Training Log Archive: GlenT

Event: Billygoat 2017
 

Billygoat. 13.3km, 470m.

Billygoat - Splits

Event: Pre Billygoat Training
 

Training course at Mountain Lakes set up by Niels and Becky. Focus was on route choice. Had the map for the "medium" length course. 4.7km length, printed at 1:7500. Skipped the two furthest out controls but did a re-run of one leg which was ~400m and mostly downhill to test a roundabout trail route versus the straight line route. Ran hard(ish) on legs 1 and 2, easy on 3 (with an unplanned relocation exercise), easy on 4 (to #6 on the map), hard on 5 (6-7 downhill leg using the trail), easy on 6 (back uphill to #6), hard on 7 (downhill leg on the straight line), easy to #8, hard(ish) to #9 and the finish.

Analysis: 1-2 had a trail route option which was 10-15% longer than the straight line (~700m). I did the straight route in 7:09, Janet did the trail route in 9:47 (so I probably would've been in the 6-6:30 range). Trail route wins, with the additional benefit of allowing the oppurtunity to read ahead early in the course.

6-7 splits: Trail - 4:17, Straight - 3:17. Trail route measured 710m, straight 440m. Straight wins. Woods were very open with lots of navigation features (mostly stone walls) and there was some advantage by having been to the control feature once. But a minute on a 400m leg is a lot.

This was a lot of fun - the woods are very nice, the re-done Mountain Lakes map is excellent and the weather was perfect - 60s and mostly sunny. Thanks Niels and Becky.