Training Log Archive: Wyatt

A fine end to a tough weekend of SLOC orienteering. Not as fine as win would have been, but a great race by DVOA vs. CSU, with two very well balanced teams in sight of each other, trading leads the entire way. I haven't done the count yet, but I suspect lead changes as measured at controls will approach 20... Very fun racing. The head-to-head action was even topped off by the incredible balancing act of top-2 8-point team anchor legs converging with Mikkel & I with still 6 more (common) legs to go to the finish. Maricel, Mark, Mikkel & I all jockeyed for the lead through there, with Mikkel & I just pulling away 10 seconds via route choice to the peninsula.

On the last two legs, a splits comparison with Clem & Vadim suggests that was some of my hardest running of the weekend, with a finish effort good for a large margin ahead an ex-sprinter I rarely beat in the chute, and still, Mikkel was a few steps faster. Wow.

The rest of the weekend was definitely more mixed. My first corn maze orienteering race was a blast. The Middle was great, except for the "distinct" tree in over-head-deep 'rough open'. Rough indeed. Sprint was alright - though I'll need to do still more of these to get a smoother flow going at Sprint pace. The night O' was a disaster. I've done well on these in the past, and thought I was being uber-careful with my attacks, yet I was still missing repeatedly. Mapping of trails & green could've been better too, but that certainly wasn't the whole story, and a latched onto that a big loudly at the finish - sorry to those within earshot. :) My favorite part of the Night O', by far, was a section where I chose to run around on a road near the end. As I got into a hard paced groove to make up for the extra length, the quiet of everything else - just my breath, and footstrikes, and the darkness of everything else - just my cone of light on a exhaling breathe & road with tree margin, was one of those moments that will make me keep doing this as long as my body allows.

Finally, kudos to "Comet of the Weekend" Ian Smith, who won the Sprint and Corn Maze, and beat Vadim on the Night and Relay-leg. I didn't see that coming.

Over the last 1.4km, a mix of pavement, dirt trail and grass, which was my intended long-finish-kick to break away, my GPS clocks me at 5:43/mile pace. And still, Mikkel was faster... ffff....

Relay Blue 2 - Splits

Middle Blue - Splits

CMOUSA Middle Champs - Splits

Event: US Night & Relay Champs
 

Blue - Splits

Blue/Red Sprint - Splits