Training Log Archive: Charlie

Billed as training at Ironwood Park, just one course, one map, with a long sign with 13 controls and the option to go directly from 6 to 12 making a shorter course. I got very screwed up looking for 2, finally relocating from a trail/wash crossing 200 m SW, it after that I read the many washes with some care, which are pretty much the only navigational features available. So 3 was good, and then along the long leg to. I encounter Leslie, who was looking for 3, and then saw 10 on my way to 4, found 4,5,6 without incident, and it was a lot of fun, so just kept going and got them all. Tori Campbell passed me near #5, although I saw her off and on until #8. Cristina passed me between 5 and 6 when I was stopped to pry cholla out of my ankle. Saw her from time to time until almost #9. 10 was harder to find as 10 than it had been on the way to 4. Only problem I had was drifting right on the way to 11, heading more right until I saw the trail, and then easy from there. Saw Angelica with her dog (!) heading toward 11 when I was going to 12. Can’t imagine a small fluffy white dog and a cholla plant would get along well. A very nice time, and a nice chat with Cristina after.

Map Day 4 Ironwood SP Long

Desert museum with G&L. Interesting plants and animals, got tired and thirsty by the end.

Ironwood Long - Splits

Cholla chase mass start race at Catalina SP. The deal on this was that there was a box with 7 controls, and one had to get a specific number in any order depending on age and sex. I needed 3. I think the 3 I picked were fine, but my route into and out of the 3rd one was pretty awful, climbing a nasty rocky slope filled with cholla and other cactus to the control, and then getting off in the wrong direction and an awful time getting back out of the box. I’m thinking 5 minutes lost climbing up and 10 lost coming down, including one stop to take a shoe and sock off to get a spine out of my little toe and another to take my pants down and pry sines out of my upper leg. After that generally fine. My control order was 1-G-A-B-1-2-3-4-5, caught up to George just after 2, who also struggled in the box, but not as much as I did, and to Leslie at 3, and generally happy with my performance on 2-3-4-5.

Map Day 3 Catalina Park Cholla Chaser

Javelina Hustle, mass start race in the Coronado National Forest S of Tucson. There were short, medium and long options, all starting together and most or all going to the same several first controls. Very slow, but trying to run. It was beautiful terrain. No problems with navigation in the first half, getting passed by lots of fast guys right after each control, so maybe they were having more trouble than I was. First mistake was at #6, a gully junction, where I was headed right to it, but as I approached I saw Gavin heading up the gully, and I thought that meant we were too low. Followed uphill for about 20m until I realized he was on a different course and I was now too high, so maybe 30 seconds or so lost. Then not far behind a young woman, although she was moving faster, and then a young man showed up who had overshot, ani was maybe behind them about 30 seconds, and they apparently ran together the rest of the way. I lost sight of them after 8, and then got a bit confused on the way to 9, stopping well short and milling around before I realized that the hill in front of me which had seemed too far away was actually my control. Lost about 5 minutes. Then there was a line-o with 3 controls along it. Not my favorite format. Angled down a mostly featureless hillside, and was streamered apparently for the benefit of the yellow course, but I thought I saw a shallow reentrant right under the line and was convinced there would be a control in it. So searched and searched, finally gave up and staggered down the hill to the control at the bottom. Luckily it was the right one. Then stopped and punched a yellow control along my line, but it wasn’t one I needed to punch, and fought along an overgrown wash, lucky to get the next one that was on a curve in the next wash over, maybe 30 meters to my right. One more, which I almost went by, as it was a bit off to the right, and then in. 3rd place on the short.

Map Day 2 Javelina Hustle Short

Javelin Hustle Short - Splits

Event: Southwest Spring Week (SWSW)
 

Day 1 of Southwest Spring Week , Brown course at Catalina State Park. More or less an ok run, not moving at all fast, but normally major screw ups, and not much in the way of cactus encounters.

1. Turns out that this took me right by where we had parked the car, and so pretty clean.
2. Up the trail on te next spur east, figuring I’d cut over when I got high enough, but instead I went up too high, to the second reentrant instead of the first. No real problem from there, but the extra distance cost about 2 minutes.
3. On compass and careful, crossed the trail 50 m before, and hen hit it more or less right on.
4. Trail N to the bend and then continued on.
5. Avoided the green, crossed the road and got on the trail, heading W to he trail junction, then up to get in the reentrant and find the right reentrant for the bag. This was fine, and seemed better than trying to go up and over on a straighter route.
6. Easy, trail, then through the fence and parking lot and up.
7. Trail W to the wash going up the reentrant, making sure to stay N when he reentrant split. I saw a guy who had passed me around 6 take the left fork b mistake.
8. Is was kind of embarrassing. Dog leg back down the slow and rocky reentrant instead of just going straight for it. Probably took 2 minutes longer.
9. And this was no prize, either. Wandered down the spur to the E instead of the correct one to the SE. Lost about 4 min here, and the guy who had passed me at 6 got ahead of me again.
10. Kind of a slog down the reentrant, but easy.
11. Passed that guy again, as he dove into the green instead of taking the trail down to the opening.
Map Day 1 Catalina Park Brown

Brown - Splits

Reformer class with Yi. Very revealing of tight hips and hamstrings, weak shoulders. Yi says I am improving.

Snow a lot softer today, so even less traction.