Training Log Archive: kissy

QOC meet at Hemlock Overlook. Tom Strat put on some very fun courses today, with a Sprint to start off with and then a Short Red or Green. (Although, Tom called them a Short and then a Middle Red or Green.)

Most people did the Sprint first, as did I, so my legs were fresher than for the Short to follow. The map was 1:5000, so I didn't use my new magnifying goggles (a fact that will become important later). I'm very pleased with this run. I was a little shakey on the first control, just trying to quickly get used to the map. After that, it went really well, hitting each control cleanly and running probably at my limit. Fortunately, there were several people punching at #9, so I didn't even notice that the circle on the map (or the control placement) was a tad off. Evidently, though, for some people who were there alone, it caused some wasted time trying to find it.

Again, I keep saying I don't really care for sprints, but each time I do one, I enjoy it.

This was the Short (Middle) Red. I started on this course after about a 30 minute break after the Sprint, but I still felt okay. I just hung around the registration area until I felt ready to go, then I grabbed a map and headed out. I quickly realized that, although I didn't need my magnifying goggles for the Sprint, they would have been very helpful on this course, but I didn't have them with me and I hadn't thought about getting them before heading out. Too much socializing, I guess. So, even though this map was 1:10000, I still found it difficult to read.

I was doing okay in the beginning, taking a little time to get used to the changed scale and pace, until I hit #5. What a disaster. I headed southwest out of #4, but angled too far south, and crossed the spur too low down. I hit the next ditch, couldn't figure it out (but, of course, looking at my map now, it all looks so clear!), and then finally saw the stream. Issued a few expletives and headed back up hill to get the control. Keg Good, who had been walking from when I saw her at #1, caught me. Ugh.

After that, it went great. I found each one right on and the best part was I caught up with a Norwegian woman at #8 and we pushed each other for the rest of the course. So, that was some nice competition.

The woman's name is Hege Bjorgul, and she's here for a year with her family while her husband works in Charlottesville. They run for Halden at home, which is right near where I lived. She even taught at the middle school that I attended...many years later. We are the same age. So, it will be nice with even *more* F45 competition this year.

Okay, I just figured it out. The new Norwegian family, the Bjorguls, are the parents of Ida Marie Naess Bjorgul, a top female junior Norwegian orienteer who competed at JWOC this year. They kept talking about their oldest daughter who was still in Norway, and who was going to run the 25 Manna race and how Halden really wanted her on their first team. Okay...I got it now.

Red - Splits

Short - Splits

I was going to go for a ride on the W&OD in Vienna after dropping off the meet equipment for tomorrow's event, but the trail and the entire town of Vienna was way too crowded for me. What happened to the quaint sleepy little burb of Vienna? Gone, gone, gone.

So, I headed to my usual haunt, PWF, and rode on the scenic drive for awhile. It was just the perfect day to be out and about. And I felt really good.

Took the puppies back for our longer loop. It was such a beautiful night. Now, if there were just no squirrels in the park, these runs would be ideal.

C • squirrels? 2

C • New USA Jersey 3