Training Log Archive: RJM

decided i needed a day off - legs sore, presumably from pushing on thursday.

towpath both ways with speedwork

AM: push memorial-mustill (7:24), tracks to town (4:55)
PM: several pickups (10-30s), push half of uphill (3)

finally can resume. still some residual soreness between shoulderblades

gave toredcross PM

Kendall Lake Score O, T. Pownell design (first try, and a fine job). DaveK suggested we take the same course so we can compare. Started raining at the start, and didn't let up until half way through. Very hard for me to see with wet glasses, so it was almost like nightO. Still, navigation was easy in general, and i actually used attack points and hand rails pretty well. Some thick veg slowed me down (and running in shorts made it a bit slow in spots too, but the pants I brought would have been too droopy in the rain). At 1:10 into the 1:30 timelimit I was at c18, from which all controls were far away, and the direct route back to finish had nothing i could score on. So, decided to gamble and do as much of the n loop as I could without going too far over time. Those went well, but at 24 realized that getting the last 4 far N controls would take another 20+ minutes, and I would be late getting home for the picnic I promised to be at. Picked up the last 5 on the way to finish (they were on the line), and only went 15 minutes over. That may have cost me several hundred points, but it was worth it to do those last controls, which I thought were fun and some of my best navigation.
Control, Split, note
1 0:50
3 1:54 undecided on whether i'd do 2, didn't but then ran too high for 3 before turning S. Lost ~20 Sec
6 3:09
8: 1:24
10 3:01 somehow went to the east downhill instead of north uphill. Realized at trail junction when the trail was blocked by construction! Ran back up. lost ~20S
11 3:56 Glasses now hard to see through, trying to clear. Clue sheet said spur, but it was in a reentrant, though at the center of the circle. Slow going in the green!
13 3:55 Attacked from below, which worked well (would have gone from above and would have been slower).
12 2:06 Now learn that my impromptu decision to wear trail shoes instead of mudclaws is going to make climbs and grip a problem. spiked.
7 5:21 Hop onto road at trail bend, road most of the way
9 2:05
14 5:08 Slipping an sliding
15 3:25
16 3:50
32 9:57 stayed right, slow in the green, went up spur west of the target, just kept on that ridge and dropped in on it 10-20 Sec lost
31 1:58 drifted right, but noticed pretty soon. I am so slow in the green!
30 4:51 along east edge of opening, dropped in on target, but didn't expect a building and almost went on but noticed the flag inside as I was going past.
29 3:16 bad exit from control, wandered through thick veg there and eventually emerged on open area to S, but oriented 90deg. off, but eventually figured it out and followed trai lin. 1 minute lost
28 4:01 trail N to opening, confused by the many fingers of green on the way to the control's trail. 30 s lost
18: 6:25 Motored on trail, but blew it at the attackpoint - hesitated, took the southern trail in the open, which was the worst of 4 options. Best would have been to continue trail to where green crosses, follw reentrant. I was very slow on the sidehill, and kept looking for the control far too early. 1-2 minutes lost. With 20 minutes left, and a 190 minute straight run on trail home from here, i decided to go overtime and have some fun with the most interesting part of the course.
27 6:02 I dreaded this control as soon as I saw it, mostly because ofr the marshy green at the end. But it wasn't as bad as I feared. The first half I used the subtle saddle as a handrail, came out at the point of land across from the pond perfectly, a bit slow crossing stream and in the green (but seeing olga in the open gave me confidence i was about right), hopped to the trail right on target, and spiked it.
25 3:23 Aimed right of the hilltop, and dropped right in
24 3:02 Beeline
23 3:48 attacked from the saddle, and it worked perfectly.
22 7:46 intended to follow the stream , but somehow wound up going south, so climbed to ridge and contoured to the spur. Went faster and easier than expected, and navigated to the spur tip fine. a bit of hesitation and slow movement finding the rootstock in the green. 20 s lost
19 5:00 Sloppty beeline in thickish veg, overran control but turned badck in time. 1 minute lost
5 2:47 Maintained a bearing! spot on, though slow on the uphill
4 0:55 Again!
Finish 2:09