Training Log Archive: jima

Mtn bike at RV Farms - nothing got busted - on me or the bike...

Looks like the HR monitor is going funky. need to clean it or get a new battery.

West Point Long - Nominal 6.2 km, 245 m climb

After dropping Jen and Patrick off at the White start, nice warm up jog to my start.
Nailed 1, which was a good start to the day. Caught a glimpse of it from a ways away as I came up the hill - saw people milling around to either side. Had started with Ethan Childs, he went more to the right at the outset and met him at the control, so that made me feel good (assuming this was also his first control).
Ok to 2 - looking for a route that minimized running through knee high blueberry bushes. Also saw this from a ways away - comforting after a long legs such as this.

4 - Chasing a runner in blue shirt down the slope. We both ended up a bit NE, across the saddle from the larger hilltop. I recovered quicker and headed SW, then saw a bunch of folks a bit uphill, none of them looking too certain about where they were in relation to the control. Saw the water jugs and the top of the stand near some otherwise indistinguishable rocks. Lead everyone right into it...

5 headed out too far to the left, but don't think I lost much time.

7 - good sized pack - all looking for somewhere with less blueberry bushes. I headed too high, Rick Worner in tow. Wanted to hit the knoll just left of the line about 200 m before the control, but ended up at the top of the large hill well right of the line instead - at least 5 contours of extra climb. Confused by how I could be looking for a open rock area on a SE facing slope when i came up on a NW facing slope. Got myself headed in the right direction, Risk Worner still behind me and some other folks also milling around. Headed out on a terrace, thinking it was just off the edge of it, but things fell off steeper than I expected. Thought I was a bit short, then saw someone several contours below me running like he knew where he was and where he was going, Rechecked map, yeah should be a few contours below the terrace, headed down - steep slick and loose rock - saw blue shirt guy to my left, then the control. Saw Pat Dunlavey above still in bewildered mode. Flushed a turkey, who flapped off downhill. Sent a few rocks rolling downhill on my way into this control.
#10 - Was going to head around to the left/N of the hill, but took a route partway up over the spur. Wasn't too thick, but still a bit of back and forth to find a micro-route across the hill top. Got pulled S and mistook the rocky outcrop just right of the line after the small reentrant for the one on the left of the line over the crest. Found a control in a reentrant that opened to the S, wandered N from that and found mine amongst the rhododendron.
#11 - left of the thicker green around the base of the cliffs, across the trail. Blueshirt guy was looking around too early and low.
#13 - a lot of small distracting stuff on the way into this - getting twinges from my hamstrings, so being careful about excessive leg lift.
Realized I'd folded my map over with 14 and the finish on the back side. Gee, I need to get to the other side of the stream - probably want to use the bridge.

Long - Green Y - Splits

Event: West Point National Meet
 

Annual pilgrimage to West Point.

Middle Course - Green Y. Nominal 3.7 km, 135 m climb

Started off by bobbling 1, got sucked off to the knoll 7 about halfway there when I saw a control by the rockface on the SW side of the knoll. Quickly decided I was S of my control at the rock outcropping, so headed N to see if there was a cliff up in the saddle. Looped down a bit, then around up into the correct saddle. Until I looked at my GPS track against the map, was sure I'd messed around the small knoll 75 m short of the control rather than the one 200 m short. -2:30

#2 - pretty sure this was at least one rockface too high, if not two. Thank god for other runners looking like they are leaving a control just as I look up. -0:30

#3 - 4 too far left out of the control, down to the larger trail, then hesitation at junction to make sure I headed out the right way. Too high over the spur before the stream, so I was back and forth at the stream looking for the crossing point, then I saw the streamer. - 1:00

Rest was fairly clean, at times running well, other times a bit slower than I wanted.

Finish location - really?? Only good thing I could come with during the hike back to the clothing drop was "thank god this isn't on the clock..."

Overall climb - tough up to 6, then drop to 7. Back up to 9 - was not feeling the love...

Afternoon sprint at Camp Natural Bridge. Warm, but not too bad.
Fairly good run, other than fading towards the end.

Mis-start out of 6, (:15) began dog-legging to go back up the hill for 4-5 steps, then decided the climb would be slower. Turned around and through the slightly thicker stuff for 15 m, then opened up. Good visibility and helped by another runner putting their hand down behind the small rock as I ran up.

Quick check on a wrong control on the way to 10.

Off bearing from 11-12, started along the contour line leading back to 1, but quick correct slightly uphill.

15 - came around the corner of the download/results building, no control. Then quick recheck of map - further down the parking lot.

Really faded from 19 up the hill to 20, then slogged to the go control. followed Jen up the finish chute - she did very well on the run in.

Middle - Green Y - Splits

Sprint - Green - Splits

Easy run at Gunstock from main lot. Up the big s curve hill, out Birch, Fire Cut, Oak, back on Birch, continued Cobble, cutting across Longbow and in.

Saw 2 porcupines. One in the far south field, put his back to me and kept circling as I tried to get to his front to take a picture. Second was coming back along Birch, off on the side. Scurried up a tree as I got closer.

Not much energy, so kept it easy.

Some new mtn bike trails at RV Farms.
Really need to get a good base map of this area (Gov't flying LIDAR in the next year or 2 I've heard). Great area for beginner courses, and forest sprint/middle.