Training Log Archive: mikeminium

Event: OCIN TROL WARS at Armco Park
 

setting up game cameras at Armco Park.

Very physical course in deep crusty snow at Armco Park. I'm not very happy with this run, but mainly it was lack of physical fitness and running speed thru the snow. It didn't help that i was dressed for 5 degree F weather instead of 20+ and sunny. The forecast had been for colder, and after an hour of setting out the maps, putting up game cameras, etc, my toes were frozen before I started, so I obstinately resisted the urge to layer a little lighter. Still, there were times turning into the wind (very light breeze) in open areas when I zipped up the jacket tighter, but often I had the jacket unzipped and I'm sure I could have easily borne the colder periods with a layer less.

Splits show lost time on leg 8. I might have been able to shave a few seconds getting to the path, but at risk of staying in green veg longer. I could have shaved a few seconds going thru the depression to the control on the far side instead of skirting around the edge, but seeing where feet had broken ice into the water-filled depression, I was happy to take a few extra seconds.

Lost time on 13. Probably not the most efficient route choice. Might have been faster taking the road all the way and definitely would have been faster cutting behind the ranger's house. It wasn't marked out of bounds this time but has been in the past, so I gave it a wider berth...

Lost time on 16. Purely running speed in the snow; there wasn't any shorter way to do it, and a couple places it felt faster running alongside other people's tracks rather than in them.

Overall, could have shaved seconds here and there, mostly route choices dependent on the snow. Roads were best when they could be used; paths were highly variable - a couple were trampled enough to be good running but most were chunky and lumpy and not necessarily better than going thru snow.

Example: 1 to 2: in normal conditions the way I went (path) was reasonable. With the deep snow it might have been better to jump the creek (wet feet risk?), scramble up the bank and thru the band of green to get to the cleared road.

OCIN_Armco_Park_TROL-WARS_Feb_2021_5 Green - Splits

physical therapy session

MVOC Green course at Caesar Creek State Park - several inches of snow. Major 10 to 13 minute multiple errors on control 7. (This was all in a very flat, pretty much featureless area with a few ruined fences that should have been perfect catching features). I think I wasn't careful enough with compass, hit a fence that went at about 45 degree angle to the one I intended to follow, followed it the wrong way for a ways, realized the bearing was off and corrected. Hit another fence which the angle also appeared to be off, but was probably the correct one; thought I had relocated when I hit a minor path paralleling the fence, but turned out to be an unmapped path and ended up following it the wrong way and finally relocating on the reentrant system not far from control 8 (6-7-8 was a roughly 50-55 degree dogleg). For there it was easy to 7, then right back the same way to 8, then reverse the route again to get to 9 (since 7-8-9 was a roughly 30-35 degree dogleg).

Hamstring started to twinge just a little bit going up a steep hill to 13, so I was a little more cautious on the legs for the final few controls. Wasn't careful enough with navigation again going from 16 to 17, and while I intended to do a gentle "C" shape to get around big reentrants, I initially went too much north and not enough west and did more of an L... Probably cost another 2-3 minutes.

Otherwise, pretty clean navigation, just slowed by the deep snow.