Race Evaluation
Boulder Dash: Red Day 2
Nadim
| 1. | I hoped to do well again but did decide to take more risks. I started off about two minutes behind Kris Harrison and a minute behind the woman in orange that I traded positions with yesterday from #3 to #7. Studying the map the night before and knowing we were going to start at the school, I figured we'd be going out on a leg almost exactly like this. I took off down the trail and cut right at the intermittant trail. I passed the the woman from yesterday, then caught others. I was a little shakey making things match-up after the trail ran out but was going on bearing. Kris appeared ahead a little to my left so I knew I was near on-track. She got there just before me. | ||||||
| 2. | +00:30 | I took off but got too far right. I crossed over the stream and should have known I'd gone too far but didn't until I'd stopped shortly after it. The woman in orange came along the same line and I headed back. I had to turn around again and go N a bit to the control where Kris was just leaving. | |||||
| 3. | Down to the marsh, rather than go through I cut right to go around. As I got across dry and ran the road, Kris and the woman in orange looked to be in the marsh above their knees. I didn't want to run too hard and cause a mental erorr later. I climbed up the road to the curve, cutting in just before the guard rail ended. I couldn't read on the map the old road bed that I was seeing in front of me. I proceeded cautiously contouring across and spiked it. | ||||||
| 4. | I thought to drop down but the running seemed good ahead. I figured I'd stay level and attack from the top of the stream. I almost stopped at the first little stream crossing which wasn't on the map. It was only there because of the recent rains. I heard someone coming up on my from behind but higher. Hitting the second stream and realizing this was really the one on the map, I could see the knolls ahead. I went ahead slow and climbed one to the control. | ||||||
| 5. |
No attack point Bad route choice Did not plan ahead Took a chance Underrated difficulty Ran too fast Read map too late Bad map reading Confused parallel features Could not relocate Followed by others +11:00 | I worried about the person coming up on me and could see that they had on a US Team or Team supporter top. I ran out fast, not planning well. Before hitting the trail, I realized it was Vadim. At the trail, I didn't like the look of the evergreens in front of me. I should have noted my location relative to the marsh before crossing the trail. I climbed higher what seemed like only a little bit to get around them, then went in. I thought I'd dropped again but hadn't really. I saw a small reentrant and figured I was seeing the one NE of the control. I dropped a little but Vadim's presence drew me upward even though he was on a different course. I didn't see the rocks I expected but kept going figuring I was too short. I eventually looped back low, then high, then up to the trail. Getting to the trail, I realized I was too high because I got there too fast. I got to the trail intersection 150m NW of the control then came in carefully to spike it. | |||||
| 6. | +00:30 | I angled back up to the trail rather than try to go foward to the smaller trail. I was worried I might not see either since I remebered hearing some people having trouble w/trails in this area from Day 1. I hit the main trail and ran fast to the bend north and between the marshes north of the control. My attack was too far left but I stopped on a ridge and came down it before seeing the smallish cliffs a little closer to the trail. | |||||
| 7. | Somewhat straight across the area that was previously logged (slow) up to and across the trail, then to the top of the reentrant where I stopped. After a look at the map, I continued to spike it. | ||||||
| 8. | Scary leg #1: I went straight, recognizing the flatish hilltop from yesterday. I used a ridge to stay on a known line. I saw the rocks on the spur of the formline ridge to my right but still had a hard time interpreting the knolls ahead. I kept going expecting to see it one gap earlier than it was but I did go right to it without passing it. | ||||||
| 9. | Going out straight, I hustled a little at first, knowing the rocky spur of the formline ridge on my left. I didn't try to ready everything. I kept looking at my compass and thought about the risk of being drawn left by the slope. It was green but I recognized the flatter area, then the more open white woods. I saw the big depression (negative ticked contour) and stopped to make sure it was the one before spiking the control. | ||||||
| 10. | +00:30 | I started out straight but cut right a bit for better runability. I didn't realize the control was down two contours and didn't like the circle on the map covering a reentrant on the way--the circle should have been broken. When I didn't see it ahead two contours above the control, I paused to read the map more carefully and dropped down to it. | |||||
| 11. | +00:10 | I went kind of straightish crossing the first trail and following a marshy line to the trail along the uncrossable marsh/lake. I went fully around the bend at the end of the uncrossable lake (a bit farther than necessary) before coming back up over the first rise and to the spur. | |||||
| 12. |
Did not check features en route Underrated difficulty Ran too fast Bad distance judgement Lacked concentration +10:00 | Leaving #11 I stopped to eat a Gu and drink. I should have taken longer to study the map. I took off straight then realized I'd have to cross the uncrossable marsh. I cut left before the trail reasoning that the bridge was safer and probably faster than wading perhaps dangerously to my waist below the dam somewhere. Across the bridge, I had trouble reading the map because I was running too fast. I cut right but didn't keep track of the trail bends. At the big bend I thought I was at the smaller ones I'd already passed. At the wet area on the trail, I figured it might be where the stream above was draining but thought it'd be best to be sure and go ahead to where I should see a reentrant on my left that I could climb. I didn't pace count and didn't see the reentrant. Boy, it was fun running. Time and distance completely left my concience. Down further I noticed the uncrossable marsh seeming to end but reasoned incorrectly that the vegetation over the still marshy area was something that couldn't be trusted. I thought I'd see a boulder to attack off of but didn't. I passed one steep climb on my left that I thought I should just go up on but it seemed silly to just run up without leaving from somewhere known. I kept going. Finally I got to another steep hill on my left and plowed up it quickly. I still didn't think anything was wrong until it started to level. I'd actually climbed right from where the trail ran off the map and in climbing I ran off the map. I know this now because I ran across a trail to a field to relocate and saw a house that's visible on the Day 1 map--500m past the control. The house and line of trees alone weren't enough to relocate off of because there were other similar houses. I ran up the trail toward the Day 1 start and didn't know where I was until I hit a switch back. I went straight to it from there. This was a real bonehead of a mistake. I should have started climbing almost as soon as I crossed the marsh. I just lost focus. | |||||
| 13. | Leaving #12 I followed the wall to the upper trail. I went further up to use the field and saw Vadim coming from behind. I almost left the trail one bend too soon but went just SW of the control before angling over. Some people were leaving making it easier to pinpoint. As I dropped to it, Peggy was just leaving. She'd started 4 minutes behind me. | ||||||
| 14. | I wanted to make-up the 4 minutes on Peggy so I took off fast after her. I passed her almost as soon as I got to the trail. Ahead I could see Jim Rayburn moving fast too. He took the field. I stayed on trails just N of the fields and got ahead. I stayed ahead taking a longer way around on a trail to an intersection when I could have followed the wall as Jim did. I had almost caught another guy ahead of me as we climbed along the last wall past the house to the road. The control was fairly easy staying on the ridge and keeping a line off the clearing to the S but I didn't catch the guy ahead. | ||||||
| 15. | Leaving, I took a bit of time to read the route as the other guy got ahead. I left before Jim caught up. I stayed on the ridge to the trail crossing, then had to force myself down and to the left. I almost got ahead of the guy from #14 but hadn't read the control description in time to feel confident running faster. He got there first again as I made up ground again. | ||||||
| 16. | +00:10 | We both started straight but cut right to go around the marsh. I was running faster than I was comfortable with so as the other guy headed to the field to be safe, so did I. I should have gone straight since the running was good and the field very visible but I came of a corner of the field and in w/o problem. | |||||
| 17. | The other guy got out fast but headed N through the field presumeably for the trail. I hesitated and crossed the field east to the trail and saw Jim Rayburn going to #16. I went further on the trail than intended and hit the rock wall intersection. From there I went straight plowing through the 1.5 ft. deep marsh. I cut left a bit to use the trail too. The other guy was nowhere to be seen. I had trouble using the punch on the stand. | ||||||
| F. | It was a nice downhill finish. I had to run around a kid on the white course. |
Total Time Lost - 00:22:50