Training Log Archive: JanetT

Event: West Point Annual National Ranking Event
 

Woods here are pretty wide open as far as visibility. Blueberry bushes abundant in some areas, but just starting to bud out. I appreciated that my main obstacles were rocks and climb. What a great place to orienteer.

West Point NRE, to start. Up a road, down a hill to cross a stream on a log (rope available as a handrail), then up, up, up to a hilltop. Starts delayed by about 11-15 minutes, so got to chat with folks. Nice, partly sunny and mid 50s or so, so I took off a shirt layer.

Middle, Brown X, 2.4 km with 90m climb. Black Rock Forest near Round Pond. Thank heavens for a 1:7500 map. :-)

Navigation wasn't too tricky but physically getting around the forest was taxing. I had a hiking pole with me but it failed around control 7 so I had to do the remaining ups and downs more carefully.

Pole is fixable, though...just tighten a screw that holds the extender in place. I'll try it again tomorrow.

In about three hours we're sprinting on the campus at West Point. I'm stretching some tight muscle areas.

Added Note: Yuri Zakrevski was near my #7 looking for a different control so I stopped to help him out, thus the AP-calculated "error"on 8. I suppose he would have figured it out eventually, but know he has challenges, so I helped. To 9 my "error" (per AP) was due to climb.

Sprint at Trophy Point, West Point MA campus. Temp near 60, probably, and partly sunny. 1.6km, 40m climb, 1:4000 / 2.5 map.

Forgot to start my watch until around #2, so I've added in some distance and adjusted the time logged.

We had later starts, so there was a lot of hanging around and chatting time at Camp Buckner and on campus between the races. Good thing we got on the bus we did, because the next bus apparently didn't leave on schedule, and some people on it arrived late to the start. New construction around campus, so we had to stay pretty much between the campus and the river, but Brown didn't go down into the wooded area in the northeast portion like some of the longer advanced courses did.

No difficulties. #1 was in view of start; #2 was a route choice (high or low), where I went low. 3-4-5 were straightforward.

#6 required some map reading; I misread the clue as wall end but it was hedge end...I did note the circle's center seemed to be on the outside of the wall so stayed outside. #7 was another route choice leg: stay high and go down stairs on the far side of the building; or go low, down a couple of flights of stairs, and under the garage canopy. I chose the lower route. I could see #8 from 7, then turned to go to #9 where I went through the parking areas to the stairs at the corner east of the flag. Could see #10 from 9. Clean to 11, going south of the wall and catching up to Florence T who punched at another control in the area before correcting to the proper control.

At the last control I punched and then turned to head to finish and promptly hit my noggin on the tree branch. Quickly recovered and headed for the streamer tape leading to the punch boxes. Phew!

No real mistakes (beyond forgetting to start my watch), partly because I was going so slowly. :-)

Middle - Brown-X - Splits

Sprint - Brown - Splits

With Glen to park and around neighborhoods. Upper 60s and sunny, so short sleeves! (Second time this calendar year for a local walk.)

Walking with O to try to find another geocache...again, unsuccessfully. Bummer.

Quick walk around the neighborhood (46F, winds at 14 gusting to 38).

Deanna's Spring Equinox gentle class from a few weeks ago, on her YouTube channel. Nice hip work.

Route Gadget animation for yesterday's course