Training Log Archive: Gswede

Event: Hudson Highlander XX
 

Here's a write-up!

Loop 1, Baileytown: http://3drerun.worldofo.com/index.php?id=-627614&a...
I gave myself a few calm moments at the start to choose a good route to #1 since the flow for the entire course takes root there. Decided that the trail option didn't offer any benefit over going straight. Thanks to all my blueberry training in the Poconos, I wasn't worried about working through that.

Had Peter to my left for a little while but seemed to have lost him on the uphill. The following controls were all pretty straight forward--exit the control in the right direction and keep an eye out for the key features. At 5 the differences in vegetation between the terrain and the map started to mess with my map contact. Had to ignore it and stay on my compass while I pushed towards the spur. Also a minor loss of map contact on the exit from 5 to the road when the map didn't make much sense. Again, compass and drive to the road.

Continued clicking off controls and felt pretty good physically. Got to the start of the trail run and felt ready for 50k more.

[Trail Run] Fun running. I heard there were good views, but I didn't see them. Too focused on putting my feet in the right places between the rocks.

Loop 3, Surebridge: http://3drerun.worldofo.com/index.php?id=-627615&a...
Took the opportunity while I was refueling to study the long leg. I was looking forward to a long battle through Surebridge, but once I saw the road route I knew there was only one thing that made sense in terms of speed and maintaining my energy levels. Saw Peter and Will when I was running up the road. So I knew that I didn't have much of advantage over them. A small bobble entering the circle, about 20 seconds lost there.

Clicked off a few more controls and at 6 I started feeling tired. Kinda surprising since I've been doing longer stuff for a while preparing for this. I'll just need more.

Decided on the trail route to 7, but I lost it at one point and had to fight through a bit of mountain laurel.

Loop 4, Silvermine: http://3drerun.worldofo.com/index.php?id=-627616&a...

I was feeling pretty beat at this point. It was really difficult to find the motivation to push more. Maybe if there had been other people with me I could have found another gear. Or maybe I would have said, "Screw them. I'm too tired." Hard to say until that situation happens.

At any rate, I kept fighting through the blueberry and started to get the standard hamstring and quad cramps that come from lifting your legs that much. My achilles had been feeling pretty good up to this point, but it was starting to feel pretty tender on the rocks by then.

Continued my slog to the finish and at 7 I was a little confused by the instructions we had received on the walk to the start: "Don't cross the area mapped as yellow. It's mapped as crossable but you'll sink up to your neck in a swamp."

So I thought, "What does that mean? Where can we cross then? If yellow is uncrossable, would green be crossable? There's yellow right next to 8, but would that also be uncrossable?"

I decided to try crossing directly across from 7 because I thought I saw a way through, but there wasn't any. So I lost a minute or two there. A shame, but not that big of a deal.

High - Splits

Running with the ESU guys. It was nice to hold a faster pace on the roads. A nice change from the trails. Certainly won't do this every day though.

Another spectacular day at Mocanaqua, but not because of how I orienteered, which was sub-par.

I tried to do intervals, but the terrain is just too physical. Super rocky and steep. I think it's better suited for a hard long distance effort. I've tried multiple times to run fast here and I just can't get moving fast. Maybe if I was doing intervals with others it'd be better. But alone is too difficult. So, I'll have to save Mocanaqua for my long distance days.

A huge storm blew in right before I started. I was a little freaked out with that much wind in the forest since trees were bending and branches were falling. I waited for the wind to die down before I started because I knew I wouldn't be able to focus with the hazard of falling branches.

Animals I got to see: a golden eagle that was hiding from the storm, a raccoon that walked very close to me before realizing I was there, and a bear that ran uphill amazingly fast once it saw me.

Ouchie. My body is destroyed. I haven't felt this beat up for a while. Must have been a good workout!

I've come up with a fun game. It's called count the non-Europeans in the World Cup results. It feels a bit like Where's Waldo.

Is the World Cup orienteering's equivalent to the World Series? Only one region competing in a "world championship."

Ok, so it'll definitely need some work once I get there. But I'm pretty excited about how far I can take these maps remotely.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/YsyYGXfVioPiHKkc8