Training Log Archive: TomN

Event: QOC Lake Needwood
 

QOC Lake Needwood Red. This was a little aggressive after a fast 8K race yesterday. The course was long and steep. I had a lot of trouble with the westernmost controls, off the hill and on the border of the out-of-bounds area (4 and 6 on this course). I crossed the stream from the north just below No. 7 (102), but I didn't read the number and thought it was on the boulder to the west, because I had just come through a big open field at the river (which is clearly not mapped). I didn't go far enough west to No. 4, because the deep open stilt-grass infested reentrant was either not mapped or obscured by all the red and green lines, but either way I was sure it was the start of the open out-of-bounds area. I had given up and was heading over the hill to No. 5 when I thought, darn it, give it one more try and go into the out-of-bounds area this time. I found it in the rough open, not in the woods, same as 6, can't see why they're mapped differently. And I still can't see the big reentrant between 4 and 7 on the map.

Then I apparently skipped punching at the water stop, No. 9. I drank the water (in the little shot glasses), but I guess I must not have punched the control. Third mispunch in 3 consecutive events. That's mighty depressing.

I had no trouble at all with the control-picking the rest of the course. Oddly, I had trouble with the mandatory crossing points. I didn't end up crossing at any of the right spots, because I didn't see them in time. And my routes getting there were slow. It's like I didn't take those routes as seriously as if there were controls at the crossing points, which maybe there should have been.

C • Needwood 1

Red - Splits