Training Log Archive: TomNIn the 1 days ending Nov 17, 2013:
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Sunday Nov 17, 2013 #
Orienteering race 1:05:13 [5] 5.7 km (11:26 / km) +220m 9:35 / km
shoes: Inov8 Oroc 280
DVOA Fall Festival Day 2, Hay Creek Green-X. Seemed a little less technical, less bingo-ish than yesterday. Hillier, which I don't mind at all. Undergrowth a little less pleasant than yesterday, with most of the Mid-Atlantic thorn-bearing species present and accounted for. I had another good run, but not a great run.
From the start, I took the lower trail to the reentrant, then up to the control. But it was the wrong control! Quickly recognized it as the charcoal platform to the north, and continued on to the right one. Too slow on #2, I went too high on the trail before cutting over. Then dipped too much, found another wrong control on a charcoal platform, and continued on to the right one. A little shaky on the long traverse on 3, but recognized the trail when I hit it, then a very workmanlike pass through the short legs 3, 4, 5, and 6 on mostly compass bearings.
Lost 4 minutes on #7 without hardly noticing. The problem was the trail. I didn't see it as I came down off 6, but I knew I was too far when I hit boulders. Slogged back up (hence the loss of time), got the trail this time, and had no problem with the control. Tapio and I left #7 at the same time, but again I couldn't find the trail and watched him hare off downhill. I worked my way around and down the steep side of the hill, crossed the little trail midway, and followed the line of rocky pits into #8. Why is it that the minor trails were more visible than the major ones?
Lots of route choices on #9. I left the trail at the 3-way junction, climbed straight up, traversed under the dark green, and contoured to the control. I thought it was a pretty good route, don't know why I wasn't faster on it. And this, by the way, had to have been the most magnificent charcoal platform in the whole 2-day event. It was as big as a skating rink and just as flat, and you could see it from a long way off, although the flag was tucked invisibly in the back. Nice one.
#10 I found by counting paces and then looking behind me. Then downhill, tried to hit the big trail but didn't see it, kept going and got to the clearing below the lake. Crossed the clearing seeing GlenT going the other way (he wondered what the heck I was doing there) but got up to #11 with no problem, just the time lost taking the long way around.
Back across the clearing and into the woods at the rock pile with a flag on it, saw #13 from a long way below and huffed up the hill to punch it (later on at the finish, I was seriously worried that I had punched the wrong control, because it turns out there was another one, equally visible, on the charcoal platform to the west). And then, uneventfully, on to the finish.
So, good map reading and terrain knowledge, good running speed, but three bad mistakes, each due to crossing a trail without seeing it, pretty quick recovery in each case but the loss of time on those three detours was what took me out of contention.
Fourth place in M60 in the combined total.
From the start, I took the lower trail to the reentrant, then up to the control. But it was the wrong control! Quickly recognized it as the charcoal platform to the north, and continued on to the right one. Too slow on #2, I went too high on the trail before cutting over. Then dipped too much, found another wrong control on a charcoal platform, and continued on to the right one. A little shaky on the long traverse on 3, but recognized the trail when I hit it, then a very workmanlike pass through the short legs 3, 4, 5, and 6 on mostly compass bearings.
Lost 4 minutes on #7 without hardly noticing. The problem was the trail. I didn't see it as I came down off 6, but I knew I was too far when I hit boulders. Slogged back up (hence the loss of time), got the trail this time, and had no problem with the control. Tapio and I left #7 at the same time, but again I couldn't find the trail and watched him hare off downhill. I worked my way around and down the steep side of the hill, crossed the little trail midway, and followed the line of rocky pits into #8. Why is it that the minor trails were more visible than the major ones?
Lots of route choices on #9. I left the trail at the 3-way junction, climbed straight up, traversed under the dark green, and contoured to the control. I thought it was a pretty good route, don't know why I wasn't faster on it. And this, by the way, had to have been the most magnificent charcoal platform in the whole 2-day event. It was as big as a skating rink and just as flat, and you could see it from a long way off, although the flag was tucked invisibly in the back. Nice one.
#10 I found by counting paces and then looking behind me. Then downhill, tried to hit the big trail but didn't see it, kept going and got to the clearing below the lake. Crossed the clearing seeing GlenT going the other way (he wondered what the heck I was doing there) but got up to #11 with no problem, just the time lost taking the long way around.
Back across the clearing and into the woods at the rock pile with a flag on it, saw #13 from a long way below and huffed up the hill to punch it (later on at the finish, I was seriously worried that I had punched the wrong control, because it turns out there was another one, equally visible, on the charcoal platform to the west). And then, uneventfully, on to the finish.
So, good map reading and terrain knowledge, good running speed, but three bad mistakes, each due to crossing a trail without seeing it, pretty quick recovery in each case but the loss of time on those three detours was what took me out of contention.
Fourth place in M60 in the combined total.