Training Log Archive: AliC

Headed out after breakfast to get myself used to 1:15. Some pace-counting calibration, just getting the feel for the smallness of everything on the map!

Not much of a warm-up... Just wasn't feeling like I needed my legs as primed for the long, although it probably wouldn't have hurt.

NAOC Long - Egypt Mills - RouteGadget

Another good one! In fact, by WRE points, my best of the weekend. Again, no real mistakes, perhaps not perfect route choice, but nothing that cost me too much. 3 minutes and change back from Emma. I passed three-minute up Louise shortly after 9, having first seen her heading into 8. Then I caught Sam on the way to 13. I led into that control, but then she kicked it up a notch and we were flying through the rest of the course. We both need to reach the point we have that full-speed confidence on our own, because physically we can do it and stay in map contact. (Check out how even or ahead our splits are of Emma!)

2- Came out a bit higher than planned in reentrant, and just decided I was looking for a control in the reentrant, whoops, no, spur.
8 - Took low route. Kinda liked it, was fast running for the bit I was on the flat shelf, and maybe less up-and-down than high route.
9 - Bah, distracted by Louise into a route I didn't want to take. Serves me right. Took a gel at the control.
10 - Went left. Tried for a bit to make something right work, and perhaps that was the faster choice. But Emma went left and still put 1m45 on me. Jeez!!
13 - Once we were on the trail, probably should have stayed with it for a flatter route choice (little trail to big trail to straight shot between the little lake and big one).
14-Finish - Flying! =)

RedY Long - Splits

Arrived at NAOCs and headed out in the rain for a waltz around the model map, trying to note vegetation and other things. Noted that a distinct tree in the middle of the woods wasn't super-distinct and that veg boundaries were there, but difficult to make out in a flash.

Warm up- a little more intense than planned, as I had forgot my uniform top at the arena, whoopsie!

NAOC Middle - Adams Creek - RouteGadget

A very solid race, 2 min back from Emma Johansson, just snuck in before Sam. It did feel like I was just jogging at some points, but I had no real mistakes or moments of confusion. I lost time in some little things, most notably right around the spectator run-through. I didn't give those controls enough respect, figuring they would somehow be 'easy' because of their proximity to the big open rocky area.

1 - A hard first control! I went in off the trail bend and contoured/kept to bearing which dumped me right at the reentrant and control. Phew!
3 - I went straight, Emma was signifcantly faster, I wonder how...
5 - Lost time hesitating choosing a route from #4, ended up using trail of white for a bit.
6 - Drifted too far right, slowed down to adjust.
8 - Was confident and just opened up and ran! Won that split by a bunch =)
9 - Wow, really lost time on this one, should have kept the running speed up, it was an easy one! I remember hesitating, should have just kept the confidence.
12 - I did the hillier route choice, should have gone right, I think.
13 - Ooh, terrible. Jeff Teutch came screaming by, tried to use him to pick up the pace, but that left less brain power to figure out actually getting to the spectator control...
14 - Again, not enough respect, just figured I'd see it on the other side of the wide open, and there were also other people around who I kinda figured might also find the control. But we were more left of the line than I thought, and another control was kinda similar in a narrow reentrant and then was starting to head too far E before correcting. Boo.
15 - I didn't have a good route, and was hesitant the whole way. Angelica came screaming by me at one point, which kinda kicked my butt into gear!
17 - High percent behind on this one, I was hesitant avoiding going to the lower (wrong) boulder.

Great fun, enjoyed the challenge of a nice, technical middle-distance!

Middle - RedY - Splits

Event: 2012 North American Orienteering Championships
 

Very chill specific strength workout around the neighborhood. Lots of folks cleaning the leaves off their lawns. Read a map of Stuckey's Pond, finally getting out using the map holder!

And did my orienteering homework, finally! Have QuickRouted both the SMOC meet at Mill Lake and my most recent training on the Wildwood map (both linked below). Turns out for the latter I missed a control site or two, whoops!

Also read up on Bulletin 3 for NAOCs- excited!

Is anyone heading from somewhere along I-80 towards NAOCs on Thursday? I would really, really love to carpool, drop me a line if so!

A very multi-color day =). Biked to Wildwood, because I'm trying to take it easy on my injured toe....

And second time orienteering at Wildwood! Used more of the terrain, totally usable, except when I tried to get to the bit in the upper north-east corner, which it turns out, is on the other side of an uncrossable body of water. Well, probably crossable if I really wanted, but eh.

Surprised lots and lots of deer. Think they have learned that people generally stay on the trails.

QuickRoute

Ankle plyos.

Hammies and push-ups (up to 20!)

Bike path + Wildwood loop rxc, alternating between double pole, no poles and with poles about every 10 min. The Wildwood loop does have some gradients, one I even V1'ed up in a bit of a lazier mood...

Event: SMOC Mill Lake
 

Met oodles of friendly SMOC folk in the parking lot/at registration before heading out!

SMOC Red course @ Mill Lake

Very, very happy that both my ankle and toe survived with no extreme pain upon dorsiflexion, woo! Had a great time out there, but I had a bonus adventure doing a 180 degree error that led me of the map and totally, totally confused. I'm not sure I've actually ever 180'ed so badly, but hopefully that gets it out of my system for next week!

With that error, guskov trounced me, and I just snuck in a half minute or so before Mark V.

Will write up in detail, because I haven't been doing much orienteering recently, so can stand to learn from each leg.

1- Undecided - saw the low trail, thought that looked nice, then kind wimped out about reclimbing contours. So stayed high and ran into an 'erased' trail - meaning it is (mostly) erased in the terrain and also (mostly) erased on the map. Ok, but probs the low trail is fastest
2- Up and over on bearing, then I hesitated becasue it looks like left reentrant was circled, but control was in the right reentrant, went down to check and my code, so punched.
3- Trail run, I turned off well.
4- Trail run, but I probably put too much effort into skirting the Crazy Hilda's Halloween House (= OOB).
5 - Trailed it again, after looking at some thick veg on the edge of the field.
6 - A bit thick at first, I found decent ways through though, then the most gorgeous and interesting bit of map! Nobbly and open!
7 - Hesitant, becuase I wasn't 100% sure I'd found the marsh crossing I wanted, but then other features lined up, so I had to have. Approaching control, didn't sense things lining up for awhile, so remained hesitant.
8 - Ug. So this time, I didn't find the marsh crossing I wanted to, so was initially confused, and so the going-south plan didn't work. Then something happened, and Aha! I figured out I had to go north??? except, I didn't... so I ran off the map. Took awhile to realize and then battled across a marsh to get back on the map. Phew.
9- Yeehaw, found the helpfully-marked-on-map new trail.
10- Went left of immediate marsh- maybe right was more direct?
11- Stayed on ridge, some running into thorns, ran through the graveyard... it wasn't marked OOB...
12 - Went on big trail and then in.
13 - Run, run, run, and then I missed the control because it was not right adjacent to stream-ditch as marked on the map. So went too far and then returned with a more-looking-up-and-around approach.
14 - More running, took the road, although I didn't get out to it very well, tried to cut a corner but it was thick green stuff.

QuickRoute

C • #1 = local's advantage 9

Control collecting. Chatted more before and after!

Post-SMOC meet, mosied over to IKEA. Mmmmm swedish meatballs. And a new dresser and bookshelf, which will do the immediate rounding-out of apartment. Next mission is to assemble them... for another day.

C • Meatballs and shopping 6