Training Log Archive: maprunner

It was a long day at work and I just wanted to relax, but the weather was picture perfect fall weather. So I printed a nice O map from Susie Madden of Donald Park, and drove out there for a run. It was beautiful old farmstead, mix of grass paths through the prairie and dirt paths through the woods. Even some huge rock features for interest! It was a nice run.

Greenbush day 2, Green course

I brought my brain with me today, for the most part. It was pouring rain when I started but it let up sometime during the run. It was hard to move through the woods due to lots of downed trees and vegetation hiding the downed trees. It was also hard to see the markers through the vegetation. Twice I was within 20 feet and couldn't see the marker.

I was really glad to have the trail system at the beginning so I could start to make sense of the contours. Most of the time I was still guessing. I would be saying things like, "it will either be a small spur or a small reeentrant" and I would be prepared to see something up or down when I got there. I think my problem was that the up/down tick marks were spaced far enough apart that I didn't always see them; I learned to look far left and right for the tick mark and that helped.

I had a decent day, reading fairly well. I moved very slowly but that was fine by me. I had a really good leg going to 9 and I knew I was going to spike the control (I even knew if it would be up or down :) When I got there, I said, now don't get cocky. So I was cautious to 10. At one point I thought I saw a flash of orange but then it disappeared with the next step, so I ignored it. Soon I wasn't entirely sure where I was, so I made the smart decision to bail out to the trail. When I attacked again, I came to the spot where I had seen the flash of orange. Doh!

Another hesitation on 15 where I couldn't read all the contours close together (I thought it was one big hill but it was actually up, down, up again). And then some nice trail running to end the course.

So happy to have a decent navigation day on this challenging terrain. It was fun!

C • Congrats! 6

Green - Splits

Event: Greenbush 2-Day
 

Greenbush day 1 (Kettle Moraine State Park)
Green course, DNF

I was so psyched to come back to Kettle Moraine Park. I really enjoyed the 2009 Champs, and I came back her with Disorienteer and Linear Ice for a training camp a few years later. This place is hard and it kicked my butt the first few times, but I loved the challenge and the open woods.

I was a bit cocky coming into this event, figuring I had 10 years experience under my belt. Even so, I promised myself I would walk slowly and carefully to the first control (I messed up the first control in 2009).

I tried in the beginning but I was distracted by two other starters. And the fact that I could not make sense of the contours. I walked very slowly, around and around the first control, I relocated to the start triangle three times. It didn't help that the vegetation was thick and the visibility was low. But I still could not understand what was up and what was down. In hindsight, I didn't realize that the contour interval was 3 m. But still. I was about to give up on 1 when I saw the marker out of the corner of my eye. By now I had been out for 26 minutes, and I only wanted to be out about an hour today.

I looked at the rest of the course, and decide to go from 1 to 11 and then the rest to the finish.

I walked slowly towards 11, checking off features. Thinks were making a little bit of sense and then suddenly they were not. I tried a little bit but then decided to give up and head out to the trail. Of course, I stumbled upon 11 while I was doing that.

I decided to keep going and try to salvage the day. I was still surprised sometimes to see something was up when I expected it to be down, etc. but I went slow enough that I manged the short legs without any more disasters.

I still had fun because I love this park, and I appreciated that the Badger group was hosting us. I stuck around to help with marker pickup (but only the beginner course, I didn't want to get lost again!) and to help with results.

Nice dinner that night with Chiori and Shin.

C • Kettle Moraine 3

marker pickup

Green - Splits

Travel day back to Wisconsin. Had some time to work out in hotel room before going out to dinner in Fond du Lac.

Tonight's set:
1) Step ups, 8X each leg, +24 lbs
2) pull downs, wide arms, 12X, unknown weight
3) leg extensions, 15X, unknown weight
4) single arm bench press 8X each arm, 15 lbs