Training Log Archive: Tundra/Desert

Event: Big Muddy Rogaine III
 

The first loop of the Big Muddy Rogaine, the US Champs. With Roschi. I was confident that we would get all controls, since the course area was only about 120 km². I laid out two equal-length loops, about 38 km each as the straight line goes.

The unexpected wrench was the complete lack of water at the very first water stop, which we hit at about two hours going. We immediately went into conservation mode, and had to re-plan the first loop so as to hit another water stop before imminent death. It was quite warm, and I guess I never quite got out of the conservation mode or drank enough. I also had no appetite. By the end of the loop, I was dragging. On each uphill, no matter how small, my breath would quicken and I would sweat.

One control (#42) was clearly not there (but a ribbon was), and we only wasted 2 minutes at the location. At another location (#38), we did some looping around (about 11 minutes), leaving with confidence that we'd been in the right spot (I tagged a rock for evidence). At a third location, Control 65, the flag was on the wrong side of a stream, but it was dark and we spotted the reflector.

I forced myself to eat a bowl of vegetarian chili at the hash house, but my stash of hamburgers remained virtually untouched. My urine was dark brown. We spent 1 hour 12 at the hash house, but the rest was well worth it.

Roger voiced his navigational opinioin only once on this loop, but at a critical time, preventing a mistake by me. The length is an estimate, the climb is from the Polar. The climb number should be good.

Yes I am going to the rogaine... the cold isn't that bad. Whatever happens.

After fixing Eric's light, I did a ghetto hearing test on myself today with a DS360 and my MDR-V600s. I used the impedance and sensitivity numbers from the datasheet. I guess I did this to make sure there was no obvious deterioration compared to the period just after the catastrophic loss.

The numbers:

(kHz)	Perceived flat response to	70 dB	100 dB
Left	4.2	5.3	9.4
Right	12.6	15.1	16.1

This may be an improvement in the bad ear, although of course my equipment wasn't calibrated yadda yadda. Also, I distinctively recall in about 1997 being able to hear all the way to 18 kHz in both ears, whereas my 48-year-old advisor could only go to about 3 kHz. How time flies.

The "hearing" I have in the damaged ear between 5 kHz and 9 kHz is not much beyond an increase in ringing that's already there. Certainly no pitch sensitivity above 5 kHz.

There was no lymph node involvement during the whole ordeal. The ears seemed to plug intermittently, but the infection didn't go near either inner ear, the hearing is fine. The eye redness subsided today.

The effect was dramatic, and the improvement, noticeable. The throat was no longer uncomfortable, although it did still hurt a bit. The right eye was still super-red and itchy this morning.

I did another 11 g of C during the day on Tuesday, along with a few more cimetidines. There is a lingering disturbing cough that I've been putting dextromethorphan with pseudoephedrine at. The latter may be the reason I don't sleep well.

Built another DIY power supply today, and started on fixing Eric's light for the rogaine.

After the plane ride, my right eye was completely plugged up with gunk, and the voice function was still not present. Instead of work I went home and got into bed.

The throat was not getting any better. So, I started on Vitamin C. Took some doxycyxline just in case, too... partly because of the cold, partly because of the ticks, taking no chances.

After about 10 grams of C, slipping in and out of sleep, no change. So, on early Tuesday morning I remembered about cimetidine, and took a few tablets, and about 5 more grams of C.

Went to St. Louis and test-ran the M21 Day 3/WRE course of the Trials. The course was fine, passing as it was for a WRE day, and the terrain was a blast; I haven't had this much fun orienteering at any A meet yet this year. I gave dWelsh and ebuckley some pointers on possible improvements, but don't expect it to change much. I was clean, only spending 3 minutes to look for a ribbon that was on the ground in pieces.

The pace was Level 3 for the first half, but then I felt worse with the cold—had trouble breathing out—and did quite a bit of walking in the second half. The length is preliminary but the climb is final, straight from the unit.

Lost my voice almost completely in the evening. And, to add to crap luck, my DIY power supply expired with a high-pitched sound. It was probably too much to expect to squeeze 82 continuous watts out of a 110 W switcher.

Extracted about 3 attached ticks this evening.

Blue - Splits