Training Log Archive: sherpesIn the 7 days ending Sep 26, 2015:
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Saturday Sep 26, 2015 #
11 AM
Orienteering race (rogaine) 5:52:34 [5] 30.1 km (11:43 / km)
shoes: BrooksCascadia 5
In what is becoming an annual attendance, drove in carrying 40 high-capacity SI sticks that the WPOC club is loaning to the Buffalo club. We arrived at 10:15, and maps were already distributed. Seeing the map, and from past experience, I thought it was clearable, but it turned out that I was wrong, or at least for my body.
My strategy was to go counter-clockwise, and leave the low pointer controls located near the finish to the end.
1-35-31-36-27-20-37
Took the paved road and immediately went for high-point business. The gods were with me, as I nailed each control. 265 points in just under one hour.
18-21-7
Mostly running on trails, did a small mistake (~1 min) in choosing the wrong trail to 18. Used 23 minutes in this set. From this point, my original plan was to go 22-45-32, but instead, I did...
10-32
Somehow, i changed my mind, and got attracted by the road and the desire of bagging 10, which was worth 20 points, and in my original plan was to be skipped, but since I felt confident that the course was clearable, abandoned the original plan and went to 10. BAD CHOICE !!! from 7 to 10, used up 20 minutes. Just couldn't find that bouder/cliff. Saw a bunch but not the coveted one with the white-and-orange flag. Went back to the road, re-attacked from the bend (as before) and this time went further in, and found another set of boulder/cliffs, and after zigzagging a bit, found it. I just screamed, this control's point wasn't worth the effort. By comparison, 7 minutes to go from 10 to 32.
32-38-26
missed the creek where 26 was so kept going to 38, and on the way back on trail, recognized the creek and found 26 easily. 2hr mark when 38 was found.
26-43-17
From 26, found a bunch of trails that lead to 43, but wasn't sure which creek to pick to go downhill. Continuing on trail, found a giant boulder, and identified it on the map. But then, trail went slightly uphill and got suspicious. Turns out that on the map there were two giant boulders, and mis-identified the one I saw. Had to run back. Mistake of 4 minutes. After 43 I meant to go NE to get to 45-22-30-19 using a trail that would have connected me to the creek leading to 45, but then I had second thoughts and went to 17. Unfortunately I made that decision when I was on the north side of the creek, and there was a really narrow patch of marsh separating two areas of bright yellow open field, but that marsh was unpenetrable and had to retreat twice. Terrible mistake, so much that a team of walkers that were with me at 43 got to 17 well before me. Terrible... terrible.
19-45-22-30
At this point, hit the road running and reached 19 in 10 min, trekked uphill to reach 45 in 11 minutes (3-hr mark here), 22 in 8 min, 30 in 7 min.
34-28-11-15-44
After 30, running downhill on the road, reached 34 in 11 min. 28 in another 11 min. At this point, thought of going for 44, but felt guilty of leaving behind the isolated 11-15 set, so went for them, mostly running on the road. The descent down to 44 was painful for my aging body, can't do these descents anymore. And when I finally was down there, in the depest of the hollow touching 44, it was now 5 minutes past the 4-hr mark. It was now obvious that I was going to to miss many controls on the course.
44-14-33-39-42-40
Straight uphill and got to 14 in 12 min. Another 12 min used up in getting to 33, due to some sloppy work in recognizing the trail above. And another 13 min used to go uphill and then dowhill to get to 39. Going thru the pine forest, got to 42 in 8 min, and then, following the creek bed all the way to 40, got there 9 min. At this pioint, had 53 minutes left, and didn't feel it was safe to get to 29-23-16, and instead gained the uphill road to the West for a safe and reliable exit and headed back. After 5 hours, needed all my yoga to get me out and back home, and chose the safe return route.
9-16-25-12-6-2-4
On the run/walk back, realized that I indeed had more time that anticipated and descended down a bit to get 9. Upon continuing, somehow lost mind concentration, and lost a turn into a side trail and for a bit, veered off course (mistake of 4 min). Corrected myself, but then realized I still was in time to get 16. The rest was all pretty easy. Someone said to me after the finish that I had 8 minutes left and I could have gotten 3. Maybe, not sure. I was pretty tired, and saw the finish downhill and said "that's it"
Despite the strong run, apparently covering a distance of 30.2 km, according to my GPS, did too many mistakes, and inproptu change of route decisions. The idea of the first hour of controls was good, but then I lost too much time. After the event, my route should have been 1-35-31-27-20-37-18-21-22-45-32-38-26-43-17-19-30-34-28-44-14-33-39-42-11-15-40-29-13-41-8-23-16-25-12-6-2-1 (leaving behind 24, 7, 9, 5, 3)
My strategy was to go counter-clockwise, and leave the low pointer controls located near the finish to the end.
1-35-31-36-27-20-37
Took the paved road and immediately went for high-point business. The gods were with me, as I nailed each control. 265 points in just under one hour.
18-21-7
Mostly running on trails, did a small mistake (~1 min) in choosing the wrong trail to 18. Used 23 minutes in this set. From this point, my original plan was to go 22-45-32, but instead, I did...
10-32
Somehow, i changed my mind, and got attracted by the road and the desire of bagging 10, which was worth 20 points, and in my original plan was to be skipped, but since I felt confident that the course was clearable, abandoned the original plan and went to 10. BAD CHOICE !!! from 7 to 10, used up 20 minutes. Just couldn't find that bouder/cliff. Saw a bunch but not the coveted one with the white-and-orange flag. Went back to the road, re-attacked from the bend (as before) and this time went further in, and found another set of boulder/cliffs, and after zigzagging a bit, found it. I just screamed, this control's point wasn't worth the effort. By comparison, 7 minutes to go from 10 to 32.
32-38-26
missed the creek where 26 was so kept going to 38, and on the way back on trail, recognized the creek and found 26 easily. 2hr mark when 38 was found.
26-43-17
From 26, found a bunch of trails that lead to 43, but wasn't sure which creek to pick to go downhill. Continuing on trail, found a giant boulder, and identified it on the map. But then, trail went slightly uphill and got suspicious. Turns out that on the map there were two giant boulders, and mis-identified the one I saw. Had to run back. Mistake of 4 minutes. After 43 I meant to go NE to get to 45-22-30-19 using a trail that would have connected me to the creek leading to 45, but then I had second thoughts and went to 17. Unfortunately I made that decision when I was on the north side of the creek, and there was a really narrow patch of marsh separating two areas of bright yellow open field, but that marsh was unpenetrable and had to retreat twice. Terrible mistake, so much that a team of walkers that were with me at 43 got to 17 well before me. Terrible... terrible.
19-45-22-30
At this point, hit the road running and reached 19 in 10 min, trekked uphill to reach 45 in 11 minutes (3-hr mark here), 22 in 8 min, 30 in 7 min.
34-28-11-15-44
After 30, running downhill on the road, reached 34 in 11 min. 28 in another 11 min. At this point, thought of going for 44, but felt guilty of leaving behind the isolated 11-15 set, so went for them, mostly running on the road. The descent down to 44 was painful for my aging body, can't do these descents anymore. And when I finally was down there, in the depest of the hollow touching 44, it was now 5 minutes past the 4-hr mark. It was now obvious that I was going to to miss many controls on the course.
44-14-33-39-42-40
Straight uphill and got to 14 in 12 min. Another 12 min used up in getting to 33, due to some sloppy work in recognizing the trail above. And another 13 min used to go uphill and then dowhill to get to 39. Going thru the pine forest, got to 42 in 8 min, and then, following the creek bed all the way to 40, got there 9 min. At this pioint, had 53 minutes left, and didn't feel it was safe to get to 29-23-16, and instead gained the uphill road to the West for a safe and reliable exit and headed back. After 5 hours, needed all my yoga to get me out and back home, and chose the safe return route.
9-16-25-12-6-2-4
On the run/walk back, realized that I indeed had more time that anticipated and descended down a bit to get 9. Upon continuing, somehow lost mind concentration, and lost a turn into a side trail and for a bit, veered off course (mistake of 4 min). Corrected myself, but then realized I still was in time to get 16. The rest was all pretty easy. Someone said to me after the finish that I had 8 minutes left and I could have gotten 3. Maybe, not sure. I was pretty tired, and saw the finish downhill and said "that's it"
Despite the strong run, apparently covering a distance of 30.2 km, according to my GPS, did too many mistakes, and inproptu change of route decisions. The idea of the first hour of controls was good, but then I lost too much time. After the event, my route should have been 1-35-31-27-20-37-18-21-22-45-32-38-26-43-17-19-30-34-28-44-14-33-39-42-11-15-40-29-13-41-8-23-16-25-12-6-2-1 (leaving behind 24, 7, 9, 5, 3)