Training Log Archive: Ari-o

Slightly above freezing but the course was very frozen and fast. Skiing back and forth across the range. No rifle unfortunately.

So another borked ski-o race. This one I can't blame on myself, since I was pretty diligently checking codes and the little dibbler thing. The technology is god but really needs more feedback: louder beeps and/or something attached to your map board that flashes and says yes you punched, because I am damn sure I punched #15-51 yet it didn't register.

All told I navigated and skied okay, but not great. Yesterday's third map was better. I wasn't feeling that comfortable on my feet on the ice and while I didn't make any huge mistakes, I had a lot of little hesitations which cost time. So another mispunch. Ugh. On the other hand, it was fun.

But, there was still skiing to be had, and before it slushed up too much in the sun I took a fast and fun lap around the course. What nice trails! A little far away though.

Rather than wait around for awards, which I knew were going to take too long, I told Alex where I was planning to run and had her meet me along the way. I headed out the road, down the next route, and down 1A south. That was 4 miles down at this point and no Alex. So I kept running, past the hand-painted "POTATOES FOR SALE" sign and past the "Share the road with rollerskiers" sign (picture was taken) and after 7.5 miles Alex texted that she was on her way and a mile later I was picked up.

Fantastic run. Not too fast, but feeling good. Time to start running season in earnest, for real.

Skiing around the lodge. Feeling about the same as yesterday.

More ski-o! 42 controls worth.

Mistakes to start. It the start gate with my pole and then skied out without looking at my map, Jumped on the wrong trail and no way to get down to the next one, had to turn around and go back. Lost 90 seconds right there.

Without a map I can't detail all of the controls. Took a good route through the woods at one point, bashing through trees on my skis (yes, let's all break equipment) and out on the Fort Fairfield side of the course. Misread 6 and 9 at one point and took a long route, probably another couple of minutes there. Bashed my pole in to my jaw on the first map exchange (hooray!). Had some good controls with good routes and made up some time on Donatas who had caught me, and some stupid ones where I lost time, and then the big climb over the top and some mostly good decisions on the way back.

Then I got to the third map. Adrian had caught up with me by this point but I was able to hold him off to the end of the lap with a combination of route choices and skiing. Finally, after two days and 50+ controls, I found my happy place for orienteering, taking good routes, reading ahead, taking the right routes, and executing well. I won 4 of the first 34 controls, and 5 of the final 8, losing no time in the final map.

Maybe this will carry in to tomorrow.

Event: North American and US SkiO Championships
 

Very small model area, practicing the touch-free SI cards.

Woke up <5 am to drive up with Alex, nose running like Niagara Falls, didn't sleep that great. Big mug of tea and smoothie and a smooth but long ride to the County. Snow. Some snow.

Well, I forgot how to ski-o.

Moreso I forgot how to punch. Skis were pretty fast and I skied well but had a lot of small hesitations. Coming in to 7 (3 seconds off the lead) I was moving fast down a hill and waved my hand by the control but couldn't hear the beeping (and certainly couldn't see the red light in the sunshine, turns out it had registered). So I had to stop, turn, and go back.

Flustered, I then borked 8. I skied by a different control, and with the control markings not on the sides didn't check the number. A mistake. I didn't take the trail I was supposed to, and also didn't then wonder why there was a trail where there shouldn't have been.

Skied the rest pretty cleanly, mostly within a few seconds of the leaders, but still wasn't reading ahead. Didn't help that I was on not enough sleep with a sinus headache. Would have been second (the results had be 17:22 but my printout and watch were 16:36), 15 seconds behind Adrian.

Alex was right, I should go for a run. I did, and the roads were lovely, with more traffic than I'd expected on the paved road. So that was nice.

Running from my house to NP, because my bike is pretty useless these days and running is good for me.

42 sections of NP, feeling kind of sluggish in the warm weather and with tired legs from a double yesterday, with some spice.

Fire drills, squats and push ups.

Run home from NP

Run to Fenspeed, then running in between sprints.

Trackwork. 3x1 mi, aiming for negative splits. This is easier at 6:30 as you wake up more as you run more.

6:00
5:54
5:43

The 5:43 felt good, I guess.

I still don't understand why they built a track that is just slightly more than 1 mile (but not metric, I don't think, just weird).

Then they do Nick's abs, which is a 6 minute workout of pain. I held back a little because I don't want to be too sore going in to SkiO Champs. But track work is fun!

Run home.