the spur. | ||||||
| 12. | +00:15 | I was a bit sloppy here. The woods had been so nice that I was despartely looking for an open route to #12. I didn't read the map very well and I climbed the knoll (this helped me later in the relay sprint). The green wasn't too bad to get through though it forced me more north than the map seems to indicate. Once in the field I could see the thicket, then the control. | |||||
| F. | +00:24 | I had run early so there wasn't an elephant track to the finish punch. Using the map, I ran parthly on the paved path to the buildings. The control was to be between them and was printed more like on the south side. I ran to the epunch registration area then was pointed back as I inquired about the finish punch. The finish placement in front of the unmapped turkey enclosure was wrong and I heard other had trouble with it too. Later in the relay, I covered most of the same distance in less than half the time. |
Total Time Lost - 00:04:59