Training Log Archive: furlong47

Lesson on Shorty

Event: QOC Hemlock Overlook
 

QOC Hemlock Overlook Bumble - Green

Distance/climb from Garmin

1 KLMNO JIHFG ECBAD 27

This ended up being a tough one for me. I always struggle a bit physically in these winter months in steep QOC terrain, but I also had a few nav issues and not the greatest decision making process today. Oh well.

Had seen #1 on the way to start and it was a road run back to there, so easy. For the first box I intended to do KLNOM, which was possibly stupid on two accounts - why not do L before K, and NOM looks like probably more up and down than NMO. Well, no worries about that anyway because I managed to screw that part up.

So I went down the trail to the side trail and skirted the left side of the reentrants to K. Headed to L, lots of people coming the other way which reinforced that this was a dumb choice. Got to L then headed down to pick up the stream and then cut across the hills to N. Unfortunately my thinking fell apart and I somehow made a parallel/too early error, stopping on the hill north of N and tramping back and forth on it trying to find the control. At one point I could see the field through the trees and knew I was too far east. Charles C was in here looking for it also, which reinforced my idea that I was on the correct spur. Unfortunately we were both wrong. I got over in the area of all the dot knolls and that's when I started having an inclination that I had made a mistake. Yet for some reason I still wandered indecisively before finally deciding to go down to the stream and find M and relocate.

So I went down, turned left, and right there was M with a bunch of people. I made an angry grunting sound which I think surprised some guy. So from M I trudged up the CORRECT spur to N, and then dropped down and back up to O. One window down but my confidence not steady anymore.

I had been planning on the three windows closest to start, but here I paused to examine if there was another choice I liked better. However, feeling mentally shaky, I decided to stick with the original plan in case I wanted to bail early. There were no easy options for getting out of that southernmost area.

So I passed back by M again and climbed the other side, skirting the top of the reentrant near the cairns and easily finding J. Followed along uphill of the stream to I, then continued down it to the trail and along the trail past some cool cliffs to H. By this point staying flatter was my friend, so I continued the long way on the trail until it turned inland and then climbed up to F, back down, and up the other side to G. This was the most slippery and one of the steepest sections.

I continued on the trail back to 1. At this point I really wanted to stop and just call it the 2-window Brown course. (Especially since prior years I sometimes did the 2-window Mint course, not offered this year, although I have also done the 3-window Pink in some parks.) But I decided I could drag myself through the last window.

And it was a bit of a slog, though I was able to get to E, C, B mostly on trails and with only a bit of a climb up to C. Unfortunately from B I had to go over the large hill and drop down to A and then climb back up again. There appears to be an option to skirt the hills next to the water, but Heidi had warned us that the river was high and that wasn't actually possible. I saw no other people in this section except a kid on a beginner course and a few people at the last control. (And non orienteering hikers/dog walkers.)

On the way down to A, I thought I saw that it was next to a large white and brown rock which was definitely not on the map and was wondering what the heck I did this time (as I had been quite sure of my location). But turns out it was just my blurry distance vision, and the thing was actually the rootstock with snow all over it. Duh.

Down the trail with a quick dip into the woods to D, then continued down the trail to the field near the camp, through the platform tent area, and down into the final control, 27.

Went south to the trail, and here made another stupid choice when almost done! Should have just gone through the camp to the parking lot/finish, but it was uphill, and the loop of trail along the powerline looked flatter. So I went this extra distance just to have the same climb at the end. Dumb. But I finished all three windows and somehow got my carcass back to the finish, so it was all good.

Went to my car to change after downloading and ate some food I had there. Did intend to go back up to the lodge but by the time I was done a lot of people were leaving already so I just headed home.

The Bumble - Splits

Since I plan to do the Bumble tomorrow, I was going to just walk on the treadmill a bit. But I ended up stopping at the mall after work, and decided just to walk inside since I was already there.

I had something to do after work and ended up on the other side of town, so I went to a different branch of the gym than where I usually go. Felt kind of alternate dimensionish :-)

Knee is the same - did not bother me while running basically flat and doesn't hurt. Lower back which has also been stiff/a bit painful was similarly fine while running. I'm mildly falling apart... sometimes.

This gym has the hydromassage beds in addition to the normal massage chairs, so I tried one of those. They also have the massage area in a separate room with dim lights, which is nicer than my home gym. (They are right by the front desk in a high traffic area.)

Riding is rescheduled for the weekend when it won't be single digit cold.

Right knee (usually the better of the two) has been feeling clicky when climbing stairs or hills for a little while now. It doesn't hurt, just feels like something popping in and out (not audibly) each step. It doesn't bother me when moving flat or downhill, even running. Research seems to suggest it can be a small meniscal tear or tendon swelling. This has happened with the other one before and then gone away, so we'll see if it clears up on its own or becomes an issue.

C • Hope 1

About had it with humans today, and my back hurts a bit too, so I just came straight home after work.