Race Evaluation
Colorado 5-Day: Day 3: Red
Nadim
| 1. |
Did not read control code | Very tired from a long week of running. 8:02am start. Peter Gagarin started 2 minutes ahead. I followed the streamers up the hill to the control. | |||||
| 2. | I set a good bearing and verified my location before crossing the reentrant just left of the rock cluster. I was carefull not to overcorrect and kept going on the same bearing--overcorrecting had led to errors earlier. I reminded myself to read the codes and not just run to the center of the circle. | ||||||
| 3. | +00:15 | Straight. When I got there, I thought it was the wrong control. With the streamered start, I had it in my mind that I was on the 2nd control, not the 3rd. After thinking code 49 was not mine, I ran in the direction of the nearest rock but turned around soon after realizing what I'd done. | |||||
| 4. | Straight on a careful bearing and going to the end of the rocks. | ||||||
| 5. | Straight across on bearing. I noted my location at the end of the first set of rocks, the ran down the right side of the spur. I cut in in a gap in the rocks and spiked the control just as Peter G. was coming in from the north. He said he was already having troubles. | ||||||
| 6. | Peter took off first going down the reentrant. I went higher, cutting through the same gap in the rocks that I had come through before. Climbing the hill across the field/reeentrant, I caught Peter but didn't think I was putting much ground on him as he was running below. I kept heavy rock detail on my left while climbing into a reentrant with Aspens. I cut right through them, noting my location and adjusting bearing to hit the rocks NE of the control. Going through these, I dropped into one reentrant, the cut right a little to go up another. Looking ahead, I rembered Peter's words to someone else about understanding how a mapper picks the most relevant details and doesn't show the rest. I spotted the dot knoll and ran behind it to spike the control. | ||||||
| 7. | Going mostly straight, I hit the road right in the middle of the bend. I kept moving, climbing the spur and keeping the reentrant on my left. I spiked it. | ||||||
| 8. | Going straight, I ran quicker on the flatter ground but was clearly feeling tired and unable to push. I was glad to stop to lay down going under the fence. I worried about getting up the hill on the next leg and kept checking my compass. I used the tree cover to read across the fields and forest. At one point, I thought I could see the formline saddle but going through it on the left side, I wasn't so sure. Somewhere around here, while reading the map, I stumbled and fell on my right knee. I got up running a little slower. Approaching the control I was distracted by a young Blue runner moving west, just outside of the tree cover. I looked ahead and saw the control to my left 35m about the time I entered the woods. | ||||||
| 9. | I at first ran straightish, then angled toward the road bend. I knew the course was going to be downhill after this control and looked forward to it. I gained on the Blue runner initially but then started to lose ground. I hit the road a little north of the bend and rather than follow it south, then west to get around the first ridge of Round Mountain, I went straight around it. I gained ground on the Blue runner who started walking in the field/rentrant. I figured he was going to a different control but later found out he wasn't. I walked on bearing the steep part of the hill once the reentrant ran out. At the top, I was just 20m to the right of the control and was glad for the easy location, right on the ridge. The Blue runner had come out from that direction seconds before and I didn't see him again. | ||||||
| 10. | I mostly contoured slowly at first rather than drop elevation. I was slow crossing the fence and kept the other fence in view on my left. I saw the line of trees coming up and almost dropped too low. I could see the control after getting in the woods. | ||||||
| 11. | I contoured and actually moved up a little at first. At the first saddle I crossed just right of a big pile of dirt right next to a depression but wasn't sure if I was reading it correctly. While checking, I almost ran smack into a stone dot knoll, looking up just in time to get my lead foot over the edge and stumble my way over it. I stayed just on the right (east) side of the ridge dropping from the clearing on the last knoll. I saw it ahead from far off but was a little left. | ||||||
| 12. | I ran out and up a little at first, then got my compass to settle. I read the trees going across the field and kept looking at my compass. In a field, I could identify the knoll and saddle and went through a little on the left side. I kept compass bearing and saw it 100m away. | ||||||
| 13. | +04:00 | I had trouble settling a compass bearing at first. I seemed to zig zag getting to the road but crossed it right about on the line. Crossing the bare rock into the field, I was distracted by the unmapped road and also drawn to it. I saw rocks ahead and ran to them expecting to see the control but I had pulled-up short by 200m. I saw other rocks to the south and went over then over more while searching. I circled back eventually getting to the field again, before the unmapped road. This time I went straight, didn't pace count and started to feel like I missed when I saw an older woman converging. I kept going past the first set of rocks to finally hit the control. All the while, I was thinking Peter would catch me. | |||||
| 14. | I took the time to settle my compass and get the line right before leaving #13. It was visible almost as soon as I left. | ||||||
| 15. | I opted to go around somewhat on the right side of the knoll. Crossing the reentrant and marsh I saw control #72 for another course. I crossed the marsh, staying dry then ran up the hill. Another younger orienteer appeared on my left. I passed him staying lower but started to get confused by the slope and extra trails. Crossing some trails, I settled on one after stopping. The young orienteer went on but I went down the trail. We soon converged. I could see the control 200m away and down. I passed the other runner. I ran this leg very sloppily but fortunately I was able to execute w/o much loss of time. | ||||||
| F. | I didn't run hard since I'd already run fairly hard most of the course. The youngster almost caught me. |
Total Time Lost - 00:04:15