Training Log Archive: tdgood

Although tired I was looking forward to having a good run. I decided to run with my sunglasses since I was having troubles with Glare on the map earlier in the week. The glasses worked well accept when entering dark shady areas under the trees (which there weren't many).
I found the start quickly but couldn't find the north lines. This caused troubles through out the course, especially since the north lines were akilter from the paper edges.
#1, the leaders went more right to avoid some climb. I was more straight lined and had a cleaner approach so passed some people who overshot the reentrant.
#2, the leaders drifted way left. I went straight but then got pulled off when I went into the trees and still have to correct just like the leaders.
#3,I straight lined it. leaders went a little left. Still in a good position at this point. I am with Greg Walker and Pete Curtis. I think Jon Goodwin is still with us also but he disappeared somewhere.
#4 left of the line to avoid some climb. Crossed the road, through the saddle then straight south. We popped out quite a bit west of the line where there is a small trail joing the road. We could see the baird running across the field. Angled over to the crossing point and up to the control. I had water and lost ground to Greg and Pete.
#5 straight. #6 i countoured more than Greg/Pete and made up ground.
#7, I went straight, Greg/Pete were more left. I got to control first.
#8: Since I was leading I wanted to run well. It should have been an easy control but I took a rough bearing based on the end of the aspen and ended up 100 m past the control at the next big rock. Pete was with me. I realized my mistake and Greg and JP were a long ways towards the next control. I had water and a Gel. Pete was not 100m ahead of me.
#9 & 10 Straight. Could see people ahead of me so didn't need to navigate much.
#11. Short control but I started out heading down hill so had to climb back up.
#12: Straight.
#13. I lost a lot of time trying to read the map. I thought the control was on the close side of the aspen . Turns out I was reading hill contours as the control (where the purple line ended). So I wanted to make sure I knew what I was looking for. I got the area only to realize that #13 was on the other side of the green. Someone else passed me while I stopped to read the map. I should have just run pell mell down the re-entrant like everyone else was doing.
#14: I could see Greg Walker and others going straight over the hill. I decided I would take the trail around and avoid the climb. I knew there was danger of running off the map so I would have to be careful. First mistake was I was planning ahead and ran directly to the pond and had to run around. Got the trail and kept running. I left the trail before the bend in the swamp and climbed the fence/rocks. It took me 20 seconds to get through the fence as I was tired and got caught on the barbed wire. I cut over to the east/west trail and everything was going well. I had made up ground on Pete and the other guy. Now all I had to do was run up the trail until I saw the rocks and cut in. OOOPS. i was running along the map edge and cut up at rocks that weren't on the map. Pete was right with me. We both went to where the control should have been but wasn't as we were way off (the map). We then floundered trying to relocate. Well, when you are off that map that is hard. After a long time, I finally dropped back to trail (back on the map) and ran to the water hole/fence thingy and then to the control. It took 25 minutes to get the control (should have been about 12-13).
#15. As I approached 15, I see Pete running to 16. Rather than navigate I just tried to zero back Petes direction. That didn't work too well. I had to spend a little time actually reading the map.
#16 Straight.
#17 Trail Option did not look appealing. I went straight but drifted left. I was tired and stupid. I was having a tough time knowing what was a reentrant and what was a spur. I hit the rocks east of control along with Jeremy Colgan + some other people and I followed Jeremy to the control.
#18: You could see people running across the field. Pete way ahead in yellow, Someone in Red (Carol Ross). I didn't think I could catch Carol but set off at a uncomfortable tiring run. I got ahead of Jeremy as he went through more rocks. running across the field I had decided that if Jeremy wanted to pass me I would let him. he didn't pass me. I lost a lot of time doing the punch (trying to line up the punch on my wadded up punch card). Jeremy still right behind me. Carol was moving very slow and I was gaining on her more than I thought I would. It wasn't worth trying to run hard and catch her but I thought it interesting to note.
#19 Jeremy still didn't pass me although he was right on my heels. Lost several precious seconds punching again.
#finish. If Jeremy had passed me earlier I wouldn't have contested but I wasn't going to let him pass me in the final run so I ran hard and finished just in front of him.
Overall, a good course, I was slow and the big mistake really cost me.

I traveled 9 miles according to my GPS watch. Climb is based on the GPS climb so may not be right.

Rocky Mountain Goat - Splits

Felt tired from yesterday. Started off strong to #1. then screwed up badly on #2. Lost about 6 minutes. I don't know where I was but I tried to relocate one direction and that didnt work. then went another and finally relocated on a big rock. Where I had been looking was rock all over and I couldn't tell what from what. Rest of the run was better but shakey in areas. Ground was rockier in places so I was moving slower. I didn't die like yesterday, just got tired.
Some of the control locations were dubious (like every reentrant used). There were no size descriptions on any of the rock features so you never know what you were looking for.
Overall, the course was much better than the previous day. There was more map reading required to do the course

Day 2 (Sunday) - Blue - Splits

Event: 2012 Western States Orienteering Championships
 

Very open courses with lots of non navigating field running. Navigations wise I lost 1.5 minutes on control three. Rest was clean (some hesitations). Generally just slow. I wanted to run harder today but the lungs just wouldn't allow it. Leif passed me at control 4. Eric at control 6 just before the long field runs. Eric just ran away from me across the fields. about 3/4 of the way through the course I just ran out of energy. I not only had to walk but I had to stop and just rest on some of the uphills. It was very slow going the last few controls. Tomorrow is going to hurt.

Day 1 (Saturday) - Blue - Splits

Another mass start. I thought the map was going to be 1:10,000 but it was 1:15,000. Fortunately Sam Listwak set me straight before the start. Since it was supposed to be an open course I figured I could get away with running without a manifyier.
I had no plan other than don't burn myself out the day before the A meet. First leg was 1.7K. I started off easy but soon started breathing really hard again. The initial leaders drifted right. Then Eric Bone came jogging by. We were following the same route so I mostly just ran his general direction. the other people caught up to me at control 2. There were then people to follow/run with the rest of the course. Leaving three, one person started off in the wrong direction. I realized it and said no, go throught the green to make sure you go the right way. What I didn't realize that the green was also a marsh. I waded through this icky muddy marsh area. Another person followed me cursing the whole way. Everyone else ran around the marsh which made more sense. I still beat them to the control 4 though. I went straight to control 5 and there was a lot of sage which slowed you down considerably. As I approach the control I looked to my left and see everyone else running down the unmarked trail. The rest of the course was open running across the fields. I tried to run evenly but had to walk some and the other people I was with slowly pulled away. Part of the way to the finish was down hill so I actually opened up my stride and ran that part.
Per K time was pretty fast. My legs weren't pushing it but I don't think my lungs could go any faster.
I forgot to wear my heart monitor so don't know how hard I was going.

Mass start with 5 loops. The first four would be done in different order with everyone doing the same last order.
Loop C 0,9 K
Loop A 1.3K
Loop D 0.9K
Loop B 1.2K
Loop Z 1.6K

We were on the gate of AMT Hell map 1:10,000. It is more technical with lots of rock features.
Generally I spiked every control but was wobbly in getting there. On my third loop I ran to the control but misread my clue sheet. I thought I was looking for a different control so ran away. I kept coming back to that area. The third time I realized it was my control. I lost several minutes there. Ont he last loop I had several people with me. I was trying to plan ahead so I could stay ahead of them. Unfortunately I planned to far ahead and leaving control 5 started running to control 7. some of the people followed me but not all. I dropped a place as a result. But I was still in the top 8 so won a bottle of perier. I don't know what I am supposed to do with it.

1:15,000 map. Hard for me to read some of the details but I did ok. Two long trail legs and some short more detailed ones. I felt the altitude more today than yesterday. I was thinking of actually running some today instead of jogging but just didn't have the lungs for it. I was faster per K but there was a lot more just trail run.

Event: 2012 Laramie Daze
 

First real run in over a month since whatever it was that I had (flu/virus...). Ran at altitude. Intent was to run very easy and see how things felt. I was out of breadth some but generally, the lungs felt good. I started coughing after the race due the dry air.
It was mass start. I made sure I wasn't up front. trail run to # 1 then people cut in the wrong direction so I passed a bunch. by the time I got to #2 the leaders were gone and I was in third. Clean but slow to #3 and 4. some hesitations to #5. pulled up way short going to 6 and got thrown off my game. Kevin Techendorf passed me. I passed him back going to 7. We went different routes to 8. I was low and saw Kevin leaving the control which helped. Rich Bressman behind me. Finished fourth overall. Good first day back to running.
Generally did a good job of running an even pace.