Training Log Archive: Wyatt

With the goal of winning the US Champs off the table (15 minute gap on Will H. is impossible to make up, barring things I don't want to happen to Will), the possibility of taking 2nd was still possible, although it was still quite possible for Boris, Ross, Eddie and Eric too. As I have no control over their runs, all I could do is run hard, and run clean.

I did a little better job running clean today. I think I was more focussed on features every ~100m, and/or compass checks at similar intervals, plus I used a road run option on a long leg 2/3 of the way through the plan routes for the final 1/3. I think this paid off as, getting tired near the end, I didn't have to make any new route choices, simply focus on executing the plans.

I did have one total bonk curving >90 degrees in a forest and seeing a road I'd already left - and I quickly realized I hadn't been checking my compass there since leaving the road ~2 minutes earlier - clearly that helped a lot when I was doing it...

End result was quite good. Of the 4 people who I think could have passed me, only Boris did so (and did so resoundingly.) Running faster than anyone else, and quite clean, he showed that by Sunday he'd adapted very well to Virginia classic-course navigation.

So I'd dropped to 3rd, but still remained on the podium, although with Eric Bone making sure that wasn't clear until the very end - he made up over half the 6-minute gap from Saturday...

Goals
- I'm happy I aimed at winning the US Champs, and am not too disappointed I missed it, as I remained in the Top 3, which is decent. I am definitely more disappointed in my Saturday result than Sunday. While my US-place was better Saturday, I also judge my run vs. a reasonably clean run (esp. one proven possible by Will H. & Mike Smith), and that's something I didn't do at all well on Saturday.
BTW, I still maintain it's easier for me to win the US Champs than make a WOC A-final. E.g. if Will hadn't shown up, and I'd been a bit cleaner Saturday, I'd have been able to win the US Champs. With runs like I had though, it would take a lot more reality modifications to explain how I'd have a A-final qualifying time...

Starting
- I generally start slow and it takes a tremendous (mental) effort to start faster. E.g. today I thought I started kinda fast on the 1st one, but it wasn't fast at all. Mostly I just wasn't sure of my route yet, or my plan, and wasn't really into my 'flow' until part way to # 2. Not sure how to address this, but something to work on...

Running faster
- I think I'm a little bit faster than I've been in the past. One thing that I thought would happen as I got faster, is that I'd just be moving faster at the same perceived effort. But I don't feel that's the case, especially in the forest. I think that, for me, running faster feels like more effort regardless of the shape I'm in. But, when I'm in better shape, I can just go longer at that harder effort. Strange??

Basically, I can run my old 'middle' effort for a 'long' course, and my old 'sprint' effort for a 'middle' course, and I don't run out of gas doing so. This is actually hard to deal with, mentally, because I have in mind the effort I should be running for a long course, and it's hard to force myself to move faster than that - e.g. today I had to constantly tell myself "run like a middle distance" or "run like there's 30 minutes left" even when I'd just started. (And at times "run like Will Hawkins is in front of me, trying to run away..." an image fresh from Saturday...)

C • Great job! 2

Plenty of distance to start & from finish forced a decent warm up/down

Part of AJ's Day 2 White shadow. He did great, doing at least one Orange control on this Yellow level "White" course...

Day 2 Blue - Splits

The amount of concentration required to get through this forest cleanly was extremely high. Losing contact was immediately costly in terms of hesitation, and often greener routes as contact was recovered - you had to hit the whiter gaps to be fast... And for many, and myself once, losing contact completely often resulted in a very hard to recover from situation. Relocation was very challenging w/o very strictly listening to your compass, and reading ditches and many contours carefully.

About 12 minutes lost - really poor w.r.t. goal cleanliness, plus vs. Will H. & Mike Smith. But vs. the rest of the US competition I got a reprieve as we all did poorly. We, as a whole team, need to help each other get better at doing this terrain right the first time, something that many of us did much better on the 2nd day.

More later.

Decent warm up & down. Down thanks to Will who got both me and Eddie to do a bit of a cooldown loop with him.

Part of AJ's Day 1 White shadow. He did good, but walked by a control off the trail in the forest, then didn't quite come back enough during 20 minutes of more through searching near the trail. He was really, really sad to DNF. "I give up!" he said and sat down to cry in the middle of the trail. It took a lot of talking to him about how amazing it is he's even trying this course AND that he's trying do an effectively Yellow (M13-14) level course at age 6. That 13-14 year old course which he could do some of at least cheered him up, and by the end, he'd decided to get 6 and 9, and follow a yellow line back. Plus we could count how many meters high hills were by guessing, and by counting contours (which he hasn't learned yet.)

Day 1 Blue - Splits

Event: US Champs
 

US Sprint O' Champs, 7th(?) US. Not a really bad run, but did lose 20 sec. each on two controls and apparently didn't run quite fast enough.

Fun course, just aim and run like crazy...

Running along w/AJ on his 2nd place M10 run at the US Sprint Champs. Very hard course, and he's not afraid to aim straight through the woods sometimes, especially after double-checking. His navigation and confidence improved noticably a few times during the course.

Perhaps not enough warm up/down for the race. Did most of the Sprint model at a walk with AJ early. Time includes some running later in the day on the Classic model.

Sprint Blue - Splits

Really close to a day off before the US Champs. Mapped a few more Mill Grove trails.

Lower front of left shin muscle is quite sore today - starting getting sore last night. I imagine it's from pounding downhill on the trail & paved road passing Clem last Sunday, but I'm surprised it's sore now, not, say Tue/Wed. Hopefully it will feel better by tomorrow. DTing a bit (by hand, too small for pineapple.

Mill Grove easy/short...

GPS mapping of one of the alternative routes on a long leg, and some detail (e.g. trails...) around one of the controls.

Trails at Mill Grove, GPS mapping for marathon. Found several new trails and added a control on them...