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Simulated Orienteering Course
I do this workout in a park/wooded area adjacent to my neighborhood. The concept is pretty straight forward: I create a roughly sketched map of the area and choose 10-12 control points over about 2-3 miles (4-5 km). I don't use actual control points with flags because the course is usually in a public area; however, I try to include certain landmarks on the terrain and use those as my controls.
Once I have the map and control points laid out, I think of a few possible routes. Then I run the course and try to identify the most efficient paths along the way.
Here's an example:
10 Control Points- A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J
A - Footbridge crossing the creek
B - Ribbon tied to a tree at the bottom of the hill, west of the creek
C - Sign near the road (and so on and so forth, you get the point...)
Running the course in alphabetical order won't necessarily give you the shortest or most efficient route. Sometimes I like to throw a twist in the route -- like a big hill, a creek crossing, or a control point way off the beaten path -- just to ensure that I don't defeat my own purposes by creating an easy workout.
This workout is highly customizable to your own preferences. You can do this on any kind of terrain, with as many control points as you like, over whatever distance you desire.
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added on 2010-04-03 13:49:58.0 by amuniz09